I'm at odds
over what to do with my newsletter: I promised subscribers early notice of
writing related stuff, and exclusive content (and a dog photo with every
e-mail), but I just can't seem to attract many new subscribers. When you add
that to the fact that some subscribers don't open all the e-mails, I have to
question whether I can justify putting so much effort there. On the other hand
... I promised.
Now, the
newsletter has a button that allows me to put notifications up on Twitter and
Facebook when a new one comes out. Alternately, I could take the newsletter and
also post it on my blog, where I have more followers, and presumably some of
those followers actually read my blog. I could announce on my other social
media sites when it comes up on the blog, which I do for just about everything
anyway, but that would take away from the whole special aspect of it that I had
in mind.
Or I could do
some combination thereof.
Many authors
swear by newsletters over blogs or social media, saying there you have people
who actually opted in to hear what you have to say. But if you're not already
well known, you have the problem of getting people to opt in to begin with.
What do you authors do, and how does it work for you? And as a reader, where
would you prefer to hear from your favorite writer? Also, as a reader, am I
stressing out way too much about this exclusivity thing? I mean, I'm not giving
away the formula for KFC's special coating.
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| "You haz chicken?" My very first blogged dog photo, from way back when. |
Personally, I tend to go for blogs.
ReplyDeleteI prefer blogs, myself. I read some convincing arguments in favor of newsletters, but I suspect their success lies in finding a lot of readers first ... which is always the trick, isn't it?
DeleteGreat photo. I think newsletters are old school unless it's online.
ReplyDeleteLike many things it depends on who you ask, but I tend to agree with you.
DeleteI tried doing a newsletter, and the last one I sent out just before Christmas, had only 7 opens. That's why I suspended doing it in spring of last year, but then I thought of starting it up again. But I just couldn't justify the time spent for so few people that I reached. I appreciate the people who opened, but I have to consider my time spent vs. reach I get.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I only got a 40% open rate on my last newsletter--and most of the people who subscribe already know me on social media, anyway. The only advantage is that it's guaranteed to get to them, as opposed to something like Facebook and their wild way of doing things.
DeleteI favour blogs, really. And I know what the KFC topping is made of - yuk!
ReplyDeleteThey've got some kind of secret recipe--I believe it's for the spices they put in the breading--although I'm sure it would be possible to figure out most of it. And now ... I'm hungry for chicken.
DeleteI've never wasted my time with newsletters. They do work, but only for big name authors.
ReplyDeleteWell ... I'll just have to become a big name writer, then!
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