diff --git a/exercises/concept/newsletter/.meta/design.md b/exercises/concept/newsletter/.meta/design.md
index b776663337..f0dfe90a4c 100644
--- a/exercises/concept/newsletter/.meta/design.md
+++ b/exercises/concept/newsletter/.meta/design.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # Design
 
+Note that the `empty.txt` file must contain at least one whitespace character. If it's completely empty, the Exercism CLI won't download it.
+
 ## Learning objectives
 
 - Know about the `File` module
diff --git a/exercises/concept/newsletter/assets/empty.txt b/exercises/concept/newsletter/assets/empty.txt
index e69de29bb2..8b13789179 100644
--- a/exercises/concept/newsletter/assets/empty.txt
+++ b/exercises/concept/newsletter/assets/empty.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+