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I couldn’t tell you how I got my first email subscribers. My website started in 2014 with blog posts about travel and food (which have since been archived if you were trying to find them). I would send a newsletter to announce my new post and be done with it.
No thought of how to connect with my subscribers beyond that. Before this website, I had a Wordpress blog starting in 2009/2010, which just brought people to me who wanted to hear about life and bands I loved. I didn’t even want to attach my name to the blog because I was terrified I’d have to start responding to people and engaging in an actual dialogue.
Until, I received a Facebook message through my business page from a woman in L.A. who said she appreciated my honesty about my time in the city because she thought she was all alone. It was the first time I realized how much my words mattered.
As a writer and coach, I hesitate to tell other people what they’re doing wrong because there’s so much of that in the world already.
But I do believe most writers, like me with my blogs, don’t know they could be doing more with the resources they have now.
Let’s change that.
1. Not Having One
I haven’t met a writer who doesn’t wonder if they should have an email newsletter.
What they really want to know is: Will anyone read it and is it worth the time?
I can’t say if anyone would want to read it, but if you’re trying to sell work people would want to read, wouldn’t an email newsletter be able to give you more instant feedback about your work?
A book coaching colleague who is also a writer said to me she doesn’t want to spend her time writing email newsletters or blog posts because it felt too much like marketing. And she didn’t say it, but the underlying message was one I used to believe myself: Marketing is gross.
But it doesn’t have to be.
And the truth is, even if you secure an agent or publishing deal, you’ll still have to do a lot of the promotional work yourself. So, you’ve already stepped into the role of marketer.
Thank goodness, the numbers are on your side as Hubspot reports: 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months (Not Another State of Marketing, 2020) and 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI. (Emma, 2018)
With email providers like Mailchimp who allow you to start your list for free, there really isn’t a reason to wait.
2. Infrequent Communication
Occasionally, I’ve had emails come in with a message like: Hey! I know it’s been awhile.
I can’t figure out how I got on this person’s email list, and I’ll hit the unsubscribe button depending on who they are and what they’re talking about. And I’ve been the person who has sent those emails with the full expectation people might unsubscribe.
It’s overwhelming to imagine keeping up with a newsletter. Good grief, that’s why so many people stop blogging because of the consistency needed.
But I believe setting realistic expectations is crucial. Tell yourself you’re sending out one or two emails a month. You can batch the writing of your newsletters and schedule them in advance.
It gets easier over time, and not every email has to be riveting. The consistency will mean more to your subscribers than the perfectly worded message.
3. Lack of Community Building aka Only Writing When You Have an Update
If someone opts into your email list, they want to feel invested in it. They’re allowing you space in their inbox, so it’s only natural they’d expect a little bit of recognition from you.
Yes, they want to hear about your updates and what you’re working on. But you have more to say than that. Some community building topics could be:
Recipes you’re testing
Books you’re currently reading
Podcasts interviews or articles you found inspiring
Tips on writing, editing, rejection, and publishing
What you’ve learned from a mentor or writing coach
Multi-day challenges
Latest travels or food adventures (that cute restaurant around the corner totally counts)
Food conferences or meet-ups you’ve been too lately
A call for questions on what people are struggling with or want to know about your writing practice or even just random questions they have
The more you write to your audience, the more you’ll know what they want to hear. It’s more fun to hit “REPLY” to someone who is just as invested in you as you are in them.
4. Not Improving Your Copywriting Skills
But I’m a writer. I don’t need to learn how to write marketing copy.
Writing an article or a book isn’t the same thing as sending out a newsletter. You have to empathize with your audience and know how to ignite action with them.
It also doesn’t have to be sleazy. In fact, the most riveting copy connects with your people in a way that makes them feel like you’re writing only to them.
I’ve been a student of Laura Belgray’s for a few years now, and she has massively changed my copywriting skills. I invested in her and Marie Forleo program, The Copy Cure, because I knew I was missing the mark with my audience.
I believed for a long time that if I knew how to write in general, email would be a piece of cake. But I was writing without a purpose, and I felt like my list could tell.
There’s a specific art to email, and once you learn it, you’ll have a hard time writing your newsletter any other way.
5. Skipping the Nurture Sequence
What the heck is a nurture sequence?
Say you signed up for someone’s free PDF download or audio class and received a series of emails walking you through why they created the offering. There’s your sequence.
My gal Laura Belgray describes it as giving guests a tour of your house.
It’s a simple tool to let people know you see them and are thrilled to show them around.
Your sequence can even be what people opt-in for if you offered something like a 7 day writing workshop with daily emails.
Still not sure where to start? Take a class. I recommend Laura Belgray because I believe in her work. If you sign up for her list, you’ll see how she structures her sequence, and you can also grab some instant class downloads. And no, I’m not an affiliate. Just a student and fan.
6. Relying Only on Current Subscribers to Buy Your Work
You have a list you talk to on a regular basis. They respond to your emails and tell their friends how valuable your messages are.
So when it comes to your marketing plan, you feel you have it made. You’ll just sell to your current subscribers, and everyone will buy your book or new offering just because they’re on your list.
But think of how many email lists you’re on. And of those, how many people are you buying from? You may not even be opening every email from them.
So while you want to foster a good relationship with your current list, you need to grow your subscribers.
Write for publications that allow backlinks to your website. When someone says you should keep them posted on your work, tell them to sign up for your newsletter. Create a call to action in your current emails for subscribers to share with a friend.
The more comfortable you are talking about your list, the easier it will be to grow it.
7. Confusing Open Rates with Click and Conversation Rates
You’re on a schedule and people are sending you emails about how much they love your emails. A quick peek at your email open rates gives you hope for your book launch: 40%!
That’s above what most people report, which is roughly around 20%.
Surely, every person who opens your emails will buy your work.
According to Mailchimp, the average conversion rate aka those who click your email links and buy, is around 2.6%.
So, if you have a list with 1000 people and an open rate of 40%, with a conversation rate of 2.6%, that equals just above 1 person purchasing your work.
This is why you can’t rely solely on email to sell your work. It’s also why growing your list and offering value is important. You want to create raving fans of your work because word-of-mouth marketing is still the most valuable. Yes, that even includes someone forwarding your email to a friend.
You create important work that deserves to be shared, but you also have a unique point of view beyond that. There’s only so much you can say in books and articles. By making a space for your audience to engage with you “offline” in an environment built just for them, you’ll turn a list into a dedicated community, which will be good for your soul and wallet.
If you’d like help getting started or revamping your email content and strategy, sign up for my free 5 day course Writing Gold: How to Kickstart Your Cookbook Writing and Grow Your Audience of Raving Fans here.
By the end of the five days, you’ll have editorial guidelines, an editing routine and heaps of inspiration for both your cookbook and mailing list. Plus, you’ll find a bonus onboarding/ nuture sequence template, so you can make the most out of new subscribers.
Join Writing Gold now, and let’s make your email newsletter something that works for you instead of against you.
