👋 Hi Reader,

When I started writing for LetterStack, I always used to think about what my subscriber of one looks like.

I used to worry about what would make them hit reply, instead of unsubscribe.

But I never once thought about the other reader, the one that gets to my content, before my subscriber does.

Let me explain.

Jonathan Coleman, who's a content design leader at HubSpot and a friend, posted about a Netflix job listing this week. The job listing has been burning up LinkedIn, with total comp up to 700k.

Why is Netflix paying 700k for a content designer? Because they realize that AI agents are now the first sieve of everything you publish.

Your subscriber reads your newsletter today, but AI inbox agents and email assistants process it before, during, and after they do.

Gmail’s magic inbox will decide whether your subject line is worth summarizing.

The Beehiiv MCP server I talked about in earlier issues also means that your AI agents can now access your newsletter content programmatically.

Now, you have two types of readers:

1. The human who opens your issue on a Saturday morning like this one
2. An agent already briefing them on what’s in their inbox

I believe most newsletter creators are building only for one type of reader, and you know which one it is. So let’s make amends.

Building a content system that works

Here’s are the 3 steps I am taking to build a dual-reader content system:

1. AI agents cannot infer full context

Both the human skimming and the AI summarising the email need to converge on exactly what the newsletter is about. So your newsletter structure needs to lead with the metadata, which right now is the headline and the preview text. Each newsletter issue that goes out needs to have the same content spine, that maps back to the niche and angle you are rooting for.

2. Your written perspective needs to compound with your expertise

The reason an AI agent reliably cites your newsletter over all the AI slop that you see, is where you have a distinct view built on your experience, which is evidently visible online.

Newsletters with a consistent, repeatable point of view get cited across AI search queries on channels like Reddit and LinkedIn. Make your thesis visible and consistent enough that an AI can represent it faithfully through your entire catalog.

3. Build your welcome sequence to expand on that thesis

The welcome sequence is the biggest converting real estate in your newsletter ecosystem. That’s the first piece of content an AI agent uses to characterize your brand, when a subscriber’s AI tools starts processing your emails.

You would have to do it now, not after you hit a milestone like 1000 subscribers.

The reason why companies like Netflix are paying $700k is to become relevant in a world where an AI agent is the first sieve of content. Passing through that sieve will become the quickest litmus test on whether the content gets viewed or ignored.

You might not have billions of dollars like Netflix does. But you can tweak your approach, so that your content strategy talks to both types of readers, by solving for the three challenges that I talked about.

Is your content strategy currently working for both types of readers? If you are on the fence, I would like to talk to you.

Let me 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!

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Cheers,

Renga from LetterStack

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