Next up in this series of stuff-I-learned-the-hard-way: How to create a mailing list.
Sure a mailing list and an e-newsletter may seem excessive when you have a blog with an RSS feed. But just think of it as one more way to stay connected to your readers, who may not have the time to obsessively follow your blog feed.
Even if you don’t yet know what you could possibly write about in a newsletter that you’re not already including in your blog, start actively collecting e-mail addresses anyway. I did that several months ago, even though I didn’t have a clue at the time what I wanted to include in a newsletter.
I’ve since landed on an e-newsletter plan for Editor Unleashed and I’m so glad that I started passively collecting e-mail addresses from my readers along the way. You should too.
How to begin collecting e-mail addresses:
Pick a Web-based e-newsletter service (I’ve listed 3 good choices below). I use MailChimp which is free up to a certain amount of e-mail addresses and newsletters sent. I haven’t had to pay anything yet, but will likely start paying a nominal fee when I launch my weekly e-newsletter.
MailChimp walked me through the easy process of registering with them. All I had to do to begin collecting e-mail addresses was insert a bit of code they generated into a page on my site. Alternatively, you could include a newsletter sign-up form in your sidebar if that works out better for you.
I go for open-source software whenever possible and always recommend it first if it’s a viable option. But after reading up on the various e-mail services, I think it’s worth a small investment in a paid service. From everything I’ve read, you need to be careful about going with a free e-mail service due to problems with spam control and shaky service.
Here are 3 popular e-newsletter services:
Constant Contact
Good rep, high-quality service, on the pricier side, favored for e-zines.
MailChimp
Used by many creatives, free to build list to a certain number, reasonable prices, templates.
AWeber
Favored by marketing types. Includes an auto-responder to send pre-programmed and series e-mails.
For more tips on e-newsletters check out:
Problogger Why I use AWeber to deliver my Newsletters
Freelance Switch Harnessing Mailouts – A Complete How-To Guide to Email Marketing for Freelancers (includes a review of Mailchimp).
Also: More about the soon-to-launch Editor Unleashed e-newsletter soon.
Question: If you have a blog and an e-newsletter, how do you differentiate the content in each?
-Maria Schneider
Flickr photo by timothymorgan
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
My Life Notes newsletter is similar to my blog but has a few extras thrown in. I develop it around a theme and feature four pieces. The main distinction is using one or two guest writers/features per issue. That’s the big difference for me since I blog only twice a week and very seldom host guest bloggers.
Took me awhile to figure this issue out on my own, and I’m not sure everyone who subscribes or reads the blog gets the difference, but I think it’s important to try to make them distinct.
It’s about editorial vision. I see my author’s newsletter — The Goreletter — as an archive of the best of my blog. The blog is more of a sketchpad to some degree. I revise those entries before they go in the nl. However, thinking this way slows down my blogging anyway, because I plan so much in advance.
I put more links and interactive matters into the blog and it’s probably more fun than the nl. However, I add CONTESTS exclusive to the newsletter, as a sort of reward to loyalists, because I think they deserve something for being generous with their inboxes.
In the blog, I’m hoping for conversations, comments, and reader dialogues. Doesn’t happen as much as I’d like, but with the newsletter I think some people treat it more like reading a book, whereas a blog is more like watching TV in the bus terminal. Which is another way of saying the newsletter is more exclusive, more intimate.
And it’s the newsletter, not the blog, that wins the attention and the awards.
I highly recommend Michael Katz’s e-newsletter on e-newsletters. I read every issue, top to bottom–and I don’t even have an e-newsletter. Here’s the website: http://bluepenguindevelopment.com/
Very interesting information on e-newsletters. Something to consider. Thanks, Maria.
Jai
You might want to consider Contactology.com for email services. We’re a smaller firm, and so place an emphasis on good service. You get to speak to the same account manager every time you call. This is something places like Constant Contact and Mail Chimp don’t offer. So if you’re looking for solid deliverability, plenty of features, as well as personalized service, you might want to give us a try. Thanks.
Thanks for the tip Steven, I’ll check it out. Always like being able to recommend smaller indie outfits.