Prologue

I shared a special moment with my oldest daughter over the Fourth of July weekend.

No. It wasn’t watching fireworks.

Although, that was nice.

And it wasn’t seeing hot air balloons.

That was cool, too.

It was, instead, during a family meal as we discussed the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner.

My husband was explaining that the reason we shoot fireworks was to remember the battle for freedom, “You know, like in the song. Oh say can you see?”

At this point, I remembered what I ALWAYS remember when this song is sung:

That Ramona Quimby (beloved Beverly Cleary book character) thought that the next line of the song, By the dawn’s early light was actually by the dawnzer lee light.

When I mentioned this, my daughter had a lovely moment of respect for the fact that I actually remembered something I must have read when I was around her age.

Plus, it felt like a shared secret.

Dad and sister just didn’t “get it.”

Although I enjoyed reading aloud to my daughters before they could read themselves, I take great joy in the concept that when we’ve each read something individually, we’ve shared an experience.

Writers have the ability to create communities of readers that don’t need Facebook groups or Slack chats to know they belong to each other. All they really need to do is speak in code, using a term or phrase from the world that the writer built, realize they are members of that community, and bond over the excitement of the shared mental experience of reading that particular book or series.

I tend to gravitate toward friends who have overlapping reading tastes with my own. At times, it feels snobbish, but I can sometimes catch myself thinking, “If you haven’t read X, you probably don’t get me.” It’s a strange phenomenon.

Does your newsletter create this sense of mental community for your subscribers?

There’s a bit of chatter about community lately and the value of creating one (which I don’t discount), but I think some of the best communities are the ones built by sharing experiences that trigger almost sentimental memories.

Powerful writing, disruptive ideas, anything that sticks with others forms this sort of community. The experience of consuming the same content creates the bond.

A newsletter can BE community.

It’s a powerful thing, the dawnzer lee light.

Today’s issue offers ideas for preparing for Apple Mail’s upcoming privacy changes, a prompt to discuss what makes a newsletter “need to have,” and tips for enjoying the process of publishing.

Enjoy.

Screen Share

Need to Have Trumps Nice to Have

I’m trying something a little new with this Screen Share.

Michael Aft from The New Paper, a paid subscription news newsletter, explained why figuring out how to make your newsletter “need to have” is critical during Newsletter Fest 2021.

The concept is captured in this short video clip.

Let’s discuss what qualifies email newsletters as “need to have” vs “nice to have.”

Maybe something on this list?

1. It provides content you use to stay informed on topics you care about (you believe that content is better than what other sources publish?)
2. It delivers ideas from a brand (or brain) that guide your work (you know you can attribute success to reading it/following some of the advice in it)
3. The creator is entertaining in a way that improves your day (like your favorite Netflix show). You crave what they send.
4. If they suddenly stopped sending it, you would notice and check in.

Can you think of others?

Add them to the comments of this LinkedIn post or reply to this email.

Newsletter Tips

A New Way To Maintain Email List Hygiene

Apple Mail’s privacy changes are coming. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, take a look at this strategy introduced by Shawn Twing and Andre Chaperon of Tiny Little Businesses. It’s designed to help maintain email list hygiene. They plan to have subscribers who don’t click a link in 8 weeks reconfirm their interest in being on their list.

What I like about it: It allows the reader to express continued interest.

What concerns me: I’m curious about the percentage of people you might clean from your list who missed the reconfirmation request.

If you go this route, you’ll want to consider adapting this approach depending on your send cadence and how link-heavy your newsletter is.

Related: Could recent software and privacy changes mean it’s time for newsletter creators to think outside the inbox? (Discovered via Raisin Bread)

One Media Company’s Journey To 40k Subscribers In 9 Months

In this podcast interview (there’s an accompanying summary article if you want to skim), Jasper Wang explains how Defector Media, a new company formed by former Deadspin writers, is nearing 40k subscribers just 9 months after launching. It comes down to Defector being:

• Cooperatively owned—the employees actually own the company
• Subscription supported—95% of revenue comes from their three subscription tiers

He attributes growth to a customer-centric culture of unity and understanding.

Notable Takeaway: If you want to increase your subscriptions, consider examining your culture, too.

Discovered via The Media Roundup.

A Newsletter Sender’s Guide To Deliverability

It’s not often I find solid newsletter deliverability guides written by actual newsletter senders. Usually they come from the deliverability companies.

This guide from Stacked Marketer provides thorough insights and action steps worth implementing.

Discovered via Growth Marketer.

Psst! Curated users can learn how to set up SPF and DKIM records here.

