Why variety is vital for the health of your newsletter

--> and for you

You may have noticed I’ve been covering a broader range of topics than normal recently. Not just newsletter and email tips but broader marketing and other thoughts.

And I’ve been varying up the type of post too. Some story based. Some straightforward tips. Some longer, some shorter.

I’m doing it for a few reasons:

1. I think it’s important not to become too predictable. If every email you send is a listicle or short story with a moral or any consistent pattern then your readers eventually begin to tune out.
   
   As Gary Bencivenga said, the key to getting people to read your stuff is benefits + curiosity - with curiosity often being paramount. If someone thinks they know what your email is going to be about they won’t bother reading it.
   
   That advice was about sales headlines and email subject lines. But it also applies to being too predictable in terms of the topics you’ll cover and the way you’ll write about them. When someone sees my name in their inbox I want them to think “I don’t know what he’ll be saying but I know it’ll be useful” not “oh, he’s going to be banging on about telling stories in email again”.

2. I believe that series of emails are like any “performance”. They need light and shade. Periods of intensity and relaxation. Otherwise you wear your readers out.
   
   If every email you send is an in-depth polemic or a huge how to guide then at some point your readers mentally check out. They just get overwhelmed with the content. I might truly value your deep thinking on long-term corporate strategy, but every now and then I could do with a quick tip I can implement tomorrow at work to get some better results fast.

3. Variety is good for you as a writer too. It keeps you fresh and interested in your work.
   
   I must admit I had reached the point a few weeks ago where I thought to myself “I’m not sure I have anything new to say about emails - I’ve covered everything multiple times”. Yet by talking about different topics in recent emails I find myself reinvigorated and taking a new angle on writing emails.

There’s a lot to be said for the value of focusing on a narrow niche to become seen as an expert there. And I do think 70-80% of your emails should be on your core topic.

But varying what you talk about and the way you talk about it is refreshing for both you and your audience.

It just works.

- Ian