How to Build a Newsletter That People Actually Look Forward To Reading

I spent my first three years in Hong Kong chasing 'reach' on every platform that looked like a shiny new toy, only to realize that the most valuable real estate in tech isn't a billboard on King’s Road or a viral thread-it’s the four-inch screen of a subscriber's smartphone at 8-15 AM.

In an era where every social media algorithm is designed to keep you scrolling through a feed of strangers, the humble newsletter has emerged as the ultimate rebellion. It is the only channel where you own the relationship, the data, and the delivery. For a founder or a creator, it is the difference between building a business on rented land and owning the title deed to your digital future.

We are living through a period of extreme platform fatigue. In 2024 and heading into 2025, the data shows a massive shift in how people consume high-value information. While short-form video dominates the entertainment space, business and technical decision-makers are retreating to the 'quiet' web. This is particularly true in tech hubs like Hong Kong, where the noise of LinkedIn and WhatsApp groups can become deafening.

A newsletter isn't just an email; it’s a commitment. When someone gives you their email address, they are giving you a rare commodity-their attention. In a world where 16.8% of all marketing emails are now categorized as newsletters according to recent industry benchmarks, the competition isn't just against other businesses; it's against the 'Delete' button and the 'Archive' swipe.

For those of us building companies in the Hong Kong tech ecosystem, the newsletter serves a dual purpose. It builds personal authority in a market that relies heavily on trust and 'guanxi', and it creates a direct pipeline to potential hires, partners, and investors. I’ve seen this first-hand-the most interesting deals I’ve done didn’t start with a cold call; they started with a reply to an email I sent on a Tuesday morning.

The graveyard of dead newsletters is filled with titles that were 'a weekly round-up of tech news.' No one needs more news. We are drowning in news. What we need is synthesis.

If you want to build a newsletter that people actually look forward to reading, you have to move from being a curator to being a curator with a perspective. People don't follow me because I link to the top five AI stories of the week; they follow me because of what I think those stories mean for the future of software development in Southeast Asia.

To find your hook, you must answer one question: What is the specific 'signal' you provide that no one else can?

1. The Unique Vantage Point: Are you a coder who understands finance? A founder who has failed three times? Your intersection is your edge.
2. The Friction Trap: Does your newsletter solve a specific, recurring problem for your readers?
3. The Voice: Stop writing like a corporate brochure. Write like you’re talking to a friend at a coffee shop in Central.

The first technical hurdle every creator faces is choosing the right stack. In 2025, the landscape has stabilized into three main camps, and each has its own trade-offs.

Substack changed the game by making the newsletter social. It’s the best platform for discovery because of its 'recommendations' engine. However, the trade-off is control. Your branding is limited, and you’re locked into their ecosystem. If you’re just starting and want to minimize friction, it’s a solid choice.

For those of us who are serious about scale and monetization, Beehiiv has become the gold standard. Their 'Boosts' feature and referral programs are miles ahead of the competition. They’ve optimized for deliverability - a critical metric given that nearly 20% of emails never reach the inbox.

If you’re a developer or a technical founder, you might be tempted to build your own. While I usually advise against this for speed, there are cases where a custom frontend with a headless ESP like Postmark or Resend makes sense. This allows you to integrate your newsletter deeply into your product.

Here is a simple example of how you might handle a custom subscription event in a Node.js environment using a modern ESP API:

// Example: Custom Newsletter Subscription Integration
const axios = require('axios');

async function subscribeUser(email, source) {
    const API_KEY = process.env.NEWSLETTER_API_KEY;
    const LIST_ID = 'hong_kong_tech_founders';

    try {
        const response = await axios.post('https://api.newsletterprovider.com/v1/subscribers', {
            email: email,
            metadata: {
                signup_source: source,
                location: 'Hong Kong',
                signup_date: new Date().toISOString()
            },
            double_opt_in: true
        }, {
            headers: {
                'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
                'Content-Type': 'application/json'
            }
        });

        console.log(`Success: ${email} added to the list.`);
        return response.data;
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Subscription Error:', error.response.data);
        throw new Error('Could not complete subscription.');
    }
}

// Triggering the subscription from a landing page form
subscribeUser('reader@sheryarshah.com', 'blog_footer');

By owning this logic, you can trigger specific onboarding flows, segment your audience based on their behavior, and ensure that your first touchpoint is seamless.

You could write the most profound piece of literature of the 21st century, but if it lands in the 'Promotions' tab, it doesn’t exist. Deliverability is the 'hidden' technical work of a newsletter creator.

Recent data from 2024 studies indicates that open rates hover around an average of 25-30% for business newsletters. However, the top 10% of creators are hitting 50% or higher. How? They obsess over technical reputation.

• DKIM, SPF, and DMARC: These aren't optional anymore. Google and Yahoo’s latest requirements mean if you haven't configured your DNS records properly, you are essentially screaming into a void.
• Engagement-Based Cleaning: If someone hasn't opened your last 10 emails, delete them. A smaller, highly engaged list is worth more than a bloated list that drags down your sender reputation.
• The Saturday Secret: While most B2B newsletters send on Tuesday or Wednesday, Forbes recently noted that Saturday open rates can hit 37.6% because there is less competition in the inbox. In Hong Kong, I’ve found that Sunday evenings are also a 'golden window' as people prep for the work week.

