Everything Else You Ever Wanted to Know About Email Newsletters

Today concludes All About Email week. In case you missed any of the earlier posts, here's a recap:

Day 1: How Email Newsletters Benefit Your Freelance Business

Day 2: Choosing an Email Newsletter Provider

Day 3: Building Your Email Subscriber List

Day 4: Creating Newsletter Content

Have I lost you yet? Good, you're still reading! To round out the information I've already shared, below you'll find some of my favorite resources and blog posts relating to email newsletters.

Make It Pop Blog: Published by the talented peeps at Smith-Harmon, this blog is chock full of colorful and innovative examples of email campaigns along with brief commentary on why they work (or don't work). Most of their examples are from the retail world, and if this is an industry that interests you, I'd also recommend The Retail Email Blog as a daily companion.

Newsletter or Blog? Have Both!: This thoughtful and thorough post outlines the pros and cons of blogs and newsletters. It also offers some good suggestions for integrating both.

Add a Newsletter to Your Site: In this post, writer Thursday Bram offers practical advice on using a newsletter to promote your writing business. The post was part of a month-long series called "Market Your Freelance Writing in 31 Days," and Thursday practiced what she preached by sending out an email each day to complement and augment the tips on her blog.

E-Mail Newsletter Dos and Don'ts: This article from the May/June issue of Writer's Digest includes email advice specifically tailored to authors ("do sent out a newsletter when you have a new book out," "don't assume you're smarter than the rest of us").

Chris G.'s Email Marketing Tips: This series includes an overview of what email marketing is all about, plus tips on tracking, writing subject lines, and deciding what to write about.

What other resources should be added to this list? And are there other topics you'd like to see covered in a future series?

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5 Tips for Creating Email Newsletter Content

Yesterday I covered some tips for building your list of email subscribers. DJ Waldow at Blue Sky Factory made a great point in the comments about setting realistic expectations by telling subscribers how often they'll hear from you, showing them what your newsletter looks like, and sending a welcome email as soon as someone subscribes. All good ideas.

Today we'll talk about writing content for your email newsletter. Here are some of the strategies I use as I'm writing for clients or my own newsletter.

1. Build an idea repository. As you're reading news sites and blogs, you probably stumble on some articles or stats that would interest your readers. I bookmark all of these links in Delicious so I can easily find them when I start writing that month's newsletter. The same goes for any upcoming classes I'm teaching, articles I've written, quotes that have inspired me, or events I'm hosting that month. I should note that one of the drawbacks to the way I've grown my email list (primarily online) is that my subscribers are spread out geographically, so it doesn't lend itself to promoting in-person events or classes. But it's great for books or blog posts!
2. Don't try to tell the whole story. Email wasn't meant to be epic, so don't sweat it if yours is short and sweet. If fact, I'd recommend that approach. You can tease a few articles or links, but don't include a 1,000-word article in the body of the email. Write enough to get someone interested so they'll click the link and read the rest (this also keeps your email from getting too cluttered.) If you're stumped for material, there's no reason you can't include links with attribution to other articles that relate to your industry. As the saying goes, "Cover what you do best. Link to the rest."
3. Include a clear call to action. What do you want your subscribers to do? Buy your ebook? Enter your t-shirt giveaway? Send you their feedback? Comment on your latest blog post? Make sure this directive is clear, and mention what they will get out of it. Also, "click here" screams old school e-commerce, so use specific actions as your anchor text. For instance, "You're the expert! Tell us what think." or "Enter to win a free t-shirt."
4. Craft an enticing subject line. I usually write my subject line at the very end to make sure that it relates to the content inside. I also focus on benefits like boosting your income, tracking your time, or winning something cool. Sometimes asking a question (like "Are you earning what you're worth?"), keeping it short ("Surprise!"), or including the person's first name in the subject line can be effective ways to spark subscriber interest. Nowadays people get so much email that cutting through the clutter is a real challenge. Be creative, and test out different ideas to see what works for your list.
5. Before you hit send, ask "what's in it for them?" It goes without saying (I hope) that you'll proofread your newsletter and preview it in multiple email programs. But I also try to look at my newsletter through the eyes of my subscribers. Will they find something to help them grow their business that isn't already on my blog? Or will they think it's self-indulgent drivel? I include a monthly feature called "Rockin' Freelance Resource" that highlights a website or other service in the hopes that readers discover something new from that.

