Generate a monthly newsletter with Python

Here’s a sample Python script that generates a basic monthly newsletter using plain text or HTML, which can then be emailed using SMTP or saved as a file. This script is modular and easy to adapt for different content or formats.

Python Script: Generate a Monthly Newsletter

python
CopyEdit
import datetime

# Sample newsletter content
newsletter_title = "Tech Digest Monthly"
newsletter_date = datetime.date.today().strftime("%B %Y")

# Sections of the newsletter
top_stories = [
    {"title": "AI Transforms Healthcare", "summary": "AI is revolutionizing diagnosis and treatment, saving lives and time."},
    {"title": "Python 3.13 Released", "summary": "New features and performance improvements headline the latest Python update."},
]

upcoming_events = [
    {"event": "PyCon 2025", "date": "June 14–18", "location": "Portland, OR"},
    {"event": "AI World Conference", "date": "July 5–7", "location": "San Francisco, CA"},
]

tips_and_tricks = [
    "Use `pathlib` over `os.path` for cleaner path handling in Python.",
    "Combine list comprehensions with conditional logic for cleaner code.",
]

def generate_newsletter(title, date, stories, events, tips):
    # Construct the newsletter content
    content = f"{title} — {date}nn"
    content += "=" * 50 + "nn"
    
    content += "Top Stories:n"
    for story in stories:
        content += f"• {story['title']}n  {story['summary']}nn"
    
    content += "Upcoming Events:n"
    for event in events:
        content += f"• {event['event']} — {event['date']} @ {event['location']}n"
    content += "n"

    content += "Tips & Tricks:n"
    for tip in tips:
        content += f"• {tip}n"
    content += "n"

    content += "=" * 50 + "n"
    content += "Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for next month's updates.n"
    
    return content

# Generate and print the newsletter
newsletter = generate_newsletter(newsletter_title, newsletter_date, top_stories, upcoming_events, tips_and_tricks)
print(newsletter)

Optional: Email the Newsletter via SMTP

To send the generated newsletter as an email:

python
CopyEdit
import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart

sender_email = "your_email@example.com"
receiver_email = "subscriber@example.com"
subject = f"{newsletter_title} — {newsletter_date}"

# Create MIME email
message = MIMEMultipart()
message["From"] = sender_email
message["To"] = receiver_email
message["Subject"] = subject

# Attach plain text
message.attach(MIMEText(newsletter, "plain"))

# Send via SMTP
with smtplib.SMTP("smtp.example.com", 587) as server:
    server.starttls()
    server.login(sender_email, "your_password")
    server.sendmail(sender_email, receiver_email, message.as_string())

This basic script can be easily upgraded with:

• HTML formatting for richer newsletters

• Pulling dynamic content from RSS feeds, APIs, or a CMS

• Scheduling automatic generation and delivery via cron or schedule

Let me know if you want an HTML version or integration with a template engine like Jinja2.