SFFMP 211: How to Use Your Newsletter to Build Engagement and Fan Loyalty

December 11, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

Not only was this week’s episode jam-packed with newsletter tips for authors but it turned out to be our longest show ever! You may want to turn it into a two-parter or at least get a beverage so you stay hydrated while you listen.

Our guest was Tammi Labrecque, author of Newsletter Ninja, along with numerous books under various secret pen names. She’s published in romance, fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery, LitRPG, and horror, so she’s got a wide range of experience as an author, but she’s also super excited to talk newsletters.

We covered a ton of great information and answered Twitter questions. Here are some of the highlights (and continue to the end for a huge list of resources that Tammi sent along to share):

Whether having two (or more) pen names is twice the work.
How Tammi got so interested in newsletters.
Why newsletters are so important for authors and why you shouldn’t listen to those people who say they’re dead.
Setting up an autoresponder sequence to send a series of welcome emails to new subscribers.
How long of a sequence of emails authors should send out and what kinds of things to cover.
Adding a tip for readers about how to “white list” your email address to the top of each email.
Which mailing list providers Tammi recommends.
How to keep subscribers engaged and how to keep your emails from going into spam or promotions folders.
How often you should be sending out newsletters.
Whether you should send out plain text emails, use images, or mix it up.
Why your “email reputation” is important to the various email providers and how to boost it.
Three things authors should pay attention to when sending out newsletters: open rates, click rates, and responses.
What realistic numbers/percentages are for those.
The most effective method for getting subscribers to forward your emails to friends.
Whether to share short stories in emails, share snippets, or just provide a link to the story on your website.
What sets one newsletter apart from another and makes people look forward to receiving it?
Should you have separate newsletters and/or landing pages if you write in different genres?
How often should you cull your list?
How can you reactivate a list you haven’t used in a long time without getting a bunch of unsubscribes?
What are some examples of engaging questions you can ask to encourage readers to respond?

If you’ve found Tammi’s information useful, make sure to check out her book Newsletter Ninja for more tips and advice. You can also visit her online at https://newsletterninja.net/ and (for editing and formatting) http://larksandkatydids.com/.

Resources Tammi suggests:

Articles on avoiding SPAM filters:

https://www.yesware.com/blog/email-spam/

https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/avoid-email-spam-filter/

https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-avoid-a-spam-filter-5-rules.html

https://econsultancy.com/blog/64878-45-words-to-avoid-in-your-email-marketing-subject-lines (plus all the links in “Further reading” at the end of the article)

Just straight-up lists of SPAM words:

https://emailmarketing.comm100.com/email-marketing-ebook/spam-words.aspx

https://www.mannixmarketing.com/blog/spam-trigger-words/

https://www.simplycast.com/blog/100-top-email-spam-trigger-words-and-phrases-to-avoid/

https://prospect.io/blog/455-email-spam-trigger-words-avoid-2018/

http://blog.automational.com/2016/03/08/spam-trigger-words-to-avoid/