Prologue

I’ve got a problem.

It’s the same one we all have.

I want your attention.

Not the kind you give something when you’re scrolling social media and you pause for a minute to respond and engage.

That kind is nice.

But I’ve got bigger plans for us.

I want the kind you give, say, a book you really like. Or a television show you’re hooked on.

I want the attention you reserve for when you know what I send is worth your time, maybe even your money.

I want to be the refreshing email inbox delivery you prioritize reading. Every week.

I know you’re tired of the constant flood of mediocre information out there.

So I’m committed to bringing you the best. That’s what a curated newsletter should do. On repeat.

I want to provide you with ideas you can use, strategies you can employ, and a challenge or two to make you better at sending newsletters worth reading—so that you can go earn and keep someone’s attention, too.

Let’s play hard to forget.

The entire process starts with setting goals.

What specific goals are you trying to achieve with your email newsletter?

In my very first issue of Opt In Weekly, I shared an amazing resource. Readership has almost tripled since then so I think it’s worth mentioning again for all the new subscribers.

Dan Oshinsky, former Director of Newsletters at Buzzfeed, has put together this amazing Newsletter Strategy Positioning Brief.

Make a copy of the Google Doc for yourself and use it to set goals, track key metrics, define your primary audience, and more.

Screen Share

“It’s a belief that what I’m doing is the right thing for my business.”

Fractional CMO Mark Evans sends a weekly newsletter as part of his marketing strategy. It’s the result of collecting newsletter-worthy links from many sources throughout the week.

In this interview, he walks us through the process he uses to create it and tells us how the newsletter deepens his relationship with subscribers. It includes some very strategic choices, like whether or not to include a Ricky Martin story in the next issue.

Newsletter Tips

Turn Your Newsletter Into an Experience

Writer Ari Lewis thinks your newsletter has the potential to be an experience. He recalls the thrill of subscribing to Game Informer as a child and eagerly awaiting its arrival.

“I still think there is a huge opportunity to start and build an email newsletter business. Remember that most people still don’t subscribe to many, if any, newsletters. If you can figure out how to make the experience as enjoyable as reading Game Informer, you’ll have a good publication.”

Note: I discovered this article via Really Good Emails.

17 Things Your Email Newsletter Needs Right Now

It’s checklist time!

Ann Handley, who I absolutely adore, has put together a list of 17 things your email newsletter needs.

“A global pandemic is a great time to launch an email newsletter.

Why? Because a crisis is not a time for Marketing to be clever or snarky. It’s a time to be helpful and sincere. It’s a time to build relationships, nurture customers, and create long-term loyalty.

There’s no better way to do that than with the slow, steady cadence of an email newsletter. But only when it’s done right.”

Because 17 might seem intimidating, I’ve picked my top five from her list:

1. A clear niche
2. Mostly insights; some promotion
3. A pillow over the face of anything with a whiff of “Dear Valued Customers.”
4. Context for curation
5. Questions

Any questions? You’ll probably want to click through and bookmark this one.

Marketing

Narrative Design > Product Positioning

Are you a Mad Men fan?

One of the most memorable lines of that show (for me) was when Don Draper said “If you don’t like what is being said, change the conversation.”

Those Madison Avenue theories still ring true today.

Hubspot’s Marcus Andrews explains why narrative framework is so important for companies and how the most successful stories depict a new reality in which their product is the only solution.

In other words, don’t be another option in a crowded category. Be the only product that solves the problem you’ve helped to frame.

It’s different than product positioning.

It’s creating a chance for your prospective customers to advance in the next reality.

It’s CHANGING THE CONVERSATION.

Don’t feel like reading? 🎙️ Here’s a podcast interview of Marcus discussing the same topic.

🎥 How the Hell Do You Get (and Keep) Email Subscribers

In this video, Jason Rodriguez of Litmus presents a variety of ways to get email subscribers.

My favorites?

“Your subscribers are your team. Make them feel like it.”

“Write something worth reading.”

Read the blog transcript here.

Related: Check out How I Got 100,000 Visitors and 5,000 Email Subscribers in 6 Weeks.

Curation

What is Content Curation and Why Do You Need It?

Daniella Cavalletti explains why content curation is so effective and provides three quick tips for becoming a really great curator.

Image Source: Cavalletti Communications

Publishing

Is there a Large Market for Super Expensive Media Subscriptions?

Simon Owens breaks down the potential of enterprise subscription revenue models such as the Bloomberg Terminal.

A Fresh Publishing Study Argues that Paid Digital Subscriptions are the Only Avenue to Growth

This Poynter article unpacks the latest Zuora report on publishing subscriptions.

The bottom line:

“Subscription volume continues to grow even during the pandemic, but ads (as measured by other sources) are sinking even faster than they were before and will continue to do so...

Hence, ‘publishers who are not using digital subscriptions should start,’ the report recommends.”

Related: Check out How premium, ad-free subscriptions are working in local news

Also Related: Find out why In Reader Revenue Model, It’s All About Who You Know

Money Matters

Business Inc. Nears Deal to Buy Controlling Stake in Morning Brew for $75M

Five years ago, some college guys launched Morning Brew, a daily business and finance newsletter. Three million subscribers later, and they may be entering agreement with Business Insider parent company Business Inc.

“The terms the companies are discussing would value Morning Brew at over $75 million, including certain performance incentives, the people said. The companies haven’t completed a deal, and the talks could still fall apart.”

Key takeaway for newsletter creators:

“Newsletters often command higher advertising rates than traditional display ads in news articles because they allow advertisers to reach engaged users directly in their email inboxes.”

Curated News

Brace yourself, Curated users.

This is exciting.

We’ve made those year-end annual metrics that show you trends over the past year available in real time.

What does that mean? Now you’ll have even better insights into what’s resonating with your audience.

The new report includes:

• Average open and click rates over all issues published this year
• Your 5 most popular issues
• Your 5 most popular categories
• Your publication’s top 5 link sources
• Number of new subscribers this year
• Total links collected
• Top 10 overall links
• Top link per category

You’ll find this under Statistics in Summary Report.

Be sure to let us know what you think.

Opt In Challenge

Understand Why Email Accessibility Matters and Do Something About It

Did you realize that email accessibility is equally as important as website accessibility?

Your Opt In Challenge this week is to make your email more accessible to EVERYONE. This article will help you understand why and help get you started.

Image Source: Email on Acid

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.

Thanks for reading,