How To Start A Newsletter

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As we know, newsletters have existed for a long time. (Even longer, if you consider the days before email). Since the beginning of the internet, they’ve been a staple.

Email is a great way to reach audiences and has become the preferred content format for many creators. Subscribe to 10 different newsletters is not uncommon – in fact, I am probably twice as many. While platforms such as Twitter or TikTok can be at the mercy ever-changing algorithm, your email list you control and own.

Newsletters can be a low-cost, effective way to establish trust with your audience. Brands love sponsoring newsletters because they create communities that are loyal. Growing your email list will allow you to build a community away from social media. This is what Jay Clouse refers to as moving your audience “from discovery to relationship”.

Newsletters are valued at millions of dollars, which makes them a good business to begin. The process for creating a newsletter is the same, regardless of how different creators choose to approach the content. This article will show you how to create your own newsletter.

Identify your goals for the newsletter

It’s important to know the purpose for which you are creating a newsletter before choosing a platform. The “why” determines the “what”, “where”and “how” for this new format. As you begin, ask yourself the following questions:

• Audience Connect Am I looking for a way to communicate more directly and intimately with my audience. What would it be like to have a deeper connection with your audience?
• Depth of Content: Do I have content that I would like to share, but that requires an in-depth and nuanced approach? Does this fit within the limitations of my existing platforms? What would be the impact on my content creation?
• Monetization & Value Exchange Am I looking for an alternative method to monetize content? What value can I provide to my audience? What would be my approach to monetization?
• Platform Independency: What would be the impact on my content strategy if I had a communication channel that was not affected by algorithms from third parties?
• Feedback loop: What is the best way to build a system to receive regular feedback, insight, and suggestions from your community in order to better align your content with their interests and needs?

You can also get this template in Canva!

While you may not have all the answers, you should keep these in mind when you are building your newsletter.

Select your niche and topic

You must be clear about the content that your subscribers will receive, no matter how your newsletter is structured. You can’t choose your niche the same way you would for social media. You need to know what you will say and to whom.

Use Jay Acunzo’s XY Premise Pitching exercise to discover what makes your newsletter stand out in a sea similar creators.

This is a monthly newsletter on [your topic]. We are the only newsletter that offers [your topic] in a unique way.

This is a sustainable fashion newsletter, for example. We are the only sustainable fashion newsletter that focuses exclusively on eco-friendly, affordable options for students.

Matthew McGarry has broken down the ten ways you can approach a newsletter into a million different approaches. We can see from his breakdown that there are basically two types of newsletters.

• Curated Content These newsletters combine existing content across platforms and the web to target a particular niche. It may seem easy, but attracting subscribers to a curated email newsletter can be difficult. You will need to provide additional content like proprietary data and unique insights.
• Original contentt : These newsletters offer in-depth analyses and insights into a particular concept, industry or topic. It can be difficult to create a newsletter in this format, but with well-thought out content, interested parties and good marketing, you can quickly build a loyal following. Chenell Basillio grew her newsletter Growth in Reverse to almost 15,000 subscribers in under a year. She did this by diving deep into the ways other newsletter creators grow.

Many creators mix both. It’s important to make your content unique and intriguing enough to attract new subscribers and keep existing subscribers interested enough to provide their email.

Select a platform

It’s not a matter of right or wrong, but with so many options, it can become difficult to choose. Consider these questions when choosing a platform for your newsletter:

• How many subscribers are allowed on the free plan?
• How easy is it for you to design and write a newsletter?
• What is the cost of growing your newsletter?
• Is it a complete experience for your Newsletter?
• Does your dashboard allow you to track analytics in an intuitive way?
• What is the migration process?
• Is it possible to deliver emails successfully with the help of spam filters?

Here are three of the most popular choices and their pros (or cons) according to the questions: Do any of them stand out to your?

If you have a website or blog where you can send emails, this is another option. Ghost, a popular choice amongst creators, also allows for newsletter creation and publication.

Let’s look at some examples of newsletter designs that will inspire you to create your own.

Pick a design

The first impression isn’t important, but the average person spends 10 seconds reading an email. This means that catching your audience’s attention has never been more crucial.

Substack may have limited design options, but the creativity is limitless. The Rhubarb Society matches their lifestyle and fashion content with vintage images on a beige background.

You can use motion graphics and colors to make your headers stand out.

