Curator guide
This guide walks through a first issue with the labels you'll see in CurEight, then how readers find it, how they write back, and what the numbers show.
The format
Readers subscribe to the curation, and each issue reaches them by email and on the web.
One to three points, up to 30 words each, on what the six links say.
Articles, videos or podcast episodes, each with its source and length.
Your view of the six together, usually 100 to 200 words, under a title.
A first issue
Press Start a curation. Give it a Curation name, choose a Category, write a Description of what it covers and who it's for, and pick a Publishing schedule: daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
A cover image (Add cover image, JPG or PNG up to 10 MB), a one-line Standfirst and the curation's Look, an accent colour such as Teal and a display face, are optional. Press Create curation, and its page opens with Write the first issue.
On the Content tab, paste addresses into Add links, one per line or several at once, and press Add. Or describe the issue under Or search the web, press Search and add the results you want. Articles, videos and podcast episodes all work.
CurEight fills in each link's title, source, image and length. If the type or the length is wrong, Correct type and length sets it as Article, Video or Audio, in minutes. In this issue (3 of 6) keeps count, and the arrows set the order. A draft can hold fewer than six; publishing takes six.
A link from a site that asks for its own subscription is marked Paid, with a line such as Subscription required or Limited free access. CurEight reads this from the site, and readers see which links ask for a subscription before they open them.
On the Editorial tab, press Draft the title, editorial and TL;DR. CurEight writes a title and an editorial from your six links and suggests TL;DR points. It fills only the parts that are still empty, so anything you have written stays as it is.
The editorial says how the six connect; most run 100 to 200 words and name the links they draw on. The TL;DR is one to three points, up to 30 words each, and readers see it before they open the issue. Upload a cover image adds an image to the issue, shown with it on Home.
Keep or rewrite each part CurEight drafted. On the editorial, press Keep as written, or press Rewrite and edit it. On the TL;DR tab, press Keep as written or Discard on each suggested point, or edit it.
The Before you publish checklist above the editor tracks 6 links, Editorial title, Editorial, TL;DR and Review. The issue can be published once every item is done.
Press Save and preview on the TL;DR tab (Previous goes back a step). The Preview tab shows the issue as readers will see it, and the Edit tab keeps every part to hand.
Choose Publish now, Schedule or Save as draft, and press the button beneath. Publishing sends the issue by email to your subscribers and puts it on your curation's page, at an address of its own. A scheduled issue publishes itself at the time you choose. If it fails a check at that moment, it returns to your drafts and CurEight tells you why.
Bringing readers
Every published issue has its own page. On it, Share this issue offers posts written for X, LinkedIn and a message, each with a link that counts the readers it brings, and a card to download. Your curation's page has the same under Share this curation, and Readers your share links brought counts the visits and sign-ups.
Invite readers on your curation's page takes pasted addresses or Upload a CSV, up to 500 at a time. A Substack, Mailchimp, ConvertKit or Ghost export works as it is. Each person gets one email asking them to confirm, and is subscribed once they do.
Export subscribers and issues downloads your subscribers as a spreadsheet, with each address, name and the date they subscribed, together with your issues. It works at any time.
Under Recommended curations on your curation's edit page, pick up to six curations you rate, each with an optional one-line note. They appear on your curation's page, under Recommended by your name.
Hearing from readers
Waiting for you lists everything your subscribers sent, oldest first. It opens from the card of the same name on Your curations whenever something is there, and from the summary email.
Readers press Ask the curator on your curation's page. Answer one from a draft's Mailbag panel, and it runs in that issue.
Subscribers suggest what you could cover and vote on each other's ideas. Take one up from a draft's Requests panel with Cover it in this issue.
Readers suggest a link for an issue. On your issue's page, Finds from readers lets you Credit it or Ignore it.
Each issue page has comments, which you can close and reopen. Notes readers leave beside a link appear on your issue page, for you alone. The number of likes shows on the issue.
Numbers
About a day after an issue goes out, an email titled “How yesterday's issue of” your curation “did” says how many subscribers it went to, which links readers opened most, and what they have sent since.
Numbers on your curation's page shows subscribers now and who joined lately, how often you have published against your schedule, and what readers opened in each issue.
A published issue's page shows What readers opened, link by link. A link with under five opens shows as “fewer than 5”.
What CurEight carries
CurEight checks each link as you add it, and the whole issue as you publish. A link that reads as adult or graphic content is marked Held for review, its image is hidden, and the issue can be published once the link is replaced.
If a link is held, replace it with another. If you think the check got it wrong, ask for a review through Send feedback.
Early access
Questions
Start a curation, add six links, and publish when it reads the way you want.
CurEight