---
aliases: ["Weekly Newsletter"]
Is A: Procedure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-content-production]]"
Cadence: Weekly
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# Weekly Newsletter

The weekly Refactoring newsletter is the core content product — the piece that drives subscriber growth, sponsor revenue, and audience trust. This procedure covers the full production cycle: from drafting the essay and curating links through editing and sponsor block integration to final publication. Every step matters because the newsletter is a direct conversation with the audience, and consistency in quality and cadence is what builds a lasting content business. See [[the-real-job-of-a-newsletter]] for the philosophy behind this work.

## Steps

- [ ] Monday-Tuesday: Draft the main essay based on the topic from the [[procedure-content-calendar-review]] — aim for a complete rough draft by end of day Tuesday
- [ ] Wednesday morning: Self-edit the draft — tighten the opening, strengthen the argument, cut anything that does not serve the core idea
- [ ] Wednesday afternoon: Send the draft to [[person-sara-ricci]] for editorial review (see [[procedure-editorial-review]])
- [ ] Thursday: Review Sara's editing suggestions, incorporate feedback, and finalize the essay
- [ ] Thursday: Curate 3-5 links for the "links" section — select articles, tools, or resources that are genuinely valuable to the audience, not filler
- [ ] Thursday-Friday: Integrate the sponsor block — review the sponsor's creative, ensure it fits naturally within the newsletter's flow, and confirm with [[person-matteo-cellini]] if any questions arise
- [ ] Friday morning: Final proof of the complete newsletter — read it end-to-end as a subscriber would, checking formatting, links, images, and sponsor placement
- [ ] Friday: Write the subject line last (see [[newsletter-subject-lines]] for best practices) — test 2-3 options and select the strongest
- [ ] Friday afternoon: Schedule the newsletter for the planned send time and confirm delivery in the email platform
- [ ] After send: Monitor initial performance metrics and capture any immediate reader replies for the [[procedure-newsletter-metrics-weekly]] review

## Notes

- The essay is the product. Everything else — links, sponsor block, formatting — supports the essay. If the essay is not strong, no amount of polish elsewhere will save the edition. Protect writing time fiercely.
- Write the subject line after the essay is finished, not before. The best subject lines emerge from the content itself, and writing them first constrains the essay. See [[newsletter-subject-lines]] for the accumulated A/B testing insights.
- The curated links section is a trust signal. Only include resources you have actually read or used. Readers notice when the links feel like an afterthought, and it erodes the newsletter's credibility.
- Sponsor integration should feel seamless. If the sponsor copy jars against the newsletter's tone, work with [[person-matteo-cellini]] to adjust it — a poorly integrated sponsor hurts both the reader experience and the sponsor's results.
- Maintain a "not this week" file for ideas and sections you cut during editing. They often become seeds for future essays or evergreen notes. See [[on-consistency-in-creative-work]] for why protecting the creative process matters.
