AGENT SKILLBY OPENCLAUDIA
Newsletter growth skill
AT A GLANCE
Newsletter growth skill is an agent skill for email. Plan and grow an email newsletter. It is published by openclaudia in the openclaudia/openclaudia-skills GitHub repository (662 stars) under the MIT license. Its SKILL.md runs to about 1,200 words. Install it with: npx skills add openclaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill newsletter
- SOURCE REPOSITORY
- openclaudia/openclaudia-skills (opens GitHub in a new tab)
- REPO STARS
- SOURCE REPOSITORY
- LICENSE
- MIT
- CATEGORIES
- SKILL.MD SIZE
- 7.7 KB228 LINES
QUICK ANSWER
- WHAT IT IS01
- Plan and grow an email newsletter. Use when the user says "newsletter strategy", "grow my newsletter", "newsletter content", "email newsletter", "subscriber growth", "newsletter monetization", "Substack strategy". Its edge is a particular angle on email marketing, giving the agent tighter constraints than a plain newsletter growth skill request.
- INPUTS02
- Context for email marketing: your goals, audience, constraints, and any source material the skill asks for.
- OUTPUT03
- A ready-to-use result for email marketing: the analysis, copy, or recommendations the agent produces.
INSTALL
One command adds this skill from its source repository.
npx skills add openclaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill newsletterREAD THE SKILL.MD BELOW BEFORE YOU RUN IT. SKILLS INSTRUCT YOUR AGENT.
SKILL.MD
The full file, as published in the source repository. Copy it, download it or open it on GitHub.
ON THIS PAGE · 19
Newsletter Growth Skill#
You are a newsletter growth strategist. Help plan content, grow subscribers, improve engagement, and monetize newsletters.
Newsletter Fundamentals#
Subject Lines#
Formulas that work:
| Formula | Example | Open Rate Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Number + Benefit | "7 tools that saved me 10hrs/week" | High |
| Question | "Are you making this SEO mistake?" | High |
| How-to + Specific | "How I grew to 10K subs in 6 months" | High |
| Curiosity gap | "The strategy nobody talks about" | Medium-High |
| News/Urgency | "Breaking: Google just changed this" | Medium |
| Personal/Story | "I almost quit last week" | Medium |
| List/Roundup | "This week: 5 links worth your time" | Medium |
Rules:
- 30-50 characters optimal (mobile-friendly)
- Preview text is equally important — extend the subject line, don't repeat it
- Personalization tokens ({first_name}) lift open rates 5-10%
- Avoid spam triggers: FREE, URGENT, ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation
- A/B test subjects on every send
Content Structure#
The 3 newsletter archetypes:
-
Curated — Links + commentary (e.g., TLDR, Morning Brew)
- 5-10 links with 2-3 sentence commentary each
- Fastest to produce, requires good sources
- Best for: News, industry updates, trends
-
Original — Single essay/article (e.g., Lenny's Newsletter, Stratechery)
- 1,000-2,500 words of original analysis
- Highest authority building, most effort
- Best for: Thought leadership, premium/paid
-
Hybrid — Original intro + curated links (most common)
- 200-500 word original section + 3-5 curated links
- Good balance of effort and value
- Best for: Most newsletters starting out
Frequency#
| Frequency | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | Habit-forming, high touch | Burnout risk, high churn | News, curated |
| 2-3x/week | Good balance | Moderate effort | Curated, hybrid |
| Weekly | Most sustainable | Slower growth | Original, hybrid |
| Biweekly | Low effort | Easy to forget | Premium, long-form |
| Monthly | Minimal time | Low engagement | Company updates |
Recommendation: Start weekly. Only increase frequency when you have a system (templates, curation tools, or a team).
Growth Strategies#
Tier 1: Foundation (0 → 1,000 subscribers)#
-
Lead magnet — Offer a free resource in exchange for email
- Checklist, template, cheat sheet, toolkit, mini-course
- Must be instantly valuable (no "coming soon")
- Place on: landing page, blog sidebar, exit intent popup
-
Landing page optimization
- Clear value proposition above the fold
- Social proof (subscriber count, testimonials, "as featured in")
- Show a sample issue
- Single CTA, no distractions
-
Content-driven signup
- Add newsletter CTA to every blog post
- Create content upgrades (bonus content in exchange for email)
- Embed signup forms in content, not just sidebar
-
Personal network — Email contacts, social media announcement, community posts
Tier 2: Growth (1,000 → 10,000)#
-
Referral program
- Reward subscribers who refer others
- Milestone rewards: 1 referral = bonus content, 5 = exclusive access, 10 = merchandise/call
- Tools: SparkLoop, ReferralHero, or built-in (Beehiiv, ConvertKit)
-
Cross-promotions
- Partner with complementary newsletters (similar audience, not competing)
- Swap recommendations: "If you enjoy this, you'll also love {partner newsletter}"
- Paid cross-promotion: $1-5 per subscriber
-
Social media funnel
- Post newsletter excerpts on Twitter/LinkedIn with "Subscribe for more"
- Carousel previews of newsletter content on Instagram
- Turn newsletter insights into Twitter threads
-
SEO-driven landing pages
- Create keyword-targeted pages that lead to newsletter signup
- "Best {topic} newsletters" comparison pages
- Archive past issues as searchable blog posts
Tier 3: Scale (10,000+)#
- Paid acquisition — Facebook/Instagram ads to landing page, $1-5 CPA target
- Podcast/video guest appearances — Mention newsletter as CTA
- Giveaways — Viral giveaway campaigns (use KingSumo, Gleam)
- Acquisitions — Buy smaller newsletters in your niche
Engagement & Retention#
Key Metrics#
| Metric | Good | Great | Action if Below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 35-45% | 50%+ | Improve subjects, clean list |
| Click rate | 3-5% | 7%+ | Better CTAs, more relevant links |
| Unsubscribe rate | <0.5% | <0.2% | Segment, reduce frequency |
| Reply rate | 1-2% | 3%+ | Ask questions, be personal |
| Growth rate | 5-10%/mo | 15%+/mo | Double down on top acquisition channel |
Re-engagement Campaign#
For subscribers who haven't opened in 60+ days:
Email 1 (Day 0): "Still interested in {topic}? Here's what you missed"
→ Share 3 best recent issues
Email 2 (Day 7): "Should I remove you?"
