6 E-mail Newsletters You’ll Actually Want to Open

The average office worker receives 121 emails a day.

And only opens about 34% of them. If you’re like me, you might constantly find your inbox bombarded with emails you don’t even remember signing up for. In a sea of useless content, a well curated newsletter arriving at just the right time in your inbox can feel like a buoy on our crowded subway ride or while you’re easing into your day with that first sip of coffee. Over the years I’ve liked to supplement the big, obvious news sources like Bloomberg or BBC News with other sources to get a good mix of updates. There are a few e-letters that I’ve kept in my repertoire because they consistently deliver content that is A) easily digestible and B) highly relevant. Life is too short to read mediocre content, so I’ve compiled a list of email newsletters that always have some interesting reads and are crafted to be easily digested throughout your day. Every e-letter in this list has honed their unique tone while delivering the goods on a cadence that isn’t annoying – all while serving to leave you a more informed citizen.

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CB Kickstart
Frequency: Every 6:00 AM EST Monday-Friday
Why It’s Relevant: Compiled by Canadian Business, CB Kickstart always has at least one article that makes me click through. As the name of it’s creator suggests, the content largely covers articles on Canadian business or technology news, as well as relevant information about how current events affect Canadians from an economic or political standpoint. If you need a refresher on what has been happening with NAFTA, or want to read a financial advisor’s opinion surrounding the housing market in Canada, get this in your inbox. Another characteristic specific to this e-mail is the earnings report summary listed at the bottom of the email each morning.

The Skimm
Frequency: Every 6:00 AM  EST Monday-Friday
Why It’s Relevant: Started by two ex-NBC producers from their couch, The Skimm is like having a savvy assistant in your pocket who helps you sound really informed at dinner parties. The newsletter takes a cheeky approach to delivering easily digestible news every morning. To understand quickly what has been happening in US politics and current events, sign up. A nice touch: they often have great book recommendations. This year they launched an app (for 2.99$ USD). Some of the highlights of the app are Skimm Notes: 7 minute long audio guides that unpack big topics like what’s been going down with Russian hacking, as well as themed Calendar syncs: if you’re in the tech industry and want to know all of the technology events that are happening throughout the year like the Google I/O Conference, or CES 2018, The Skimm app has an add on that will sync all relevant events to your calendar.

First Round Review
Frequency: Every 12 PM EST Tuesday and Thursday
Why It’s Relevant: Compiled by Venture Capitalist firm First Round Capital, this newsletter is geared towards entrepreneurs, and startups but always has highly applicable information for anyone who works in an office setting. Instead of listing 3-4 articles, this newsletter devotes each email to one article at a time, which speaks to the quality of their posts: each article has serious legs to stand on. They interview executive level employees who have contributed  to the success of companies like Oculus or Apple: people who have experience with tech giants but are nimble and accomplish things by thinking like a startup. You don’t have to be part of the C-suite to find value in their content. If you want viral posts to share via your LinkedIn, look no further than this source.

Racked Daily
Frequency: Every Day except Saturday, timing varies but most often sent at 3 PM EST
Why It’s Relevant: Brought to you by the good people at Racked, subscribe for the best retail/beauty news and, my favourite part: sales on all of your favourite brands every. damn. day. I’m not just talking basic brands like Zara and Forever 21 (though those are in there as well) – they also include brands like Reformation and For Love and Lemons. This source never leaves the reader without a “Deal of the Day” as well as a short list of articles they’re reading from other sites. If the daily cadence is too much for you, they also have a Racked Digest that is only sent twice a week and focuses more on shopping recommendations from their editors. I’m always impressed by their fresh takes on tired topics, like this one.

Command Line
Frequency: Daily, around Noon EST
Why It’s Relevant: People who love Reddit will love this newsletter by The Verge. It’s quirky and obscure, with witty anchor texts the only indication of what you’re about to click on, with a couple wildcard links thrown in the mix. The editors keep it short and to the point, focusing on technology and science-related news.

BONUS Notable Life
Frequency: Twice a week usually at 4 PM EST
Don’t forget: We have a newsletter too and it’s chock full of great content. We round-up the best of our weekly posts on social and professional networking events, as well as news stories that are relevant to millennials. Scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe.

Stay woke.