A good newsletter is hard to beat when it comes to driving traffic to your website, building cult loyalty with your audience, and driving revenue. The most important part of building a successful newsletter that manages to accomplish all that? People want quality content they can count on.
With a well-written newsletter, marketers can engage subscribers and organically grow their lists.
In our quest to shed light on some of our favorite newsletters, we’ll be sharing a different recommendation every month.
Today in the series, we’ll be talking about Bon Appétit.
(Be sure to check out our last post about Lifehacker if you missed it!)
Introducing Bon Appétit:
Bon Appétit is a daily newsletter providing delightful recipes and tips for readers with quality taste. Whether you’re a cooking pro or just beginning your culinary journey, Bon Appétit can help you expand your mind and expertise.
If you’re not following the Bon Appétit newsletter, you may still be familiar with some of the Bon Appétit content channels. Beginning as a print magazine, BA also now also offers a newsletter, a podcast (aka the Foodcast), a site, and several ongoing series on YouTube.
By combining food know-how with modern trends, Bon Appétit empowers readers to take control of their kitchen and simplify their menus.
Each newsletter revolves around a subtle theme, like breakfast or cocktails. The email begins with two article excerpts designed to hook you. These articles may be educational, recipe-related, or culturally relevant. After that, the email provides supplementary recipes to complement your newfound information.
How it started:
Bon Appétit seamlessly fits into contemporary foodie culture. Whether you’re a meal prepper, food fermenter, or a what-am-I-gonna-make-for-dinner-in-the-next-thirty-minutes style chef, Bon Appétit gives you instantly accessible options. Bon Appétit is, very simply, a culinary magazine with a hip, young vibe.
But don’t be fooled by the youthful approach. This magazine is actually much older than its marketing suggests.
Before the Internet began publishing recipes by the minute, before Buzzfeed Tasty videos hypnotized us with a bird’s eye view, and even before dinners were being Pinned, Bon Appétit was providing content to food enthusiasts.
In fact, Bon Appétit’s conception came long before the Internet began at all. In the late 1950s, BA was simply a bimonthly magazine—one destined to trade hands for the next few decades. Even through new transitions and editors, however, Bon Appétit’s content remained popular.
And unlike some of its competitors, Bon Appétit managed to survive the decline of print media. Arguably, a combination of stubbornness, quality, and luck ultimately saved BA, while other popular publications faced more unfortunate ends.
The magazine was finally absorbed into Condé Nast, a media mogul, where it joined a portfolio of well-known brands like Vogue and The New Yorker. Unfortunately, it also replaced other beloved publications, like Gourmet.
Now, Bon Appétit is successful, both online and in print. And for on-the-go foodies, the Bon Appétit newsletter is an effortless way to study up on recipes and gain instant access to food hacks.
Who it targets:
Bon Appétit’s team is made up of experts in both food and media. This is intentional of course, aiming to make content for “informed, stylish, with-it kind of [people].”
One could argue, however, that despite being aimed at stylish progressives, this is a newsletter for everyone. With helpful kitchen tips like $7 knives and limiting the sugar in your desserts, this daily email offers content for everyday use as well as the occasional soirée.
What you can learn from it:
Bon Appétit has a wide variety of lessons to teach, both for readers and email marketers.
As a reader
There are endless newsletters available, but Bon Appétit has a legacy of providing quality content. When you subscribe to BA, you know you’re receiving valuable information from some of the best editors and writers in the industry.
Bon Appétit is a refreshing addition to any reader’s inbox, even if you already subscribe to several culinary newsletters.
If you’re not receiving foodie emails, however, this is definitely one you should read.
As a marketer
From a marketing perspective, Bon Appétit is clever. The content is snackable and organized, making it easy to digest right away. Additionally, BA’s clean templates and specific layout ensure the emails never feel spammy.
Simply by subscribing to Bon Appétit, you can see the value in extensive quality content. What’s more, you’ll learn exactly how to fashion it so it makes sense to your users. Something as simple as a theme can instantly give your content vision and purpose.
Wrap up
Bon Appétit survived the decline of print media and continues to be a well-loved culinary voice. Through beautiful simplicity and defined organization, Bon Appétit presents extensive content to thousands of hungry readers every day. So, if you’re looking for recipes and delicious reading, it might be time to sign up.
Are you thinking about building a newsletter? Already have one? If so, consider how you can incorporate the tactics used by Bon Appétit into your own work.
Want to see your favorite newsletter listed here? Tell us in the comments below. Or start your own newsletter by signing up with Campaign Monitor today.