Prologue

Ever watched The Godfather Trilogy?

You know how at the end of each film all the storylines get wrapped up at once?

Sal (my husband) and I refer to these endings at moments in life when everything seems to be coming together at once.

That was my life this week.

If you recall, our family made a big move from Florida to Mississippi (Sal and I grew up here) in June.

We immediately listed our Florida house for sale, enrolled the girls in summer activities in a state that seems to think Covid-19 is a nuisance, nothing more, and spent a few months with Sal driving back and forth to Florida to move our stuff out of the house.

There was an offer that fell through. Unpacking to do here. And an upstairs air conditioner that wasn’t up to actually working in the Mississippi heat.

In other words: life happened.

But, somehow, we made it to the first week of school for our daughters, who started 6th and 4th grades this Monday.

And we closed on selling the house to buyers who did not fall through (also on Monday).

And a part finally came in to fix the downstairs air conditioner just as the motor began to moan its death song (Saturday).

If you’ve watched The Godfather Trilogy, besides recognizing Fredo’s unwarranted confidence in his mob leader aptitude in my email subject, you know that the neatly tied up ending of one movie quickly unfolds with the beginning of another.

Our next narratives:

How long will it take for both daughters to retest into the gifted program? We came with very impressive paperwork, but the state requires they go through its testing process to be in the program. This involves me being “that mom” who is filling out forms and doing whatever it takes to expedite the process. Let’s hope it’s not too long.

Why aren’t girls here encouraged to participate in STEM courses? My 6th grader managed to get her schedule changed so she can take robotics and she’ll be one of two girls in the program. I realize I could be making a generalization, but I hope she doesn’t have to do this every step of the way. I was the only girl in my AP Calculus and Physics classes so this frustration is a bit induced by the loneliness I experienced in feeling like an oddball for wanting to take them. High school haunts me.

Will we be able to travel to England for a metal detecting holiday next month? It’s a hobby Sal turned into a career and I’m eager to hop the pond and find really old stuff. So far, it looks like we’ll get to go, but I won’t believe it until we’re on a plane. And, by the way, where the heck is my passport? Moving is so disorienting.

What about you? Do you tie off storylines and open more loops?

Do you share them in your newsletter?

Even if you’re not sharing quite as much personal information as I do, your audience likely craves episodic content.

Make sure you’re building a narrative that warrants opening the next issue.

And if you’re hoping to launch a newsletter, check out Curated News because I’m launching a challenge next week for a small cohort of creators.

Now, let’s talk newsletters.

Screen Share

Content Distribution Is King, And Newsletters Continue To Reign

April Mullen of SparkPost says content distribution MUST be prioritized if you want your content strategy to be effective.

In this short clip from her Newsletter Fest 2021 Session, Marketing's Big Opportunity is the Publishing Model, this seasoned director of brand and content marketing established a strong case for brands to act more like media companies, especially when it comes to delivering content readers want.

Whether you’re an independent creator or a marketer, you know that publishing something on your website means pretty much nothing if you’re not able to get eyes on it. And the purpose of content is for it to be consumed. That’s why email newsletters sent to an audience that has opted in and expressed desire to hear from you should be a high priority in terms of making sure you optimize your newsletter to distribute the content they crave.

Watch this segment to learn why sending subscribers what they want (quality content) should be a top priority.

Newsletter Tips

Caution: Personalization Errors Kill Relationships

MediaPost reports that, according to a Movable Ink survey, email personalization mistakes (you know, when a sender gets your name wrong or sends you the wrong email) could be pretty damaging.

“Of the consumers polled, 26% will unsubscribe from emails when the personalization is wrong or inaccurate. And 27% will call customer service and explain the experience.”

It’s time to go beyond just inserting names as “personalization” and instead work to learn what your audience cares about and customize content to their tastes.

Discovered via theCLIKK.

Related: Check out this webinar recording and written recap from Litmus and focus on the personalization bit on the content devoted to newsletters (especially personalization).

One Man’s Complaint Is Another’s Opportunity To Stand Out

Ian Bogost is frustrated with the state of his inbox. He thinks email is

“less like a mailbox and more like a wormhole into every business relationship you maintain: your bank; your utility provider; your supermarket; your favorite boutiques, restaurants, housewares providers, and all the rest. It’s your own digital commercial district: Opening up email is akin to visiting a little mall in your browser or on your phone, where every shop is right next to every other.”

And the complaint is valid.

But here I am emailing you a link to his article. So while I can commiserate—yes, a barrage of promotional emails can be painful, but you do have the option to unsubscribe—I think their existence actually supports the editorial approach inherent in email newsletters as a genre. By creating, finding, and sharing quality content, we can win the opens that others cannot.

Read this to get into the headspace of the person you send to and figure out what would turn that sour grimace into an “Ah. Finally, something worth reading!”

Discovered via a teammate sharing this article in Slack. Yes, I used the Curated Slack Action to send it to my collected items.

Related: Check out these 10 reasons winning the inbox is important.

5 Steps To Stop Procrastinating Your Passion Project

Why is taking the first step always the hardest? Jessie Kwak lists helpful steps on The Write Life to stop procrastinating your passion project (is it launching a newsletter?) starting with visualizing why it matters and getting organized.

Check out the rest here.

Psst! Scroll to the Curated News section if you want to join me in a Newsletter Launch Challenge.

