---

layout: post
date: 2026-04-16 04:22
title: Stop treating your newsletters as glorified RSS feeds
link: https://simonowens.substack.com/p/stop-treating-your-newsletters-as
cited: Simon Owens

---

Generally good advice, but in defence of RSS feeds, one can create them so that they contain more than just a link to the source, of course. Subscribe to find out.

> I'm consistently surprised by how many publishers still treat their newsletters as glorified RSS feeds, in that they simply use them to link to their latest website articles. By placing more content within the newsletter itself, you can drive up signups AND open rates, and that improves so many downstream KPIs that it's almost always worth the investment.
> 
> The same can be said for newsletter signup forms: publishers will often just place a generic widget on the sidebar without explaining what users will get if they sign up for a newsletter. If you can create a better call-to-action that increases the signup conversion rate on your website by just a few percentage points, then the benefits will only compound over time.
> 
> This is all low-hanging fruit!