Why an email newsletter will work for you

👉 even if you're not a brilliant writer

Today I’m going to explain why an email newsletter works even when you’re not a brilliant writer or expert marketer. But there are three key things you need - I’ll explain them too.

But first, a word from our sponsors…

--- A message from our Sponsors ---

OK, OK, so we don’t actually have any sponsors. But I do enjoy hearing myself saying “and now a word from our sponsors” in 1950s American TV announcer voice…

And what I want to do is answer an important question I’ve had in about the upcoming Unsnooze Your Inbox online course. Namely…

What if I don’t have the time to write emails?

The truth is that none of us have a lot of time. The good news is that writing an email newsletter probably takes a lot less time than you think.

My newsletters are quite long. But that’s because after years of practice, I can write them quite quickly.

But I subscribe to other excellent newsletters that are often just a few paragraphs long. Perhaps the perfect example being this work of genius from Louis Grenier, the host of “Everyone Hates Marketers”.

In practice, a decent “conversational email” as I teach in the course should take you 30-60 minutes to write.

And if you haven’t got 30-60 minutes a week?

Reprioritise.

Building credibility and trust and staying top of mind with potential clients is the highest ROI marketing you can do. If you can’t find that 60 minutes then cut out a networking event. Cut down your time on Linkedin. There’s practically nothing that’s higher value that you shouldn’t cut down on to make space for keeping in touch.

And if you’re still struggling, we’ll have a video in the course on the best ways to organise yourself to make the time for a newsletter.

--- Now back to our scheduled programming… ---

I enjoyed saying that in 1950s American TV announcer voice too :)

Anyway, I promised to tell you why anyone can write an effective email newsletter even if they’re not a brilliant writer or professional marketer.

And I’m going to do it with an example.

A few weeks ago my son Chris and I hit on the idea of doing a daily email newsletter for fans of Newcastle United.

We were both spending far too long scouring news and fan sites for the latest transfer and team news before the new season started.

What both of us could have done with was an update every day of all the latest reliable news. Because believe me there’s a ton of clickbait dross out there in the world of football news you can waste a ton of time on.

So we decided we’d set one up.

And by “we” I mean that I set it up and Chris does the writing.

We’re now a month in, and still in “stealth” mode. We haven’t made millions or even built a big following.

But frankly, I’ve been staggered by what’s happened.

Just to be clear, Chris isn’t a marketing person or a writer. He’s got a PhD in Marine Zoology.

And frankly, his spelling and grammar makes his mother weep.

But something magical has happened with the newsletter.

I’m reading it every day - not as a Dad, but as a fan.

My original idea was simply that he’d link to the best articles, news, podcasts and videos of the day. But instead, he’s writing detailed analyses of our new signings and where they’d fit in, how we might play against our next opponents, what their strengths and weaknesses are, match reports. The lot really.

And it’s good. Really good.

His spelling and grammar is still atrocious. This week he talked about Neigh Sayers.

But it doesn’t matter. I’m gripped.

He’s pulling data from sports databases I’d not heard of before and combining it with his own reviews of each game along with insights from other experts to produce his previews. And they’re the best I’ve ever seen.

They’re so good that even his Mum, who really doesn’t like football, is getting interested. I haven’t managed to get Kathy interested in football in 37 years of being together so far.

Here’s what Chris has got that makes his newsletter so good - and I bet you have it too.

He hasn’t got expert writing skills.

He’s not a professional marketer.

But he loves the topic. He has passion. That comes through in his writing and it drives him to dig deep to learn as much as he can and to get better and better.

And he has expertise. Some of that is 26 years of indoctrination into Newcastle United which I can take some credit for. But the vast majority he’s picked up himself.

And the really interesting thing is that the newsletter has made him more expert. Because he’s having to write match previews and analyses he’s having to push himself. He’s looking deeper and further for insights than he might do if he was just rambling about it in the pub or on the phone to me post-game.

And the final thing he’s got - and this is perhaps the rarest quality - is the grit and determination to keep at it.

He’s newly married, with a full-time job and a 90-minute commute to work and back each day. But he’s churned out articles day in, day out. Some short. Some funny. Some in-depth and thoughtful. All good.

For a successful newsletter that builds credibility and trust with clients you don’t need to be anywhere near as prolific. A solid email a week is enough. But that will need a little bit of grit and determination to keep you going in the early days.

How about you?

Have you got what Chris has got?

A passion for your topic? Expertise? The grit and determination to spend maybe an hour a week writing your newsletter.

If you have, you can have dedicated fans like me tuning in to your every word.

And that means you can be building credibility and trust with potential clients and building their readiness to buy from you week in, week out.

For an hour a week.

For me, it’s a no-brainer.

And you can get your step-by-step guide here for a crazy bargain pre-launch price of just £47:

Me, I’m off to read Chris’s preview of Newcastle vs Liverpool.

- Ian