I've been using Airmail for about 2 years now and I like the markdown mode.
But right now, I'm testing both Polymail and Nylas because they both have these specific features that Airmail lacks (and that are deal-breakers for me):
>Some newsletters are pretty great. I would reconsider them given much improved curation. Not sure where others are at, but for me at least, it's an opportunity for somebody.
I'm actually trying to solve the problem of curation and discovery at Letterlist.com. It's amazing that there isn't really a great way to find the best newsletters yet.
I'm curious - what is the biggest barrier stopping you from subscribing to newsletters? Is it solely the curation issue?
And as for podcasts, it's a great question - I started a new thread (Ask HN: What must-listen podcasts do you subscribe to?)
My guess is that a lot of us here on HN probably use a feed reader (I use Feedly). But that's because we're outliers with a technical persuassion. Most people don't have the first idea about rss, but _everyone_ uses email.
I'd suggest there are 2 advantages to starting a newsletter:
1. You can plug your rss feed into the newsletter and broadcast your new articles via email for those who don't use rss.
2. You can email other updates, news, surveys etc that you don't publish on-site.
Email also opens up the discussion because your subscribers can respond any time. It's like the original social network.
Disclosure - I created and own this site. But it's worth listing here because I know that it performs extremely well (conversions typically above 50%).
I'm obsessed with simplicity the design is really the natural conclusion of minimalism, i.e. virtually no design, nothing superfluous and a simple CTA.