Why Most LinkedIn Newsletters Feel Forgettable (And How To Make Sure Yours Isn’t)

It has never been easier to start a newsletter on Linkedin. But growing one? That’s a different story.

Every week our Linkedin inbox is filled with invitations to subscribe to newsletters of new connections and brands we follow. Many business owners launch with the best of intentions only to find engagement and new subscribers plateauing after just a few editions.

When there’s no compelling reason for readers to keep coming back… they don’t.

As a team that consistently produces LinkedIn newsletters with continual growth MoM and an average open rate of 47%, are the four most common mistakes we see with Linkedin newsletters and how to avoid them.

Mistake 1: Building Around a Topic Instead of a Perspective

There’s a big difference between a topic and a perspective.

Posting about marketing is a topic, but posting about which marketing insights you need and which you can ignore is a perspective.

A good rule of thumb is that any reader should be able to describe your newsletter in one sentence.

For The Krewe Chronicles, our LinkedIn newsletter, that might be something like “It’s the one that shares no fluff marketing know-how to increase leads and sales.”

Most Linkedin newsletters publish for topics and never think about perspective.

The Fix:

Define your perspective lens before you write edition one. Are you practical, behind-the-scenes, a little contrarian? Stick with one and filter every issue through it.

Example: The Krewe Chronicles is always focused on tactical advice. No theorizing and gatekeeping, legit: “Step 1 to fix your problem. Step 2 to fix your problem…etc”

Mistake 2: Publishing Without Adding Value

Speaking of your specific point of view… many businesses treat their LinkedIn newsletter as just another publishing channel.

An existing piece of content gets republished without any additional context or insight to fit the platform it’s now on. A blog post gets copied and pasted or a podcast transcript gets rebranded as a “newsletter.”

To be clear, repurposing content isn’t the problem. In fact, some of the best newsletters are built around existing content.

The problem is when the newsletter itself doesn’t add anything new for the reader.

Whether you’re sharing recent blogs, podcasts, videos, or industry news, your newsletter should help readers connect the dots. Why does this matter? What should they take away from it? How do these pieces fit together?

The Fix:

Think of your newsletter not just as a container for content, but as a guide for understanding that content. Even a few sentences of commentary, context, or perspective can turn a collection of links into something worth subscribing to and actually opening when it hits their inbox.

Mistake 3: Reinventing the Newsletter Every Issue

We recently covered the importance of email branding. The same principles hold true for your newsletter.

Frequency and solid content are important, but formatting consistency and familiarity is just as important. Your readers want to know what to expect from your newsletter before they even open it.

When you maintain the same general structure, sections and approximate length each time, you’re signaling stability and commitment to your readers.

If every newsletter looks like it’s coming from a different brand each time, it says you haven’t fully committed, so your readers won’t either.

The Fix:

Create a template or framework that guides you to share the same general categories of content each time and stick to it.

Example:

The primary audience for the Krewe Chronicles is young Gen X and Millenials so our newsletters all lean into that with a Friends nod in our subject lines:

Mistake 4: No Curation, Just Creation

One quick look around your inbox or social media accounts and one thing is clear: we are utterly overwhelmed with content.

In a world of infinite content, filtering becomes a service.

The best newsletters are the ones that go beyond just creating content to helping readers decide what deserves their attention.

The Fix:

Curate with intention. Whether you’re sharing your own content, industry news, or resources from others, help readers understand why each item deserves their attention. The goal is clarity over just providing more links.

Making your newsletter worth remembering

LinkedIn newsletters can be an incredibly effective way to connect with and grow your audience. The ones that give a reason to come back, have:

➞ A clear perspective
➞ A familiar format
➞ Useful insights
➞ Thoughtful curation

If you want to see what a Linkedin newsletter can do for your business, we can help. Book a discovery call.