Avast ye!
Clear the deck and listen close.
The graveyard of newsletters is full of good intentions.
You start with energy. You write a brilliant 2,000-word essay for Week 1. You write a decent 1,500-word essay for Week 2. By Week 3, you are staring at a blank screen, questioning your life choices, and you simply… stop.
This is the “Burnout Trap.”
You are trying to be a “Musician”—writing original hits from scratch every single week. It is exhausting.
The smartest creators in 2026 aren’t Musicians. They are DJs.
A DJ doesn’t write the songs. A DJ finds the best songs, mixes them together, and creates a vibe. The crowd loves the DJ just as much as the band.
Today, I am going to show you how to become a DJ. I am going to teach you the AI newsletter writing workflow that allows you to create a high-value newsletter in just 15 minutes a week.
You don’t need to be a great writer. You just need to be a great filter.
The Strategy: Value = Insight / Time
Your subscribers are busy. They do not want a 2,000-word essay. They want a shortcut.
If you can read 10 articles, pick the 3 best ones, and summarize them in 30 seconds, you have saved your reader an hour of their life. That is massive value.
This is called “Curation as a Service.”
💡Personal Note:
My “Friday Briefing” newsletter takes me exactly 18 minutes to write. It has a 48% open rate. Why? Because my readers know that I am not rambling. I am giving them the “Signal” from the week so they can get back to work. They trust the filter, not the word count.
For a masterclass in brevity, look at James Clear’s “3-2-1” Newsletter. It is arguably the most successful newsletter on the planet, and it is shorter than a grocery list.
Step 1: The “Collection” Habit (The 24/7 Radar)
You cannot curate if you have nothing to share. But do not set aside time to “look for content.” That is a trap.
Instead, build a “Collection Habit.”
As you go through your week—scrolling X (Twitter), reading LinkedIn, browsing news—you simply save anything that makes you stop and think.
The Tool Stack:
You need one “Bucket” to catch ideas.
- Simple: use the “Save” feature in X or LinkedIn.
- Pro: Use Readwise Reader or Pocket.
- System: Use a Notion database called “Newsletter Ideas.”
The Rule of 3:
By Friday morning, you need to have saved at least 3 links. That’s it.
- One about Industry News.
- One about a Useful Tool.
- One that is just Cool/Funny.
If you have 3 links, you have a newsletter.
For a deeper dive into building a “Second Brain” to store these ideas, Tiago Forte’s guide to capturing information is the gold standard for digital hoarders like us.
Step 2: The “AI Synthesis” (The Core Step)
Here is where the AI newsletter writing workflow does the heavy lifting.
Most people paste a link into ChatGPT and say “Summarize this.” The result is boring robot-speak.
We are going to use a “Persona Prompt” to turn those 3 links into a cohesive issue.
Copy/Paste this into Claude 3.5 Sonnet or ChatGPT-4o:
Role: You are an expert newsletter curator for [Insert Your Niche, e.g., Solopreneurs]. Your tone is punchy, insightful, and brief.
Task: I will provide 3 links/topics below. For EACH link:
- Write a Headline (MAX 10 words, click-worthy).
- Write a “The Gist” bullet point (1 sentence summary).
- Write a “Why It Matters” bullet point (1 sentence explaining the benefit/impact to the reader).
Context:
Link 1: [Paste URL or Text]
Link 2: [Paste URL or Text]
Link 3: [Paste URL or Text]Constraint: Keep the total word count under 300 words. Do not use hashtags. Do not use “In conclusion.”
The Output:
In 10 seconds, the AI will strip the fluff and give you the pure signal. It transforms a chaotic list of links into a structured, skimmable briefing.
💡Personal Note:
I use Claude for this because it is less “salesy” than ChatGPT. I feed it a messy transcript of a YouTube video I watched, and it extracts the 3 golden nuggets instantly. I didn’t have to re-watch the video to write the summary.
