What do you like? 👍

(remember: they like it too)  ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Hey, You know how attractive it is when someone is really passionate about some obscure thing? It could be the most random topic. Something you've never given a second thought about. Like alchemy, or 3D printing, or the failed Scottish attempt to colonize the Darien Gap in 1698. It doesn't matter; you're in, goddamn it. Maybe you discover a latent interest in trying to magick gold from dirt, printing your very own skeleton key, or how a quixotic adventure led to Scotland falling under the control of their southern neighbors. But that's not the point. If someone shares a deeply held interest in an authentic way, it's automatically captivating. You're responding to their passion rather than the topic itself. This is a superpower. And it's called storytelling. You know how to hook people by dangling a morsel of meat or by flashing an ankle. You know how to create mystery. You know how to build tension. And you know how to release it all with a glorious climax. You already know how to do this, is what I’m saying. Not only that, but you also know that the audience you are writing for is already interested in the topic. break the ice Conferences are always great places to observe people. You can see introverts coming out of their shell because they know they have something in common with everyone they meet. Adopting the same mindset will help you with your newsletters. Remember, you already have something in common with everyone who signs up to your list. Something huge! You all like the same type of books. As ice-breakers go, that's a biggie. What should you talk about in your newsletter? It's a frequent question, and this is my answer. You talk about your shared love of the niche you work in. And you do it with confidence, knowing they are already interested because you share a love of the genre. It really can be that simple… if we don't let our stupid brains get in the way. set the table One of the cool things about welcome sequences is that you get to do a little crowd control. A common mistake – no judgment, I’ve done this myself - is hiding your rough edges in those welcome emails, not wanting to put anyone off. But you can come across as bland or anodyne. And maybe then you won't find your people. It's like hiding some of your quirks in the early stage of dating when you really should be flying that freak flag high, if you want to find a real keeper. Be your authentic self at all times. Let your welcome sequence be a true reflection of the content readers will receive as one of your subscribers. If your regular newsletters are nerdy or geeky or caustic or horny or hilarious then, for the love of all things holy, please do not hide that light in your welcome emails. always with the vibe Yes, your onboarding sequence has lots of other jobs to perform – as I detailed last week: Welcome your readers 👋. Remember, we need to: deliver our freebie – because if we are promising something in exchange for an email we need to deliver it quickly or trust is immediately broken (and difficult to recover) set expectations – so people know what they are getting, when, and why. sell books – let's not waste the opportunity to both make money and ensure we are generating good quality sign-ups graduate with high opens – open rates are an imperfect metric but still the best way to determine how engaged readers are, so we will work very hard to start with a high open rate and to keep it as high as possible throughout the sequence. But the vibe, man, you gotta nail that. The words you use are the most important thing of all. Choose good ones! tammi needs our help Long-time readers will know that I learned much of what I know about email from Tammi Labrecque aka The Newsletter Ninja. Many of you will have purchased that book on my recommendation or indeed the recommendation of literally everyone – it was hugely popular and helped lots and lots of people. Now Tammi’s family needs our help. They are going through a tough time at the moment and facing some serious medical bills. 👉 There’s a GoFundMe here if you want to read all the details and/or contribute and/or share the fundraiser. Also, if you would prefer to show your support by purchasing something, Tammi’s Email Storytelling Pantry is both cheap and consistently recommended by authors – and could really help you out if you are struggling with content for your newsletter. It basically gives you a recipe that you can follow so you don’t ever skip another newsletter day. See you next time, Dave P.S. Writing music this web is Lotte Kestner with True Faith. Interesting Paths, Apartado 108, Loja CTT, Lagos, Faro 8601-902 ​Unsubscribe | Update your profile​