Prologue

Y’all.

Don’t freak out.

I’m in Cleveland.

At Content Marketing World.

And I’m just now writing the intro to today’s issue. It’s 7 a.m.

I’m pausing the anxious mental prep that goes into speaking—today at 1 p.m., by the way—to send you something worth opening, reading, and clicking so that you, too, can kill it at being a last-minute writer when you need to.

And, yes, I do typically write this intro (ahem, prologue) the day we send it. But by the time I hit send I’ve done the most energy-depleting thing of my day. That’s just not the case today. I’ll have the pre-speaking jitters until 1:30 :)

Sometimes this write-the-intro-the-morning-of-sending strategy leaves me staring at a very white screen begging for a narrative I find extremely challenging to deliver.

We literary folk are always looking to “find the story.”

But sometimes the story is hiding under a rock, right?

And NOTHING comes to us.

I think this happens especially when we want to write something amazing.

Like when I’m at an event and people are actively subscribing to this newsletter.

And you should have planned something far in advance to be extra amazing but instead you (well, I) left it to chance.

And then… THE BLANK SCREEN.

And though all the little conversations and powerful keynote sessions of the previous days are swimming through my brain I can’t quite pluck out a story.

What do we do when we need to write but we’re unable to find that ever elusive narrative?

Here’s what usually works for me:

Stop thinking big and start thinking small.

Scan your memory bank for one little meaningful moment.

Instead of telling a BIG STORY, tell a tiny one.

Somehow, that lifts the pressure off in a way that lets me also focus on the tiny details of the tiny story.

And, if I’m still having trouble getting started, I’ll do one of two things:

1. Picture a climactic moment in the story I’m considering and start there, literally in the action. People don’t mind a disorienting start. It can feel exciting and fun to read on to figure out what the heck you’re describing.
2. Start as if you’re catching up with a friend you haven’t spoken to in a few days. See if typing begets more typing and helps you find a point (that’s what I’ve done here). It’s not the most exciting start but, for a weekly newsletter, I find the assumed intimacy can be endearing. I can always cut the first lines if I used this approach to clear my throat and can’t stand it after I get out a draft.

I feel like either of these has the power to pull people in.

And with newsletters, the goal is delivering quality at cadence and allowing the time, efforts, and little stories to compound into a more meaningful relationship with your readers.

Think of newsletters (and content in general) more like an ongoing conversation (more on this in the Marketing section today).

Wish me luck today.

I’m speaking with Dennis Shiao about counterintuitive email marketing strategies.

And, of course, please enjoy the goodies below (which I did take time to curate earlier in the week).

Newsletter Tips

Advice From A Newsletter Creator

Jack Raines, creator of the finance newsletter “Young Money”, has grown it to 15k+ subscribers. In this interview with Jakob Greenfeld, he shares insights into his process, tools he uses, monetization strategies, and this advice for getting started:

“Don’t overthink it, just start writing… Your likelihood of success is driven by your willingness to suck for an extended period of time. Monotonous consistency is a superpower, especially in our dopamine-heavy era.”

Discovered via Inbox Reads.

A Good News Growth Story

RocaNews decided to shake up their newsletter growth strategies and try something new: spend the marketing budget away on grocery shoppers if they could get 1,000 subscribers in a day. They hit their goal in 3 hours, then gained a total of 16k subscribers in 4 days. Check out the full story by Esther Kezia Thorpe here.

Discovered via The Media Roundup.

Marketing

It’s no secret that it’s easy to get caught up in lead capture as a content marketer. However, the reality is successful content marketing requires a holistic approach focusing more on brand and reputation building and less on everything else. Here are a few ways you can keep your priorities straight.

Measure The Best ROI

Are you wasting time measuring ROI on a single piece of content? In his TikTok, Chris Walker explains why it’s a better idea to measure success based on channel instead.

Create Truly Great Content

If your concerns about rankings, competition, and oversaturation are keeping you from creating great content, John Bonini offers some encouragement about why nothing is preventing you from doing it.

Content First, Traffic Second

In another LinkedIn post, John Bonini urges marketers not to get caught up in solely driving traffic. Here’s what he says to do instead: “build the scaffolding that will not only drive traffic but also works to build influence and loyalty with the right audience.”

Focus On The Long Game

What is the duration of your content marketing program? Derek Flint lays out 8 reasons why a short (1-3 years) approach will create a flawed strategy.

How To Know Who To Hire

Should you stay in-house or hire out? Cierra Loflin explains how to choose.

• Identify your core beliefs on content
• Assess potential core competencies
• Go forward with a clear vision

Do Your Landing Pages Meet The Standard?

In their latest policy change, Google announced that ads leading to pages with “intrusive advertising” will cause the ad to be disapproved. Matt G. Southern advises us to check for these things on our landing pages to prevent issues.

Discovered via Growth Marketing Weekly.

Writing

5 Strategies For Overcoming Writer’s Block

Do you ever struggle with writer’s block? Here are 5 ways from Ghost to get “unstuck”:

1. Write something else
2. Get better input
3. Schedule to your advantage
4. Get organized
5. Move your body

Here’s one I think should be added to the list: read something that inspires you.

Discovered via Ghost Newsletter.

Get Inside Their Heads

“Neuro copywriting is the process of crafting a marketing text to appeal to human psychology, thus influencing engagement and motivation to learn more and purchase.”

This CMI article by Olesia Filipenko explains 7 neuro writing tactics you can use to influence your audience.

Discovered via Social Media Today.

Have You Tried This New Writing Tool?

I’m always on the lookout for new tools, and this one looks interesting. Writings is a tool designed to help writers write, organize, and share content while eliminating distractions and clutter. If you test it out, let me know what you think.

Discovered via Marketer Crew.

Curation

Are You Curating The Right Content?

This blogging wizard article by Adam Connell focuses on traffic generation strategies and the first one centers in on 9Gag’s use of content curation. Here are 2 takeaways if you want to curate well:

1. Take the time to truly understand your target audience and the kind of content they like.
2. Curate only content that directly appeals to this target audience and is easily shareable.

Money Matters

Capitalize On Community Building

In this TikTok, HubSpot’s co-founder Dharmesh Shah explains how HubSpot built community before they had a product. Think of it as investing in building trust with people who will buy what you’re eventually ready to sell.

Newsletter Ad Questions Answered

Do you have questions about newsletter ads? So did Jon Santiago. In this 35-minute YouTube video, Josh Spector provides answers on how to set up a newsletter ad system, how to price newsletter ads, and how to manage all of the ad logistics that come with it.

Discovered via For the Interested.

Opt In Challenge

Stop The Comparison Game

This week your Opt In Challenge is simple… but also really hard: stop comparing yourself to other newsletter creators. Take a look at this article by Dr. Hannah Rose for tips on how to manage comparison anxiety.

Discovered via Really Good Emails.

Signature

Let me know. Reply, email me at Ashley[at]optinweekly.com, or find me on LinkedIn to hit me with some feedback. I’d love to know what you think.

Happy content marketing (and newslettering),