First Edition Newsletter

First Edition, the Guardian’s daily briefing, launched in April 2022 and has since grown to an audience base of nearly 250,000 subscribers. The newsletter, which lands in inboxes by 7am every weekday, guides its dedicated readership through the day’s news agenda to help them make sense of the world around us.

In accessible, informative and personable style, Archie Bland Nimo Omer have kept readers informed on the latest in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, elections in Europe, the US and the UK (including in the 2024 election-long offshoot, Election Edition), the continuing climate crisis, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and other consequential news events.

First Edition prioritises keeping readers aware of the work carried out by hundreds of Guardian journalists across the global newsroom – speaking with political editors, foreign correspondents and sports reporters worldwide – to deepen readers’ connections with Guardian journalists, and Guardian journalism. The newsletter has also regularly introduced Guardian projects and investigations to new readers, such as the Killing Women Count series profiling the death of every woman suspected to have been killed by their partner.

First Edition develops reader trust and engagement by surfacing underdiscussed topics adjacent to the news agenda. In March, Archie explained the catastrophic shortfall in funding for school transport for children with disabilities – including the case of his own son to engage readers and help them understand the tragic impact this can have. The newsletter also engages in fact checking and countering disinformation, offering readers correctives to misleading reporting and narratives they may have heard elsewhere. In April Archie wrote about the myth of “two-tier policing” in the wake of the summer’s far-right riots.

Away from the news agenda, First Edition is keen to keep readers engaged with the entirety of the Guardian’s offer. The newsletter features devoted sections to breaking news coverage, recommending features readers may have missed, one piece of good news, and even linking readers to the Guardian’s beloved daily crosswords.

Not only does the newsletter operate as a standalone piece of quality off-platform journalism – for many readers, it is their first contact with the Guardian each day, and serves as their portal to the Guardian, boosting readership on site, increasing reader revenue, and maintaining strong relationships with our most loyal readers. In the past 12 months the email has been opened over 37m times, resulting in 5m clicks to the Guardian website.