I consume a LOT of content.
In the process of putting together my For The Interested newsletter each week, I’ve found the most interesting stuff comes from an army of newsletters that cover a wide variety of subjects.
Some feature original writing and others are curated collections, but what connects them all is an ability to consistently inspire, educate, and entertain readers.
The best of the bunch are listed below — I hope you’ll check them out and recommend your own favorites in a response to this post.
1. James Altucher
James Altucher is a writer, podcaster and entrepreneur whose newsletter is an offshoot of his excellent blog. It consists mostly of original posts he’s written, largely around the general theme of how to “choose yourself” and improve your life and career. Subscribe here.
2. Convince and Convert
Published by a digital marketing agency of the same name (founded by Jay Baer), this newsletter features a collection of curated articles dealing with social media, content marketing, and assorted other digital marketing topics. Subscribe here.
3. Creative Mornings Weekly Highlights
Produced by the international creative community at Creative Mornings, this weekly newsletter features highlights from talks held around the world as well as links to interesting content around a wide range of topics including design, technology, and more. Subscribe here.
4. The Do Newsletter
An offshoot of the Do Lectures and described as “a weekly curation of wonder and optimism” this newsletter features a links to stories about everything from how to get honest feedback, to ideas to change the world for the better, to interesting new apps. Subscribe here.
5. For The Interested
If you only subscribe to one newsletter on this list, then For The Interested should be the one. I’m not just saying that because I’m biased (though I am because it’s my newsletter), but also because the 10 ideas I share each week are often a curated batch of the best ideas found in all the other newsletters on this list. Subscribe here.
6. The Ann Friedman Weekly
A newsletter with a large and passionate following, the Ann Friedman Weekly is written by freelance journalist ann friedman(of course it is). It features curated links on topics such as gender, media, technology, and culture. Plus, hand-drawn pie charts. Subscribe here.
7. The Full Monty
This newsletter comes from strategy consultant Scott Monty, the former head of social media for Ford Motor Company, who has long been recognized as a leader in the industry. The newsletter comes out weekly and features an exhaustive collection of links to news and analysis about social media, technology, and digital business. Subscribe here.
8. Jocelyn K. Glei
Described as “notes on work, life, and creativity in the Age of Distraction,” this newsletter is one of my personal favorites. It features a combination of curated links and original writing from Jocelyn K. Glei, who has literally written the book on email. Subscribe here.
9. The Hustle
A daily newsletter covering business, tech and culture, The Hustle typically covers a handful of topics each day with links to multiple stories about each. It also writes about them with a unique and entertaining editorial voice. Subscribe here.
10. Input-Output
Every Friday, freelance designer Thierry Blancpain sends out this newsletter featuring “five great things.” What those things are varies wildly —a recent issue included an article on how Silicon Valley gets innovation wrong and a video explaining how Louis CK tells a joke — but they’re always interesting. Subscribe here.
11. Austin Kleon’s Weekly Newsletter
It should come as no surprise that a guy who wrote books about showing your work and stealing like an artist manages to pull together a must-read newsletter every week. It features a collection of interesting notes about writing, art, music, and creativity that make it one of my favorites. Subscribe here.
12. The Lefsetz Letter
This newsletter features the observations and rants of Bob Lefsetz, who’s technically a music industry analyst but in actuality so much more. His emails come whenever he feels inspired to write one (typically a couple per week) and feature insightful (and often controversial) thoughts about art, culture, technology, media, and life in general. A must-read. Subscribe here.
13. The Lunch Read
This newsletter will hit your inbox every Wednesday at lunch time and features a nice collection of “the best stuff on the Internet.” It’s curated by a group of people, which contributes to its eclectic feel, covering everything from politics, to pop culture, to recipes. Subscribe here.
14. Marketing Dive
If you have any interest in marketing, you’re going to want to subscribe to this one. It’s a daily newsletter that delivers a comprehensive overview of the day’s latest marketing news. Subscribe here.
15. Media Redef
If this isn’t the best newsletter on this list, it’s definitely in the top three. Jason Hirschhorn’s Media Redef is an incredible daily curated collection of stories that cover the entire media spectrum with a nice mix of informative and entertaining content. Subscribe here.
16. Medium’s Daily Digest
This is a custom newsletter created for Medium users based on who they follow and what they’re interested in so yours will be different than mine. But in general, it’s great curation of great writing on Medium (thanks for creating it, Ev Williams!) and worth inviting into your inbox. Subscribe here.
17. Next Draft
If you want a clever summary of the news of the day, Dave Pell’s Next Draft newsletter is the best of the bunch. He boils all the crazy things happening in our world down to 10 items each day and hits send. Plus, he’s appropriately dubbed himself the Managing Editor of the Internet which is about as good a self-appointed title as you’ll find. Subscribe here.
18. Orbital Operations
This newsletter is the creation of graphic novelist and writer Warren Ellis and it’s likely the most unique newsletter on this list. It’s a direct feed into the brain of a really smart, really interesting guy. Subscribe here.
19. Quibb
I have no idea how I discovered Quibb or wound up subscribing to it. But I do know that every time they send me an email I click several links in it. It’s a members-only newsletter that features links from people who work at one of 30,000 startups and companies — mainly in the tech space. Subscribe here.
20. Recomendo
Sometimes simple is perfect. This is a weekly newsletter featuring six quick recommendations from six different people including Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of WIRED magazine. The recommendations include apps, life hacks, books, and more. Subscribe here.
21. Unmistakable Creative’s Sunday Quiver
An offshoot of the excellent Unmistakable Creative podcast hosted by Srinivas Rao, this newsletter shares not only highlights from the podcast but also a collection of original writing and curated articles around creativity, art, and entrepreneurship. Subscribe here.
22. Watching
There’s a ton of great TV shows and movies to watch these days and this New York Times newsletter exists to help you figure out which are worth your time. It’s a simple guide to the latest and greatest, and suggests hidden gems you may have missed. Subscribe here.
23. Weekend Briefing
A Harvard Law School lecturer and the author of Profit & Purpose: How Social Innovation is Transforming Business for Good, Kyle Westaway publishes this weekly newsletter. It features a selection of articles on society and innovation. Subscribe here.
24. The What List
Described as “a clever list for curious people,” The What List is compiled by Gina Pell and Amy Parker. They share recommendations of what to consume (read/watch/eat/drink) as well as other interesting things they come across. Subscribe here.
25. Your Favorite Newsletter
I’m sure you know a bunch of other great newsletters that should be on this list so I thought I’d leave this 25th newsletter recommendation as an open thread for readers to add suggestions. Share your recommendations with us in the For The Interested Facebook Group.