Five Questions About The Latino Newsletter

It’s Thursday night on the East Coast, and I am writing to 1,071 subscribers to our main newsletter, another 1,000 subscribers to our LinkedIn version of this newsletter, and a social following of 13,000.

On Wednesday, the fantastic team at Tiny News Collective, our fiscal sponsor, published the next installment of its “Five Questions” series. I thought the questions they asked grounded me a bit since I haven’t had much time to look back at our last eight months. So, I wanted to share the five questions here and the answers I gave because I got to talk about The Latino Newsletter’s startup journey.

It hasn’t been easy to keep this going, now that I am approaching it in a part-time capacity, but after I read my answers, they offered a summary of how we got here and what we would like to do. I did edit a few sections so as not to repeat the top-line data I shared at the top of this post.

Tiny News Collective: What's the origin story for The Latino Newsletter, and how does it fit into the other work you've done in the past?

I launched The Latino Newsletter in May 2024 to address the lack of daily premium journalism that consistently centers Latino communities. It’s a continuation of the work I started with game-changing digital outlet Latino Rebels back in 2011 and builds on my years of experience amplifying Latino voices in national and public media, during my time at Pulitzer-winning Futuro Media. The newsletter is about creating a space where our stories are prioritized and told with accuracy, empathy, and purpose.

TNC: What kind of audience do you want to cultivate for it, and how have you done so far?

I want to cultivate an audience of Latinos and allies across local communities in the United States who are searching for voices that reflect their lives and address issues that matter to them. 

We’ve built a strong foundation by publishing more than 175 stories, producing multimedia content, and forming partnerships to expand our reach. We have also been featured in the following outlets: The New York Times, BBC, CBS News, GBH, NEPM, Daily Mail, MSNBC, The Cut, WAMU, and WBUR.

The result has been quite impressive for an outlet that has one part-time employee only right now: me. While we want to find ways to keep growing the newsletter model and also create multiple distribution formats, the homepage, and its content have already generated more than 100,000 visits. Our social channels are already becoming profiles to follow on the platform of your choice. It’s been fun to start from scratch again. We are also now syndicated by MSN.

But data aside, we also have an incredible group of supporters who write to us daily just by replying to our newsletter emails. Their messages have been so positive and supportive. We are doing this with no development team or fundraising budget. It was all organic.

There is something here. I don’t know what, but I want to keep finding out. At the same time, we need to start thinking of creating a permanent team—where it takes on the day-to-day and I move into a more part-time and flexible role as the founder and a board member.

TNC: Have you noticed which of your stories and posts online have had the most interest, and why?

Over the last 75 days, some of the most-read stories have been A Crowdsourced List of Families Displaced by L.A. Fires, Immigration Raids Reported in Bakersfield, and Rental Manager Says Alleged Arsonist Left Cabo Rojo After Fire.

These posts gained traction because they provided urgent, actionable information for directly affected communities. The Rise of Latino Podcasting also resonated because it highlighted the growing influence of a medium that is shaping how we tell our stories, while The Selena Gomez Debate Isn’t About Her Accent sparked engagement by addressing broader questions of identity and representation.

TNC: How does the podcast fit into your editorial, audience, and business goals?

The podcast is an important extension of The Latino Newsletter because it allows us to explore issues in depth and connect with our audience on another level. It fits into our editorial goals by giving voice to stories that matter and into our audience goals by building loyalty and engagement. 

From a business perspective, it opens up opportunities for sponsorships and diversified revenue streams. We are thankful to the Latino Community Foundation for being our first funder, along with New England Public Media and Hispanic Federation. In 2024, we produced 21 episodes for Season 1 and five stories from The Latino Election Project, showing how the podcast complements our broader mission. We are on pause until we secure more funding for Season 2.

TNC: What's your vision for what The Latino Newsletter might become over the next few years and how it might become financially sustainable?

I want The Latino Newsletter to become an indispensable resource for Latinos across the country, providing journalism that not only informs but builds power within our communities. 

Over the next few years, my goal is to grow our reach exponentially, creating a platform where stories about Latinos, by Latinos, are at the center of local and national conversations. Financial sustainability will come through a combination of subscription growth, recurring donor support, new sustaining members (if we can get 120, why not 1,000), strategic partnerships, and diversified revenue streams like podcast sponsorships, along with production and media services. We want to be a daily journalism outlet but also help partners and clients produce work for Latino communities. We can be both.

The operational foundation we established in 2024 —securing fiscal sponsorship, implementing robust financial tools, and prioritizing long-term stability— gives us the infrastructure to grow boldly and ensure that The Latino Newsletter becomes a trusted, influential voice for years to come.

At 56% of Our 2025 Goal

Thanks to our 125th supporter, we are now at $11,136 in donations, 55% of our 2025 fundraising goal. If we reach $20,000, The Latino Newsletter can continue for the rest of 2025.

We want to keep The Latino Newsletter accessible without paywalls. To help, you can donate here. Any amount (one-time or monthly) will keep us going.

What We’re Reading

The Burden of Bearing Witness: In palabra., journalist Tina Vasquez looks at the emotional toll on journalists of color who cover immigration and racial violence.

Migrants at Guantanamo: CBS News reports that Trump officials are ramping up plans to fly more detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay.

Second Judge Blocks Trump: The day after a federal judge in Maryland issued a nationwide injunction against President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, a federal judge in Washington state issued a second injunction.

About the Author

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder and interim publisher of The Latino Newsletter.

Do you believe in creating new journalism lanes for Latinos and Latinas? Do you believe that U.S. mainstream outlets will never understand our community? Consider donating to The Latino Newsletter. Any little bit helps to keep this newsletter free and accessible to all. ¡Gracias mil!