If you are wondering which AI model is best for this specific task, Zapier’s comparison of ChatGPT vs. Claude highlights Claude’s superiority in summarization and nuance.
Step 3: The “Human Polish” (The 20% That Adds 80% Value)
If you stop at Step 2, you are just a robot. And nobody falls in love with a robot.
The AI gives you the raw materials—the facts, the summaries, the structure. But it cannot give you the flavor. That is your job.
You must spend exactly 5 minutes adding the “Captain’s Polish.” This is where you inject your personality, your worldview, and your specific voice into the intro and the outro.
The “Sandwich” Technique:
Think of your newsletter like a sandwich.
- The Bread (Top): A personal, 100-word intro about your week.
- The Meat (Middle): The 3 AI-curated links (high value, low effort).
- The Bread (Bottom): A final thought or a question for the reader.
How to Write the “Top Bread” (The Hook):
Do not say: “Here are 3 links I found.” Boring.
Instead, connect the links to a story. Did you struggle with productivity this week? Did you have a fight with a client? Did you see a crazy news headline?
💡Personal Note:
Last week, my intro was just a story about how I burned my coffee beans because I was distracted by a Twitter thread. I tied that failure into the first link about “Focus Tools.” It made the curation feel personal, not robotic. Readers replied saying, “I did the same thing!” That rapport is worth more than the link itself.
The “Voice Check” Protocol:
Before you hit send, read your intro out loud. If it sounds like a press release, delete it. If it sounds like you talking to a friend at a bar, keep it.
For a masterclass on finding your “Newsletter Voice,” Ann Handley’s guide to writing with empathy is essential reading. She argues that the “From” line is the most important part of the email—people open it because it’s from you.
Step 4: The Visual Break (The “Eye Rest”)
In 2026, attention spans are shorter than a goldfish’s memory. If your newsletter is just a wall of text, people will hit delete.
You need to break up the pattern. You need visuals.
But you are busy. You don’t have time to open Photoshop. So, we are going to use the AI newsletter writing workflow to generate visuals in seconds.
The “Napkin” Method:
Use a tool like Napkin.ai (which we’ve discussed before).
- Copy your “Key Takeaway” from Link #1.
- Paste it into Napkin.
- It instantly generates a simple, hand-drawn chart or diagram.
- Paste that image into your newsletter.
Why this works:
It stops the scroll. A simple chart showing “Productivity vs. Coffee Intake” is funny, relatable, and shareable. People will screenshot that chart and share it on Twitter, tagging you. That is free growth.
The “Screenshot” Method:
If you are linking to a tweet or a LinkedIn post, do not just use a text link. Take a screenshot of the post and put it in the email.
- Why: It proves the content is real. It adds social proof.
- Tip: Link the image to the original post.
💡Personal Note:
I recently started adding one “Meme of the Week” at the bottom of my emails. It takes me 30 seconds to find one on Reddit. It is consistently the most clicked link in the entire email. People love to laugh. Don’t be too serious.
For more on the psychology of visuals in email marketing, Campaign Monitor’s report on visual content tools shows that emails with images have a much higher click-through rate.
Step 5: The Monetization Hook (The “Trojan Horse”)
You are not doing this just for fun. You are a Cash Captain. You want to get paid.
But you don’t want to be spammy. You don’t want to scream “BUY MY STUFF” every week.
The “Curator Method” is the perfect Trojan Horse for monetization. You are giving 90% value (the links) so you can earn the right to ask for 10% (the sale).
The “P.S. Strategy”:
The “P.S.” (Postscript) is the second most-read part of any email, after the headline. This is where you put your offer.
The Template:
“That’s it for this week!
P.S. If you want to dive deeper into [Topic of Link #1], I actually built a 2-hour crash course on it. You can grab it here for $50.”
See what I did there? I connected the offer to the content. It doesn’t feel like an ad; it feels like a “Level Up.”
The “Sponsor” Magnet:
Because you are curating “Best Tools,” companies will eventually notice. If you link to “Notion” three weeks in a row, reach out to them.
