Why you should launch a newsletter
Part 1 of 3 on using newsletters to grow your audience and business
Newsletter marketing is best for anyone who wants to build an engaged, long-term relationship with their audience.
Social media platforms can suspend you anytime, but you’ll always own your email list.
A newsletter works for anyone who sells products and services:
👉🏽 Coaches can motivate their audience and sell packages
👉🏽 Social media managers can offer tips and gain clients
👉🏽 Musicians can share their journey and sell tickets
👉🏽 DJs can share their latest mixes and get bookings
👉🏽 Copywriters can share writing tips and land gigs
👉🏽 Therapists can offer advice and get bookings
👉🏽 Lawyers can offer advice and get clients
Do I need to write long newsletters?
No. You can share:
A short daily note to brighten your audience’s day
Weekly updates to keep your brand top of mind
Monthly roundups to keep readers in the loop
How can I structure my newsletter?
Some format ideas for your newsletter include:
News and industry updates
Interview summaries
Product highlights
Quote collections
Personal stories
Guides
News and industry updates
News and industry updates keep your audience in the loop. This newsletter format is perfect for journalists, talk show hosts, and bloggers.
To pull it off, you’ll need access to news sources and reports in your industry. The secret to success is speed + relevance + your specific perspective.
Interview summaries
Interviews with subject matter experts give your audience a new perspective.
The person you interviewed will also share your newsletter issue with their audience.
Product highlights
Product recommendations help people compare and buy the best products.
This format is perfect for retailers, curators, and marketplaces — people who sell, select, or simplify sales.
Quote collections
Quotes motivate readers to think or feel differently about a topic.
They are best for coaches, therapists, and book editors.
Personal stories
Stories help you connect with your readers more meaningfully.
You don’t have to be a grizzled veteran with 30 years of experience in your field. You can simply share your journey candidly.
Guides
Guides help people accomplish a certain task or solve a problem step-by-step.
They are best for tactical topics like building your own website, repairing your car engine, or launching your own newsletter (ahem).
I’ve written several guides before in newsletter format, such as:
This newsletter series you’re reading
Your ideal newsletter format depends on your personality.
Some people are curators. They enjoy finding and sharing the best products and do well with product highlights.
Others are storytellers. They’re good at sharing personal stories and quotes to motivate readers.
Some are teachers (like myself). They enjoy publishing step-by-step guides to help people accomplish a goal.
Others are journalists. They want to break the news first and share interesting interviews.
Most people are a combination of the above.
You might be a storyteller and journalist, and fuse those two formats in your newsletter.
You might be a teacher and motivator, infusing step-by-step guides with personal stories (like a chef sharing recipes).
Dig deep into your personality and pick the format you’d enjoy writing most.
This will make writing easier, and your readers will enjoy your work more.
Up next: Part 2
In Part 2 of this series, you’ll learn how to:
Determine your audience
Choose the right newsletter tools
Write your first newsletter issue
Promote it
Then, I’ll show you how to monetize your newsletter.
Read on.
— Mo