Why people REALLY read your newsletter

--> my take

I think a lot of “experts” get this completely wrong - and as a result, give questionable advice.

Because if you’re mistaken about why people read your newsletter you’re going to write the wrong things and end up losing them. And generic advice like “give value” doesn’t really help.

But with a little bit of common sense and harnessing our own experience, I think we can navigate this pretty well.

Quick sidebar: In this article I’m talking about newsletters used to build relationships and credibility with potential clients and to promote your products and services, rather than paid newsletters.

So the first thing to note is that the reason people sign up for your newsletter is often quite different to the reason they open and read it on an ongoing basis.

It’s because the context is different. And that context is vital to understand.

When someone signs up for your newsletter it’s almost always to get something useful.

That could be because they stumbled across a social media post promoting your newsletter, or a Google search led them to your website, or someone recommended it.

At that point they had to make a decision: do I want to hand over my email address to get this newsletter or not? And they’ll have been swayed by what you promise to deliver in the newsletter and any associated lead magnet, how strongly others recommend it, and how useful they’ve found what they’ve already seen from you (like in your social media or blog post).

In that context, size is important.

The more value (credibly) promised, the more likely someone is to sign up.

“A how-to guide to writing articles that rank well on Google? Great - that’s something I need to get my head round. I’ll download it and read it when I get some time”.

By and large, the more value you can promise, the more likely people are to sign up. As long as that value is credible, and as long as it doesn’t feel like they’ll have to invest a ton of effort into acquiring it (like watching a 3-hour video from someone they don’t know yet).

So more value = good.

But “more value” can be a trap when it comes to writing your newsletter - because the context in which people read newsletters is very different to when they sign up.

Reading a newsletter happens in your inbox.

It happens either when you’re scanning your inbox for work-related emails, or when you’re using your inbox as a break from other harder work.

You’re not going to your inbox to “get value”. And if you wanted some information you’d most likely Google it or these days ask an AI.

When you’re in your inbox your decision is essentially “how do I want to spend my time right now?”

Your newsletter is competing for attention against important work emails, emails from friends and lovers, adverts and promos and other newsletters. Plus the lure of social media, the dog barking for attention next door and a whole host of other stuff.

Someone opening and reading your email is making a gut decision that - right now - reading your email would be preferable to all those other options.

Not necessarily more valuable. But preferable.

Take my newsletter for example.

9 times out of 10, someone reading my newsletter hasn’t been sitting at their desk thinking “you know what, I’d like to get some valuable information about newsletters. I’ll just log in and see if Ian has sent me anything”.

They’re already in their inbox and they notice my name and an intriguing subject line in amongst all the other stuff they have to read and they think “Ian’s emails are always kind of interesting and fun. I’ve got a couple of minutes and I’d rather read one of his emails than this other stuff - I can read that stuff later”.

They - or more accurately you - probably don’t go through that full mental dialogue: it’s more of a gut feel. But behind the scenes, your System 1 brain is running those heuristics.

So what on earth does all that mean?

It means we should be very aware that to the vast majority of our readers, our emails are light entertainment. They’re an interesting break from the drudgery of their inbox.

And we should be proud of that.

David Attenborough is light entertainment. Mythbusters is light entertainment. Carl Sagan was light entertainment.

You can be a deep expert and still communicate in a light way. The shows that open our minds up to science and nature are 30-60 minutes long, not 7 hours.

But because they’re entertaining we keep tuning in. So over time, we end up consuming way more than 7 hours.

And to avoid this email ending up 7 hours long, I’m going to talk about how you make your emails more interesting and entertaining until our next email.

For now, next time you hear an expert tell you your emails need to “add value”, think David Attenborough value, not University professor value.

- Ian

PS want to fast forward and learn the best methods of writing interesting, valuable emails that get your clients to buy? This is how.