How Sean Devlin Grew Nice News to a Million Subscribers in 3 Years

Extractive Summary of the Article | Read | Listen

Nice News newsletter has grown to a million subscribers in three years.  It  is quite remarkable for many reasons. The biggest reason being that so-called positive news is an area that traditionally does not do well.  So how did founder and GM Sean Devlin buck the trend and make Nice News a thing? 

Positivity drives impact.  During Covid, watching the news was a chore. Doomscrolling was what everyone did. So much so that Devlin decided that he needed a news break. When he came back from that self-imposed news blackout, what he realized was there was a need for more positive news—nice news, if you will.

But the thing is, as indicated, positive news usually doesn’t fare well. Ninety percent of news is negative for a reason. It gets ratings and readership. As the old saying in the news business goes, “If it bleeds, it leads.” It is a maxim for a reason.

Devlin used his journalism background as an asset. Previously, he helped to create, run, and grow other newsletters at Optimism, an inbox-first media company that serves inspiring content to millions of readers every day. His previous work taught him that research was the answer. 

Before launching, like any good entrepreuer, Devlin made sure that his thesis about the need for nice news was accurate. Was there a market for a nice newsletter? What format would likely work best? Who would read it?

Devlin concluded there indeed was a market need and with the backing of Optimism, launched the daily Nice News newsletter in 2022.

Why positive news is gaining traction.  Was he right? The stats don’t lie. A million subscribers in three years is crazy good. Why the rapid growth? For starters, Nice News is a delight. A curated digest of all sorts of stories with a positive spin, it is engaging, easy to read, fun, unexpected, and interesting.

Teamwork is crucial to success.  While content is king at Nice News, being savvy is not far behind; another reason why Devlin has been so successful at growing Nice News is that he doesn’t go it alone. He has a lean team of devoted writers. Similarly, collaborating with other newsletter and companies is also key. 

Optimism’s parent company, Pardon, has been an investor, which gives Devlin the funding needed to kick things up a notch. Nice News also engages in swaps, giveaways, and other tricks of the trade with other newsletters.

The point is, great entrepreneurs like Devlin know they can’t go it alone. Having partners, co-venturers, and teammates fills out the team and the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.

When the author asked Sean for his take as to why Nice News seems to have struck a chord, he pointed to a few things:  There was pent up demand for what he was offering—people like getting positive news in their inbox every morning;  the content is unique; and the design is easy on the eyes.

In the end, rapid growth like this is due to a variety of factors, but maybe one stands out. The Nice News mission is to “facilitate our readers’ to filter the world through a more positive lens.”  And that’s something we all seem to need these days.

show less