James Clear · Messaging
Give your newsletter a fixed shape
James Clear's 3-2-1 newsletter has the same shape every week: three short ideas from him, two quotes from others and one question for the reader. The constraint forces a selection, and readers know what they'll get from the name alone. Find a fixed shape that suits your content – and keep it.
When it helps
When your newsletter keeps getting longer, rambles or is hard to send on time, or when readers stop opening it.
Keep in mind
When you have one big piece of news or an offer that needs all the space. And don't copy Clear's format and name wholesale – it's his brand.
How to apply it
- Decide the shape once. Choose a fixed number of parts in a fixed order, such as three tips, one quote and one question, so each issue becomes a selection rather than a new project.
- Let the name tell readers what they get. A subject line like '3 tips, 1 question' or a fixed weekly name sets the expectation before the email is even opened.
- Keep each part short and self-contained. One idea per paragraph, one point per idea – Clear describes the aim as the most wisdom per word.
- Quote others accurately and say who said it. Quotes add variety and perspective, but they must be real and correctly attributed.
- End with a question readers can take with them, and send on the same day every time so the newsletter becomes a habit.
Questions to work with
- Which fixed shape suits what you actually have to say each time?
- What could go if each part only gets one paragraph?
- Which question do you want readers to think about afterwards?
A fictional example
Fictional: Räkna sends its clients a newsletter every other Friday.
Draft
October newsletter: News from Räkna, updates on our services, some thoughts on autumn and much more!
Revised
3 bookkeeping tips, 1 deadline and 1 question: The Friday letter from Räkna.
The subject line promises a short, fixed shape, so readers know what they'll get before opening it.
Read the original sources
The application and example are our own. The example is fictional and has not been conversion-tested.