Growth is where most people get discouraged. You launch to 50 people (mostly family and friends), and then the needle stops moving. To scale, you need a distribution engine.

In the Hong Kong market, I’ve seen a specific pattern of growth that works better than anywhere else: The LinkedIn-to-Email Pipeline. Since LinkedIn is an open network, its reach is far greater than your mailing list. In 2025, LinkedIn reported an 11% increase in usage for B2B marketing, making it the primary 'top of funnel' tool.

1. The Teaser: Post a contrarian opinion or a unique data point on LinkedIn.
2. The Bridge: Link to the full newsletter edition, but offer a specific extra value (a template, a checklist) for those who subscribe.
3. The Referral: Use tools like Beehiiv’s referral system. In Hong Kong, word-of-mouth is incredibly powerful. If you can get five influential founders in the city to recommend your work, you’ve won the local market.

When someone opens your email on the MTR during their commute from Central to Kowloon, you have about 15 seconds to hook them for the long haul.

• H2 and H3 tags: Use them to make the article skimmable.
• The One-Sentence Paragraph: Use it for emphasis. It creates pace.
• Bold text for key points: Help the reader find the 'aha' moments without reading every word.
• No Semicolons in Headings: Keep it clean and punchy.

The language should be active. Instead of saying 'There are many ways to grow a list,' say 'Grow your list by doing X.'

While Substack has popularized the paid subscription model, it’s not the only way-or even the best way-to monetize. For most of us in the tech space, the 'indirect' monetization is far more lucrative.

• Sponsorships: Once you hit 2,500 highly targeted subscribers (e.g., HK-based CTOs), you can charge a premium for sponsorships. Local companies are always looking for ways to reach this specific demographic.
• Lead Generation: Use your newsletter to showcase your expertise. I’ve had more project inquiries from a single well-written email analysis than from a year of 'traditional' marketing.
• Community: The newsletter is the gateway. Once you have the audience, you can launch private groups, events, or workshops.

Open rates are becoming less reliable as privacy features (like Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection) mask actual user behavior. In 2025, we have to look deeper.

• CTR (Click-Through Rate): This is the ultimate proof of value. If people are clicking, they are engaged.
• Reply Rate: This is my favorite metric. How many people took the time to write back to you? It’s the highest form of validation.
• Churn Rate: How many people are leaving? If this spikes after a specific edition, you’ve drifted from your 'hook.'

I often tell people that the hardest part of a newsletter isn't the first edition; it’s the 50th. There will be weeks where you feel like you have nothing to say. There will be weeks when the open rate dips and you wonder why you’re spending six hours on a Sunday writing for free.

But here is the secret: The value of a newsletter is cumulative. It’s a compound interest machine. Each edition is a brick in your personal brand’s wall. Over time, that wall becomes a fortress.

In Hong Kong, where the tech scene is vibrant but compact, reputation is everything. A newsletter is the most efficient way to build that reputation at scale. It’s an investment in your future self.

Being a tech founder in Hong Kong offers a perspective that is fundamentally different from someone sitting in San Francisco or London. We are at the literal gateway of the East and West. This geographical 'dual-citizenship' of ideas is a goldmine for newsletter content.

When I write about trade, logistics, or the integration of AI into traditional finance (TradFi), I am drawing from the reality of the streets of Sheung Wan and Central. This is a local context that the 'global' newsletters miss. For a newsletter creator, 'local' is your superpower.

Think about the massive shifts happening in the Greater Bay Area. The technological integration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen is one of the most significant macro trends of our decade. If you can provide a window into this world for an English-speaking audience, you aren't just a writer-you are a bridge.

The data confirms this desire for localized expertise. A 2024 survey of digital professionals in Hong Kong found that 62% of respondents felt 'overwhelmed' by global tech news but 'underserved' by local analysis. There is a massive gap in the market for a high-signal newsletter that focuses on the Hong Kong and broader APAC ecosystem.

In a city like Hong Kong, where the MTR is the main office for many, your newsletter must be optimized for mobile reading. This isn't just about 'responsiveness'-it’s about the psychology of the mobile user.

Use vivid, sensory language. Instead of saying 'The market is volatile,' try 'The market feels like a mid-August typhoon-unpredictable and capable of changing direction in a heartbeat.' This resonates with a local audience and sticks in the mind.

Images in newsletters are a double-edged sword. If they don't load, they leave ugly blank boxes. In 2025, the move is toward 'Text-First' design. Use emojis sparingly but effectively to guide the eye. Use horizontal dividers to separate sections. Keep your paragraphs to no more than 3 lines. On a mobile screen, a 5-line paragraph looks like a wall of text that is too hard to climb.

Let's talk about the plumbing. If you're going to build something that lasts, you need to understand what's happening under the hood. Most creators treat their ESP like a magic box, but a founder should understand the mechanics.

