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We are closing our 63rd consecutive week here at The Latino Newsletter, and I wanted to share the latest updates from us, as we head into the last weeks of summer:
Our Audience
Let’s start with our current audience numbers:
As of today, our newsletter has 1,216 subscribers for TheLatinoNewsletter.org and another 1,533 at the LinkedIn version.
In terms of traffic and visits, we have exceeded 200,000 all-time views.
Our social media audience now exceeds 20,000 followers across all major social networks. The growth is steady and real. We have cultivated a very engaged and incredibly intelligent community.
Our average open rate is 65.41%, placing us in the top 20% of all the newsletters on Beehiiv.
Our newsletter's open rate is in the top 20% of all @beehiiv newsletters. 📧
— #The Latino Newsletter (#@LatNewsletter)
8:17 PM • Aug 22, 2025
In other words, we continue to grow. We aren’t losing followers, subscribers, or views. We're gaining them daily. It’s fun to see.
Other Wins
We have met several of our 2025 board-approved goals, most notably securing transformational funding that will sustain us well into 2026. In the next few weeks, we will share a series of announcements that will reflect that news. We are thrilled!
After receiving more than 70 applications for our Senior Producer audio position, we have made a verbal offer to our final candidate, and they have accepted. We will announce that news publicly after Labor Day.
We will also make one hire in Puerto Rico to expand our San Juan bureau. That bureau will also have its own Columnist. All that news will be made public after Labor Day.
Over the last few weeks, I have had excellent conversations with Deputy Editor candidates. We will share more public details about that plan later in September, but, as with any plan, some details may take a few extra weeks to finalize. What I can say now is that we have a Deputy Editor plan for the following coverage areas: Puerto Rico, New England, Southern California, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest (or the South). There is also a strong possibility that we will have our first Weekend Editor and Arts/Culture Editor, too. As I mentioned earlier, we don’t have complete funding for all the positions at this time, but we will begin in some capacity nonetheless and continue fundraising as we proceed. It’s time to divvy up this work because the foundation is done.
The collective phase of The Latino Newsletter starts now. The work ahead belongs to all of us.
This is a massive milestone for me and all who believed in what The Latino Newsletter can be. There are so many people to thank, and I’ll do that in due time, but I will say straight up that we would not be here if it weren’t for the Latino Media Consortium.
Full stop.
In the meantime, we will commit to publishing daily (Monday through Friday) and start Season 2 of our podcast on August 28.
Have a great rest of your summer, and stay tuned for what will be exciting times here at The Latino Newsletter.
And if you believe in our mission, you can donate to help keep this newsletter and all our work free and accessible to everyone.
What We’re Reading
Abrego García Released: From NBC News, “Kilmar Abrego García was released from federal custody Friday, months after he was wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison and accused of being a gang member.”
L.A. TACO in Pressing Issues: As you may or may not know, I am the lead editor for Pressing Issues, part of my day job as Senior Producer and Strategist for Free Press. I have been filing stories there since the start of August, and for my latest story, I was able to connect with Javier Cabral, the editor-in-chief at L.A. TACO.
I thought the topic would be relevant to our readers here at The Latino Newsletter, so I am sharing the story with you. Let me know what you think!
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. Email him here.
Consider donating to The Latino Newsletter. Any contribution, no matter how small, helps keep this newsletter free and accessible to all. ¡Gracias mil!