How to Actually get People to Subscribe to your Newsletter
If you dream of being a published author or profitable blogger, you know there's something called a "newsletter." A newsletter is a form of email communication to take your followers off of social media and get a little more intimate in their inbox.
It can feel intimidating and obscure, especially if you feel like you don't have a niche and you aren't sure what your newsletter should even include.
The biggest mistake writers make when creating a newsletter is making it too vague and general.
Here's a hard, blunt truth: no one cares about your "updates."
Take a scroll through social media or read through the copy on someone's sign up for a newsletter and you'll often read some version of "subscribe for updates!"
The problem with this language is that it's focused on the author or blogger instead of on the audience. Any good marketer can tell you that we aren't the hero. The hero is the person consuming our content, which should provide the transformation that is promised.
Asking someone to "subscribe for updates" is too vague and it doesn't show the potential subscriber any reason for them to subscribe.
In the writing world, it's a popular practice to write for one specific person. In my creative writing classes in college we used to talk a lot about how "specific is relatable."
The fear many people run into is that they think using specific language will isolate people. It actually does the opposite. Being in Nashville, I think the perfect example is country music. Country music writers know the value of specific language. They write songs with lyrics like "I'd be feelin' on fire on a hardwood stage / Bright lights like lightning runnin' through my veins / At the Grand Ole Opry or a show in some no-name town" and "There's a box of greasy parts sitting in the trunk of that '65 / Still waiting on you and your granddad to bring it back to life."
Those are two very specific situations and I have never experienced either of them, but I can sing along to the songs and I know exactly what they're intended to mean.
To get people to actually subscribe to your newsletter, be insanely specific.
Start with your copywriting that asks people to subscribe. Make sure it is clear and specific so that even if your intended audience doesn't match the exact description you provide, they know what you mean.
Here's an example from when I started my weekly newsletter:
"Whether you’re in the middle of starting a business and trying to figure out how to pay your taxes, or navigating an uncertain journey towards who God called you to be when you can’t even figure out how to meal plan, you’re welcome here."
The thing standing between you and consistent subscribers to your newsletter could be as simple as making your invite to subscribers more specific.