Red Hat Talks to Customers in Plain English

Subscriber Numbers That Surprise

When most people think of a powerful e‑newsletter, they imagine a handful of tech blogs or a niche mailing list with a few thousand subscribers. In the world of digital publishing, a list of 10,000 to 20,000 readers is typically enough to earn a respectable reputation. Only a few names - like Larry Chase - have broken that ceiling, reaching over 40,000 sign‑ups. That is why Red Hat’s claim of 800,000 subscribers for its “Under the Brim” (UTB) e‑newsletter feels like a headline that would normally belong to a blockbuster streaming service. Yet the number is real, and the story behind it is one of strategy, humility, and a deep understanding of the open‑source community.

Red Hat is the leading provider of Linux software and open‑source technology. Linux, for those who may not be fully acquainted, is an operating system similar to Windows or macOS, but its source code is freely available for anyone to read, modify, and distribute. That openness has created a vibrant ecosystem of developers, system administrators, and enterprise IT teams who rely on community contributions to improve infrastructure, security, and innovation. Because of this culture, any communication that comes from the forefront of open‑source development carries a unique weight.

At the time Chris Grams took over marketing communications at Red Hat, the company’s email list was a modest 30,000 contacts gathered from customer orders on its website. Those numbers were underused, largely because the list had never been actively engaged. Grams saw an opportunity not just to send emails, but to transform a small group of readers into a community that felt heard and valued. He turned the original print newsletter, which had been distributed to about 200 partners, into a fully digital experience. By asking customers to opt‑in automatically whenever they purchased anything from Red Hat’s online store, he multiplied the reach. The result? An audience that now numbers more than a million, with 800,000 people receiving the weekly edition of UTB.

Such scale is more than a marketing victory. It demonstrates how an organization can grow a mailing list by integrating it into existing customer journeys, rather than treating it as a separate or optional channel. It also illustrates how a strong brand and a clear purpose - in this case, keeping the community updated on product releases, best practices, and industry trends - can transform passive contacts into engaged subscribers. Red Hat’s newsletter isn’t a sales tool; it’s a conversation partner for people who spend a large portion of their days in the tech trenches.

Plain English: The Secret Ingredient

If you’ve ever opened a corporate newsletter, you may have felt the same cold, dry tone that’s almost a rite of passage for B‑to‑B communication. Technical jargon and buzzwords can be useful when precise meaning is required, but they often alienate the very readers they’re meant to inform. Red Hat broke that mold by choosing a tone that feels like a friendly chat over coffee. According to Chris Grams, the decision to write in plain English was deliberate. “Even though our audience is technical, they’re real people,” he says. “I don’t like reading marketing‑ese or technical lingo, so why would our subscribers?”

The newsletter’s style is self‑deprecating and lighthearted, but it never loses focus on the core topics that matter to IT professionals. Every issue includes links to in‑depth technical articles, invitations to webinars, and information about new releases. It also runs monthly contests that challenge readers to put their writing skills to the test. For example, a past contest asked participants to craft a 25‑word sentence describing their greatest open‑source triumph, rewarding the winner with a copy of Red Hat Linux 9 Professional. These contests not only spur creative engagement but also reinforce the community’s collaborative spirit.

Grams’ philosophy extends beyond individual issues. He recognizes that developers and technology enthusiasts form the backbone of open source. They write new code, build new applications, and will eventually become the company’s customers. As such, the newsletter must be written in a language that’s approachable, yet precise enough to convey complex ideas. The same goes for enterprise customers, who need clear guidance on how to deploy Red Hat solutions safely and effectively. By balancing levity with technical depth, UTB manages to satisfy a wide range of readers without diluting its message.

The success of this plain‑English approach shows that tone can be as powerful as content. When readers feel they are part of a conversation rather than a sales pitch, they return for more information and, ultimately, for more solutions. The open‑source community thrives on shared knowledge, and a newsletter that invites participation rather than pushes a product aligns perfectly with those values.

Measuring Success: Engagement and Impact

Numbers are often the easiest way to prove that a communication strategy is working, and UTB delivers impressive metrics. Click‑through rates hover around 45%, a figure that speaks volumes in an era where many newsletters languish in inbox clutter. Each issue also drives hundreds of responses to monthly contests, with more than 500 replies on average. Webinars and training sessions promoted in the newsletter see 200 to 800 sign‑ups per month, a significant boost for Red Hat’s community‑building efforts.

But engagement isn’t just about the statistics. The newsletter fosters a sense of one‑to‑one conversation. By asking readers for feedback, encouraging them to participate in contests, and offering personalized invites to events, UTB turns a mass mailing into an intimate dialogue. The result is a community that feels heard and valued, which in turn encourages loyalty and word‑of‑mouth promotion.

What can other companies learn from Red Hat’s example? Grams stresses that a newsletter’s personality must be tied to the brand’s core values. Red Hat’s identity is built on freedom, openness, and collaboration - qualities that shine through in its writing style. For businesses that may be hesitant to adopt a casual tone, the key takeaway is simple: if your audience isn’t reading, you’re not selling. Trying something different is a low‑risk experiment that could yield high returns. Even if a brand cannot fully mirror Red Hat’s freedom, it can still inject authenticity into its messaging by speaking plainly and sincerely.

The journey from a 200‑partner print newsletter to an 800,000‑subscriber digital publication underscores how a thoughtful approach to content and communication can scale dramatically. Red Hat’s story reminds us that in the digital age, audiences crave connection over promotion, and they appreciate the honesty that comes with plain English.

For those interested in exploring how Red Hat stays ahead in the open‑source landscape, or who simply want to join a community that values clarity and collaboration, visit Murdok’s free newsletters. And for marketing writers who want to avoid common pitfalls, download Dianna Huff’s “Top Ten Marketing Writing Mistakes” list and subscribe to her e‑newsletter, “The MarCom Writer.”