We’re starting a new feature here on Spam Resource: The Newsletter Spotlight!
I’m a big fan of newsletters — they’re one of the best things about email — and I thought it would be fun to every so often highlight a newsletter that I’ve heard about, stumbled upon, actually subscribed to, or was tipped off to, and I’ll share it with you, with the hope that if it sounds interesting, maybe you’ll consider subscribing. Nobody’s paying me to highlight these newsletters — these are not advertisements. I’m just sharing my love of interesting email newsletters.
Today, I’d like to turn your attention to the San Diego Meteor. It’s published by a friend of mine, Steve DeLong, and it’s a great way to find ideas for fun things to do in San Diego, California. It is simply and well done. Not overwhelming, not confusing, just what you need to know, if you’re looking for something to eat, drink or do in San Diego County. I reached out to Steve to ask him to tell me about this newsletter, and here’s what he had to share:
I'm Steve DeLong, publisher of the San Diego Meteor, a weekly newsletter that helps San Diegans discover what's happening in their own backyard. I'm an Escondido High graduate who's lived in San Diego County since 1972, and I started this project because I kept watching incredible local places close before people even knew they existed. The Meteor launched as an evolution of my San Diego Food Guide—I realized the same discovery problem existed across all aspects of local life, not just restaurants and breweries.
Every Friday morning, I send to over 2,000 active subscribers a curated weekend guide covering everything from Lunar New Year celebrations in Convoy to live music at neighborhood venues, plus local hero stories, hiking recommendations, and where to catch things like the Super Bowl. The format is designed for people who love San Diego but struggle to keep up with everything happening here. I'm not trying to be the newspaper of record—I'm trying to be the friend who always knows what's going on and actually tells you about it before it's too late.
What surprised me most about building this newsletter has been the engagement. I'm consistently hitting 50-58% open rates and over 5% click-through (top 40% on Beehiiv), which I attribute to keeping the content hyper-local, genuinely useful, and focused on discovery rather than just news aggregation. I use tools like Xemailaudit to avoid spam triggers before sending, but honestly, I think the real deliverability magic is just respecting people's inboxes—if they open it and click through week after week, the algorithms notice.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Steve! And dear readers, don’t forget to visit the San Diego Meteor website if you’d like to learn more or subscribe.
We’re starting a new feature here on Spam Resource: The Newsletter Spotlight!
I’m a big fan of newsletters — they’re one of the best things about email — and I thought it would be fun to every so often highlight a newsletter that I’ve heard about, stumbled upon, actually subscribed to, or was tipped off to, and I’ll share it with you, with the hope that if it sounds interesting, maybe you’ll consider subscribing. Nobody’s paying me to highlight these newsletters — these are not advertisements. I’m just sharing my love of interesting email newsletters.
Today, I’d like to turn your attention to the San Diego Meteor. It’s published by a friend of mine, Steve DeLong, and it’s a great way to find ideas for fun things to do in San Diego, California. It is simply and well done. Not overwhelming, not confusing, just what you need to know, if you’re looking for something to eat, drink or do in San Diego County. I reached out to Steve to ask him to tell me about this newsletter, and here’s what he had to share:
I'm Steve DeLong, publisher of the San Diego Meteor, a weekly newsletter that helps San Diegans discover what's happening in their own backyard. I'm an Escondido High graduate who's lived in San Diego County since 1972, and I started this project because I kept watching incredible local places close before people even knew they existed. The Meteor launched as an evolution of my San Diego Food Guide—I realized the same discovery problem existed across all aspects of local life, not just restaurants and breweries.
Every Friday morning, I send to over 2,000 active subscribers a curated weekend guide covering everything from Lunar New Year celebrations in Convoy to live music at neighborhood venues, plus local hero stories, hiking recommendations, and where to catch things like the Super Bowl. The format is designed for people who love San Diego but struggle to keep up with everything happening here. I'm not trying to be the newspaper of record—I'm trying to be the friend who always knows what's going on and actually tells you about it before it's too late.
What surprised me most about building this newsletter has been the engagement. I'm consistently hitting 50-58% open rates and over 5% click-through (top 40% on Beehiiv), which I attribute to keeping the content hyper-local, genuinely useful, and focused on discovery rather than just news aggregation. I use tools like Xemailaudit to avoid spam triggers before sending, but honestly, I think the real deliverability magic is just respecting people's inboxes—if they open it and click through week after week, the algorithms notice.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Steve! And dear readers, don’t forget to visit the San Diego Meteor website if you’d like to learn more or subscribe.
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