Marketing

How Email Marketing Can Help Your SEO

Is your email marketing helping your SEO? According to Yash Chawlani, it should be. This article from SendX provides some email marketing strategies designed to positively impact SEO.

But, how?

“The clicks you get from email will add to your organic traffic, the positive experience you deliver will support your reputation management efforts, and engaging emails can result in longer web sessions once a user visits your site.”

He advises you

• Use content that is mobile-friendly, which results in a better user experience and higher open rates
• Know where your traffic is coming from using inbound links
• And some other strategies you’ll find listed in the article

Discovered via Really Good Emails.

Related: In the world of AI-generated articles, how do you compete? Here’s a possible answer. Hint: Quality content matters.

How To Work Backwards From Revenue To Determine Marketing Goals And Budget: Spreadsheet Included

My pal Down Under, Jess Goss and I launched a podcast and I’m proud to say the first episode set the bar pretty high. Sam Kuehnle, VP of Demand Generation at Refine Labs joined us to discuss how to establish a marketing budget based on your revenue goals.

He went the extra mile and created a Google Sheet you can use (make a copy) to plug in your company's numbers and run calculations.

If you want notifications about future episodes or to receive extra content, subscribe through our site, Marketing CTA. And, yes, of course we’re using Curated for the companion newsletter.

Curation

The Benefits Of Curation For Small Business

We obviously love content curation, and our pal Scott Rogerson from UpContent recently nailed just why curation is so important for small businesses. The article or and video discussion of the topic are both on this page).

He identifies curation benefits like:

• Lets writers focus on important topics
• Drives new traffic to the website
• Keeps existing readers interested
• Showcases the value of your brand
• Reflects the health of your business

Read more here.

Related: This Hubspot article identifies 10 (actually helpful) tools you can use for content curation.

Publishing

There’s so much newsletter-related (and newsletter-adjacent) news this week for publishers, I had to condense it into a bulleted list.

• Is print actually dying? USA Today is shifting to a digital subscription model in what could be the end of an era. This article breaks down the why, how, and paywall future of news.
• Axios reports that The New York Times is doubling down on newsletters with at least 18 news and existing newsletters available only to subscribers starting August 16.
• Quartz refocuses subscription program on email newsletters—they now have 11—, citing email newsletters as the first step in getting someone to convert to a paid subscription. They liken the approach to "a very modern take on a weekly magazine."
• Turns out publishers are using newsletters to grow their number of paying members (shocking, I know). This article lists 9 ways news publishers are using email, including things like extra content for paid subscribers, free newsletters with links to paywalled articles, email as a service, and more. It’s worth a read.
• Ryan Sneddon is “building a hyperlocal newsletter empire one city at a time” and is sharing how it’s done with Nathan Barry. He discusses motivation, interacting with your audience, assessing growth, and more newsletter tips you’ll appreciate.
• Turns out people-centered still matters. Documented, a non-profit news site, used a “community-oriented approach” to grow their audience, improve site analytics, drive new visits, and create more content using a circular strategy. Check it out.
• This Digiday research doesn’t bode well for Twitter. Twitter may be one of the most widely used social platforms, but it drives the fewest results for media companies.

Money Matters

How Much Content Should You Give Away For Free?

Stuck trying to figure out what to offer as a paid newsletter vs. free content? This article should help. Nicolas Cole advocates for giving away 99% of your content and monetizing 1%. Essentially, give people answers and they’ll want more.

“When people pay for the last 1%, what they’re really buying is the organization, implementation, and community surrounding all your ideas.”

Discovered via For the Interested.

Curated News

The back story

Corrales Cachola, founder of Brand New Voices and champion of the creator economy is like the rest of us. He needs a little push to just do a thing he really wants to do:

Launch a Brand New Voices newsletter.

I think it’s going to be amazing and I told him I’d help however I can.

So we chatted and realized: this shouldn’t be just me helping him.

We should invite others who want to do the same thing.

Who need the same push.

Who need… TO BE CHALLENGED.

So we’re doing this out in the open: A Newsletter Launch Challenge

The goal is to get you from idea to sent in 3 weeks.

We're planning to meet live twice a week (starting next week, at 6 p.m. Eastern on Mondays and Wednesdays).

We'll provide a checklist and resources, form a community, and support each other as we brainstorm, strategize, build, and test. Yes, I have a side hustle newsletter I want to launch, too, and will use this challenge to build it.

And because his calling is to support the creator economy, we’ll make sure to help you think through and plan not only content strategy and audience growth but also consider revenue models and where your newsletter (paid? sponsored? free?) fits into your unique creation mix.

Week 1: Ideation and Positioning

Week 2: Creation

Week 3: Soft Launch and Test

Who’s ready to win the inbox?

Let me know if you want in by replying to this email.

And don‘t forget, Curated has a free tier now + we don’t take any commission on paid newsletters.

ICYMI: You can always check our Curated Public Product Roadmap to catch up on recent releases and find out what’s up next.

Opt In Challenge

Have You Tried These Growth Tactics?

In this Tech Crunch article, Stewart Hillhouse offers strategic tips designed to help you:

• Get new subscribers
• Keep subscribers
• Promote your newsletter

This week, your challenge is to read and implement at least one of these tactics.

Discovered via Inbox Reads.

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.