• by Ray Schultz , July 29, 2021

Letter, a platform for written debate, has been acquired by the email newsletter platform Substack.  

The co-founders, Dayne and Clyde Rathbone, will “relocate from Australia to San Francisco to help us build more of the infrastructure and support that independent writers need to thrive,” Substack says in a blog post.

Letter’s roster of writers includes Noam Chomsky, Yuval Noah Harari and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  

“The Letter team shares Substack’s values – that good writing is valuable and what you read matters – and the determination to nurture a media ecosystem that can advance the quality of conversation,” the post states. 

This occurs as Facebook has added over 30 writers to its Bulletin newsletter platform.  

Observers say that the Substack acquisition reflects well on email newsletter publishing. 

“Substack’s continued momentum, most recently the acquisition of Letter, is just proof of how newsletters are resonating with consumers,” says Kerel Cooper, CMO of email marketing platform LiveIntent.

Cooper adds: “Newsletters continue to be one of the top ways consumers want to receive content. This allows publishers to create and grow an authentic relationship with readers— no matter the vertical or demographic.” 

Cooper says publishers and brands are “taking advantage of the benefits that the email channel provides, providing trustworthy and accessible content for their audiences.”