The Internal Newsletter Playbook
So you have to run an internal newsletter.
Nobody trained you for this. It landed on your desk alongside everything else, and now you're staring at a blank page wondering why nobody reads the last one. The Playbook is the system that fixes it — and it comes with 3 months of the tool that builds, sends and tracks the newsletter for you.
If any of this sounds familiar…
You spend half a day on it and you're still not sure anyone read past the subject line.
Every issue starts with a blank page and a scramble to find something to put in it.
Leadership wants “engagement” but you've no way to show whether it's working.
You're improvising the format every time, so it takes longer than it should.
The Playbook fixes all four — with a system and a tool, not more hours.
What you get
The strategy, the templates — and the tool to run it
3 months of the app — free
$147 valueThis is where the playbook gets done. Collect updates from colleagues with a shareable form, drop them into a template, let AI draft the bits nobody sent you, then send from your own Outlook or Gmail — and see exactly who opened and clicked. No new email tool, no IT approval, no per-employee pricing.
The full year's comms calendar
52 dates worth featuring — awareness days, cultural moments and seasonal hooks, each with a suggested angle. Export to your own calendar (ICS) or a planning sheet (CSV). Never face a blank page again.
The course
28 short, practical lessons on what actually moves the needle: subject lines, beating notification fatigue, sourcing content without chasing people, and proving it works to leadership. The full syllabus is below.
Templates & swipe files
Three complete example issues, annotated line by line. Ready-to-paste section templates and newsletter structures. 50 subject lines, the colleague-ask scripts that get people to send you content, launch and survey copy, and the leadership pack for budget and reporting. Copy, tweak, send.
Every lesson in the course
28 lessons across 7 sections — about 3 hours of practical reading, yours for life. 3 are free to read right now — no purchase needed.
Foundations
Why internal newsletters fail (and the one fix)
Define the one job your newsletter does
Know your reader (really)
Getting read
Subject lines that lift open rates
The two fields that decide your open rate
Beating notification fatigue
The right cadence and send time
Content that lands
Sourcing content without chasing people
A repeatable structure readers learn
Writing that gets skimmed — and read
The CEO update that isn't boring
Recognising people without the cringe
Polls and replies: making it two-way
Design & delivery
Design that survives Outlook
Mobile and accessibility basics
Proving it works
Measuring engagement and reporting to leadership
The 30-minute quarterly comms review
Your system
Build a content engine so it comes to you
The 90-minute production routine
When a tool earns its place
Templates & Swipe Files
50 subject lines you can adapt today
Newsletter structures you can copy
Ready-to-paste section templates
Your launch checklist and first issue
Swipe: three complete issues, annotated
Swipe: the asks that get colleagues to send you content
Swipe: launch announcement and reader survey copy
The leadership pack: budget, report and stakeholder scripts
Everything, for one payment
One payment. Lifetime access, including the calendar refreshed every year.
- 3 months of the Pro app — $147 value
- All 28 course lessons
- The full year's comms calendar (52 dates) + ICS/CSV export
- Templates, swipe files & three complete example issues
- The leadership pack — budget case, report, scripts
- Lifetime access & yearly updates
Take off the $147 of app access and the entire course, calendar and swipe library works out at $102.
Get the Playbook — $249You'll create a free account first, then check out.
Questions, answered
Is this a course or software?
Both. The course and calendar are the strategy — what to send and how to get it read. The app is how you actually do it: build the newsletter, send it from your own inbox, and track opens and clicks. Your purchase includes 3 months of the app (Pro, $147 value), free.
What happens after the 3 months?
Your account simply drops to the free plan — nothing is charged automatically and we never ask for a card up front. If you want to keep sending unlimited newsletters with engagement tracking, Pro is $49/month. If not, the course, calendar and templates stay yours either way.
Do I have to use the app?
No. The calendar, course and templates are yours for life regardless. The app is there for when you're ready to stop wrestling with formatting and start measuring what gets read — and since it's included, you may as well try it.
We already use Outlook / Gmail / Mailchimp.
Good — keep them. The app produces email-safe HTML you send from your own inbox to your existing distribution list. Nothing for IT to approve, no migration, no per-employee pricing. It works alongside what you have.
Is it really one payment?
Yes. One payment for lifetime access to the Playbook, including the comms calendar refreshed every year. The only thing with a clock on it is the 3 bundled months of the app.