EssentiallySports is a sports media platform with 2M+ subscribers and 30M+ monthly reads. The work focused on turning a large, loyal audience into active newsletter engagement.
Client
EssentiallySports
Timeline
4 Weeks
Role
Multi-disciplinary Designer
Year
2026
Collaborators
Manish Kalsi
MY CONTRIBUTION
What Did I Do?
Research
Wireframes
High-fidelity prototypes
Scalable Design
Strategy
Ideation & execution
Newsletter design
Promotional assets
EssentiallySports is a sports media platform with 2M+ subscribers and 30M+ monthly reads. The business tension was clear: the audience was present, but the newsletter experience was not giving them enough reason to engage.
Client
EssentiallySports
Timeline
4 Weeks
My Role
Multi-Disciplinary Designer
Year
2026
Collaborators
Manish Kalsi
What Did I Do?
Research
Research
Wire Frames
Wire Frames
High-fidelity prototypes
High-fidelity prototypes
Scalable Design
Scalable Design
Strategy
Strategy
Ideation & Execution
Ideation & Execution
Making promotional designs for newsletters
Making promotional designs for newsletters
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
A Sports Media Brand With Scale, But Not Enough Participation
A Sports Media Brand With Scale, But Not Enough Participation
EssentiallySports is a US-based sports media platform built for modern fandom - going beyond headlines to create storylines powered by athletes, fans, data, and culture. Their newsletter audience skews 50+ years old: retired professionals who don’t just follow sport, they live it.
With 2M+ subscribers, 30M+ monthly reads, and 5M+ social followers, the platform had scale. What it lacked was depth of engagement - readers were opening emails, spending time inside them, but not clicking through or coming back hungry for more.
EssentiallySports is a US-based sports media platform built for modern fandom - going beyond headlines to create storylines powered by athletes, fans, data, and culture. Their newsletter audience skews 50+ years old: retired professionals who don’t just follow sport, they live it.
With 2M+ subscribers, 30M+ monthly reads, and 5M+ social followers, the platform had scale. What it lacked was depth of engagement - readers were opening emails, spending time inside them, but not clicking through or coming back hungry for more.
THE REAL PROBLEM
THE REAL PROBLEM
“I follow your newsletter everyday, but I need something more engaging please…”
“I follow your newsletter everyday, but I need something more engaging please…”
That reader note made the problem visible before the numbers did. The audience was not ignoring the newsletter - they were consuming it passively, with no strong reward loop to pull them forward into clicks, responses, or repeat engagement.
That reader note made the problem visible before the numbers did. The audience was not ignoring the newsletter - they were consuming it passively, with no strong reward loop to pull them forward into clicks, responses, or repeat engagement.
The data confirmed the same pattern: low CTR, rising drop-offs, and a gap between readership scale and meaningful participation.
-Avid Newsletter Reader
The data confirmed the same pattern: low CTR, rising drop-offs, and a gap between readership scale and meaningful participation.
-Avid Newsletter Reader
Why Gimmicks Would Not Work
Why Gimmicks Would Not Work
The audience skewed 50+: retired professionals who know the sport deeply and respond to clarity, familiarity, and substance. Novelty for its own sake would have felt shallow, so the engagement layer had to be earned by the content.
The audience skewed 50+: retired professionals who know the sport deeply and respond to clarity, familiarity, and substance. Novelty for its own sake would have felt shallow, so the engagement layer had to be earned by the content.
The Reward Loop Had To Feel Native
The Reward Loop Had To Feel Native
The fix could not be random games dropped into an email. It had to connect to the sport, the reader’s knowledge, and the editorial rhythm, so participation felt like part of the newsletter rather than an interruption.
The fix could not be random games dropped into an email. It had to connect to the sport, the reader’s knowledge, and the editorial rhythm, so participation felt like part of the newsletter rather than an interruption.
ONE DECISION
ONE DECISION
CTA Placement Had To Earn The Click
CTA Placement Had To Earn The Click
We tested CTA placements across the newsletter structure, but early versions either interrupted reading or arrived too late to matter. The final hierarchy placed action points where curiosity was already highest, so the click felt like a natural next step instead of a hard sell.
We tested CTA placements across the newsletter structure, but early versions either interrupted reading or arrived too late to matter. The final hierarchy placed action points where curiosity was already highest, so the click felt like a natural next step instead of a hard sell.
New games segment
Premium newsletter design
CTA optimization
New games segment
Premium newsletter design
CTA optimization
Better Layouts
Clean Structures
Better stories to keep them engaged throughout
Better Layouts
Clean Structures
Better stories to keep them engaged throughout
Project Timeline
Project Timeline
Research & Brainstorm
Early Concepts
Design Iterations
Building on Drafting Software
Final Launch
Stakeholder Feedback
4 Weeks (Not to scale)
4 Weeks (Not to scale)
THE SOLUTION
THE SOLUTION
More Than Engagement.
