Startup newsletters that feature new products, and how to get in

The startup newsletters that feature new products are the ones run by launch platforms: LaunchScaler's Monday newsletter, Product Hunt's newsletters, BetaList's daily newsletter, Uneed Weekly and the Tiny Startups newsletter. Each fills its issues from what launched on its own platform, so the free way in is to launch there, and each also sells a paid way in.

They are ranked here for a maker who wants a newsletter placement with a published price they can test cheaply. The reach figures are the ones each newsletter states on its own site, checked in September 2026; none of them is independently audited, so treat them as the publisher's claim.

How do startup newsletters compare on reach and the way in?

Every newsletter below has a free route tied to launching on its platform, except BetaList, where every submission is paid. The paid routes range from $19 for 30 days to a $249 issue, and one of the five publishes no price at all. The audience figure is each newsletter's own statement.

Which startup newsletters should you try first?

Start with the one where you can test a paid slot cheaply and get in free by launching, then add the larger lists once you know what converts. LaunchScaler comes first because its paid route starts at $19 for 30 days with a published price. The rest follow by the size of audience each states.

1. LaunchScaler: the Monday newsletter, from launch

LaunchScaler's newsletter is called "What launched, every Monday." Each issue covers "what launched on LaunchScaler that week, what is launching next, and the reviews we published," and subscribing takes one email confirmation. LaunchScaler doesn't publish a subscriber count.

The free way in is to launch. The free launch starts from a free readiness scan of your site, and a launched product is what the Monday issue lists. LaunchScaler doesn't sell a newsletter slot on its own, and none of its placements promises one. Its paid placements are a Spotlight card for $19 or a homepage carousel slide for $79, each for 30 days and labelled as paid. They buy visibility on the directory's own pages.

2. Product Hunt: the largest stated audience, with an AI issue

Product Hunt says its newsletters reach "over 1.5 million readers." The Leaderboard is "the best of Product Hunt, every day," sent on weekday mornings. The Frontier is its weekly newsletter "covering the best new AI launches on Product Hunt," which makes it the one to aim for with an AI product. The Roundup is a weekly issue of tech news and launches.

The free way in is a launch that performs well, since the issues spotlight top products. Launching on Product Hunt is free. For a paid slot, the newsletter page points sponsors to its ads team by email and publishes no price.

3. BetaList: a daily newsletter, paid entry only

BetaList sends a daily newsletter and gives its size as 70,000+ subscribers on the boost page, and 60k+ on the same page's plan cards. There is no free submission: "All submissions are paid," with a full refund if your startup isn't selected. BetaList lists "pre-launch and recently launched startups" on their own domain.

Whether you reach the newsletter depends on the plan. Some plans guarantee inclusion. On the others, "the newsletter only includes the most popular featured startups," at least 24 hours after featuring. After you've been featured, a boost at $99 a week or $199 a month adds homepage placement and a newsletter slot, rotated among active boosts.

4. Uneed Weekly: top launches and team picks, every Monday

Uneed Weekly goes out every Monday to 30,000+ subscribers, and Uneed states a 40% average open rate. Each issue is "the top 3 launches of the week, two picks from our team, what's new on Uneed and the latest articles," and Uneed describes its readers as founders, developers and product people.

The free way in is to launch on Uneed and finish in the week's top 3, or be picked by the team. Uneed's free launch line assigns a date at least 50 days out; Skip the line at $39.99 lets you choose your date. The paid way in is the main sponsor slot at the top of the email, $249 an issue with one sponsor per issue, or $448 for two and $597 for three.

5. Tiny Startups: five hand-picked startups every Sunday

The Tiny Startups newsletter goes out every Sunday to 25k+ founders and is free to read. Each issue carries "five startups, picked by hand" (in quieter weeks, three), with revenue read from the founder's payment provider where available and a note on how they got their first customers.

The way in is to launch there: "Every issue is drawn from what came through that week," and submitting a startup is free. Tiny Startups runs a sponsor board where "sponsors pay to rank higher," but it doesn't publish a paid route into the newsletter itself.

Which newsletter fits your product?

Match the newsletter to your product's stage and audience before you spend a launch week on it. A pre-launch waitlist, an AI tool and a bootstrapped product with revenue each have a natural home among these five.

How do you get into a startup newsletter for free?

Launch on the platform that runs the newsletter, in a week you can support, with a listing that makes the editor's job easy. Every free route here depends on your launch doing well or being picked, so the listing and the launch day decide whether you appear.

1. Choose one platform per week. Uneed Weekly and LaunchScaler's issue both go out on Monday, so launch the week before on the one you want.
2. Write a one-line description that says what the product does and for whom, in plain words an editor can paste.
3. Use a clear logo and one screenshot that shows the product working.
4. Give the platform a tagged link so the newsletter's visits show under their own name. UTM parameters: a naming convention has the scheme.
5. Be around on launch day to answer comments and questions. Uneed's top 3 are ranked by the week's votes, and the hand-picked slots come from what the editors see that week.
6. After the issue goes out, check the tagged row in your analytics and note the signups. That number tells you whether a paid slot there is worth testing.

Is a paid newsletter slot worth it?

It depends on the cost per click, and that depends on numbers most newsletters don't publish. Divide the price by subscribers times open rate times click rate, then by your signup rate, and compare with what a signup is worth. Uneed publishes its price, list size and open rate, which makes it the easiest to model.

The full formula, with a worked example on Uneed's figures and the questions to ask before you pay, is in newsletter sponsorships for a startup. For judging a directory's featured slot the same way, see is a featured placement worth it.

Newsletters give you a burst of visits in the week of the issue. If you also want search traffic that builds over months, SEO agencies for startups covers what to buy and what to skip.

A paid test with a published price

If you want a paid test with a published price, LaunchScaler's placements are a Spotlight card for $19 or a homepage carousel slide for $79, each for 30 days. Neither includes the newsletter. Every placement is labelled as paid, views and clicks are counted while it runs, and you see the start date before you pay. Get featured.