---
name: newsletter
description: Write the Friday Drop newsletter with curated links, insights, and personal commentary.
---

# Skill: Newsletter (The Friday Drop)

Weekly newsletter sent every Friday via Jetpack Newsletter.

## Specifications

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| Name | The Friday Drop |
| Frequency | Weekly (Fridays) |
| Length | 500-800 words |
| Sections | 3-5 items |
| Tone | Personal, conversational |
| Platform | Jetpack Newsletter |

## Newsletter Philosophy

The Friday Drop is like a weekly coffee chat with a smart friend. It's not a digest of links. It's curated insights with personal commentary.

**Core principles:**
- Primary source: gauravtiwari.org content
- Personal opinions on everything
- One clear takeaway per item
- No filler content

## Structure

```markdown
[Personal opening - 2-3 sentences, conversational]

---

## 🔥 This Week's Best

[1-2 featured items with commentary]

---

## 🛠️ Tools & Resources

[2-3 tool recommendations or resources]

---

## 💡 Quick Tip

[One actionable tip, 2-3 sentences]

---

## 📝 From the Blog

[1-2 recent posts with brief context]

---

[Personal closing - 1-2 sentences]

Gaurav
```

## Opening Examples

**Personal moment:**
> This week I finally migrated my last client off shared hosting. Took three years. Some clients really love their $3/month hosting, even when their sites take 8 seconds to load.

**Observation:**
> Everyone's talking about AI writing tools. I've tested seven of them this month. Most are garbage. One is actually useful. More on that below.

**Direct hook:**
> WordPress 6.5 dropped this week. The new font library is nice. The performance improvements are nicer. Here's what actually matters.

**Never:**
- "Welcome to this week's newsletter!"
- "I hope this email finds you well."
- "Happy Friday, everyone!"

## Section: This Week's Best

Featured content with strong opinions.

**Format:**
```markdown
## 🔥 This Week's Best

### [Why I Switched from WP Rocket to FlyingPress](link)

I used WP Rocket for four years. Made the switch last month. The speed difference is noticeable: 0.3 seconds faster on average. The interface is cleaner. And at $60/year vs $99, the math works too.

If you're running multiple sites, the savings add up fast.
```

**Rules:**
- Link to gauravtiwari.org content first
- External links only if exceptional value
- Include personal take, not just description
- One paragraph max per item

## Section: Tools & Resources

Curated recommendations with context.

**Format:**
```markdown
## 🛠️ Tools & Resources

**[FlyingPress](https://gauravtiwari.org/go/flyingpress/)** - The caching plugin I actually use now. Automatic critical CSS that works. $60/year.

**[Bunny CDN](https://gauravtiwari.org/go/bunny/)** - Still the best value CDN. $1-2/month for most sites. I've tried Cloudflare Enterprise. Bunny is 90% as good at 1% of the price.

**[Hetzner Cloud](https://gauravtiwari.org/go/hetzner/)** - Where I host everything now. €4/month for a server that beats most $30/month managed hosting. Requires some setup, but worth it.
```

**Rules:**
- 2-3 items max
- Use affiliate links from `/knowledge/affiliate-products.md`
- Brief description with personal context
- Include price when relevant

## Section: Quick Tip

One actionable takeaway.

**Format:**
```markdown
## 💡 Quick Tip

Run `wp db optimize` on your WordPress sites monthly. It cleans up database overhead and usually shaves 0.1-0.2 seconds off load time. Takes 30 seconds. Free performance.
```

**Characteristics:**
- One specific action
- Immediate value
- 2-4 sentences max
- No setup required

## Section: From the Blog

Recent content with brief context.

**Format:**
```markdown
## 📝 From the Blog

**[Best WordPress Hosting for 2025](link)** - Updated the rankings. WPX is still my #1. Rocket.net moved up. SiteGround dropped out.

**[How to Set Up Redis on CloudPanel](link)** - Step-by-step guide. Takes 15 minutes. Makes your admin dashboard noticeably faster.
```

**Rules:**
- 1-2 posts
- From last 7-14 days
- Brief context, not full summary
- Focus on what changed or why it matters

## Closing Examples

**Simple:**
> That's it for this week. Hit reply if you have questions.
>
> Gaurav

**With CTA:**
> Found this useful? Forward it to someone who's struggling with WordPress speed.
>
> Gaurav

**Personal:**
> Heading into the weekend with a site migration at 3am. The joys of global clients.
>
> Gaurav

**Never:**
- "Thank you for reading!"
- Long paragraphs
- Multiple CTAs
- "Until next time!"

## Emoji Usage

Limited and consistent:

| Section | Emoji |
|---------|-------|
| Featured | 🔥 |
| Tools | 🛠️ |
| Quick Tip | 💡 |
| From Blog | 📝 |
| Deals | 💰 |
| Warning | ⚠️ |

One emoji per heading. Never in body text.

## Emotional Arc

Every newsletter issue should have emotional movement, not just information delivery.

### Build Tension, Then Release
- Present a problem, challenge, or honest fear
- Acknowledge the difficulty
- Offer a path forward or resolution

**Example flow:**
> I spent three days this week debugging a caching issue on a client's WooCommerce store. Nothing in the logs. No errors. Just slow.
>
> Turns out the object cache was silently failing because Redis had hit its memory limit months ago. Nobody noticed.
>
> The fix took 30 seconds. Finding it took 12 hours. That's WordPress hosting in a nutshell.

### The Contrarian Take
Challenge conventional wisdom, but back it up:
- Present what everyone assumes
- Explain why you disagree (with specifics)
- Acknowledge the nuance

**Example:**
> Everyone says you need managed WordPress hosting. I used to say it too. After migrating 40+ sites to Hetzner VPS, I can tell you: managed hosting is a $300/year comfort blanket. The actual work of managing a server takes me 20 minutes a month.

### Urgency Without Hype
Create urgency through honest assessment:
- "PHP 8.0 loses security support next month. If you're still on it, this is the week to upgrade."
- "This deal expires Friday. I don't say that often, but the annual pricing is half what it normally costs."

## Tone Calibration

**More casual than blog posts:**
- Shorter sentences
- More fragments
- Direct address
- Personal asides

**Still professional:**
- No slang overload
- Useful content
- Respectful of reader time

## Subject Line Formulas

**What's inside:**
> The Friday Drop: FlyingPress vs WP Rocket, Hetzner Setup, Quick DB Tip

**Curiosity:**
> Why I abandoned my favorite plugin

**Direct value:**
> 3 tools that saved me 10 hours this week

**Personal:**
> I made an expensive hosting mistake

## Output Checklist

- [ ] Personal opening (not generic)
- [ ] 3-5 sections
- [ ] Affiliate links where relevant
- [ ] Links to gauravtiwari.org content
- [ ] Personal commentary on each item
- [ ] Quick tip section
- [ ] Brief closing
- [ ] 500-800 words total
- [ ] Emojis in headings only
- [ ] Subject line included
