Prologue

You know what’s not fun?

Knocking on 6 car doors of unsuspecting elementary school parents consecutively to ask them if they’d mind moving to the side to let you squeeze through to get to the early activities line at 6:40 a.m.

This was me last Friday, feeling ridiculous but at least glad I’d opted to put on a hoodie instead of a robe for my 5th-grader’s Leadership Academy drop off.

She normally rides the bus but it gets to her school at 7:10 and their meetings start at 7, so parents are advised to arrive early enough to get in an early activities line that wraps around the back of the school.

But the trick is this:

In order to get in the line you have to get to the school before the regular line is long enough to block the entrance.

Which means you need to be there between 6:30 and 6:40, so that you can get in the line then wait until they allow your child to get out of the car at 7.

I spend an hour from the time I leave my house to when I get back to drop off a child at a school that is 10 minutes away.

And, last week, for the first time, I was late.

So I swallowed my pride and started knocking on car windows.

Each parent was startled, then rolled down their window and shared a laugh with me about my mess up and agreed to pull aside once I’d spread the word.

They parted the waters.

Mischief managed.

And not nearly as stressful as trying to catch a cruise boat after a canceled flight.

But there’s a content / newslettering lesson here:

Some weeks you’re going to be behind and it’s going to take extra effort to publish on or close to schedule.

Achieving consistency is probably one of the most challenging parts of creating content or sending a newsletter.

Self-imposed deadlines are easy to punt, if you feel like it’s only you you’re letting down.

But if you’re building an audience and have set an expectation that you will be sending something really good at a regular cadence, the best way to keep earning their trust is to keep the commitment.

Figure out ways to hold yourself accountable.

Learn what helps you hit goals.

Figure out how to make it happen.

Enlist help if you need it.

I’ll be leaving 15 minutes earlier for activity drop off tomorrow.

I’ve figured out that’s what it’s going to take to avoid knocking on windows and being “that mom.”

But will I be perfect and never slip up again?

Probably not.

So, the other piece of this advice: come to peace with giving yourself the grace to fall short of an intention every so often.

Better yet: help your audience understand why it happened.

Use it to endear yourself to them.

If they’re following / subscribed to your content because they find it highly valuable, they’ll appreciate it when you’re willing to be vulnerable.

They’ll “pull aside” when you ask.

I hope you enjoy this week’s curated links.

Newsletter Tips

Advice From Josh Spector

Newsletter creator Josh Spector For the Interested sat down with Daniel Murray on The Marketing Millenials podcast and discussed:

• The difference between content that’s just shared and content that drives change
• Why you should always take a value-first approach
• Why good marketing is really about serving people
• Other cool things

Listen to the podcast (38 minutes) and/or check out the notes here.

Launching Good Content

John Bonini is launching his Good Content! newsletter soon.

What you should know:

1. It’s going to be about how to create good content
2. He’s promoting it to an engaged audience before the launch (I love when creators take us along for the ride)

Platformer Creator Reflects On 2 Years Of Newslettering

Two years ago, Casey Newton quit his job and started Platformer. In this issue (republished by Nieman Lab), he shares what he’s learned and what he’s changing moving forward.

Discovered via The Media Roundup.

Plan Content Like A Showrunner

Robert Rose encourages content strategists to stop fruitless brainstorming sessions and instead approach their content marketing strategy like a TV showrunner: create an overarching story that unfolds over time.

Marketing

How do you know where to start, how to set goals, and if what you’re doing is even worth it?

The following is a contextualized roundup of recent advice from content marketers worth paying attention to (sorted by topic):

Awareness/Affinity

• Is one of your content marketing goals brand awareness? Seth Richtsmeier identifies 6 strategies to implement in this Smart Brief article including understanding your audience, using multiple channels, and investing in analytics.
• However, in her LinkedIn post, Alli Tunell explains why “brand awareness” as a goal isn’t specific or timely enough. Instead, she offers 3 examples of granular goals that help create dynamic results.
• Taking it further, James Carbary advocates for affinity over awareness. In this 90-second video he asks, “how do you know if your content is good?” and concludes that it comes down to vetting. Who vets the quality of the content you create?

ROI

• “How will content marketing have a business impact?” Not sure how to answer this question? Jacalyn Beales explains what to do (and why you should do it) in 3 steps.
• When it comes to ROI, the type of content you create matters. Instead of creating mediocre blog posts, Lyndsay Cambridge advocates for creating these 4 types of ROI-delivering content: 1. Original research content, 2. Time saver content, 3. Example-led content, 4. Client-success content

Want to know what makes people commit? These insights could help:

“‘Benefits’ don’t sell people.” -Liz Willits

But CORE DESIRES, do, says Liz, who breaks down 8 core desires in this post. She explains how knowing what they are can help you create better content.

John McTigue came at it from a similar angle, identifying top motivations including:

1. A fire is actually burning.
2. They are told to, albeit indirectly.
3. Because it’s the stairway to Heaven.
4. Because it’s the right time.
5. Because if you don’t…
6. Because the neighbors…
7. Because it’s the right thing to do.

Don’t Make These SEO Mistakes

Are you unintentionally hurting your SEO rankings? Mark Walker-Ford identified 14 common SEO mistakes in this Social Media Today article (and created a helpful/easy-to-skim infographic).

Discovered via theCLIKK.

Writing

10 Copywriting Resources

“Copywriting is a money-printing skill.”

On his Twitter, Tanmay Singh Chauhan put together a thread of 10 copywriting websites designed to help you master the skill.

Discovered via Marketer Crew.

Does Word Count Matter?

Is there a “right” length when it comes to blog posts? Margarita Loktionova explains how to determine your optimal length and includes pros and cons of long-form posts here.

Discovered via theCLIKK.

Money Matters

Spend Smarter On Facebook Ads

Aazar Shad has spent over $1 million on Facebook ads and has learned a few things. His Twitter thread offers 10 principles for creating ads that work.

Discovered via Growth Marketing Weekly.

Opt In Challenge

Make Sure Your Emails Are Reaching The Inbox

Do you know if your newsletter is actually making it to your readers’ inboxes? If you don’t (or you want to make sure), your Opt In Challenge is to walk through this article by Yanna-Torry Aspraki and implement the tips included.

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.

Happy content marketing (and newslettering),