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So, you’re sending out newsletters every month, right?

Great!

Are they getting read? Clicked on? Bringing readers to the site?

If “yes”, congratulations! You’re doing it right. Keep going.

If “no”, well, you and I have to talk. Like, right NOW.

Sending out newsletters to your list is not enough. You need to gently persuade readers to not only open your emails but also, invite them to click through and visit you, connect with you, trust you.

The Newsletter is Dead

What? Wait, I thought this is about making a newsletter newsworthy. Well, you’re right, sort of.

The newsletter, as we know it is, dead.

It is no longer about sending out a boring, form letter that just talks about your business and what you do.

A newsletter is WAY more than that.

It is a short, fast-paced mystery story that has you intrigued and interested.

It is a warm, friendly note written to a friend.

It is a personal invitation that takes you behind-the-scenes.

It is an incredibly useful and exclusive scoop that no one else knows of.

Yes, the newsletter is no longer a list of links or paragraphs of text upon text all talking about you.

It’s about engaging with the reader.

It’s about inviting them to join you on your journey.

It’s about showing them how much you value them.

It’s about being partners, collaborators, co-conspirators.

Got a Match?

We need to light a spark and first burn up the old ideas about newsletters that we have. Our community is bombarded day in and day out by emails that shout “buy this!”, “Get this!”, “Take this!”.

They’re tuning you out. They’re feeling unheard. Worse, they feel sold to constantly. And if you’ve been in a shoe shop with a salesman who just doesn’t stop selling you 6-inch stilettos when all you need is a pair of pumps, you know that that isn’t a nice feeling, right?

Your community or as Leonie Dawson calls them “Raving, Happy Fans”, need to know that you’re listening to them and not just selling to them. Yes, you need a match!

Use that match to light a spark instead and fire up your creativity and explore ways to craft a newsletter that will engage, entice, excite your readers. {Tweet this!}

Here are 10 fired-up newsletter writing tips to get you started:

1. Personalize your emails. All email management software give you that flexibility. Use it.
2. Write what you’d like to read. Would you like to constantly be sold to? I think not. So, spare your readers the agony.
3. Share with authenticity and genuineness. Let your compassion and consideration for your reader shine through every single word. Let them feel that YOU actually FEEL their pain.
4. Share insanely useful information.
5. Speak as you would to a friend. These are real people who’ve given you their email addresses, the digital equivalent of a phone number. Respect that.
6. Ask questions about their lives, their struggles, their challenges.
7. Invite your community behind the scenes with you. Share with honesty. Warts-and-all.
8. Be you. You can learn from the experts but what works for them may not work for you.
9. If crafting an email is not your strong suit or you don’t have the time to be consistent, hire help.
10. Sell…sparingly.

Take Action

Are  YOUR emails to your customers not getting read? What can YOU change today? Choose ONE item from the 10 above and share with me in the comments.