Ready to write newsletters for your list?
Newsletters.
Just in case you didn't know...email newsletters are all the rage right now.
For me, they've been around since the early '00s. In 2006, I was writing an email newsletter for a manufacturing company. We sent it to the customer list once a month.
From '08 - '15 I wrote a few email newsletters for clients. I wanted to write more, but even with the evidence of success, many of my online marketing clients weren't interested. Email was boring. Video and blingy web pages were more fun.
From 2010 - 2012 I taught small businesses how to write email newsletters in workshops around my area.
And for a year I was the SEO Advisor for the Small Business Development Center and taught their clients (small businesses) how to write email newsletters and how to put them on their website for SEO purposes.
Back to newsletters being all the rage now...
In early 2023, I attended an AI Bot Conference in Las Vegas. About half of the 3 day event was focused on how to write a profitable email newsletter...using AI to write or compile, format, upload, and distribute it. If you know how to use generative AI, bots, and automation tools, it’s a good way to do it. If you don’t, you can do it a simpler way.
The host of the event was current with how incredibly profitable email newsletters are and how easy it is to create one. I don’t disagree with him.
Here’s the simpler way - you can write a newsletter using your current Email Service Provider. Or you can use a platform specifically for newsletters...like Substack and Beehiiv.
And, because of these platforms, there are thousands of email newsletters being written every day.
Are all of them profitable? Of course not.
Want to know why? Okay, I'll tell you. They break the first 2 rules of writing email copy: Rule 1 they are too general and Rule 2 they are boring.
Should you write a newsletter? Sure, why not?
Here are a few reasons why they're a good idea:
A Newsletter Will Increase Lead Generation And Get You Sales — A newsletter keeps you top of mind with your clients and prospects. It provides an ongoing mechanism for highlighting your full range of products and services.
A Newsletter Will Increase Client Lifetime Value — Your competition can buy their way into your market by price matching, offer matching, and even matching the look and feel of your company. What they can’t buy are relationships. Every newsletter you send serves to solidify the connection between you and your subscribers.
A Newsletter Provides A Low-Cost, Instantaneous Channel For Sending Messages — Your list of email addresses gives you instant access to your subscribers - be they leads or current customers. You can use the newsletter to send alerts, advisories, and messages in addition to a regularly scheduled newsletter (these are often referred to as Blasts or Broadcasts).
A Newsletter Can Position You As A Thought Leader and Innovator — It gives a recognizable voice in the market, a podium where you articulate your company vision and demonstrate leadership.
A Newsletter Opens Up A Two-Way Dialogue With Clients And Prospects — It allows recipients to easily and immediately engage with you and your team...the people behind the company through comments, requests for more information, questions.
A Newsletter Can Hypercharge Existing Marketing Efforts — It doesn’t compete with your website, social media presence, existing marketing materials, or even your current email marketing efforts — it leverages them. It becomes a hub and ties all your marketing efforts together.
How to Measure Your Newsletter Success
Reduced Expenses
The writing and managing of a newsletter isn't that costly. Consider Beehiiv that charges nothing for the first 2500 subscribers, Substack that charges nothing but does take a small % of every paid subscription. So if you were to get your newsletter up and running and it's bringing you clients and revenue, it's feasible to think you would direct some of your marketing to getting new subscribers...ultimately giving you a greater ROI from some of your paid marketing efforts.
Increased Revenue
Your newsletter will generate leads and sales.
Current clients will comment or send an email and say “Your last newsletter made me think of X, and we’re wondering what it would cost for us to do something like that.”
Long-time readers (who you may have never done business with) will contact you to say, “I’ve been reading your newsletter for a number of months now, and I like what you’ve got to say. We have a need for Y, can you help us with that?” (don't scoff...it's happened for me).
People you’ve never heard of will contact you to say, “A colleague of mine gets your newsletter and forwarded it to me. We’ve been thinking of doing Z, do you do that sort of thing?”
Ready to start your own newsletter?
Great!
Keep these 3 things in mind and you'll be ahead of the thousands of newsletters lying dormant on platforms:
Your expertise is what your subscribers rely on and want. Whatever the topics you choose to include in your newsletter, make sure your knowledge and guidance and expertise shines through. The people who will read your newsletter have questions. You have answers, opinions, and experience. The more "insider" the information is, the better.
Be crystal clear on who your audience is. You want to write to your ideal buyer...the person you most enjoy working with...the person you can help the most with your expertise. This is the person you will write for.
Be authentic. Be genuine. Be yourself. If you're known in your circles for puns, share them in your newsletter If you're known for your adventures in the mountains or on the lake, share quick stories or relate those experiences to the topic you're writing about.
Next, decide on the sections.
I write and manage 4 newsletters, this one included, and 3 of them have 4 sections. There are reasons why I do.
First, it makes it very easy to write each section because I know what to write about.
Second, it breaks up the email with content that will likely be of interest to most of my subscribers - surely they'll be interested in at least 1 section, right?
Now for design.
You can dazzle them or you can offer a simple text only layout. I always go with a single image and simple text. That's who I am - refined vs flashy. You may be different. If so, use a template offered by the platform you're using...a template that matches your personality.
Finally, be sure to sell without selling. Be sure your offer aligns with the information in that issue. If you've been a subscriber for a while, you know I write a lot about how to persuade and write sales copy that isn't hypey or "in your face". Just be sure to tell them how they can work with you and make it easy for them to engage and contact you.
(pssst….if you’re not a paid subscriber, now is the best time to join)
Okay, I know what you’re thinking - how is this different than writing a good email to my list?
A newsletter is different because it contains similar information every issue. And there are sections vs a single topic or theme. My Substack newsletter is Burke’s Bits. It has 4 specific sections my audience expects to see addressed in each issue. Another Substack newsletter is MindfulPortal with 4 sections. My Beehiiv newsletter is Self Care Genie. It, too, has 4 specific sections that audience expects to see in each issue.
Now, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to figure out what 3 or 4 issues or topics your audience wants to know about - from you - and write about them. Then send it to your list and ask if they want to see more issues/editions.
Use your own ESP and send one to your list.
Create one here on Substack or over on Beehiiv and upload all or a portion of your list.
I send one from each of these platforms (ESP, Substack, Beehiiv) because my audience for each is different and my goal for each is different. You get to choose for yourself which one will work best for you.
Got a burning question? Hit reply. I'm all ears (well, eyes) and here to help you navigate the choppy waters of newsletter success.
Okay, that’s it for now.
Talk soon -
Charlene Burke
PS Have you been sending emails to your list? Have you changed the emails you’ve been sending to your prospects? Yes? GREAT! No? Uh oh - we should talk. Happy to answer questions via email or you can get on my calendar for a virtual coffee chat - just click here: Coffee with Charlene
Let's Connect