The Curious Case of Big Media Talent



👋 Hi Reader,

If you recollect, I covered the phenomenon of ‘traditional media’ journalists jumping ship from their Big Media outlets to New Media avenues like newsletters, specifically Substack.

I understand Big Media is watching this trend closely too and making amends to stem the talent exodus to newsletters.

How are they exactly making amends?

Well for starters, they are helping their crew build their own personal brand online. The Wall Street Journal is going the whole nine yards by building a talent lab, headed by Devin Smith, to that effect.

The Lab, per WSJ, is going to help them build their journalists build their presence beyond their usual line of work, across other channels which their younger demographic consumes from.

I think that’s a sound move. I had covered how entire orgs are helping their employees build their LinkedIn presence (case in point being Storyarb and Buffer). Such employee advocacy on the channels of their choice has helped them compound their brand presence and pipeline multi-fold, which no paid ad spend could probably account for.

Mix this with the reach of a brand like WSJ? I think that would not just expand their reach across demographics in channels like Tiktok, it would also help them gain the trust of an entire generation, when done right.

Have they begun gaining their trust?

Not yet, but this is a space I will be covering closely.

But what about us - the non-journalists?

For you, my friend, I am here to offer help.

LetterStack was built on the premise that if you are starting fresh today on newsletters, we will help you level up fast with the resources you need to go from 0 to 10,000 subscribers quickly and reliably.

What if you need help hand-holding you throughout the newsletter journey? Let us know by hitting ‘Reply’ on this email, or send a note to marketing@letterstack.co.


This newsletter is sponsored by The Alien Design

Looking for a partner to bring your digital product ideas to life? Alien specializes in product design, web design, and Webflow development. Alien helps businesses build visually appealing digital experiences that drive results. From concept to launch, Alien focus on delivering solutions that fit your brand and meet your business goals.

Want to get featured as the next sponsor on LetterStack? Reach out to us on marketing@letterstack.co!


Make Sure You Get Our Emails!

To ensure our emails land in your main inbox, follow these easy steps:

  1. Find this email in your Promotions tab.
  2. Drag it to the Primary tab.
  3. When Gmail asks, click "Yes" to get our future emails in your main inbox.
  4. You can also add us to your contacts to stay updated!

We Value Your Feedback

Your feedback means the world to us! Just hit reply and share your thoughts on this edition - we're always looking to improve. You could also reach out to us on marketing@letterstack.co.

Cheers,

The LetterStack Team

Was this email forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up here to get content like this directly in your inbox!

6 Kilmer Rd Ste B PMB 7016, Edison, NJ 08817
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Renga

We will help you get your newsletter off to the races!

Read more from Renga

👋 Hi Reader, Apologies for the radio silence this week. I had been making my way halfway across the world, so I can attend the New Media Summit in Austin on Feb 26-27. I spent the last couple of days figuring out which city I woke up in :) which is why I missed the usual Sat morning Eastern schedule for this issue. Matt McGarry from Growletter has been one of my primary go-to people for everything related to newsletters. When Growletter organized their first-ever newsletter summit in Feb 2025...

👋 Hi Reader, There’s a school of thought that you might never become rich or famous building for too niche an audience. That you might not be able to reach out to enough subscribers to make your newsletter habit worthwhile. That no body posts videos about your niche online. But that’s where the opportunity lies: To build content in a void that your target audience is craving for. Alexis Grant understood that. Her first two companies got acquired, and while going through the acquisition...

👋 Hi Reader, I am a big fan of the work Daniel Greenberg and Matt Huang put out for their Connection Acccepted Podcast. But one thing has always irked me on Daniel’s LinkedIn content. See the part highlighted in his signature below. Daniel's recent LinkedIn Post I believe Daniel is immensely responsible and influential in the way he structures his content and brand. So why would his employer not endorse his content, and enable him to build his brand on full throttle? The systemic mindset with...