Why this tech leader moved his thriving 15,000-subscriber newsletter to MailerLite
Soon after Dear Architects became one of the most respected software architecture newsletters, Luca Mezzalira began looking for a platform that could scale with his growing 15,000-subscriber base while remaining cost-effective.
Enter MailerLite. The platform offered exactly what Luca needed: a powerful newsletter editor, intuitive website-building tools, and AI assistance to refine his creative process.
We sat down with Luca to hear about how switching to MailerLite helped grow his digital presence and provided the foundation for his growing ecosystem of content.
Dear Architects: A weekly guide for software architects
Dear Architects is a weekly newsletter that helps people learn about software architecture through hand-picked articles, book recommendations, videos, podcasts, and events.
What began as an internal knowledge-sharing initiative within Luca's team grew into something much bigger when a colleague asked, "Why are you only doing this for us? Why not for everyone?"
Even though he wasn’t convinced at first, this got him thinking.
I gave it a go even though I didn't think people would be interested. Every week, I started sharing what I was reading, what I was experiencing with customers, and what projects I was working on.
That decision led to remarkable growth in followers and consistently positive feedback. Over five years, Luca built a subscriber base from zero to 15,000 people passionate about software architecture.
Today, Luca balances his role as a software architect at AWS with building influential communities through his newsletters. His expertise in micro-frontends, along with his newsletters and social presence, has made him a recognized thought leader in the field.
Luca also has a second website and newsletter called The Micro-Frontends. This is a space for micro-frontend enthusiasts who want to learn through practical lessons, hands-on projects, and expert interviews.
Here’s a look at how Luca uses MailerLite.
Luca uses the drag & drop builder to easily create professional newsletters and websites without much technical effort.
He built websites and landing pages for The Micro-Frontends, Dear Architects and upcoming webinars.
Luca uses AI features to refine his writing and find the best way to express his ideas across his newsletters and websites.
He targets his expanding audiences with more precision while he introduces new content offerings.
Luca sends his newsletter when people are most likely to open it, no matter their location.
Creating a cohesive digital presence with MailerLite's tools
For Luca, one of the biggest benefits of switching to MailerLite has been the ability to create great-looking websites that work hand-in-hand with his newsletters. Both his websites and newsletters for Dear Architects and The Micro-Frontends live on MailerLite.
The drag-and-drop feature makes it easy for me to create websites without much effort. The editor is like the cherry on top of the cake.
The speed and ease of the website builder have impressed even his colleagues.
People were amazed when they found I created a landing page in three days in my hotel room while traveling for work. The new landing page editor makes the job so much easier.
Luca particularly appreciates the flexibility and professional design options that come built-in.
I love the landing page builder, helpful features like FAQs, and that MailerLite is super flexible to customize. I also love the color scheme and just have to make a few tweaks to get the final product.
Optimizing global reach with targeted delivery
With followers across multiple time zones, Luca needed a way to ensure his content reached readers when they were most likely to engage with it.
The possibility to stagger when the email is sent based on a specific time zone is excellent. As I'm reaching a global audience, I'd like to reach them at a time when they'll be more likely to read.
MailerLite’s send by timezone feature has helped increase his open rates, which now hovers around an impressive 50%, with click-through rates of approximately 10%.
As his global following approaches 100,000 across social platforms, getting content to readers at just the right time matters more than ever.
Streamlining content creation with the help of AI
As a non-native English speaker producing content for multiple newsletters, Luca finds particular value in MailerLite's AI features.
I love to use the AI feature of MailerLite to bounce ideas back and forth. Since I'm not a native speaker, it helps me in figuring out the best way to say certain things.
The AI tools help him maintain a consistent publishing schedule across multiple channels, such as:
Weekly Dear Architects newsletter
The Micro-Frontends newsletter
Content for both the Dear Architects and Micro-Frontends websites
Landing pages for upcoming events
I'm broadcasting information. MailerLite provides the right instrument at the right time.
Building a subscriber-driven business model
Luca has found ways to monetize his audience while still providing value to his community. This helps support the continued growth and development of his business.
The newsletters are just the beginning of his growing portfolio of offerings that include:
Paid sponsorships in Dear Architects
His best-selling book on micro-frontends (with a second edition nearly complete)
A podcast launched in 2024 that quickly reached the top 20% on Spotify
Upcoming webinars and live cohorts
Currently, there are no communities focused on software infrastructure—that's our strength.
Lessons from a LinkedIn top voice
Much of Luca’s impressive newsletter growth comes from his strategic approach to LinkedIn content.
His posts about Dear Architect regularly get 80,000 to 90,000 views on LinkedIn, adding up to over 4 million views each year. He has achieved this by doing things differently from what most people recommend.
Even though people say you shouldn’t add external links to LinkedIn posts, my posts with links have the most shares. Everything is about value.
Luca breaks down his success formula into two simple steps:
I share my personality and point of view, then I add value.
His LinkedIn presence brings lots of visitors to his MailerLite websites and newsletters. His cross-promotion strategy is simple but effective:
Every time I post, I add the link to the preview of the MailerLite newsletter, asking people to read and subscribe.
Why email outperforms social media for community building
Despite his social media success, Luca understands the unique power of email marketing for building a lasting audience.
Unlike social media, which can be hit or miss, email marketing helps you build a consistent follower base. Email conversion rates are way higher than social media.
He has noticed that on social media, you need to post all the time to stay relevant. But with emails, you can create a better connection with readers.
On socials, people need to keep posting in order to stay relevant, as a lot of things are lost. With emails, the friction is basically none because people become completely immersed. Email marketing to me became an addiction.
This is why Luca keeps focusing on growing his email newsletters through MailerLite, even while he maintains a strong presence on various social media platforms.
The road ahead: Building a learning community
With a solid foundation in place, Luca's vision for Dear Architects extends far beyond a weekly newsletter.
His future plans include scaling up content, hosting webinars, running live cohorts, and building a dedicated community around Dear Architects that offers continuous learning opportunities.
Starting as someone who simply wanted to share knowledge with his team, Luca has become a prominent industry thought leader. With MailerLite's tools supporting his goals, he's ready for even greater growth.
