Haven’t you heard? Newsletters are cool again.
Once viewed as an anachronistic throwback to the pre-social web, email newsletters are in the middle of a glorious Renaissance.
At their best, they cut through the noise and provide incisive round-ups and analysis – wading through the muck of news so you don’t have to.
Perhaps predictably, the tech industry has taken to newsletters particularly keenly, and there’s a wealth of good ones out there to keep you up to up-to-date.
We’ve rounded up 17 of the best in the sector today, focusing on everything from AI to venture capital and gaming. Check them all out below, in no particular order.
Have we missed a great newsletter out? Get in touch! [email protected]
1. 'Stratechery's Daily Update' — Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson is one of the smartest tech observers in the business, and his site Statechery's Daily Update is well worth subscribing to for concise, well-written analysis on everything from AI to social media. (Business Insider editor Steve Kovach affirms: "Can be wonky and niche, but Ben has some of the best tech analysis you can get today.")
You have to pay for the Daily Update - it costs $10 (£8) a month, or $100 a year (£80) - but if you want to stay in the loop while filtering out the noise, it's probably worth it. You get access to a members-only forum for your money, too.
You can subscribe here »
2. 'Pro Rata' — Axios' Dan Primack
Newly launched media outlet Axios prides itself on brevity and clarity, and this filters into its excellent newsletters. Pro Rata, written by Dan Primack (formerly of Fortune) covers venture capital, startups, private equity and more.
You can sign up for Axios' Pro Rata here »
Axios also has Login, by Ina Fried, which focuses more strictly on technology, and Mike Allen's excellent Axios AM, which focuses on politics (with some business and tech sprinkled in), which has quickly become an indispensable part of my daily routine.
3. 'Morning Cybersecurity' — Politico
Politico's Morning Cybersecurity newsletter is particularly good for keeping up with cybersecurity issues on Capitol Hill. The newsletter includes recaps and previews of key hearings, budget negotiations, and proposed regulations and investigations. It's pretty light on tech news, but great on knowing how federal agencies and members of congress are thinking about internet privacy and cybersecurity issues. - Maxwell Tani, Business Insider Politics Reporter
You can sign up for Morning Cybersecurity here »
For the more generally-minded, Politico also has a broader Morning Tech newsletter covering policy, which you sign up for here.
4. 'Import IO' — OpenAI's Jack Clark
Jack Clark's weekly Import AI newsletter provides a nice roundup of the big AI news. Clark used to be a journalist for ZDNet, The Register, and Bloomberg, and he's now working for Elon Musk's AI company, OpenAI. - Sam Shead, Business Insider's Berlin Correspondent
Sign up for Import AI here »
5. CB Insights
CB Insights (a venture capital analysis firm) provides a fantastic analysis of what's going on with startups and the venture capital community. Expect plenty of graphs, charts, and puns. - Sam Shead, Business Insider's Berlin Correspondent
You can subscribe to the daily email newsletter here »
6. 'Fully Charged' — Bloomberg
Bloomberg writers and editors explain their latest investigations and exclusives and highlight the biggest Bloomberg stories of the day. - Alex Heath, Business Insider Tech Reporter
It typically starts with a long, conversation intro on topical subjects, followed by a round-up of key news.
You can sign up for Fully Charged on Bloomberg's site »
7. 'Type A Group' — Bob Hoffman
Bob Hoffman's newsletter gives you a regular shot of what's happening in the marketing industry. Already known for his longer analyses on his blog Ad Contrarian, Hoffman uses the newsletter to share his brash commentary on the industry news. It's not the place where you'll be kept up to date but it will show you a different point of view on what's happened. - Julian Rath, Business Insider UK Tech/Advertising Fellow
You can subscribe here »
8. 'Benedict's Newsletter' — Benedict Evans at a16z
Evans is one of the in-house industry research analysts for Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and seeing the world from a16z's point of view is interesting in itself. He focuses on the big picture, strategic aspects of tech, often linking to charts and data.
