Hacker Newsletter
"A curated weekly newsletter of the best Hacker News content, running for 15 years with 60K+ subscribers, monetized through simple sponsorships."
Marketing Channels
Hacker News itself
The newsletter curates HN content, so the HN community is both the content source and the primary audience — a commenter noted they found this very thread through the newsletter
Organic / word of mouth
15 years of consistent delivery has built a loyal subscriber base that grows through peer recommendations in the tech community
Sponsorships
Simple sponsorship model is the sole revenue channel — creator is 'very grateful' for sponsors
Growth Levers
- Update the website — copyright years, 'recent issue' sample (currently showing 2021), and broken logo in Curpress need fixing to avoid appearing abandoned to new visitors
- Leverage the 15-year track record and 60K+ subscriber count as social proof for both new subscribers and sponsors
- Invest time in the improvements the creator has been planning, now that more time is available
- Maintain the 'don't change anything' philosophy that loyal readers value while refreshing the marketing presence
First Customer Strategy
The creator launched the newsletter 15 years ago targeting the Hacker News community directly. Early subscribers came from within the HN ecosystem. The product's value proposition — curating the best HN content so subscribers don't have to — resonated immediately with the tech-savvy audience. Long-term subscribers from day one still read it.
Pricing Insight
The newsletter is free for subscribers and monetized solely through sponsorships. With 60K+ subscribers in a high-value tech demographic, sponsorship slots are the natural monetization path. The creator has kept the model intentionally simple rather than adding premium tiers or other revenue streams.
New Market Opportunities
- Vertical newsletter spinoffs A commenter created thegamingpub.com 'heavily inspired' by Hacker Newsletter but for gaming, validating the curated-newsletter model as replicable across verticals
- Premium / paid tier With 60K+ loyal subscribers and 15 years of brand equity, a premium tier with additional curation, deeper analysis, or early access could complement sponsorship revenue
Key Takeaways
- • Consistency over 15 years builds an irreplaceable moat — long-time subscribers have deep loyalty and the brand has become a trusted institution in the HN community
- • Simple business models (free newsletter + sponsorships) can sustain a solo project for over a decade without needing to chase complex monetization
- • Neglecting the marketing website (outdated copyright, stale sample issue) can make a thriving product appear abandoned to potential new subscribers
- • The curated newsletter format is proven and replicable — others have directly cloned it for different verticals (gaming)
- • A niche, high-quality audience (60K+ tech professionals) is extremely valuable to sponsors, making the per-subscriber economics favorable
- • Sometimes the best product advice is 'don't change anything' — the core value proposition has worked for 15 years
Sentiment Analysis
7 Pos / 1 NeuNotable Quotes
"I remember when you launched this, and I signed up for it right away. I still read it every day. I can't believe it's been 15 years already! — fraXis"
"This is one of the few newsletters that are worth reading so thanks for your service for all these years. — ayewo"
"Don't change anything. — t0mislav"
"I love your newsletter and created thegamingpub.com heavily inspired by it. — lucasfdacunha"
"I landed on this page thanks to the newsletter. — kirso"
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