A Complete Experience Redesign.
More Than Engagement.
A Complete Experience Redesign.
The solution was not to bolt on gimmicks. Because the audience valued clarity and familiar sports knowledge, every part of the redesign had to tie back to passive consumption, weak reward loops, and CTA friction.
The solution was not to bolt on gimmicks. Because the audience valued clarity and familiar sports knowledge, every part of the redesign had to tie back to passive consumption, weak reward loops, and CTA friction.
Sports-Based Quests & Games
Sports-Based Quests & Games
So we built sport-based quests, trivia, predictions, and challenges that gave readers a reason to respond instead of only read. Each mechanic was tied to the sport they already followed.
So we built sport-based quests, trivia, predictions, and challenges that gave readers a reason to respond instead of only read. Each mechanic was tied to the sport they already followed.
New gamified segments tailored to each sport - trivia, predictions, challenges. Gave readers a reason to interact beyond just reading. Built for the 50+ audience who loves to test their knowledge.
Premium Newsletter Design
Premium Newsletter Design
So we redesigned the newsletter as a premium editorial experience: clearer hierarchy, stronger rhythm, and a newspaper-inspired brand feel that suited a mature audience.
So we redesigned the newsletter as a premium editorial experience: clearer hierarchy, stronger rhythm, and a newspaper-inspired brand feel that suited a mature audience.
Rebuilt layouts for clarity and visual hierarchy. Inspired by the newspaper headline aesthetic of EssentiallySports’ new brand direction - editorial, bold, familiar to a mature audience.
CTA Optimisation
CTA Optimisation
So we optimized CTA placement, copy, and visual weight across the journey, using the tested hierarchy that moved readers from interest into action.
So we optimized CTA placement, copy, and visual weight across the journey, using the tested hierarchy that moved readers from interest into action.
Scalable Design Systems
Scalable Design Systems
So we built a scalable component library across 10+ sport newsletters, keeping the system consistent while allowing each sport to keep its own voice.
So we built a scalable component library across 10+ sport newsletters, keeping the system consistent while allowing each sport to keep its own voice.
Built a component library covering 10+ sport newsletters - consistent brand, flexible sport-specific identity. Enabled the team to produce at speed without sacrificing quality or coherence.
SYSTEM
SYSTEM
Consistent Branding Across 10+ Newsletters
Consistent Branding Across 10+ Newsletters
EssentiallySports had recently introduced a stronger editorial brand direction inspired by classic newspaper headlines. I extended that language into a reusable newsletter system so the team could ship faster without losing consistency.
EssentiallySports had recently introduced a stronger editorial brand direction inspired by classic newspaper headlines. I extended that language into a reusable newsletter system so the team could ship faster without losing consistency.
THE IMPACT
THE IMPACT
A Reusable System for Editorial Teams.
A Reusable System for Editorial Teams.
The project delivered newsletter layouts, sport-based engagement modules, revised calls to action and a reusable component library across more than ten sports newsletters.
The project delivered newsletter layouts, sport-based engagement modules, revised calls to action and a reusable component library across more than ten sports newsletters.
REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS
What I’d Tell Myself On Day One
What I’d Tell Myself On Day One
I would invest in the component library even earlier next time. The biggest lesson was that clarity beat novelty: once the system made engagement easy to repeat, the work scaled across every newsletter.
I would invest in the component library even earlier next time. The biggest lesson was that clarity beat novelty: once the system made engagement easy to repeat, the work scaled across every newsletter.
UP NEXT
Pine Labs — Product Communication
How product communication and visual sequencing made complex fintech stories easier to follow.
Audience Changes Everything
Audience Changes Everything
Designing for a 50+ sports audience forced me to rethink defaults around font size, interaction density, and content hierarchy. Clarity and familiarity outperform novelty at every turn.
Designing for a 50+ sports audience forced me to rethink defaults around font size, interaction density, and content hierarchy. Clarity and familiarity outperform novelty at every turn.
Designing for a 50+ sports audience forced me to rethink defaults around font size, interaction density, and content hierarchy. Clarity and familiarity outperform novelty at every turn.
Systems Thinking Over Others
Systems Thinking Over Others
The real leverage was in the component library - a single well-designed game block, reused across 10 newsletters, multiplied the impact by 10x. I’d invest in the system even earlier next time.
The real leverage was in the component library - a single well-designed game block, reused across 10 newsletters, multiplied the impact by 10x. I’d invest in the system even earlier next time.
UP NEXT
Pine Labs — Product Communication
How product communication and visual sequencing made complex fintech stories easier to follow.
Have an idea in mind?
Let’s Talk!
& create something meaningful together
Made with ❤️, layers & late night coffees.
©2026, Suhail Quraishi
Have an idea in mind?
Let’s Talk!
& create something meaningful together
Made with ❤️, layers & late night coffees.
©2026, Suhail Quraishi
