If you’ve been blogging for a while, be that 3 months, 3 years or a decade, you’re probably thinking if it’s time for you to be launching a newsletter of your own.
And I get that, because I was where you are, about a year ago. At that time, I’d been blogging for a decade. Without a newsletter. Guess what! It was perfectly fine too.
When you decide to make the shift to sending out a periodic newsletter, it helps to bear the following points in mind.
A lot of this is trial and error, so these are guidelines, more than rules. See what works for you and discard what doesn’t.
[easy-tweet tweet=”8 Things to ask yourself before you launch your #newsletter.” user=”shyvish”]
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Ask why you are launching a newsletter
This is the very first thing you need to ask yourself.
Are you launching a letter because everyone else is doing it? Or do you think you can use a newsletter for a specific purpose?
Remember that a newsletter is different from the automated mail that goes out to your readers every time you publish a post on your blog.
In a letter, you get to connect with your readers, talk to them, offer them something extra that you don’t necessarily offer on the blog.
Tip: Find your ‘why’. This will be your voice and why they will choose to read you over everyone else in your niche.
Who is your target audience?
The first mistake I did when I launched my newsletter late last year was that I created a single letter for all my readers.
As you may know, my blog used to have multiple niches: Parenting, Pinterest, Productivity, Social Media & Blogging tips.
What I didn’t realise at the time was that I was targeting too many people with the same newsletter.
It was only when I got feedback from parents that they weren’t interested in blogging tips or bloggers that they really didn’t want parenting help, that I decided to segment my list.
Over time, I moved away from parenting tips and now focus exclusively on blogging and social media tips.
Tip: Add segments to the sign up form so that people automatically get sorted into their preferred letter at that stage.
Learn from the experts in your niche
When I decided to launch my newsletter, I went looking for letters by other experts in my niche: blogging, Pinterest and social media.
I signed up for their letters, bought a couple of e-books and got down to figuring out what would work for me, as a person.
The thing to remember here is that you have to find your own voice.
Don’t copy others, but learn what works and what doesn’t, so you can apply it in your own case.
Tip: If you are just getting started, no matter what your domain, I would recommend checking out this free course by Meera Kothand: E-mail Lists for Newbies
Design your landing page
A landing page, as scary as it sounds, is actually pretty simple. It’s a stand-alone page on your blog or website that directs people to a specific purpose: sign up for your newsletter.
This generates interest in your work, what you have to offer and why people should opt in to your mailing list.
This page can just be a ‘subscribe’ page, like this one.
I no longer offer freebies/ opt-in gifts or lead magnets as a way to grow my email list since I don’t find them viable enough to build an engaged list.
Tip: Focus on how you can help your audience, when you create your sign up page
Create your Newsletter
Now we come to the fun part! Creating a newsletter is a lesson in a number of things: design, psychology of colours, visual formatting, bullet points, page breaks, length and tone.
The beauty of this exercise is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
Some people love block templates. Others prefer a plain vanilla letter.
If you use Mailerlite (which I recommend for those just starting out), you have the option of multiple templates which you can play around with.
Do that, send yourself test mails as well as send them to friends to get their feedback before launching the letter.
After a while, you will find your groove. I found mine after 8 months, but hey, I found it! That counts 🙂
Tip: If the idea of Newsletters overwhelms you, I have a comprehensive Mailerlite package that will hand hold you through every step of setting up your newsletter. Get in touch
Embed the CTA in important places
If nobody knows about your newsletter, nobody will sign up for it.
The Call-to-action (CTA) should be visible on your website. Ideally, you should have a CTA on your about page and in your navigation menu. I also add a link to it in my author bio at the end of every blog post.
Remember that you have to give the reader a compelling need to sign up for your newsletter.
Be authentic and be clear about what you offer and don’t be shy about it.
Tip: Check out the Victoria theme from BluChic that allows you to add a CTA button on the home page.
Create a buzz
Talk about the newsletter on your social media channels. Let people know that you’re launching one and ask them to sign up. Remember to offer them an incentive to do so.
*Check point #4 above.
Tip: I love Instagram for this because I find the most valuable engagement for my newsletter comes from this platform.
Decide on the frequency
Many people over-extend themselves when it comes to regularity and burn out. So, when you start out, pick a frequency for the newsletter that you know you can commit to.
I decided I would opt for a weekly newsletter because that fits into my schedule. Additionally, a schedule makes you predictable and creates a better open rate for your letter.
Tip: Whatever the frequency, don’t send out the newsletter unless you’re providing value to the reader. People have way too much email in their inboxes. They won’t have the time to read you if you’re just popping in to say ‘Hello’ and nothing else.
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Shailaja V
Hi, I’m Shailaja, a blogger who’s been writing since 2007. My interests include books of all kinds, digital minimalism, veganism, health, nutrition, fitness and staying open to learning all the time. Welcome! Click here if you’d like an email when I publish new posts
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I still have a long way to go to even think of sending a news letter! 🙂 But, these points will come in use to those who wish to get started.
Thank you, Shy!
Thanks a ton, Shilpa 🙂 Yes, you’re right. This is a very niche topic and I hope it will help those who are thinking about it 🙂
These are great points, Shy! Loved the landing page examples – thanks for including those. I saw your comment above for a follow up post on newsletters. Could you talk about tips for improvising open rates – apart from periodically deleting subscribers who don’t ever open your newsletters. Thanks!
I keep telling myself I should send out a custom newsletter, but haven’t gotten around to it. These are great tips, Shailaja. I love it when the newsletter is personal and chatty and doesn’t focus only on the blog, and says something about what’s happening with the sender.
My biggest challenge is the open rate and perhaps I already have the answer to that–since my newsletter just delivers the latest post. Still, some people personally reply to it and that really feels good. Have actually made some friends that way!
Bookmarked for the future!
Trust you to come up with such a detailed, on-point list <3
Love!
Bookmarking this post, Shailaja. When I get there, I will pull this up. This is a great starting point for all those who want to start one. Thank you for sharing!
Such a great post, packed with super helpful tips! Thank you so much for this, Shy. And I agree – Meera Kothand is the very best when it comes to learning about all things Email Marketing.
As far as I am concerned, I have been slowly (really really slowly) reconsidering and reworking the direction of my blog for the past few months. A newsletter is on the horizon, just not in the immediate future. Because before I launch, not only do I want the direction of my blog 100% sorted, I also want to be clear in my value proposition. So it’s on hold until then. I don’t want to do it only because everyone else seems to be doing it. That kind of defeats the purpose, I feel.
These are a gem of advice that will help set up our blog’s monetization in a more refined way.