Author Newsletters: A Love/Hate Relationship

April 2, 2015 Michelle Griep

Recently I attended a writing day with some authorly type buddies of mine. These are the big kids. The ones who've zipped around the writerly block on their scooters a time or two -- without skinning their knees. Honestly, I just try to keep my mouth shut so drool doesn't leak out at the corners.

Anyway, the topic of author newsletters came up. They all have one. Every last one . . . except for moi. Talk about peer pressure.

So, I voiced my biggest concern, that hey, who really needs one more stupid piece of spam filling their inbox? But here's the deal . . . apparently when people sign up for a newsletter, they actually want the dang thing. Go figure.

Hence my little venture into doing a giveaway (yes, you can still enter HERE) wherein people get a chance not only to sign up for my newsletter, but possibly win an audiobook as well. Can anyone say carrot and stick?

I figured that before I actually go sending out a newsletter, I'd better do some research on what goes into a good one, and what makes one end up in the trash . . .

What To Put Into a Newsletter

snappy content that has takeaway value for the reader, in bullet points or links, not uber long paragraphs
an attention grabbing subject line
introduce readers to something that expands their world -- a new author buddy, for instance
a call to action -- nothing grandiose like save all the starving children in Zimbabwe, but a smaller task such as be my friend on Goodreads
an unsubscribe button -- which seems counterintuitive but makes for happy, happy people
timely updates on new products, such as new books
a forward button or social media share buttons

What To Leave Out of a Newsletter

sales pitches that beat the snot out of the reader
pop-ups
third-grade grammar mistakes
fonts galore with crazy type sizes turning the whole page into a clown-filled circus

So, I guess I'll give this newsletter thing a whirl, probably three times a year. What are some of your favorite things about newsletters? Anything I missed? Leave your sage advice in the comment section.