Marketing

A Breakdown Of Apple’s Plans And How They’ll Impact Your Marketing

Meet the most thorough guide to Apple’s recently announced plans (+ the way they impact marketing) I’ve seen so far. It’s basically your new tech change navigation roadmap.

Alex Bauer’s breakdown includes the major updates that will impact email marketing—like Mail Privacy Protection and Hide My Email—as well as others like App Clip Enhancements and iCloud+.

The best part? He goes beyond clearly describing Apple’s plans and explains how each will impact mobile growth.

You’re welcome.

How Well Do You Rank For Brand-Driven Search?

Have you Googled your company lately? I love a good how-to article and this one by Ann Smarty for Moz seems like a pretty comprehensive approach to creating a branded search optimization strategy.

Why go to the trouble?

Smarty says that ranking well is crucial because brand-driven search:

• Is usually high-intent
• Reveals which issues your current or future customers may be experiencing
• Is important for understanding online sentiment
• Influences buying decisions

She details out a technical step-by-step process that you can implement starting with researching branded search queries, moving into optimizing for branded search, and ending with interlinking and monitoring.

Discovered via theCLIKK.

Nominate An Amazing Woman Content Marketer

Do you know any amazing female content marketers?! I do. And I try to bring their voices into this newsletter as often as possible.

Nominations for this year’s Women in Content Marketing Awards are due July 12. Award categories include:

• Content Marketer of the Year
• Pivot
• Rising Star
• Freelance Excellence

Psst! I’m speaking at Content Marketing World this year with Dennis Shiao and I’m pretty excited to meet some of these superstars. If you want to attend in person or online, here’s the sign up link. Use my personal code GUTTUSO100 for $100 off.

Writing

Does Newsletter Writing Bring You Joy?

David Bauer thinks we might need a little therapy session when it comes to newsletter writing. In this piece he provides a list of ways to improve your relationship with your newsletter, including

• Writing it for yourself
• Muting unsubscribers
• And not comparing yourself to others

The best part?

“The year is 2021. You have a newsletter, obviously. Now how do you make it successful? Wrong question.”

I find it refreshing that his focus is on the joy of creating and not another newsletter monetization guide (see Money Matters for that sort of advice).

Discovered via Inbox Reads.

Curation

Creation vs. Curation. What’s The Goal?

In this high-level article, Angelina Eillott introduces creation vs. curation and offers some solid pointers about the curation process.

However, she ends with this and I’d have to disagree:

"Remember that the overall goal is to produce leads, whether you focus entirely on content development, content curation, or a combination of the two–if qualified prospects are coming to you as a result of your content strategy, you’re on the right track!"

I’d counter that while curation can play a role in acquisition, its main goals are establishing credibility and strengthening relationships. Curated newsletters are especially great for maintaining customer relationships.

Publishing

Could Texting Build Audience Engagement?

Publishers looking for new ways to engage and grow audiences might want to consider texting, k?

Last winter when the storms in Texas hit, the Texas Tribune started sending texts about lack of power, internet outages, and conserving phone battery. They promoted the sign-up via their web and social media accounts. After the storms, texting continued as a way to help readers, build loyalty, and increase engagement.

In this article, Michelle Ailport explains that texting could be a new way to meet people right where they are: on their phones. She also includes practical considerations for publishers who plan to adopt this strategy.

Could texting (breaking news) coexist with your newsletter (daily digest)? Something to think about.

Discovered via The Media Roundup.

Money Matters

Could These Newsletters’ Monetization Strategies Work For You?

You know those articles that you have to really spend some time with to fully absorb their value? This is one of them.

Glen Allsopp examines over 15 different newsletters, explains why their business models work, and breaks down how he’d monetize in different situations.

Bookmark this link for when you’re ready to spend time discovering if these models could work for you.

Related: Hoping to go pro as a creator? John Gannon is sharing tips. Discovered via Publisher Weekly.

Curated News

How To Control The Privacy of Your Curated Newsletter

In this quick tutorial video, Seth walks you through the settings in Curated that you can use to make your newsletter private. Learn how to turn off the publication site, limit signups, and create a subscription wall.

Note, these features are part of our Paid Newsletters release. Let us know if you’ve kicked the tires on that yet and if you have feedback. We’ve got even more exciting news to announce in the coming weeks.

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

Use This Video To Help Grow Your Email List

This video is brimming with ideas for list growth (think: Facebook Groups, etc.). This week your challenge is two-fold: 1. Watch the video and 2. Implement at least one of the ideas.

Discovered via For the Interested.

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.

Also, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with fellow email newsletter creators. All archived issues will be available on OptInWeekly.com, so you can send them the link to check it out.

Have a great week sending, y’all.