YouLetter Case Study - Mason Mitchell
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YouLetter

Role
Founder & Developer
Timeline
6 Weeks
Status
MVP Complete

Built a full-stack AI-powered newsletter platform from zero to working MVP. Newsletter generation powered by Claude, web search by Tavily, and email delivery through SendGrid.

Research & Problem

Understanding the opportunity and validating the market need for personalized newsletters powered by AI.

The Problem

Information overload is real. Knowledge workers subscribe to numerous newsletters, blogs, and news sources but struggle to keep up with what actually matters to them.

Existing solutions are either too manual (you curate everything yourself) or too generic (one-size-fits-all content). There's a gap for personalized, AI-driven newsletters that adapt to individual interests.

Market Opportunity

  • 250+ million newsletter subscribers globally, growing 15% YoY
  • 67% of professionals report information overload affecting productivity
  • Advances in LLMs make AI curation feasible and affordable
  • Users actively seeking better content discovery solutions
  • No dominant player in AI-personalized newsletters
8-12
Newsletter Subscriptions — average professional, only 20% actively read
45 mins
Weekly Time Spent sifting vs. reading valuable content
$0.05
Cost Per Newsletter — Claude API makes personalization economically viable

Key Validation Findings

User Needs

  • Desire for control over topics and delivery frequency
  • Want AI to handle the curation, not manual selection
  • Trust in source attribution and transparency
  • Mobile-first reading during commute time
  • One-click onboarding with smart defaults

Business Viability

  • Willingness to pay $10-15/month for quality curation
  • High email open rates (65%+) create strong retention
  • Low churn in personalization products when properly built
  • Viral coefficient through content sharing and referrals
  • Multiple monetization paths (freemium, API, B2B)

MVP Scope

Defining the minimum viable product to validate the core value proposition and gather user feedback.

Core Value Proposition

Generate personalized newsletters in seconds based on user interests.

Users select their topics, choose their tone preference, and YouLetter generates a complete newsletter with curated content, news, and insights tailored specifically to them.

No manual content selection. No generic templates. Just relevant news, fast.

Success Criteria

  • Users can generate newsletter in under 30 seconds
  • Minimum 60% email open rate for generated content
  • 50+ beta users within first month
  • NPS score of 30+ from early users
  • Unsubscribe rate below 5%
  • Cost per newsletter under $0.10

MVP Features

Preference Setup

Select topics (Politics, Tech, Business, etc), choose tone (Professional, Casual, etc), and set frequency. Simple 2-minute onboarding.

AI News Generation

Claude API searches web for latest news on selected topics and generates a personalized 3-4 section newsletter with real sources and links.

Email Delivery

SendGrid integration sends formatted HTML emails with AI disclosure, source attribution, and one-click unsubscribe compliance.

Unsubscribe Management

Track subscription status, allow users to manage preferences and resubscribe. Legal compliance built in with Terms and Disclaimer.

Tech Stack

Frontend

  • Next.js 13+ with App Router
  • TypeScript for type safety
  • Tailwind CSS for styling
  • Modern authentication with JWT

Backend & Infrastructure

  • Next.js API routes (serverless)
  • PostgreSQL (Railway) for data
  • Claude API for content generation
  • Tavily API for web search
  • SendGrid for email delivery
  • Vercel for hosting & deployment

Out of Scope (Phase 2+)

  • Scheduled automated sends
  • Advanced personalization algorithms
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Social sharing features
  • Custom brand templates
  • B2B team management
  • API for third-party integrations
  • Premium pricing tiers
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