Get a weekly newsletter written, scheduled and actually sent

Get a draft newsletter in your inbox every Monday morning, formatted and ready for your final review and send.

For anyone who keeps meaning to send one · 7 steps · 7 min

How it works today.

You start each week meaning to write your newsletter. You open a blank document, stare at it, then get pulled into other work. By Thursday you panic-write something rushed, or worse, you skip the week entirely and promise yourself you'll restart next Monday.

The actual writing isn't hard once you start. The killer is that blank page every single week, plus remembering to format it properly for your email platform and actually hit send on schedule.

Before you start.

All of it has to be true, or step one fails in a way that is annoying to debug.

  • Access to your email marketing platform (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Substack, etc.)
  • A list of 3-5 content themes or topics your newsletter typically covers
  • Your brand voice guidelines or 2-3 example newsletters you've sent before
  • A generalist AI agent with web access (Claude, ChatGPT, or similar)

The steps.

  1. Set up your content brief template

    Create a standard brief that includes your newsletter format, typical word count, audience description, and content themes. This becomes your agent's instruction set for every draft.

    Paste this
    You're writing a weekly newsletter for [your audience description]. The newsletter should be [word count] words, written in [your brand voice - casual/professional/etc]. Each issue should include: [list your standard sections like industry news, tips, personal update, etc]. The tone should be [describe your voice with 2-3 adjectives]. Here are 2 examples of previous newsletters I've sent: [paste examples].

  2. Schedule weekly content research

    Every Sunday evening, have your agent research current topics in your industry and compile 5-7 potential newsletter angles. This gives you fresh material without the Sunday scaries of a blank page.

    Paste this
    Research what's happening this week in [your industry/niche]. Find 5-7 topics that would be relevant for my newsletter audience. For each topic, provide: the headline/trend, why it matters to my readers, and one specific angle I could take on it. Focus on topics from the last 7 days.

  3. Generate Monday morning draft

    Have your agent write a complete newsletter draft every Monday at 6 AM using your brief and the research from Sunday. The draft should be 90% ready to send, not just an outline.

    Paste this
    Using the content brief and research topics we discussed, write a complete newsletter draft for this week. Include all standard sections, write in my established voice, and make it ready to send. End with a clear call-to-action. The draft should feel personal and valuable, not generic.

  4. Format for your email platform

    Have your agent convert the draft into the specific format your email platform needs. This includes proper HTML if needed, image placeholders, and any platform-specific formatting requirements.

    Paste this
    Take this newsletter draft and format it for [your email platform]. Include proper spacing, any HTML formatting needed, and mark where images should go with [IMAGE: description]. Make sure it follows [platform name]'s best practices for deliverability.

  5. Review and edit the full draft

    Read through the entire formatted newsletter. Check that it matches your voice, the facts are accurate, and the call-to-action makes sense. Edit directly in the draft or give feedback for revisions.

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    I've reviewed the newsletter draft. Here are my edits: [list specific changes]. Please revise the draft with these changes and send me the updated version.

  6. Upload and schedule in your platform

    Copy the formatted content into your email platform, add any images, set your subject line, and schedule it for your regular send time. Do not set it to send automatically - schedule it for manual approval.

    Paste this
    Write 3 subject line options for this newsletter. Make them specific to this week's content and optimized for open rates in [your industry]. Avoid spam trigger words.

  7. Final approval and send

    Review the scheduled email in your platform's preview mode. Check how it looks on mobile and desktop. Only after you approve the final version should you confirm the send or change it from scheduled to sending.

What you keep.

Automating the typing does not move the accountability. These stay with a person.

  • Reading and approving every newsletter before it goes out
  • Deciding which research topics to focus on each week
  • Maintaining relationships with subscribers who reply
  • Adjusting the content strategy based on open rates and feedback

Once it works.

The first run is the demo. These are where the time actually comes back.

Put it on a schedule

Set the agent to automatically pull trending topics from your industry RSS feeds or Google Alerts every Sunday.

Fire it from an event

Have the agent create next week's draft immediately after you send this week's newsletter, using subscriber replies as input.

Run it on a loop

Build a feedback loop where the agent analyzes which newsletter topics get the highest engagement and suggests similar angles.

Scale it wider

Once the format is working, have the agent create different newsletter versions for different subscriber segments using the same research.

Run this next.

One workflow is a tip. Chained, they are how a week actually changes shape.

Email marketing

Turn last week's email numbers into next week's send plan

Let last week's numbers decide what next week says.

8 stepsMarketing

Turn one long piece into a fortnight of posts, clips and an email

Feed the newsletter from work you already published.

8 steps

The work this replaces.

These are the O*NET work activities this workflow covers, and the categories of tool that address them.

Addressed by generalist agents, builders, vertical agents
ChatGPT (agent mode)Clauden8nZapierSierraDecagonWhole landscape