Do you start almost every newsletter with “I’m sorry it’s been a while”?
Do you only remember to send your newsletter out once every couple of months when in your business plan you know you should be sending it out every fortnight?
If you feel like your newsletter is a bit hit-and-miss at the best of times, here are a few tips to getting you on the path to regular, consistent newsletters that you love creating and that your audience love receiving.
Ditch the name “newsletter”
Or enews or whatever variation you’ve got on this. If the word is boring you, you’re not going to be inspired to create something wonderful on a regular basis. Call it something that you are inspired by. E.g. Notes from a Writer. Secrets to Art that Sells.
Think of it as a serialised product
Yup. Sure you might not have it all mapped out, but very few people want random updates from your business. You’re providing a kind of ongoing product to them Like an ebook that is split over newsletters. Or a weekly comic strip. It doesn’t have to follow on logically from what came before, but you are creating something for an audience. Like all content, it’s a kind of product.
Create template with sections
Creatives the world over know that only amateurs sit around and wait for inspiration. You’ve just got to get up and get on with the act of creating. Having sections like an introduction, an image quote etc. that you can fill in each week/fortnight makes your life easier. You’re not starting from a blank slate and your subscribers roughly know what to expect when they open your emails.
Set yourself a reminder
Put it in your calendar 2-3 days before it’s due to go out. Put a reminder on your phone. Create an IFTTT recipe to remind you. It’ll help alleviate that last minute panic and get you in the habit of sending it out “on time”. It’ll help you get into the groove.
