If you don't have this, email will always be a struggle

--> but it's easier to fix than you think

Value-based email newsletters are pretty simple really.

You need a topic to write about. An idea or lesson or tip related to that topic that your readers will find valuable.

And then an interesting way of writing about it - perhaps a story, an analogy, a quote, a nicely formatted list.

And then a call to action to get folks to do stuff.

That’s it really. Simples.

You don’t need to be a brilliant writer. You don’t need the edge-of-seat dramatic stories some folks seem to think are crucial. People are tuning in for your insights, not your eloquence.

Good writing helps, of course. Interesting stories keep people reading and looking forward to the next email even if the lesson wasn’t directly relevant. Smart copywriting gets more people to take action.

But you don’t need to be a brilliant or even a great writer. Just decent is enough.

What you do need though is a topic your readers will care about.

And that starts with understanding the problems, challenges, goals and aspirations of your ideal clients.

So here’s the big question: do you have a list, a map, a “database”, a file - anywhere where you’ve written down those problems, challenges, goals and aspirations?

And if you answered “Yes, it’s in my head” you should be hearing the Family Fortunes “uh uh” zero points buzzer right about now.

Having that list in your head just isn’t good enough, no matter how well you think you know your audience.

Our working memory isn’t big enough to hold everything. So we end up using the most memorable or the most recently experienced ones rather than the full range.

And after a while that becomes boring for your readers.

And if those ideas are just in our head you can’t see the connections, join the dots, spark new ideas.

Write. Them. Down.

Ideally on paper. My preferred methods are mindmaps or “Current Reality Trees”.

On your computer or tablet is OK. But paper is better. On paper you can really explore and expand and see the big picture.

And super importantly, you can have them in front of you when it comes to writing.

You can glance at them and pick off what jumps out. Or explore them and dig deeper to get a topic you haven’t covered before.

If you’ve got a list like that, get it out (or print it out if it’s on your computer). Have it in front of you when you’re about to start writing.

Because whenever you write about the problems, challenges, goals and aspirations your clients care about, you’ll be writing something they’ll be interested in.

And if you haven’t got that list yet? Or it’s just something you have in your head?

I’ll share an easy method to get started that doesn’t involve weeks of research next time.

- Ian

PS - the methods I use myself to come up with topic ideas - and ways of illustrating them to make them interesting - are all here.