Definition of Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication is your newsletter's bouncer at the door. Password? Great. Now show me your phone's temporary code too. It's like having two locks instead of one. Your password might be "ryangosling123", (hope not), but without that second verification from your phone, hackers have a harder time breaking in.
Why you should care
Your newsletter list is gold. Would you leave gold in a cardboard box with a simple latch? Hell no. That's what you're doing without 2FA. One compromised password, and suddenly your subscribers are getting spam about cryptocurrency schemes.
The truth? Most creators skip 2FA because it feels like putting on an extra sock in the morning. But modern authenticator apps have made it simple. The minor friction pays off the first time some rando tries to log into your account at 3 AM.
Newsletter security isn't sexy until it's gone. Three minutes of setup now prevents the heart-stopping moment of discovering someone sent garbage to your entire list. Your reputation is worth more than those three minutes.
Some resources we rely on
Ask Claude for help with Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Copy and paste this prompt into Claude or the AI of your choice. Be sure to tweak the context for your situation.
<goal>
Help me implement two-factor authentication across my newsletter operations to prevent security breaches.
</goal>
<context>
* I manage a newsletter with [SUBSCRIBER COUNT] subscribers
* Using [ESP PLATFORM] as my email service provider
* Currently using just passwords for account security
* Need a simple system that won't slow down my workflow
* Want to protect both my ESP account and related services
</context>
<output>
Please provide:
* Step-by-step 2FA setup guide for my specific ESP
* Recommended authenticator app with pros/cons
* Priority list of newsletter-related accounts to secure first
* Recovery options if I lose my authentication device
</output>
<example>
Priority accounts to secure with 2FA:
- [ ] Primary ESP account (MailChimp, ConvertKit, etc.)
- [ ] Email account connected to your newsletter
- [ ] Website/landing page hosting account
</example>
<guardrails>
* Focus on methods that don't require purchasing extra hardware
* Prefer solutions that work across multiple devices
* Include offline backup options for emergency access
* Avoid solutions that rely on SMS (text message) verification
</guardrails>