How Morning Brew Keeps Readers Coming Back Every Day
+20 XPCase study
How Morning Brew Keeps Readers Coming Back Every Day
A reader wakes up to an inbox full of newsletters and still opens Morning Brew first. We follow one issue from subject line to referral section to see which small decisions keep people reading, and where the email could still improve.
+20 XP when you reach the endWhat you will learn
- Use subject lines, tone and open loops to pull people through an email
- Break long content into scannable patterns without losing the reader
- Tie referrals and ads to content people already trust
Scroll to follow the story. The screen changes with you.
Based on the learnings from Growth.Design: How Morning Brew Grew To 1.5 Million Subs In 5 Years, presented in our own format.
Step 1 of 10
- Familiar coffee cup
01
The setup
Morning Brew has to win a place in an inbox full of other newsletters.
Our reader opens their mail first thing in the morning and finds a stack of updates from news apps, brands and courses. Morning Brew stands out with a short, intriguing subject line and the same coffee cup emoji every day, so it is recognizable at a glance.
TakeawayA consistent visual marker in the inbox turns an email into a habit people look for.
Release in batches to test subject linesAccording to a Growth.Design interview with Morning Brew, their open rate sits around 40 percent. They A/B test subject lines daily by sending the issue in batches at different times, so they learn quickly which subjects perform best with their audience.
The open question02
The first lines
The intro sounds like a friend and leaves a question hanging.
The greeting is casual and warm. It teases a record set at the Oscar nominations without naming the person, and tells the reader to scroll down for the answer. It also previews the rest of the issue, so the reader knows what is coming.
TakeawayAn unanswered question in the first lines gives people a reason to keep scrolling.
Open loops increase activationIn copywriting, an open loop works like a cliffhanger at the end of an episode. It triggers curiosity and the urge to find the missing piece. Be careful not to slide into clickbait, which causes people to push back.
Same for everyone03
Problem
The market table is the same for every reader, whether they care or not.
Right after the intro comes a fixed table of indexes, gold and oil. Not everyone follows stocks, and this block pushes the first real story below the fold. The bullet points underneath cover trade and politics, which are not really market news either.
TakeawayA fixed block that only some readers want costs everyone else the space above the fold.
Today Fixed listSuggested 
Edit Stocks04
A small experiment
Add an 'Edit Stocks' link so readers pick what the table shows.
A simple fix is a link that opens a web page where readers search for and choose the stocks they follow. The table stays in the same place, but now it shows what each reader actually wants to see.
What changed
- An 'Edit Stocks' link sits next to the section title
- The link opens a page to search and pick stocks
- The table shows the reader's own picks
TakeawayLetting people customize a recurring feature gives them a reason to stay.
User investmentAccording to Nir Eyal, when people customize their experience they put effort into your product in exchange for future rewards. People who have invested in a product are more likely to stay loyal than switch to a competitor.
Short bullets05
What works
Each story has a sharp headline, a playful image and short bullets.
A banking story about JPMorgan still gets read because the headline is punchy, a GIF breaks up the text, and the details sit in bullet points under 'What worked' and 'What didn't work'. Text blocks rarely run longer than four or five lines.
TakeawayWhen text is structured into short, varied chunks, even dry topics get read.
Pattern breaks make reading easierCopy needs hierarchy just like visual design does. When everything looks the same, it is hard to scan. CXL notes that in email, where attention spans are short, breaking the pattern is critical for retention.
One tap vote06
Another experiment
A one tap vote under each story tells Morning Brew what readers want.
A chart about the Disney+ launch is another good pattern break, and readers would happily see more data stories like it. A small 'Was this interesting to you?' row with thumbs up and down would let the team learn what each reader values.
What changed
- A thumbs up and thumbs down row under each story
- Votes feed future personalization
- Nothing else on the page changes
TakeawayAsk for feedback where the content is, in one tap, and people will give it.
Readers asked for thisGrowth.Design reports that when they researched Morning Brew's community, personalization was the most requested improvement. For Morning Brew it could also mean better retention through more relevant content and better targeted ads.
Sponsored label07
The ad
The sponsored section looks and reads like the rest of the newsletter.
The ad has the same layout, an eye catching image and a playful title, so it is hard to tell apart from the stories at first. What keeps it from feeling like a trick is the writing: it tells a short story in the same voice as everything else.
TakeawayAn ad that matches the tone and quality of your content gets read instead of skipped.
Build trust before you advertiseNielsen's research on advertising trust found that recommendations from friends remain the most trusted form of advertising. Through in-depth articles, a friendly voice and a daily presence, Morning Brew becomes something like that trusted friend.
Rewards list08
The payoff
The puzzle sits right above the referral section, and the answers sit below it.
A trivia question asks which company holds the most patents. To find the answer, and the Oscar answer from the intro, readers scroll past 'Share the Brew', which lists the swag they can earn for each referral. The open loops from earlier now carry readers through the referral offer.
TakeawayPlace your ask on the path people are already taking to get something they want.
A referral program is not enough on its ownAccording to Morning Brew's Tyler Denk, the referral program accounts for more than 30 percent of their audience. But without real intent to share the content, the program would not work. Brand attachment and quality content come first.
Rotating reward09
Keeping it visible
The referral section changes its image and prizes so readers keep noticing it.
The reward shown next to the list rotates between a mug, a bottle opener and a sweatshirt, and some issues run limited time giveaways. Below it, the answers finally appear: the composer was John Williams, and the patent leader was IBM.
TakeawayA block that never changes turns invisible, so refresh recurring asks.
Banner blindnessNN Group has found that people learn to ignore content that looks like an ad, sits close to ads, or appears where ads usually go. Changing the look of a recurring section helps it avoid that fate.
Opening Question askedClosing Question answered10
The result
Quality content, well timed hooks and good incentives make the habit.
Across one issue, the reader goes from a recognizable subject line to a warm intro, scannable stories, a readable ad and a referral section they actually see. The weak spot is the fixed market block, which personalization could fix. Growth.Design grades the newsletter experience an A.
What changed
- Subject line: recognizable and tested daily
- Structure: short chunks and pattern breaks
- Personalization: editable stocks and story votes
- Referrals: tied to open loops and fresh rewards
TakeawayGrowth follows content people value, with small hooks that carry them to the next step.
Every takeaway, in one place
- The setupA consistent visual marker in the inbox turns an email into a habit people look for.
- The first linesAn unanswered question in the first lines gives people a reason to keep scrolling.
- ProblemA fixed block that only some readers want costs everyone else the space above the fold.
- A small experimentLetting people customize a recurring feature gives them a reason to stay.
- What worksWhen text is structured into short, varied chunks, even dry topics get read.
- Another experimentAsk for feedback where the content is, in one tap, and people will give it.
- The adAn ad that matches the tone and quality of your content gets read instead of skipped.
- The payoffPlace your ask on the path people are already taking to get something they want.
- Keeping it visibleA block that never changes turns invisible, so refresh recurring asks.
- The resultGrowth follows content people value, with small hooks that carry them to the next step.
Source: Growth.Design: How Morning Brew Grew To 1.5 Million Subs In 5 Years
Make your recurring emails worth opening.
Newsletters and lifecycle emails live or die on the first few lines. Zyxware can review your subject lines, email structure, personalization and referral mechanics, then help you test the changes that keep readers coming back.