KMN had asked about keeping newsletter content fresh in an earlier post. I'd say that in this regard newsletters are no different from magazines or other publications that publish regularly. Often special interest publications cover similar topics month after month and year after year. They keep it "fresh" by finding new experts who can give advice with a new spin (often similar advice just stated in a new way), citing new research or legislation that relates to the topic, or sometimes simply by packaging it with clever word play and artwork. In my opinion, it doesn't have to be revolutionary to create value or help your subscribers learn something new.

What do you think? What makes you want to open a newsletter week after week or after month or month?

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5 Ways to Build Your Email Subscriber List

Welcome to Day 3 of All About Email Week! In case you missed the earlier posts in this series, here's a quick recap. Monday's post covered the benefits of email newsletters, and Tuesday's post focued on why you need to use an email newsletter provider and where to find them.

Now we'll talk about building your subscriber list.
As most of you (hopefully) know, it's not considered kosher to buy email lists or automatically sign people up without getting their permission first. But there are savvier ways to go about it. Here are few ideas to get you started:

1. Offer an incentive. Create a giveaway or offer extras to people on your email list. For instance, Denene Brox sends a list of 10 Essay Marks for Weekend Writers when you sign up for her Weekend Writer email list. When I started building my list last year, I created a giveaway of a guidebook I'd worked on for people who signed up by a certain date. Obviously, a giveaway has a limited time frame, but it also creates a sense of urgency.


2. Leverage social media. It's definitely possible to go overboard with this one, but when I'm working on that month's newsletter, I might tweet about it or post in my LinkedIn status with a link to my opt-in page. People who see it and get curious sometimes sign up that way.
   
3. Play up your opt-in page. Be sure that people can easily find your opt-in page by posting a link (or even a cool-looking banner) on your website, blog, or in your email signature. Mine is listed in the blog sticky at the top of this page. Maria Schneider of Editor Unleashed also suggests including the link at the end of each post so it's unmissable (notice I've stolen her idea and used it throughout this series!).
   
4. Include the "forward to a friend" option. I love this option, because it's easy and lets your subscribers share your newsletter with friends who might be interested in subscribing themselves.
   
5. Use offline promotions, too. I can't remember who suggested this or I would credit her, but someone at a networking seminar suggested that when you exchange business cards with someone, you ask if they'd like to get your email newsletter. If they say yes, you can make a note on their card and sign them up manually so they don't have to do it themselves.

Are there other strategies that have proved successful for you? Leave a comment and let us know!

Of course, having a long list of subscribers is pointless if you don't deliver quality content, because they might decide not to open your emails, or worse, unsubscribe altogether. Tomorrow we'll talk about creating content, so stay tuned.

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Choosing An Email Newsletter Provider

Yesterday, I explained the advantages of email newsletters over blogs. Today's post focuses on the why and how of newsletters.

Some freelancers and small businesses send out mass emails through Gmail or Outlook. But here's why it's better to use an email program specifically tailored to these types of emails:

1. Easy list management. Manually adding or deleting people from your email list is a huge hassle, but most of the email newsletter providers take care of this task for you. They also make it easy to segment your list based on criteria like when the person signed up (more sophisticated programs that integrate with your sales software can tell you who has purchased your product, what they bought, and when).

2. Simplified email design. Granted, designing an email that will display consistently across different email platforms is a real challenge, but email programs that are designed for creating pretty graphics-based emails (also called HTML emails) make it simpler. Most of them have loads of templates you can customize and require very little HTML knowledge. (Notice I said most. A few actually require more sophisticated technical know-how if you really want to customize your newsletter.)

3. Compliance with CAN-SPAM. For those us in the United States, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 has very specific requirements about opt-outs, physical addresses, and more. Unless you're intimately familiar with these guidelines, it's really easy to violate them unintentionally. But many of the email programs out there help their customers comply by including mandatory address fields and easy opt-outs.