Or, you can do a complete rebranding with distinctive and custom graphic line breaks. VPLand recently updated their design.

The layout and format of your newsletter are equally important. More than half of emails are opened by mobile devices. Prioritize the mobile experience.

Decide your strategy

You can accomplish two goals by developing a strategy. First, you will show your readers that you take your job seriously. Second, you will be held accountable. Your strategy includes:

• Publishing cadence: Frequency sets expectations. It’s important to decide what you can manage and what your audience will appreciate. What if weekly is what you want to do, but your life interferes? It’s okay to switch from weekly to bi-weekly. It’s not only about consistency, but also frequency. If you want to build trust with your audience, make sure they get a monthly digest or let them know otherwise.
• What will you publish? Plan of content: Whom are you writing? Do you need to plan it out in advance or can you write on the night before your scheduled time (this is what I do)? A newsletter for professionals in the industry will be different than one for casual enthusiasts. Your content should be tailored to the interests and needs of your readers.
• Plan of distribution: What will you do to get your newsletter in the hands (or email boxes) of your readers? Distribution strategies can be anything from leveraging social networks, cross-promoting your work with other creators to optimizing the SEO of your website for sign-ups.

It is important to experiment in the early days of any new venture. As you gain subscribers, gauge your ability, and gather feedback, your strategy may evolve. It’s your newsletter and your rules.

Send your first issue

Your first newsletter is more than an email. It’s a statement. This is your grand entrance, the first note in your symphony. Here’s how you can make it ring:

• Introduce yourself to the reader and explain your vision of the newsletter. The readers appreciate the personal touch. Share a story or anecdote that inspired you to begin this journey.
• Make a good first impression with. Your first content should reflect the value that you want to consistently deliver. It doesn’t matter if it is an informative article, a collection of resources or a personal reflection. Make sure it is unique and speaks to your target audience.
• Encourage interaction: Encourage subscribers to click’reply’. Building a two-way dialog from the beginning fosters a feeling of belonging and community, whether they are sharing feedback, asking questions, or just saying “hello.”

Remember that your first issue is the seed of a relationship that will blossom with your subscribers. It will grow if you water it with passion and authenticity.

Start monetizing performance by assessing

You may treat your newsletter more seriously if you think it is a good way to reach out to your audience. The goal of every business venture, even the most creative ones, is to generate income. Here are a few ways that newsletters can help you achieve this:

• Sponsors : By partnering with brands and companies that are relevant, you can attract sponsorship. You can exchange ad space in your newsletter or shoutouts for the sponsorship. It is the most popular way to monetize newsletters. Prices can range from $10 up to $10,000 per ad.
• Paid Subscribers If you have premium content that offers unique insights and is of high quality, consider a subscription model with a tiered structure where the basic content is available for free but more in-depth analysis or exclusive content are hidden behind a paywall. Many creators prefer this option, because you can create elaborate paid content first and then trim it down to fit your free subscribers.
• Affiliate marketing: Promote products and services to earn commissions for each sale. Make sure that your recommendations are in line with your content, and benefit your readers.
• Private Community You can create a community to bring an audience that is even more engaged closer to you. Lia Haberman provides a Slack private community to her audience of social media marketing professionals who read her ICYMI Newsletter.
• Products You can start by offering your audience digital and physical products that are based on your niche or reputation. Justin Welsh of Saturday Solopreneur sells self-directed courses.
• Consulting As an expert, you can offer consulting services or tailor-made content solutions. In your newsletter, highlight case studies and testimonials to increase trust. Katelyn Bourgoin offers strategy consulting as well.
• Events : Host exclusive webinars or Q&A sessions exclusively for your premium subscribers. This can provide an extra revenue stream and allow you to interact with your readers. Jay Clouse has sessions such as these, and a live Newsletter Masterclass is available for his creator audience.

While monetization can be great, you must strike the right balance to ensure that your efforts do not overshadow value to subscribers. Prioritize delivering value to subscribers to build trust and loyalty.

Newsletters are much more than a simple medium. They’re an expression of your expertise, passion and commitment to readers. When you enter this area, make sure to prioritize value, authenticity and community building. Although the digital world is always changing, the need for impactful, genuine content remains constant. Find your voice, share insights and create an excellent newsletter.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://onlinemarketingagencies.net/best-practices-for-writing-effective-linkedin-posts/