Never, ever use a subdomain of your provider (e.g., sheryar.substack.com). You are building their brand, not yours. If you decide to move your list later, you lose the 'domain authority' you’ve built in the eyes of the email filters. Always use a custom domain (e.g., newsletter.sheryarshah.com).

This requires setting up your DNS records. The three major ones are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework): A list of servers that are allowed to send mail on behalf of your domain.
2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): An encrypted signature that proves the email wasn't tampered with in transit.
3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): A policy that tells the receiving server what to do if SPF or DKIM fails.

In 2025, having a 'p=reject' policy in your DMARC record is the gold standard. It tells the world: 'If it’s not from me, don't deliver it.' This virtually eliminates the chance of your domain being used for phishing, which in turn keeps your deliverability scores in the high 90s.

As a tech-focused founder, you likely have other data points you want to integrate. Perhaps you want to show your latest GitHub commits or your company's live stats in every newsletter. This is where the power of an API-driven ESP comes in.

Imagine a system where your newsletter content is dynamically generated based on the most active projects in your repository that week. This kind of 'live' content is what makes a newsletter truly indispensable. It moves from being a static document to a living dashboard.

The best newsletters are not a monologue; they are a dialogue. You should be constantly gathering data on what your readers want.

At the end of every edition, I like to include a simple one-click poll: - 'Did you enjoy this? 👍 or 👎' - 'What should I cover next? [Topic A] [Topic B] [Topic C]'

This doesn't just give you data; it increases engagement. Every click is a signal to the email provider that the reader likes your content, which further boosts your deliverability.

The final stage of newsletter evolution is the transition from an audience to a community. An audience just listens; a community talks to each other.

In Hong Kong, this could mean hosting an 'Off-the-Record' mixer once a month for your subscribers. These face-to-face interactions solidify the digital bond. When people meet the person behind the screen, their loyalty to the newsletter increases tenfold.

I’ve seen this work brilliantly in the HK tech space. A creator starts a newsletter, it gains traction, they host a small meetup in a co-working space in Wan Chai, and suddenly they have a 'tribe.' This tribe becomes their primary marketing engine, recommending the newsletter to their colleagues and friends.

As we look toward 2026 and 2027, the role of AI in newsletter creation will only grow. We already see AI-driven curation and summary tools. But here is the catch: While AI can summarize the news, it cannot provide the 'soul.'

The future belongs to the 'Human-Plus' creator. This is the founder who uses AI to handle the tedious parts of the process-researching stats, proofreading, or generating meta-descriptions-but keeps the core narrative firmly in their own voice.

AI can tell you that the Hang Seng Index is down; only you can explain what that feels like when you're trying to close a seed round in the middle of a market downturn. That 'lived experience' is the only thing that AI cannot replicate, and it is the very thing that will keep your readers coming back year after year.

Don't fear the machine; use the machine to free up your time so you can focus on being more human.

Building a newsletter is the single best decision I have made for my professional growth in Hong Kong. It has opened doors that were previously locked and has given me a platform to share my vision with the world.

It is a journey of a thousand steps, but the first one is simply deciding to press 'send.'

I hope this guide has given you the technical confidence and the strategic clarity to start your own. The world needs more original voices. It needs your voice.

See you in the inbox.

The landscape of information consumption is shifting toward micro-communities. People no longer want to be part of a million-person broadcast; they want to be part of a thousand-person conversation. This is where small-to-medium newsletters outshine the giants.

When you have a smaller list, you can afford to be specific. You can afford to be controversial. You can afford to be yourself. This authenticity is the currency of the future.

In 2026, we’ll likely see even more integration between newsletters and decentralized social protocols. Imagine a world where your email list is portable across any platform you choose. This isn't a pipe dream; it's the direction the web is moving. By starting your newsletter today, you are positioning yourself at the forefront of this shift.

Let's be honest - creation is hard. There will be days when the 'Imposter Syndrome' hits hard. You’ll ask yourself, 'Who am I to tell anyone about tech?'

When those moments happen, remember that you aren't writing for the experts who know more than you. You are writing for the person who is exactly where you were two years ago. To them, your insights are a roadmap.

In the fast-paced environment of Hong Kong, where the pressure to perform is immense, having a creative outlet like a newsletter can also be a form of mental clarity. It forces you to organize your thoughts, to research your assumptions, and to articulate your vision. It makes you a better founder, a better developer, and a better leader.

If you’re waiting for the 'perfect time' to start, you’re missing the point. The perfect time was 2018. The second best time is today. We are in a unique window where the tools are better than ever, the audience is hungry for quality content, and the competition is still largely doing it wrong.

Stop overthinking the logo. Stop worrying about the 'right' platform. Pick a topic you care about, find your unique angle, and start sending. Your future list of 10,000 subscribers is waiting-they just don't know it yet.

Building a newsletter is not a marketing tactic; it’s a commitment to your craft and your community. If you treat it with respect, it will repay you in ways you can't yet imagine-from new friendships to multi-million dollar business opportunities.

Let's get writing.