newsletters
The Problem with Newsletter Advice
I started following a bunch of new newsletter publishers recently to see what advice they were giving out to young people. I don’t disagree with the things they say, but I usually disagree with the context. Personal newsletters should have no rules. They are where you find your audience,
Generosity Comes from People
Fom Josh Spector [https://twitter.com/jspector/status/1386759740772999176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]: > “No one wants a newsletter from a company, but lots of people would like a newsletter from a smart person who works for that company.” This is where everything is going, especially as data from email
Ghost Resurrects, Haunts Substack
Ghost has doubled its revenue this year, by focusing on reader/creator experience. From founder John O'Nolan [https://www.indiehackers.com/post/whats-new-nonprofit-blogging-platform-ghost-hits-3-3m-arr-48787565ad] : > “Nobody needs to know what Ghost is. I want people to know the creators that we power, instead.” This is what platforms like Substack
Trust Without Metrics
From Maneetpaul Singh [https://world.hey.com/maneetpaul/why-metrics-are-hurting-creators-6a209d83]: > “Our inboxes are a sacred place. As someone who’s purchased several digital products before, I buy from people I trust. Being thrown into an automated sales sequence is the last thing that builds trust.“ The problem is that it
Do subject lines matter anymore?
Yes, but as not much as you’d think from all the advice out there. I see way too many marketers fretting over subject lines that make a 1-2% difference in open rates, when they miss the bigger, more obvious part of an email that can make a 50%+ (these
My Personal Publishing Principles for 2021
It’s a semi-annual tradition around here to summarize all the knowledge I gather, and link to, in simple, general statements that can be applied across all the topics covered. This year is a little different. I’ve started giving these summaries their own pages to be continually updated. I
Why Chaos May Reign in Newsletter Design
My personal newsletter has no set design. It used to. Maybe it should again. But here’s why it probably won’t. My metric for newsletter success [https://www.cjchilvers.com/how-to-measure-your-newsletters-success/] is the replies (relationship building). Some of my metrics for delight in the newsletters I love [https://www.
What should your personal newsletter include?
This is another common question I get about both blogs and newsletters, and it’s not easy to answer, because most newsletters must conform to their audience. Personal publishing is different. With personal newsletters, you should ask yourself, “What delights me about the personal newsletters I like?” Here’s a
How to Measure Your Newsletter’s Success
The best metric in email newsletters isn’t opens or clicks, but how many replies you received. The reply is the greatest advantage the small-timer has. It may also be the greatest fear of large organizations. Building relationships is what it’s all about, no matter what the medium. When
Experiment 2: New Newsletter
Two days, two new experiments. I moved my newsletter [https://www.cjchilvers.com/subscribe] over to my personal site at Squarespace and away from Mailchimp. Yesterday, I sent out my first new issue, which was as easy as posting a new blog post and clicking one more button to send