The Power of Newsletters by Bonnie Paulson

First off – most important – is a huge thank you to Judith and Sarah for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to be here in their “home”. Let’s jump right in!

You want to talk to your readers but you’re not sure what to say? Or how often? Or. Or. Or.?

Newsletters are a lot of things, but the last thing we should think of them as are ads. They shouldn’t be used like a circular going out in the mail.

Instead they should be thought of as a link to your readers. You need that connection to stay on their radar.

But… I can hear you thinking, I need to make sales. What’s the point of a newsletter, if I’m not selling things? I get it. I really do. But you’re being welcomed into their inbox. The least you can do is not put your dirty shoes on their table.

In an email you should have three things to be memorable –

1.      Something personal – like a fun fact or something you’ve been doing in your life, this gives them the engagement they’re looking for and gets them more involved with you as an author and a friend.

2.      A snippet of what you’re working on (this shows them you’re producing more and gets them excited for your work).

3.      A plan – something that you want them to do – take a survey, click on a book, here’s a freebie, something. Even if you only invite them to your Facebook page or to reply with what the weather is like – engage with the reader.

Notice I didn’t say sell anything to them. That’s like showing up at your mother’s with your vacuum to sell – it isn’t great all the time.

Sure, it’s good to show them what you’re doing or what you have available, but you don’t want to run around their inbox screaming “buy this, buy this, buy this!”

Here’s a challenge for you! Draft your next newsletter and send it to yourself. What do you like about it? What don’t you like? Send it to your critique partner and ask the same thing. Heck, send it to me! I’ll tell you what works and what isn’t working for me as a recipient.

If you’re just not sure what to talk about, look to your brand. ALWAYS look to your brand. If your brand promises thrilling reads with death, please don’t put a book recommendation in your newsletter for a sweet romance. That will get you more unsubscribes than you’ll know what to do with.

Stick to your brand and you’ll do great.

Bonnie R. Paulson writes under multiple pen names and runs FindingYourIndie.com. 

She’s determined to help everyone empower the piece of them that needs to be set free on the indie world. 

Check out her multiple courses on Building a Ninja Newsletter, Media Kit, Brand Building, and More!!!