When I started my
current weekly e-newsletter (click here to subscribe) I was so confused about
what the difference would be between what I would share there vs what I share
on my blog.
It was such a
mystery to me, so I hunted and hunted in every corner of the Internet for the
answer. What kind of content do you share in a creative newsletter as opposed
to a blog.
Surprisingly, it was
hard for me to find any specific guidance, which lead to procrastination and
stress. I just couldn't wrap my head around what the difference was between the
two.
Add to that the
occasional "artist" self doubt, creating the thoughts "What
does it matter anyway? …and why would anyone care about what I have to say or
be interested in me and my process? Why would someone want to read both?"
It took looking a
little outside of my creative niche but I did more research and started to cull
together some ideas and suggestions that I will share below. These have helped
me stay within certain parameters when planning and creating content for each
platform. Maybe they will help you too!
Suggestions for both
a creative newsletter and a blog:
- Keep it brief. Readers are busy and there is a lot of content competing for their attention.
- Be professional but don't be afraid to write in your personality. After all, these tools are for people to get to know you.
- Read and reread your posts and writing. Edit and check for typos.
Blog post tips:
- Share content that is less time sensitive. Remember, this information might be found by someone a year or more from now when they search your topic.
- Share more universally interesting topics and content. Gearing your content to a wider audience.
- Create posts that are useful, like tutorials or tips. Share your expertise or process in a way that can help others searching for guidance.
Newsletter content
tips:
- I guess my biggest (and most surprising) take-away is that the most popular and successful newsletters are not geared towards "selling" anything. It is more about connecting with your readers and developing a relationship.
- The writing in a newsletter can be more conversational, like a visit from a friend. People that subscribe are interested in what you do and who you are, so honor that with an authentic connection.
- Share time sensitive information, special events, new releases, exclusive deals and even a glimpse into your personal life. Reward your readers with something special for subscribing and reading.
My number one tip to
organize my content:
I keep a running
list of topics and ideas in one centrally located place. Right now, that place
is the app "OneNote". OneNote works across all of my devices, making
it available for a quick idea add at any time.
I have two file tabs
in the app. One is titled "Posts in the works" and the other is
"Used posts".
In the "Posts
in the works" tab I create a new "note" for each idea and start
the title of the note with "B" (for blog) or "NL" (for newsletter). That way I know which
direction the writing needs to go and can easily access ideas for both. As I
use each topic I move it to the "Used posts" tab.
It's super simple
and very functional.
As of this writing I
have 15 blog ideas started, 4 newsletter ideas started and 2 that might be able
to go either way. It makes sense that there are so many more ideas for my blog
because those are not time sensitive. There are fewer for my newsletter because
those are more current.
Do you have
guidelines you use for blog or newsletter post content?
Do you have a useful
way to organize and store your ideas?
I'd love to know what works for you!
I'd love to know what works for you!
Until next week,
Pam
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