The Publisher Podcast by Media Voices The Publisher Summits: How The Economist and Financial Times manage personality-driven newsletters
Sep 1, 2025
Join Charlotte Tobitt as she hosts a lively discussion with guests Dominic Rech from The Economist, who shares insights on engaging newsletter strategies, and Andrew Palmer, a writer focused on management, who emphasizes the role of personality in content. Sarah Ebner from the Financial Times adds her perspective on subscriber engagement and how personal storytelling shapes their newsletters. They delve into balancing individual voices with brand identity, the importance of reader feedback, and overcoming challenges in the newsletter landscape.
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Personality Backed By Teamwork
- The Economist has made personality central to its newsletter strategy while keeping strong editorial support behind each bylined face.
- Teams of editors, producers and fact-checkers amplify individual voices and protect institutional quality.
Reader Queries Shaped Early Issues
- Andrew moved from anonymous print columns to a named newsletter and found readers reached out with specific questions that spawned new issues.
- Two of his first six newsletters were directly generated by reader queries, showing rapid interaction.
Voice Versus Traffic Trade-Off
- The FT finds personality or voice drives survey scores and reader satisfaction, but traffic metrics can differ.
- Voice ranges from visible personal touches to expert analysis that highlights author perspective without self-focus.