#5onFri: Five Lessons I Learned as a Novice Newsletter Writer
Embarking on the journey of newsletter writing can be a thrilling yet daunting experience. Discover five invaluable lessons learned from a novice's perspective, offering insights that can guide you through the labyrinth of crafting compelling newsletters.
Social media
A necessary evil? How important is it?
- Open the door to your potential readers and future fans
- Moderated by you-you are in control of content, you decide who receives it and when
- Launched the 100 Subscribers Challenge with ConvertKit
Brenda Rech
She is happily married with two daughters, one dog, three cats, and a bird named Amy Farrah Fowler.
- Her flower gardens are forever at the beginner’s stages as she would rather hike with her husband and dog or explore her writing.
- Her favorite breakfast is crispy bacon and strawberry jam on white toast.
Don’t overextend yourself
Ask yourself two questions: how much time do you want to spend on your platform, and how often should you send it out?
- Whatever commitment you make, be sure you can follow through
- Commit to a weekly or biweekly newsletter.
Do outlines
Organize what is going to happen in each newsletter
- Have an outline to fall back on
- If you have a series of articles on one subject, outline from beginning to end
- Or even better, write the complete story and then break it into pieces
Research
Researching a topic can be a huge rabbit hole
- Just finding the distance that your house moved on that first day, five years ago, can chew up an hour
- Picking the perfect picture of your house sitting in the middle of a farmer’s field… don’t even get me started on how long that takes
Have fun
Don’t take yourself too seriously
- Find a platform that works for you
- If something interests you, it will interest someone else
- Whoever enjoys your musings will stay, those that don’t will unsubscribe
- Social media is an evil
Editing/formatting
Transcribing into the computer is only the first of a multi-step step. You have to edit and revise to get it to the point where it is “good enough.”
- Transfer to your newsletter template, find titles, make sure your fonts are consistent, get the pictures where you want them, and all of the other things that make it look good.
Be prepared for responses, good or bad
If you make an error, own it
- Thank your readers for their input, and double- and triple-check your grammar, spelling, and dates before replying to any of the comments you receive
- This will make the writing easier and more enjoyable for everyone involved
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