Unlock the Power of Newsletters
A Beginner’s Guide to Boosting Blog Traffic and Monetization
Are you a new writer struggling to reach your audience?
Imagine having a dedicated group of readers eagerly awaiting your updates. That’s the power of a newsletter!
But if you do not know about newsletters, I will explain their what and why.
This article will tell you:
- What is a newsletter?
- Why should you start a newsletter even if you are a beginner writer?
- How to set up your newsletter account?
- What do you write in the newsletter content?
Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the read.
What is a newsletter?
A newsletter is a series of emails you send to do any of the following activities.
- Share what you know about a specific topic
- Provide an update about a free or paid product ( ebook, webinar, YouTube, course) you plan to launch shortly.
- Probe pain points of your subscribers in their writing journey and solve them through your content.
If you have zero subscribers, publish your newsletter link when you post on social media and the writing platform.
The newsletter is a tool to gather the email ID of the readers in exchange for a free product.
Think about it this way. X is a new writer and Y is a reader. Why would Y want to give his email ID for free?
Making payments is a pain for everyone(including me!). So unless you earn their trust by helping them move closer to their goal, they will not bother to share their email ID.
The free stuff you give in exchange for your readers’ email ID is called lead magnets. Here is a list of easy lead magnets you can prepare with free tools like Canva.
Recap: A newsletter is a tool to gather the email ID of the readers in exchange for a free product. You can send emails at any frequency that suits you(daily/weekly/monthly).
Why should you start a newsletter even if you are a beginner writer?
Do you want to avoid the hassle of starting and maintaining a newsletter?
Check the below list of problems of not starting a newsletter.
1. Lack of Direct Audience Engagement
You will miss the chance of direct engagement with your readers. As a result, building a loyal audience becomes tough for you.
2. Reduced Traffic to His Website
Views and engagements are the top parameters of blog monetization. You can redirect your subscribers to your blog to maintain views. Otherwise, you will struggle to maintain a steady flow of views to your blog content.
3. Limited Monetization Opportunities
You can monetize newsletters through ads, sponsored content, or paid subscriptions. You miss out on these revenue streams if you do not have a newsletter.
4. Lower Reader Retention
Regular newsletters build audience engagement. They will want to read how you solved their problems(for free). Without a newsletter, it is difficult for you to retain readers over a long time.
5. Missed Feedback
Newsletters help the writer get feedback on his content so that he can improve it to sync with the audience. Without a newsletter, you may miss insights for your content.
6. Weaker Brand Presence
You can write a story about your brand and what it offers to the audience. Without a newsletter, you miss the opportunity to introduce your brand to the audience.
7. Dependence on Third-Party Platforms
If you rely solely on social media or any other platform, you depend on their algorithm. A newsletter provides more control over your audience.
8. Difficulty in Building Community
The newsletter creates a sense of community with your readers. You will find it hard to build a dedicated and interactive audience base without a newsletter.
9. Lower Conversion Rates
Newsletters are helpful tools to convert readers to customers. It is easy to sell products to a group of people who already know about your brand and what you offer compared to a new set of people. Without newsletters, the conversion rate might suffer.
10. Inability to Track Reader Preferences
Newsletter reports give you an idea about what the audience reads most. You can tweak the content to match their preference. Without a newsletter, you may lose audience engagement.
You will miss out on a lot of opportunities if you avoid starting a newsletter.
Here is a list of newsletter benefits for you to remember.
Monetization opportunities
Community building
Website traffic improvement
Audience engagement
Recap: Newsletter helps you own the email list, and it’s an easy way to boost audience engagement.
Now that you know why you should start a newsletter, stay tuned to the next section to set up a newsletter quickly.
How to set up your newsletter account?
There are many newsletter platforms you can choose from. But here are a few you can start exploring.
- Mailchimp — mailchimp.com
- Substack — substack.com
- Constant Contact — constantcontact.com
- ConvertKit — convertkit.com
- GetResponse — getresponse.com
Check the below YouTube video for a quick guide on creating your first newsletter.
Wait..do you get confused about forms and landing pages?
I have got you covered.
Check below for a quick understanding.
Recap: As a beginner, start with any free newsletter platform.
You have set up your newsletter. Now, the question is about the content in the newsletter. Hop in the next section to get an idea about what to write.
What do you write in the newsletter content?
Do you have zero subscribers?
List all that you learned in the last few months. It could be in any area of your life.
- Business
- Personal
- Health
- Finance
- Emotional
- Travel
You must have had some challenges on these topics. How did you overcome them? What techniques helped you? Like this, you can share your story.
If you are working on your hobby and learning a few skills, you can share your learning with the audience( if you have a small email list).
There is no fixed content format for writing a newsletter. As you write more, you can tweak it to suit your current writing journey.
Once you establish your creative business, you can use the newsletter to promote your upcoming books, webinars, or courses.
You will find plenty of newsletter templates in any newsletter platform you choose. Below is a list of landing page templates from Convertkit.
Recap: You can share what you have learned in your immediate past or what you plan to learn.
It’s a wrap.
I hope this article gives you some idea about why you should start a newsletter and how you can set up a newsletter.
Now, open your laptop and create your first newsletter.
Developing daily writing habits is the soul of building and maintaining a newsletter. Do you want to learn how to write daily? Click here for a free ebook.
This ebook has given me 14 new subscribers and the first $1 through online writing. Before writing this ebook I had a million limiting beliefs as to why would anyone want to read a book written by a beginner.
So, if you hesitate to start a newsletter thinking who would read it, know that someone is always out there who faced the same challenge as you did and your solution approach might help them.
