Thursday 23 October 2014

why you need a newsletter

I launched my newsletter back in September. I've now sent two issues (monthly), and loved putting it toegther to share a different glimpse into my world. But I've heard recently that people are a little bit confused about why you would have a newsletter, and what to include in it.

Why have a newsletter?

A newsletter is different to sending each blog post RSS feed to an email address. Newsletters provide snippets of information, introductions if you will, to the blog posts that are coming up, or have been in the past. They are a different way of connecting, and marketing your blog to your audience.

How do you set up a newsletter?

Most bloggers recommend MailChimp for emails. Other choices include MadMimi, and AWeber, and I believe there are wordpress plugins that can send emails as well. I chose MailChimp because it looked easiest when I was researching, but it wasn't until Bec from Blogger's Bazaar wrote a post about setting up newsletters that it all clicked.

Tips for growing your list

Until recently, I didn't sign up to newsletters. I was overwhelmed by the time I was spending online, and struggling to take it all in, but I realised about 4 months ago that I was making time for newsletters, reading them and clicking on links provided. It's one of the reasons I decided to give having a newsletter a go - my habits had changed, so maybe someone else's had changed, too.
In the two months since I launched my newsletter, I have more than doubled subscriptions (granted, saying doubled sounds better than saying "I had ten subscribers the first month, and 24 the second") And while I don't expect to double it again this month, it is steadily growing.

I believe that growth has occured for two reasons - blogging consistently through this series, and adding the image call to action at the end of each post.

Do you have a newsletter?

more reading
How to create an email opt-in  |  Blogger's Bazaar


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1 comment

  1. I have a weekly newsletter, I am considering changing this to fortnightly.... It's hard to find the time to send it out each week.... I have subscribed Cate, loving this series

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