Latest / The Newsletter Podcast with Fexingo: Substack, Beehiiv, and Email Newsletter Business / How Newsletters Use Google Top Stories to Gain Authority Readers
Transcript
- Lucas: If you run a newsletter, you've probably looked at Google News and thought, 'How do I get in there?' Luna: Right, it feels like a walled garden for big publishers. Lucas: It used to be. But actually, in the last couple of years, Google has opened up Top Stories — that carousel you see at the top of search results — to independent publishers. And there's a specific playbook for newsletter writers. Luna: Is it just about having a fast website and good content, or is there more to it? Lucas: There's a lot more. Let me give you a concrete example. I spoke with a writer who runs a B2B SaaS newsletter on Substack — about 5,000 subscribers, nothing huge. He decided to focus on getting into Google News and Top Stories for a specific keyword cluster: 'CRM software trends.' He wasn't writing breaking news; he was writing analysis and roundups. Luna: And how did that go? Lucas: Over three months, he gained about 8,000 new subscribers. That's more than half of his total list, just from organic search traffic. And it didn't require any paid ads. The key was getting his articles into the Google News index and then into Top Stories. Luna: So how does a small newsletter actually get indexed? I thought Google News had a manual application process. Lucas: It did. But in 2022, Google changed things. Now, any site that meets the Google News content policies can be automatically considered. The catch is you need proper structured data — specifically, Article schema with author markup. Without that, Google's crawlers can't confirm who wrote the piece or that it's a news article. Luna: So it's a technical SEO play as much as a content play. Lucas: Exactly. The writer I mentioned added schema markup to his Substack. Substack actually has some built-in structured data, but it's not complete. He used a plugin to add the missing fields: articleBody, datePublished, author type, and the publisher logo. That alone got him into the Google News index within two weeks. Luna: But getting into Google News is one thing. Top Stories is a different league. How did he crack that? Lucas: Top Stories favors timeliness and authority. Authority doesn't just mean domain authority — it means the author's topical expertise. Google looks at whether the same author consistently writes about the same subject. So he committed to publishing three times a week on CRM trends, always with his byline, always with the same structured data. After about a month, one of his articles appeared in Top Stories for 'CRM software trends 2025.' Luna: And that one article drove the subscriber growth? Lucas: That was the spark. Once one article got in, others followed. He noticed a pattern: articles with 'how-to' or 'guide' in the title performed better for Top Stories than straight news. Google seems to value evergreen utility in the carousel, not just breaking news. So he shifted his editorial calendar to mix analysis with actionable guides. Luna: I wonder if this strategy works for non-news genres. Like, if you write a poetry newsletter, are you ever getting into Top Stories? Lucas: Probably not. Google News and Top Stories are designed for content that is timely, relevant, and newsworthy. If your newsletter is purely creative or opinion, you might not fit the algorithm. But for business, finance, tech, health, or any topic with a news angle, it's viable. Luna: So what's the practical checklist for a newsletter writer who wants to try this? Lucas: First, make sure your site — whether it's Substack, Beehiiv, or a custom domain — has Article schema with author, publisher, and date. You can use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool to verify. Second, publish consistently on a specific topic. Don't jump around. Third, optimize your headlines for search intent: think 'how to,' 'guide,' 'trends,' 'analysis.' Fourth, include a byline on every post, even if it's just your name. Google uses that to build author reputation. Luna: What about the domain? Does it matter if you're on a subdomain like newsletter.substack.com? Lucas: It can be a slight disadvantage because subdomains don't inherit the main domain's authority. But it's not a blocker. The writer I mentioned was on a Substack subdomain with a custom domain redirect. He used a custom domain — newsletter dot com — and that helped. Google treats custom domains as more authoritative. Luna: I've also heard that Google News prefers sites with a clear publication date and author page. Is that true? Lucas: Absolutely. In structured data, you need a datePublished and dateModified. And an author page — even a simple about page with a bio — helps Google connect the dots. If your newsletter platform doesn't support an author page, link your byline to your LinkedIn or personal site. Luna: One thing I'm curious about: once you're in Top Stories, does that traffic convert into email subscribers? Search visitors are often looking for a quick answer, not a long-term relationship. Lucas: That's a great point. The conversion rate from Top Stories to email signups is lower than from, say, a referral link. The writer I mentioned saw about 2 percent conversion from Top Stories visitors. But because the volume is high — thousands of visits per day — it still added up. He also used a welcome mat landing page that explained what subscribers would get, which helped. Luna: So it's a volume play. You need a lot of traffic to get a meaningful number of subscribers. Lucas: Right. But for a free newsletter with no ad spend, it's one of the highest-leverage channels. And the traffic is recurring — if you keep publishing and keep getting indexed, the articles can stay in Top Stories for weeks. Luna: I want to push back a bit. Isn't there a risk of becoming dependent on Google? If they change the algorithm, your subscriber pipeline dries up. Lucas: That's a real risk. Google has a history of yanking traffic from publishers. But I'd argue that building a presence in Google News is still a valid diversification play, especially if you're not solely relying on it. You should also have a referral program, social media, and maybe a podcast. But for now, the opportunity is real. Luna: And it's especially interesting for niche B2B newsletters where the competition for Top Stories is lower. Lucas: Exactly. Most niche topics have very few publishers producing structured data compliant content. If you're the only one writing about 'CRM software trends' with proper schema, you have a clear path. The writer I mentioned basically owned that keyword cluster for months. Luna: Alright, I'm convinced. But for someone listening who wants to start today, what's the one thing they should do first? Lucas: Run your newsletter's homepage through Google's Rich Results Test. If it doesn't show Article or NewsArticle schema, that's your starting point. Most platforms have a way to inject custom code, or you can use a plugin. Get that right, then focus on a specific topic and publish three times a week for a month. Check Google Search Console to see if your articles are being indexed as news. Luna: That's a concrete first step. And I think a lot of listeners will find that actionable. Lucas: If today was actually useful to you, the way these episodes stay ad-free is listener support. You can buy me a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It helps us keep digging into tactics like this without any sponsors. Luna: Yeah, we really value that listeners find these conversations practical. A small contribution goes a long way to keeping the show independent. Lucas: So back to the B2B writer — after three months in Top Stories, his subscriber count had doubled. He started experimenting with paid tiers and even got sponsorship inquiries because of the authority boost. So the effect goes beyond just traffic. Luna: Authority boost — that's an interesting angle. Being in Top Stories gives you a credibility signal when people see your name next to major publications. Lucas: Exactly. One of his subscribers told him, 'I found you on Google News and thought you must be legitimate.' That social proof is hard to buy. So even if the direct conversion rate is modest, the halo effect is real. Luna: I could see that being a strong argument for pitching sponsors too. 'My newsletter appears in Google Top Stories alongside the Wall Street Journal.' Lucas: That's exactly what he did. His media kit now highlights the Top Stories presence, and it's helped him land three sponsors at rates he wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Luna: So the playbook is: get the tech right, pick a niche, publish consistently, and then leverage the authority for monetization. Lucas: That's the nutshell. It's not a get rich quick scheme, but for a focused independent writer, it's one of the most scalable organic channels available in 2026. Luna: Great episode, Lucas. I'm definitely going to check my own newsletter's schema. Lucas: Glad to hear it. And we'll keep tracking how this evolves. Thanks for listening.