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Build Your List: Newsletters as an Author Platform Building Tool
January 19, 2012
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by Kristen Sears
One critical component to building your author platform is to create and maintain a regular newsletter. Speaking directly to those who are interested in what you have to say on a regular basis with relevant and compelling content will bring you some great marketing and conversion opportunities now and well into the future.
First, we will discuss why you need a newsletter in the first place. Then, we’ll get into the finer details of ways it can work for you and how it can be most effectively distributed.
Every author is doing it. Here’s why.
The primary purpose of your newsletter is simple. It’s list building, list building, list building. There is no more direct way to communicate with your audience than through this channel. After all, each person has opted to be included in this list. These are your peeps. They want to hear from you and they welcome you into their inbox. This list is something to be preserved, pampered, and treasured. It’s unique and specific to you as an author and it is priceless. Deliver them content that is useful and uniquely available to them and they will continue letting you into their inbox again and again.
Leverage your list by giving them the good stuff.
Offer exclusives to your newsletter subscribers so they see the tangible benefit of being a member of your list. This could be special discounts or bonus materials for your current book, sneak peeks of your new material, or contests to win things not directly related to your book at all. Get creative and deliver value!
Looking for a way to drive attendees to an event or to capitalize on that great interview or review you have coming up? Let your list know all about it in your newsletter. You just may convert some potential readers to bona fide book buyers by doing so.
You can also let your loyal list take some ownership of your yet-to-be-published works by getting them involved in the process early. Ask them what they want to see from you next, survey them about such topics as title or character names, or let them weigh in on cover comps. You don’t HAVE to take their advice if it’s not what is best for your book, but getting their opinion can create some buy in from their side, which is of paramount importance when it’s time to move the needle on book two, three, or four.
Finally, don’t forget to incentivize them to tell a friend or colleague. After all, the goal is to grow your list. Ask them to help you and give them a great reason to do so, such as free content or access to you directly for a book club or training session.
Now that you know you need one, how should you handle getting it out there?
You can opt to manage your list yourself by essentially sending out a mass email or a series of mass emails once your list gets really big. That is appealing to those who don’t want to learn a new system or outsource something they feel perfectly competent in managing themselves. But there are benefits to utilizing a newsletter distribution service that are worth seriously considering.
Using a newsletter distribution service will ensure that you are meeting any legal requirements necessary, such as including a way to unsubscribe, and also makes those functions hands off for you, saving you time. You can also access analytics such as open rates that would not be available to you if you simply sent out a mass email. Finally, your newsletter can appear more professional in design very easily and will be formatted for either text only or image viewing so that your smart phone readers can still get your message without all the graphics if they choose.
If you aren’t already on the newsletter bandwagon, it’s high time you jumped aboard. With relative ease, you can be up and running on building your author platform with this important marketing tool in no time flat! The benefits of doing so will surely make it worth your while.
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How to Keep Your eNewsletter Out of the "Trash"
August 21, 2008
by Katelynn Knutson
In this day and age of hyperinteractive media and communication, it is essential to maintain routine contact with your readers and clients. There is nothing like personal contact, but let’s face it, communicating via e-mail is often a preferable way to correspond. E-mail allows us to be clear and concise, saving us lots of time. It also lets us edit what we say before sending and customize our message so that it is attractive and attention grabbing. An eNewsletter is just what the doctor ordered!
It’s great to know that your newsletter subscribers actually want to read what you send out. They have chosen to receive your daily, weekly, or monthly updates. So treat them nice and offer them something of value.
Here are some basic things to keep in mind when sending an eNewsletter.
Define your purpose: This should be the first thing you establish before sending. Determine the purpose of the week’s newsletter and then make sure it is clear throughout. The whole point of e-mail marketing is to get an idea across to as many people as possible. Take advantage of this and truly spend time developing the specific idea you want to convey. Then include the most important information at the top of the e-mail. That way, it will appear in the preview pane and catch the attention of the reader.
Let them know it’s you: Always include your name or brand in the “from” and “subject” lines. These are the first things recipients see, and they need to recognize instantly that the e-mail came from a reputable source. Use very specific and consistent language so they know not to delete it or move it to their spam folder.
Follow the rules: Speaking of spam, it is essential that you comply with CAN-SPAM laws. Send your newsletter only to people that have “opted in,” and be sure to include an option for them to “opt out” of receiving future e-mails.
Do some quality control: Make sure you always proofread your text, verify the message of the e-mail, check all links to make sure they work, offer a plain-text version and an html version so that everyone can read it, and send to the correct mailing list. These are some basic quality-control methods to make sure your newsletter is up to standard. It's always a good idea to have another pair of eyes look over the newsletter before you hit “send” to catch anything you might have missed.
Make sure to keep it fresh: People are flooded with e-mails every day, so it’s very important to keep your newsletter interesting. Include links to your corresponding websites and blogs, add multimedia content, and allow readers to give feedback and share your newsletter with others. It is vital that you are not just using your newsletter as a sales pitch for your book. You want to offer useful and interesting content for the subscribers so they know they have something new to view every time they receive your e-mails.
Give it some personality: Determine your newsletter’s personality type. Is your newsletter a straightforward business type or does it have a more easygoing and casual vibe? Once this is established, make sure you stay consistent. Most e-mail marketers will also have corresponding websites. Keep with the look or the “brand” featured on the site so that the newsletter and website match up. This is a great way to build brand recognition. Also include something personal in your newsletter, perhaps some quick background information on yourself or the company. Personalize it so it seems approachable to the reader.
Always be on time: It’s a good idea to set a delivery time you think works best for your readers. What day of week and time of day seem to be most appropriate for them to receive your newsletter? Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and after 9:00 a.m. PST is normally preferred. You want your readers to get in the office, clean out spam, and start the day before you hit them with an important message. Once you have the time established, stick to it! Your readers should know when to expect your newsletter in their inboxes.
Okay, so now you’re ready to send your newsletter but have no idea how to manage your ever-growing contact list. There are countless e-mail marketing services that can help. Make sure that you research several companies before committing to one to ensure it fits your newsletter needs.
Happy sending!
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