newsletter-curation

Install the belt CLI skill: npx skills add belt-sh/cli

Newsletter Curation

Create and curate high-quality newsletters via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Find content to curate
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "most important AI developments this week 2024"
}'

# Generate newsletter header
belt app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{
  "html": "<div style=\"width:600px;height:200px;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1e293b,#334155);display:flex;align-items:center;padding:40px;font-family:system-ui;color:white\"><div><h1 style=\"font-size:32px;margin:0;font-weight:800\">The Weekly Signal</h1><p style=\"font-size:16px;opacity:0.7;margin-top:8px\">Issue #47 — January 15, 2025</p></div></div>"
}'

Newsletter Formats

1. Link Roundup

5-15 curated links with 1-3 sentence commentary per link.

## This Week's Top Picks

### [Article Title](url)
One to three sentences explaining why this matters and what the
reader will get from it. Add your take — don't just describe.

### [Article Title](url)
Your commentary here. The value is your curation and perspective,
not just the link.

2. Deep Dive + Links

One in-depth analysis (300-500 words) + 5-8 curated links.

## The Big Story

[300-500 word analysis of the week's most important topic]

## Also Worth Reading

- **[Title](url)** — One sentence commentary
- **[Title](url)** — One sentence commentary
...

3. Original Essay

One focused piece (500-1,000 words) with a clear thesis.

## [Essay Title]

[Your original analysis, opinion, or insight]

## What I'm Reading

- [Title](url) — brief note
- [Title](url) — brief note

4. Q&A / Interview

Feature conversation with an expert or practitioner.

5. Data/Trends

Numbers, charts, and analysis of trends in your space.

Issue Structure

The Template

# [Newsletter Name] — Issue #[N]

## 👋 Hello

[2-3 sentences of personal intro — what's on your mind,
what this issue covers, why it matters right now]

## 🔥 The Big Story

[Featured content — your deepest analysis or most
important curated piece with commentary]

## 📚 Worth Reading

### [Title 1](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary with your take]

### [Title 2](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary]

### [Title 3](url)
[2-3 sentence commentary]

## 💡 Quick Hits

- [One-liner + link](url)
- [One-liner + link](url)
- [One-liner + link](url)

## 📊 Stat of the Week

[One compelling data point with context]

## 💬 From the Community

[Reader reply, question, or discussion point]

---

That's it for this week. If you found this useful, forward
it to a colleague who'd enjoy it.

[Your name]

Content Sourcing

Where to Find Content

# Industry news
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "[your niche] news this week latest developments"
}'

# Research and data
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "[your niche] research report statistics 2024"
}'

# Trending discussions
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "site:reddit.com [your niche] discussion this week"
}'

# Academic/deep content
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "[your niche] analysis deep dive opinion"
}'

Source Categories

Source Type	Examples	Best For
News	TechCrunch, The Verge, industry press	Breaking developments
Research	Papers, reports, surveys	Data-backed insights
Blogs	Engineering blogs, personal blogs	Practitioner perspectives
Social	Twitter threads, LinkedIn posts	Hot takes, discussions
Tools	Product launches, updates	Practical recommendations
Community	Reddit, HN, forums	Ground-level sentiment

Curation Quality Filter

For each piece of content, ask:

Question	If No →
Would I send this to a colleague 1-on-1?	Don't include
Does it teach something actionable?	Consider skipping
Is the source credible?	Find better source
Is it timely/relevant this week?	Save for later or skip
Can I add commentary that adds value?	Just linking isn't enough

Writing Commentary

What Makes Good Commentary

❌ Just describing: "This article talks about React Server Components."
❌ Restating the headline: "React Server Components are here."

✅ Adding context: "React Server Components shipped last week, and this
   is the first production teardown I've seen. Key insight: they reduced
   initial JS bundle by 60%, but added complexity to the build pipeline."

✅ Giving your take: "I'm skeptical about the migration path here.
   Most teams I've talked to are waiting for better tooling."

✅ Connecting dots: "This pairs well with Vercel's announcement last
   month — the ecosystem is clearly converging on this pattern."

Commentary Formula

[What happened] + [Why it matters to the reader] + [Your take or prediction]

Sending Cadence

Frequency	Best For	Open Rate Impact
Weekly	Most newsletters	Highest — predictable, not overwhelming
Bi-weekly	Deep analysis, essays	Good if content is substantial
Daily	News-focused, short format	Requires dedicated habit, risky
Monthly	Research roundups	OK for depth, risks being forgotten

Weekly is the sweet spot. Same day, same time, every week. Consistency builds habit.

Day	Performance
Tuesday	Highest open rates
Thursday	Second highest
Wednesday	Third
Monday	Lower (inbox overload)
Friday	Lower (weekend mode)
Weekend	Lowest (but some niches thrive)

Subject Lines

Formula	Example
Issue number + teaser	"#47: The framework nobody's talking about"
Number + topic	"5 tools that changed my workflow this month"
Question	"Is TypeScript dying?"
This week + category	"This week in AI: GPT-5 rumors, open source wins"
Direct value	"The SQL optimization guide I wish I had earlier"

Keep under 50 characters. Mobile truncates at ~35.

Growth Strategies

Strategy	Implementation
Cross-promotion	Partner with complementary newsletters
Social distribution	Post key insights on Twitter/LinkedIn with subscribe CTA
Referral program	"Forward to 3 friends" or formal referral rewards
SEO archive	Publish newsletter archive as blog posts
Lead magnet	"Subscribe and get [free resource]"
Consistent quality	The best growth strategy: be worth reading

# Create social teaser for newsletter
belt app run x/post-create --input '{
  "text": "This week in The Weekly Signal:\n\n→ Why edge computing is eating the backend\n→ The database migration nobody talks about\n→ 5 tools I discovered this month\n\nJoin 2,000+ engineers: [link]\n\nIssue #47 drops tomorrow morning."
}'

Metrics That Matter

Metric	Good	Great	Action If Low
Open rate	30-40%	40%+	Improve subject lines
Click rate	3-5%	5%+	Better content curation, stronger CTAs
Unsubscribe rate	< 0.5% per issue	< 0.2%	Check content quality, frequency
Reply rate	Any replies	Regular replies	Ask questions, invite conversation
Forward rate	Any forwards	—	Make content share-worthy
Growth rate	5-10% monthly	10%+	Increase distribution, referral program

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Fix
No consistent schedule	Readers forget about you	Same day, same time, every week
Links without commentary	You're a bookmark, not a newsletter	Add your take on every piece
Too many links (15+)	Overwhelming, nothing stands out	5-10 curated picks max
Generic subject lines	Low open rates	Tease the best content, keep under 50 chars
No personal voice	Reads like an RSS feed	Intro paragraph, opinions, personality
Only promotional content	Readers unsubscribe	90% value, 10% promotion max
Inconsistent quality	Trust erodes	Skip an issue rather than send a weak one
No CTA for engagement	One-way broadcast	Ask questions, invite replies, encourage forwards
No archive/SEO	Missing growth channel	Publish issues as web pages

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@email-design
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@content-repurposing
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@seo-content-brief

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