→ Direct ask: click to stay, or we'll unsubscribe you
Email 3 (Day 14): "Last chance — we're cleaning our list"
→ Final warning, then remove non-openersWelcome Sequence#
Email 1 (Immediate): Welcome + lead magnet delivery + "what to expect"
Email 2 (Day 2): Your story + best issue ever (showcase value)
Email 3 (Day 5): "Reply and tell me..." (build relationship)
Email 4 (Day 7): Social proof + referral askMonetization#
| Model | When to Start | Revenue Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsorships | 1,000+ subscribers | $25-50 CPM |
| Paid subscriptions | 5,000+ free subscribers | $5-20/month |
| Affiliate links | Any size | 5-15% of clicks convert |
| Digital products | 2,000+ subscribers | $10-500 per product |
| Consulting/services | Any size | Varies |
| Courses | 5,000+ subscribers | $50-500 per student |
Sponsorship Rate Card#
CPM = (Sponsorship price / Subscribers) × 1,000
Industry averages:
- General/consumer: $15-25 CPM
- Business/marketing: $25-50 CPM
- Developer/technical: $30-60 CPM
- Finance/investing: $40-80 CPM
- Executive/C-suite: $50-100 CPMDeliverability#
Must-Have Technical Setup#
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| SPF record | Proves you're authorized to send from your domain |
| DKIM signing | Cryptographic signature preventing spoofing |
| DMARC policy | Tells receivers what to do with failed auth |
| Custom sending domain | Avoid shared IP reputation issues |
| Sunset inactive subscribers | Remove non-openers after 90 days |
Avoid Spam Filters#
- Maintain text-to-image ratio (80% text, 20% images)
- Include unsubscribe link (required by law)
- Use a real reply-to address
- Don't use URL shorteners (bit.ly triggers spam filters)
- Warm up new sending domains gradually
Output Format#
When creating a newsletter strategy, deliver:
# Newsletter Strategy: {Newsletter Name}
## Concept
- **Niche:** {topic/audience}
- **Format:** {curated/original/hybrid}
- **Frequency:** {daily/weekly/biweekly}
- **Value proposition:** {1-2 sentences — why subscribe?}
## Growth Plan
### Month 1: Foundation
{Specific action items}
### Month 2-3: Early Growth
{Specific action items}
### Month 4-6: Scale
{Specific action items}
## Content Template
{Issue template/structure}
## Monetization Roadmap
{Timeline for monetization milestones}Important Notes#
- Consistency matters more than frequency. A reliable weekly newsletter beats an erratic daily one.
- Always send from a real person's name, not a company name (higher open rates).
- The reply is the most underrated metric. Ask questions. Read and respond to replies.
- Clean your list quarterly. A 5,000-subscriber list with 50% open rate is worth more than 20,000 with 15%.
- Always have a "Why am I getting this?" link for new subscribers who forgot they signed up.
FAQ
07 QUESTIONS
01What is the Newsletter growth agent skill?
Plan and grow an email newsletter. Use when the user says "newsletter strategy", "grow my newsletter", "newsletter content", "email newsletter", "subscriber growth", "newsletter monetization", "Substack strategy". It is listed under email in the 100xLab agent skills directory.
02How do I install Newsletter growth skill in Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex?
Run npx skills add openclaudia/openclaudia-skills --skill newsletter in the project where you want it, then ask your agent for the skill by name. The --skill flag installs only Newsletter growth skill, not every skill in the repository.
03What does the Newsletter growth skill SKILL.md cover?
The SKILL.md includes sections on Newsletter Fundamentals, Subject Lines, Content Structure, Frequency, Growth Strategies and Tier 1: Foundation (0 → 1,000 subscribers). Read the full text on this page or in plain markdown at /resources/agent-skills/openclaudia-openclaudia-skills--newsletter--1qe2xx4/raw.
04Which agents can use Newsletter growth skill?
Newsletter growth skill installs with the cross-agent skills installer (npx skills add), which sets it up for agents such as Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. Each agent loads the SKILL.md when you ask for the skill by name.
05What license is Newsletter growth skill under?
The openclaudia/openclaudia-skills repository declares the MIT license. Read the license file in the repository before you copy or redistribute the skill.
06Is Newsletter growth skill free to use?
Reading, copying and installing Newsletter growth skill costs nothing: it is published in a public GitHub repository under the MIT license. Reuse and redistribution follow that license.
07Where is the source of Newsletter growth skill?
Newsletter growth skill comes from https://github.com/openclaudia/openclaudia-skills, which has 662 GitHub stars. The SKILL.md is at https://github.com/openclaudia/openclaudia-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/newsletter/SKILL.md. The author is openclaudia.
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ATTRIBUTION
Newsletter growth skill was written by its original authors and is published in openclaudia/openclaudia-skills (opens GitHub in a new tab) under the MIT license. All rights stay with the original authors.
100xLab did not write, maintain or endorse this skill. This page lists it for discovery. Repo stars belong to the source repository, not to the skill. Review any skill before you install it.