- “Hey, I sent 1,000 clicks to your site last month. Want to sponsor the next issue?”
- Because you have the data (clicks), the negotiation is easy.
💡Personal Note:
I made my first $500 affiliate commission by simply linking to a software tool I was already using in my curation section. I didn’t write a sales pitch. I just wrote: “This is the tool I use to schedule my tweets.” That was it. Trust sells better than hype.
If you are looking for affiliate programs to plug into your curation, PartnerStack’s marketplace is the best place to find B2B SaaS tools that pay high recurring commissions.
Step 6: The “Repurpose” Protocol (The Waterfall)
You have spent 15 minutes creating this newsletter. Do not let it die in the inbox.
We are going to use the “Content Waterfall” method to turn this one email into a week’s worth of social media content.
1. The “Thread” (For X/Twitter):
Take your 3 links and your 3 summaries.
- Tweet 1: “I read 50 articles this week so you don’t have to. Here are the top 3 insights for Solopreneurs: 🧵”
- Tweet 2: Link #1 Summary.
- Tweet 3: Link #2 Summary.
- Tweet 4: Link #3 Summary.
- Tweet 5: “Get this briefing in your inbox every Friday: [Link]”
2. The “Carousel” (For LinkedIn):
Take those same 3 summaries.
- Go to Taplio.
- Paste the text.
- Hit “Generate Carousel.”
- Post it on Monday morning.
3. The “Poll” (For Engagement):
- Ask your audience: “I wrote about [Link #1] in the newsletter today. Do you agree with their take? Yes/No.”
By doing this, you are driving traffic from social media to your newsletter. It is a virtuous cycle.
💡Personal Note:
I used to try to write unique content for LinkedIn. It was a waste of time. Now, I just copy-paste my newsletter sections. My LinkedIn engagement went up, not down. Why? because the newsletter content was already high-quality and curated. Good content works everywhere.
For a guide on how to structure these “Waterfalls,” Gary Vaynerchuk’s Content Strategy Deck (yes, the 86-page one) is still the bible of repurposing. It shows how one “Pillar” piece can become 64 pieces of micro-content.
Step 7: The “Send” (The Tech Stack)
You have the content. You have the visuals. You have the polish. Now, where do you put it?
You need a tool that makes this fast. Do not use Mailchimp (it’s too clunky). Do not use Gmail (it will go to spam).
Refer back to our Monday review (beehiiv vs. Substack vs. Kit).
If you chose beehiiv:
- Open the Editor.
- Use their “Drag and Drop” link feature. You paste the URL, and it automatically pulls the headline and image. This saves you another 2 minutes.
- Hit “Schedule” for Friday at 8:00 AM.
The “Consistency” Rule:
Pick a time and stick to it.
If you say “Friday at 8 AM,” be there at Friday at 8 AM.
You are training your reader’s brain to expect you. If you are late, you break the trust.
💡Personal Note:
I schedule my emails on Wednesday night. I never write on Friday morning. If I wait until the day of, something always goes wrong—the internet goes down, I get sick, or I just feel lazy. Do your future self a favor: Always be 48 hours ahead.
Conclusion: Consistency Beats Intensity
The goal of the AI newsletter writing workflow isn’t to win a Pulitzer Prize.
The goal is to show up.
A “Good” email sent every Friday for two years will build a million-dollar business.
A “Perfect” email sent once every three months will build nothing.
You now have a system.
- Step 1: Save 3 links during the week.
- Step 2: Let AI summarize them.
- Step 3: Add your 5-minute personal story.
- Step 4: Send.
This entire process takes 15 minutes. You spend more time than that deciding what to watch on Netflix.
So, no more excuses. No more “I don’t have time.” No more “I don’t know what to write.”
You are the Curator. You are the Signal in the Noise.
Your Mission for Today:
- Open your “Newsletter Ideas” note.
- Find 3 links right now.
- Run the AI prompt.
- Draft your first issue.
Ship it.
