How This Capsule Newsletter From Politico Went Permanent

For many publishers, each edition of a newsletter is a microcosm of experiments, testing which headlines work, what articles resonate and whose photos capture clicks. For others, the newsletter concept itself can be the experiment, a theory that Politico put into practice with its Transition Playbook product. The publisher introduced the limited-run newsletter on Oct. 22, with the aim of chronicling the first 100 days of what was likely the most scrutinized hand-off of executive power in American history. It experienced such convincing early success that, on May 3, Politico rebranded the product as the West Wing Playbook and added the newsletter to its permanent roster. How the Transition Playbook transitioned Early on, the four-person team behind Transition Playbook broke key stories about cabinet and personnel appointments from President-elect Biden, which helped it gain notoriety as a must-read daily email. “If you wanted to understand how the administration was taking shape––not just who got the jobs but why they got them, and what that said about how President-elect Biden would govern––you had to follow this newsletter,” said editor-in-chief Matt Kaminski. What Joe Biden’s Changes to USPS Leadership May Mean for Marketers The newsletter ballooned in popularity, accruing nearly 100,000 readers in its first three months and featuring open rates of around 40%, double the industry average, Kaminski said. When its predetermined lifespan came to a close, instead of sunsetting the Transition Playbook, Politico renamed it and folded the product into its collection of 35 free newsletters. The success of the capsule newsletter underscores a key reason why the format has become a mainstay of publishers. Like the tech world’s “minimum viable product,” newsletters are a low-cost vehicle that publishers can produce quickly and use to gauge reader and advertiser interest in a topic. Publishers have experimented with ephemeral newsletters in the past, especially when covering events or prolonged crises, but content strategists have increasingly come to view them as editorial litmus tests. “With newsletters, you don’t have to build a fancy product from soup to nuts,” said Jessica Lessin, the editor in chief of the tech business publisher The Information. “One of the reasons we got ours out of the gate so quickly is so that we can begin that learning process.” The appeal of the Politico audience Politico averaged approximately 54 million unique visitors per month in 2020, and it generated roughly $160 million in revenue, 80% of which comes from its U.S. and Canadian operations, according to the Wall Street Journal. West Wing Playbook has generated over $1 million in 2021 and is on pace to be a “multi-million” product for the financial year, Kaminski said. The newsletter is free to readers and uses advertising to monetize, as is the standard Politico method. The publisher charges only for its Politico Pro newsletters, as they are an extension of its premium Politico Pro service, a business-focused operation. Matt Kaminski Named Politico’s New Editor in Chief The publisher, given its readership of lawmakers and D.C. executives, presents an appealing advertising vehicle for brands that want to reach the audience responsible for crafting national policy, said Zaga Zeqiri, the associate director of digital investment at Mindshare. As a result, brands need to offer precise creative and be comfortable voicing their political opinions to create a positive impression on this readership, given its high level of attentiveness. "If you’re a brand that’s advertising with a publication like Politico, you have to be ready not to shy away from sharing your public opinion on current policies and the impact it will have on the generations to come," Zeqiri said. The Politico newsletter extended universe Politico produces a vast array of newsletters, ranging from the niche to the expansive. Its flagship product, Politico Playbook, reaches over 350,000 readers and generates over $10 million per year in revenue. It surrounds its tentpole newsletter with a variety of hyper-focused offerings, a category that now includes the West Wing Playbook. In addition to the White House-centric missive, Politico also offers Huddle, which chronicles the goings-on of Congress, and Influence, which explores the world of lobbying and public affairs. The armada of newsletters gives Politico an advantage when introducing new products, as it can cross-promote the offerings to other newsletter readers. “The best newsletter readers come from other newsletters,” Jake Schonberger, the cofounder of Swapstack, told Adweek in April. By making use of their extended newsletter universe, Politico can determine more rapidly whether a newsletter will find a substantial audience. As the roster of successful newsletters grows, it creates a virtuous cycle, financing new experiments whose viability it can evaluate with a high level of precision. As newsletters continue to rise in popularity, Politico has positioned itself to benefit from their growing prominence, as the universe of email products it has created allows the publisher to quickly test the viability of new ideas. The success of the Transition Playbook embodies what it looks like when that process works. The Information Launches Newsletters to ‘Super-Serve’ Readers and Deeply Report on Niche Areas

Media News

How This Capsule Newsletter From Politico Graduated to Its Permanent Roster

The newly christened West Wing Playbook accrued 100,000 subscribers in three months

How the Transition Playbook transitioned

Mark Stenberg

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

How the Transition Playbook transitioned

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Mark Stenberg