4. Better delivery rates. Yahoo, Gmail, and other email programs don't like it when you send huge bulk emails. In fact, this is one the ways that email programs weed out spam. However, many of the reputable email vendors like MailChimp or Constant Contact (see below for a more complete list) are part of commercial email whitelists because their clients comply with CAN-SPAM requirements. It's not a 100% guarantee that everyone on your list will get your email, but delivery rates are generally better this way.

5. Loads of analysis. If you're sending a mass email through your regular email server, you probably don't have much information on who's opening or forwarding your email, what links they're clicking on, and when your readers tend to read your emails. Most email newsletter programs offer very detailed information on the effectiveness of each campaign. They'll also show you colorful charts comparing overall trends in open rates, opt-outs, etc.

Now that I've (hopefully) sold you on using an email newsletter provider, here are some of the programs available to freelancers or small business owners:

• Campaigner: I've used Campaigner for a client's newsletter, and I don't find the interface to be very intuitive. Plus, I had to call support on several occasions, and I've spent countless hours on hold (don't worry, I was billing for those hours because they fell under project management). Not my top recommendation.
  
• ConstantContact: I investigated using ConstantContact for one of my email newsletter clients, and I'm very impressed by their friendly and prompt customer service. They have an excellent reputation, too.
  
• Emma: This is the only program on the list that I haven't used or explored in depth. I know several people who use Emma, and their emails look fabulous. My assumption is that they are another good option.


• MailChimp: This is the one I use for my own newsletter. It has a fun, user-friendly interface, and it's free for lists under 100 subscribers. Their prices are reasonable and flexible depending on the size of your list and the frequency of your emails. Zero complaints here!
  
• PatronMail: This was the first email newsletter program I ever used when I managed the newsletter for one of my former employers. It is specifically targeted to arts organizations and creative businesses. I also took a 1-day seminar with PatronMail and found it to be super-helpful.

The technical interface and pricing varies depending on what plan you purchase with what email provider, so I won't go into too many specifics on that here. But for my email newsletter, I hired a designer to create a custom banner and tweaked one of the templates so it uses colors that tie into the banner. Then each time I create a new newsletter, I copy the template so it has all the colors and formatting I already set. Very easy.

Are there other email newsletter programs I should add to this list? Which one(s) do you use?

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How Email Newsletters Benefit A Freelance Biz

Several readers have asked for my insights on email newsletters, and this happens to be a topic that really excites me. (I know - I'm a huge nerd! I handled the email newsletter at my first job, and I've been hooked ever since.) So, all this week, I'll be blogging about email newsletters, including how to choose an email vendor, build your list, and create useful content.

But first let's talk about the why.

Here are the two main reasons why creative professionals or small business owners would want an email newsletter.

1. Not everyone reads blogs. When I first started The Urban Museletter, some readers asked why I chose to offer an email newsletter when I already had a blog and offered RSS via email or feed reader. Well, some people are just not blog people, but they still want to know what I'm up to. And I always include some information that isn't on my blog for those who do read my blog on a regular basis.

2. Newsletters are more customizable than blogs. Most email vendors allow you to segment lists and customize your messaging. For instance, you could include the recipient's first name in the subject line or in the opening of the email so it feels more personal. You could also email a specific message to a select subsection of your list (say, people who signed up during a certain time period or purchased your book if you have one). Another great feature of email newsletters is that you can test messaging for its effectiveness (for instance, dividing your list into two groups and testing two different subject lines to see which one gets a better open rate). Try doing that on your blog!

Now, a caveat: some businesses rely on their email newsletters to push products or services when business is slow and ignore their email list the rest of the time. While some customers appreciate getting a last minute deal or an email exclusive offer, I urge clients not to focus too much on overt sales messaging. Newsletters can be a great way to develop relationships with customers/readers through regular communication and useful content. Sure, you can include a few links to products they might want to buy or blog posts they might want to read, but if it's completely self-promotional, then many readers start to tune it out completely.

We'll be discussing newsletter content, list-building strategies, and options for newsletter programs later this week. In the meantime, I'd love to know if you use a newsletter to promote your business or write newsletters for clients. What challenges have you faced? Or what worked really well for you?

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