Evans' email comes once a week, which is part of its charm - no spam overload here. - Business Insider UK Founding Editor Jim Edwards
You can sign up to Benedict's Newsletter here »
9. Eurogamer Daily
There are loads of different video game news websites, and I'm a big fan of Eurogamer, which reports on games with a UK perspective. The email collects their coverage together in one place. I use it less as a standalone email and more as a way to find stories to add to Pocket and read when I get chance. - James Cook, Business Insider UK Technology Editor
Here's the sign-up page for Eurogamer Daily »
10. 'Above Avalon' — Neil Cybart
Great for in-depth analysis on Apple. (He also got his start by being a prolific commenter and contributor on Business Insider!) His analysis usually has a pro-apple slant, but he also notices things a lot of apple watchers miss. for example, he did a deep dive into Apple's increased R&D spending and theorized Apple is getting ready for a big shift. - Steve Kovach, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider
It costs $10/month, and $100/year (£8/£80).
You can sign up here »
11. 'Oversharing' — Ali Griswold
Uber is the most valuable startup in tech, but it's also emblematic of something else: the sharing economy. Alison Griswold's newsletter "Oversharing" is always a refreshing take on what's happening in the new world of on-demand startups. It's not only about Uber - although Uber generates its own fair amount of press - but what these "push a button and get anything" companies mean for customers, businesses, and society alike. - Biz Carson, Tech Reporter, Business Insider
Sign up for Oversharing here »
12. The Information
The Information's daily newsletter contains little snippets of content that are only available to the publication's paying subscribers. Reporters at The Information get big scoops, including a recent one about Uber's CEO going to an escort-bar in South Korea. - Sam Shead, Business Insider's Berlin Correspondent
The Information costs $39 (£31) a month, or $399/year (£322).
Sign up for The Information here »
13. Slashdot
I do like the Slashdot newsletter. It's often a couple of days behind the news, from a journalist's perspective, but I just really like the mix of stuff - it's hard news, features, random questions, US politics. - Shona Ghosh, Senior Reporter, Business Insider UK
Sign up for Slashdot's newsletter here »
14. 'Term Sheet' — Fortune's Erin Griffith
If you follow venture capital, startups, and deals, Fortune's Term Sheet is essential reading. Now written by Erin Griffith, after Dan Primack jumped ship for Axios, it's full of gossip and round-ups of all the key news.
You can sign up to Term Sheet here »
Fortune also has Data Sheet - by Adam Lashinshky - which focuses specifically on tech industry news.
15. 'WSJ Pro Cybersecurity' — Wall Street Journal
Everyone in the tech industry knows that information security is important - you don't want to get hacked, after all. But the industry is full of people pushing their own story or products, so it's hard to find a reliable daily source of intel. WSJ Pro Cybersecurity is a daily newsletter, that's paid, with original reported stories that don't hit the newspaper or online that are more practical than fanciful - think best password practices, not WikiLeaks speculation. Recent issues have focused on what banks are doing to fight phishing and why healthcare may be one of the least secure industries. - Kif Leswing, Business Insider, Tech Reporter
The newsletter is subscription-only, and costs $295/year (£238).
You can sign up here »
16. 'Financial Revolutionist' — Wescott Capital
For those interested in fintech, Wescott Capital's Financial Revolutionist is a great resource. With in-depth analysis, shorter reads, company profiles, and updates on movers and shakers in the world of fintech, it's pretty long but absolutely worth setting time aside to read. - Sarah Kocianski, Senior Research Analyst, BI Intelligence
Sign up to the Financial Revolutionist »
17. '10 things in tech' — Business Insider
We couldn't leave ourselves of this list, could we?
10 things in tech is Business Insider's daily tech newsletter, and lists - predictably - the 10 crucial tech stories you need to know each day. Subject matter ranges from the latest Apple releases to startup gossips and movements in the enterprise world you need to know about, and there are two versions: One for the US, and one for the UK.
You can sign up for the UK 10 things in tech here, and the US version here »
If adverts are more your thing, there's also "The 10 things in advertising you need to know today," which follows the same format and covers the modern ad industry.
And if you're willing to splash the cash, there is BI Intelligence, Business Insider's subscription intelligence service. It offers daily email newsletters (and proprietary research) in six different verticals: Payments, fintech, the internet of things, digital media, apps and platforms, and e-commerce. It starts at $495/year (£399) for an individual subscription to one newsletters, or $995/year (£802) for all six.
Sign up for BI Intelligence here »