Every freelancer and their dog seems to have a newsletter right now, so does that mean you should or shouldn’t have one?

Don’t let the fact that there seems to be a lot of newsletters out there put you off if you are itching to start your own. If you have a concept, audience and reason to send in mind then there will always be readers out there for you.

Here are five areas to think about if you are considering starting your own newsletter:

Reasons you could send a newsletter:

• To flex your creativity and show off your skills.
• To research and learn.
• To promote your new podcast episodes, events, courses, resources or videos going live.
• To answer client FAQs.

Benefits a newsletter can have for your business:

• Builds a database you ‘own’ and grows your network.
• Keeps you forefront of people’s minds.
• Creates content that can be repurposed.
• Save you time
• Demonstrates your skills, ability to commit to a project and stick to deadlines.
• You could monetise it.

“Think carefully about who you are writing your newsletter for.”

Make sure your newsletter is at least one of these:

• Helpful
• Interesting
• Funny

Newsletter content ideas:

• Interviews
• Quick tips
• How to guides
• Share your opinion
• Round up relevant news
• Take them behind the scenes
• Give recommendations
• Talk about trends or research
• Local news and events
• Industry news
• Key calendar dates

“What do you like about other newsletters?
Which ones do you always open and why?
How could you make yours stand out?”

How to grow your mailing list:

• Give it a proper launch.
• Make it part of your marketing plan.
• Create a great landing page and welcome email.
• Make it shareable (and give a link to share and forward).
• Give it talkability value.
• Share on your socials with a link to subscribe.
• Have a sign-up box on your website.

This article was originally published in Freelancer Magazine Issue 3. Get Freelancer Magazine delivered to your door or inbox.

For all the knowledge you need to start and cultivate your newsletter check out the Grow Your Own Newsletter course.