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Just started first newsletter. Please roast my attempt

Need a little help from the awesome IH community.

I started my first newsletter today on Substack

My day job is as an engineer and I am a complete newsletter noob.

It would be so so helpful if you could look and point out the mistakes that I have made.

https://rephrased.substack.com/

  1. 3

    Here I took a crack at rewriting this for you:

    Weekly JavaScript challenges to help keep up with the ever changing JS ecosystem. Challenges will revolve around a different hot topic each week. Topics range from latest JS language features to exciting new JS libraries. Stay ahead by solving puzzles.

    into this:

    JavaScript puzzles and challenges for hackers. Learn new JS libraries, features, syntax in a fun way. Solve real problems in a sandbox. Think better and write code faster when it counts.

    1. 1

      Absolutely love this copy suggestion. Great how it gets to the core benefit of "staying ahead".

      Going to try it put on landing page

  2. 2
    • You waste the title by just putting a name without telling me what it is
    • Lots of small text.. be more concise
  3. 2

    Here's the copy I'm reading (in case you're revising it):

    Weekly JavaScript challenges to help keep up with the ever changing JS ecosystem. Challenges will revolve around a different hot topic each week. Topics range from latest JS language features to exciting new JS libraries. Stay ahead by solving puzzles.

    I'm intrigued! (Well, I'd genuinely be intrigued if I were a JS developer.) Puzzles are fun.

    I would add some more emphasis to the overall benefit, "stay[ing] ahead."

    You know how devs in Agile shops have to write their tickets?

    As a ____,
    I want to ____,
    So that I can ____.

    My advice would be to focus on that last line. So that I can...?

    Stay on the bleeding edge of JS?
    Get more well-rounded as a JS developer?
    Advance my skills while having fun and land better jobs with more money?

    Optional extra benefit: Is there a very short (1-2 sentences) method to give a more specific picture of what your reader would do? Perhaps an example case? Is there a way to let the reader imagine themselves having fun taking on the challenge? If you're a patio11 follower, perhaps there was some benefit offered to Starfighter players that could serve as inspiration.

    1. 1

      Thanks. The feedback about overall benefit is great. Easy to forget to focus on benefits when you are the maker of something because the benefits are obvious in your own head.

      I am putting together a 30 second video of me running through an example challenge from start to finish. Going to use that in a few places to real give people an immediate sense of a challenge. I have also update some imagery on Substack with a screenshot of a challenge sandbox.

  4. 2

    Hi James , don't only talk about what you do but tell them what value you will bring:
    new insights ? discover new tools or libs in an interactive way ?
    good luck
    Filip

    1. 1

      Thanks for feedback. Really useful. I'm reworking some of the copy now so will talk more about value the challenges will bring.

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