Write Here, Right Now

Writing newsletters just got easier.

Since launching Medium Newsletters in June, we’ve been happy to see many publications on Medium use them. Our last post noted improvements to come and we’re excited to share our latest progress.

If you use Newsletters, you may have recently noticed a change to the editing tool. Originally, emails could be composed on a page that included stats and lists of draft and sent emails, which caused the space to feel a bit unfocused. It also only supported basic features in comparison to Medium’s story editor. A few days ago, we released a new editing experience that may feel very familiar to you if you write stories on Medium.

Why did we make this change?

Email is simply a more personal form of contact and we know the editor is one of the most important pieces of Newsletters because it’s the only thing between you and your audience. In hearing from you, our users, a few things about it became clear:

1. Writing is easier without distractions. Combining the editor with stats, drafts, and sent emails was making it difficult to focus on what was most important: writing.
2. Timing matters. Establishing a consistent send time is extremely important because it helps writers build reader habit, and in turn engagement. However, routinely delivering emails wasn’t easy without the ability to automatically schedule.
3. Standing out within readers’ inboxes can be tricky. Subject lines and preview text play a huge role in deciding whether or not an email is opened, but there was no way to customize what showed up.

So, what exactly changed?

The first change you’ll probably notice is a new, clean writing surface. It’s similar to Medium’s story editor, but for Newsletters.

The next big improvement is scheduling. You can now schedule a time to send your email.

Near the scheduling setting, you’ll now see fields to customize subject lines and preview text. The subject line and preview text you choose will show up in other places too, like the sent emails list on your newsletter’s sign up page.

Last, we’ve connected your newsletter landing page to a dedicated stats page and your publication’s list of draft, scheduled, and published stories where all of your emails will now appear.

We know how important newsletters are as a tool to build and engage your audience, and this is the first of many upgrades. Try it out and let us know what you think.