How do you create a high-quality newsletter, send it out consistently, and still have enough time and energy to stay on top of the latest trends?
It’s an evergreen challenge, and one that can unfortunately make the difference between a successful newsletter publication, and one that slowly fizzes out over time as newer, more cutting edge publications appear.
At FeedOtter, we’re committed to ensuring that your team can efficiently curate and build stunning newsletters…as well as connect you with resources to help you maintain that competitive edge for your business.
Today, we have a roundup of the best B2B newsletters of 2024……as well as a fab new resource that can help you do even more sleuthing to see what other businesses are sending out—and what you can do to gain an edge.
I’m not sure why the stereotypical B2B newsletter is dense, dry, and looks like it was designed in 1997….especially when the competition is made up of cutting-edge marketing teams, bold startups, and a customer base that is, quite frankly, tired of the noise.
Fortunately, the more you double down on the fundamentals of what makes a valuable piece of content (engaging, informative, etc.), the easier it is to create something worth opening in an inbox.
When looking for great newsletter examples in Spotmar (more on the tool I used in a moment), I looked specifically for newsletters with one or more of the following:
As mentioned, I used an app called Spotmar to find the newsletter examples in this roundup.
Spotmar is the world’s largest library of marketing emails, founded by Andy Theimer, the same face you see behind FeedOtter. It’s an incredible app that allows marketers to conduct email marketing research
A great tool, whether you’re looking for design or copy inspiration, doing some competitor research, or want to track top brands to see what they’re sending out on a regular schedule.
Spotmar does have a great free tier, so definitely check it out if you’re interested.
Curated lists in blog posts like this are only a tiny segment of what’s really going on in the world of email marketing. While they do have value in terms of delivering visual inspiration, they tend to lack depth and contextual information…like when the email was sent, the send frequency, etc.
To help with this shortcoming, we included links throughout the article to the email details page in Spotmar, so you can do a deep dive into the email itself.
As promised, here’s our roundup of some great examples of B2B newsletters—with a standard disclaimer that we are not affiliated with any of the companies listed.
Teachable is a platform where businesses can create and sell online courses and digital content. Their weekly newsletter, In The Know, is stocked with helpful resources for digital content creators, bridging the gap between your expertise and the skills and strategies you need to grow and scale this type of business.
What’s great about this email:
This particular email is quickly digestible, using a bright yet subtle branded palette to create an attractive array of highly scannable content. Each section is brief and to-the-point, with a mix of larger headings and smaller body text to establish a strong content hierarchy. In general, I’ve noticed that they tend to stay in the range of 6-10 links per newsletter, which gives enough variety to keep things interesting, without risking overwhelm.
View the full email here in Spotmar
Unbounce is one of the top landing page builders and CRO tools currently available for competitive marketers. As such, we would expect their newsletters—and content in general—to be both aesthetically pleasing and informative. In this newsletter example, they deliver both.
What’s great about this email:
Put Seth Godin’s face on anything, and marketers will pay attention, which is why this announcement-style newsletter is such an easy hook. The pitch in the content is for a new webinar series, using the first in the series—with Seth Godin—as the lead in. It’s a compelling incentive for readers who want to level up their strategy.
See the full email on Spotmar.
Airtable manages to wear many hats, from the aesthetic spreadsheet to powerful database to automated workflow app, making it easy for teams of all genres to organize, track, and collaborate on data. Their audience is just as varied, which can make it challenging to produce content that resonates, especially with something like a universal newsletter.
What’s great about this email:
In a world of alternating layouts (left column image in row 1, right column image in row 2), Airtable opts for pure scannability, which makes this email feel extremely content-rich (even though there are “only” five links), without any kind of overwhelm. Bonus points for the clear CTA-style links that tell you exactly what kind of content you’re about to click into.
See the full email in Spotmar.
Databox is a business analytics platform that allows users to track, visualize, and report key performance metrics easily. It’s designed for marketers, sales teams, and executives looking to simplify data tracking and improve reporting efficiency…and as such needs to market to data-driven professionals who are tasked with finding insights, in addition to numbers.
What’s great about this email:
This email manages to create strong CTAs for not one…not two…but *three* separate actions. The email is actually a great piece of longer-form content that you usually see in a more Substack-like newsletter. The writing is engaging, moving from a hook-like synopsis to a run-down of the top highlights from the interview in question, along with an eventual CTA button that directs readers to the interview…another CTA near the end that invites them to register for the *next* scheduled interview, and a final CTA for a free trial.
See the full email in Spotmar.
Insightly is a modern, scalable CRM, marketing ESP, and customer service platform designed to help teams grow. Owned by Unbounce, it’s become associated with simplicity and ease of use…two essential aspects that are hard to come by in the CRM world.
What’s great about this email:
Reports can be wildly useful…so why do I tend to ignore them? It’s because they seem like a lot of work.
A pro when it comes to turning something complex into a digestible, enjoyable experience, Insightly uses bright colors, strong CTA buttons, and some targeted highlighted takeaways to make their report feel useful and less overwhelming. (Compare the way Insightly presents their sneak peek/takeaways with the more general hints in Disqo’s 2024 holiday marketing report email, for example.)
LinkSquares is an AI tool for legal teams, designed to help streamline processes like contracts, negotiations, and centralizing legal work. Their clientele are already extremely informed in their industry, which makes it challenging to produce high-level content that resonates…and doesn’t bore you to tears.
What’s great about this email:
I wasn’t familiar with LinkSquares before finding this newsletter, but was immediately struck by the clean layout that somehow manages to make it fun to scroll through 16 images and 19 total links. The content hierarchy is thoughtfully arranged, with clearly labeled sections that help readers know exactly what they’re looking at (latest news, webinar events, and short but snappy article highlights at the very end).
Close is another big-name CRM that markets itself specifically for sales-focused teams. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that its brand presence has morphed into something that feels very modern and cutting-edge, with clear but concise copy and product-focused imagery.
What’s great about this email:
I highlighted Airtable’s newsletter in this roundup for its multi-post layout…and was equally impressed with this newsletter from Close which uses an alternating two-column layout.
All too often, the alternating two-column layout is dizzying and messy looking. Close succeeds with theirs thanks to simplified imagery, good padding, and a nice balance of text-to-image ratio.
Asana’s UI remains one of the most impressive (from my vantage point), with an intense focus on simple layouts that reduce the overwhelm that seems to come standard with task and project management apps. Naturally, I made sure to research their brand on Spotmar to see if their mastery of design and copy translates into their emails. I was not disappointed.
What’s great about this email:
Product-focused emails are incredibly difficult to write, and are often either too salesy, too technical, or too company-focused. With this email, Asana shows us how it’s done, starting with a relatable hook, a quick recap of what the feature does, and wrapping up with some strategy-focused FAQ’s that pair feature tips with project management best practices.
Intercom is a customer communication platform that helps businesses connect with their customers through personalized messaging, live chat, and automated support. It integrates with a wide range of apps and is ideal for companies looking to streamline customer communication across marketing, sales, and support.
What’s great about this email:
Intercom’s latest rebrand has a refined, almost editorial vibe…and one that they’ve fully embraced with their newsletter, The Ticket. The off-white background, elaborate header, and long-form content deliver an experience that feels like you’re reading an old-timey periodical. It’s bold, yet elegant.
See the full email in Spotmar.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest roundup of great B2B newsletters—and that you find some inspiration for your own newsletter and email marketing projects.
If you want to dive deep and find more emails like this, definitely check out the massive library (over 300K emails at the time this blog post was published) at Spotmar.com.
