newsletters
Have a personality.
It’s easy to replicate a business model. It’s really hard to replicate a personality. Chances are, whatever your newsletter will be about, there will be many others sharing the same ideas and links. The only thing that separates you is personality. Be vulnerable. Be honest. Be real. People
Get started.
I’ve received and responded to dozens of great questions the past few weeks, but most of them have a common theme, like this one from Kevin: > ”This month’s theme about newsletters is a daily kick in the groin. I’ve wanted to start a newsletter for a
Put your best link forward.
Back in the days when bands sent demo tapes to record companies, they were told to forget about creating a "flow" between your songs. They were told to put their strongest song first, second-strongest second, and so on. If not, the listener would bail in the beginning of
Add your newsletter link to all the things.
Add it to every social media profile you have. Add it to every email you write (maybe develop a good PS line or just link it to your name). Add it to every piece of content you create across any medium. Still use business cards? Sure, put it there too.
Recommended: Newsletter Ninja
There are dozens of email marketing books, but they tend to either be too shallow (all feels, no tech) or too deep (all tech, no heart). But sometimes, there’s a book that bridges that gap, like Newsletter Ninja [https://amzn.to/3bAuoLu]. The book is meant for authors with
Be consistent.
I’ve been terrible in this department with my own newsletter, so I’ll let some others do the talking: > “Once people forget about you or forget to expect you, it can feel more like an intrusion when you reappear. Regularly delivering what people signed up for makes you
Don't call it a newsletter. Don't ask readers to subscribe.
Over the years, unscrupulous businesses have given “subscriptions” and “newsletters” are bad name among many readers. A good way to combat newsletter fatigue and separate yourself from the crowd is to name your newsletter something more fun, honest, and relatable. You can own a day, like Sunday Dispatches [https://pjrvs.
Attracting Subscribers to Your Newsletter: Lead Generators
How do you get more people to sign up for your newsletter? The best way is one of the oldest: offer the reader something useful, valuable, and closely related to the subject matter of newsletter for their subscription. Some call this a lead generator, although that term is only really
Recommended: Chimp Essentials
If you’re using MailChimp, you need to take Paul Jarvis’s course Chimp Essentials [https://chimpessentials.com]. It paid for itself within a few months and has since saved me even more money and time. I’m not an affiliate. I’m not being paid to say this. It’
Conquer Newsletter Obesity
Over time, your list of subscribers will become bloated with the no-longer-interested, no-longer-reading, or no-longer-with-us. This decreases your open rate, bleeds your wallet, and makes you look more like a spammer to email providers. For personal newsletters and small business newsletters, the solution is to simply prune your list of