I set up a newsletter. Here's what I learned...
Thinking of setting up a newsletter? Nice one! Here are the five biggest things I learned when I launched my own newsletter and how they help me stay consistent, sane, and inspired!
Okay, okay. Full disclosure — I’ve only released six issues of my newsletter The Copy Coven. I’m also retreading the ground of my (more experienced) newsletter betters. Most notably, Sally Fox and her article on how to start a newsletter.
Nevertheless, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the unexpected things I encountered and new learnings that popped up on the journey.
Newsletters can be icky
It’s not uncommon for newsletters to come with heavy tracking as part of the package. Providers like MailChimp allow you to see a ton of different metrics related to subscriber behaviour, which is swell if you want to increase your numbers and make a tasty living from your newsletters. But I don’t.
My newsletter is just for fun, so I took a leaf from Sally Fox’s book and opted not to track anything. I chose to launch my newsletter with Buttondown, who turn off all tracking as default.
I’m completely in the dark with regard to my analytics, and that’s exactly how I want it. Analytics can be helpful, but they’re also kinda creepy. Just sayin’.
The thing people want isn’t necessarily the thing you thought you would make
I planned to launch a horror newsletter this year. I commissioned the artwork, started writing the articles and planned out a whole brand book for it. Then something unexpected happened.
A freelance colleague called me out on Twitter, asking for a witchy newsletter. Then two more joined the ruckus.
Now I think about it, The Copy Coven was an obvious thing to launch, But I didn’t think of it. My readership asked for what they wanted, and I answered the call.
You need to promote. Then promote again. Then again.
Back in the day, I’d have shat myself at the thought of self-promotion. And doing it multiple times? No, mam. Five years into freelance life, and I’ve come to realise just how important repeat self-promotion can be.
By posting periodical reminders across Twitter and LinkedIn, I managed to grow my list from 50 initial subscribers to over 200. If you’re still struggling with the idea of repeat promotion, just remember this — not everyone will see that one tweet. Style the promo out in different ways each time and you’ll be grand.
Ignore the numbers and just write
Doing a newsletter put me in a new and very awkward situation. I could see how many people were going to get the first issue as I was writing it. And it gave me the worst stage fright.
You see, I never know if one of my YouTube videos is going to go viral or whether anyone will watch it at all. Same with my blog posts — you never know how many people will turn up to check it out.
With the newsletter, the number is there in front of me constantly. I had to tell myself it’s no big deal and ignore the number. People will inevitably drop off. Just remember why you’re doing it and let that sustain you.
Build a pipeline
I pipeline everything I do, from my videos to my blog and my social media content. I hate being caught out. It’s the same for my newsletters — I’ll rack them up months and months in advance, assigning topics and sketching out what I’d like to cover.
Pipelines aren’t going to work for every type of content, especially if you’re covering current events or doing personal diary-style letters. But if you can work ahead before you launch, do it. You want this to be fun and sustainable, not a source of stress.
Did you find any of this helpful?
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