Many Americans have blogs. A growing number have podcasts. Some have You Tube channels. Most have a social media account, perhaps multiple ones. There are also white papers and downloadable content or articles on millions of web sites. It seems there are plenty of ways to say informed and connected. What about a newsletter? Are they worth doing for authors?
Authors need to pick one
or more effective ways to deliver more eyeballs to their website so that
visitors can see what they can buy, from books and courses, to seminars and
swag. You don’t need to do everything and you can’t just do nothing.
Being on a social media
platform like Facebook or Twitter allows you to connect with a ton of people.
You can target whom you want to reach and easily find them online. To tweet or
post online in a useful way, you’ll need content such as a blog, white paper,
article, or newsletter.
A newsletter helps you
target content to those who agree to receive it. They will signup for it and
provide their email. They are giving you permission to contact them.
Your newsletter can:
·
Advertise your book and
other items/services for sale.
·
Turn them onto your
social media posts
·
Share empowering
messages that help others.
·
Be forwarded to others
that could then sign up to receive it.
·
Be a neutral, non-salesy
tool to showcase who you are and what you do or believe in.
A physical newsletter,
depending on how often you do it, can be cost prohibitive, though there is
something to be said for receiving something physical that you can touch and
consume without being distracted by something popping up on your screen. Most
newsletters are now delivered electronically.
Some people will charge
for their newsletter if it has special content and resources that people value,
such as one put out by a trade association or financial services company. A
newsletter about a hobby or passion, though interesting, may not engender many
paying customers. Besides, the newsletter is intended to be a lead generator,
not necessarily a money-maker.
Your newsletter length
can vary. Some are the equivalent of four, eight, or twelve 8.5 x 11 pages.
Frequency of publication can be semi-annually, quarterly, monthly, or even
weekly. You don’t want too much content shared too often. It then becomes a
burden on you to create – and on the reader to consume.
There are many web-based
e-mail newsletter services. These companies automatically clean up your
subscriber lists and provide readership analytics.
These services include:
·
VerticalResponse
·
JangoMail
·
MailChimp
·
Emma
·
Substack
·
ConstantContact
·
CampaignMonitor
·
AWeber
Email newsletters can
certainly be an easy and inexpensive way to stay top-of-mind and engage
readers.
Here are some best
practices to follow:
- Give readers an enticing reason to open your newsletter. Have a catchy headline and immediately highlight each edition’s contents.
- Keep the newsletter short and easy to scan and skim.
- Fill half of it with visuals and images.
- Along the way, promote yourself with plugs about your book, free content, links to posts, seminars, social media addresses, etc.
- Always include an opt-out button and a share button, so it can be forwarded to non-subscribers.
- Avoid filler or repetition. Only include useful, interesting, inspiring content that helps brand who you are.
- Find a template or layout that looks good and use it until it needs a makeover. Be consistent.
- Look at other newsletters. Copy the styles that appeal to you and avoid things that lack pizzazz.
- Pepper newsletters with the keywords you use on your web site and social media.
- See things through the yes of your readers. What will he or she crave? Do they need or want what you’re sharing? That’s the litmus test that you must filter everything through.
- Stay on point with your messages. You are not here to deliver the news or cater to every interest and whim. You simply want to focus on your topic or area of expertise and to do so by educating, inspiring, entertaining, and enlightening others.
- Think mobile. How will your newsletter look on a smart phone or tablet?
- Test and track your results. Which topics or style of article gets more opens and reads, feedback, and shares? Stick with the winning formula – until it no longer works.
- Make sure your email newsletter is CAN-SPAM compliant. See the CAN-SPAM Act for details.
- Know for whom you are writing this newsletter. It is not for everyone or just anyone. It is targeted to a very specific demographic, interest, or status. Don’t color outside the lines.
A newsletter may be right for you. Try it and see. All of book marketing is one big experiment.
Please Contact Brian For Marketing Help Now
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this
award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to
help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has
30 years of experience in helping thousands of authors in all genres.
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About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum
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