how to create a high quality newsletter as an indie author

If you're an indie author, you know that there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on to keep your journey moving forward. One of those things is a newsletter. You may have seen the posts out there about growing your subscriber list and the tips and tricks to do that, but today let's take a more personal approach. Newsletters (especially for writers) aren't just a quick route to get more of an audience. Instead, they can be a way of connection and communication with real people who are interested in your work.

So why should you have a newsletter?

• It can be a personal way to keep your followers up to date. As a writer, those who enjoy your work are going to want to be knowledgeable about your releases, your projects, and your progress. A newsletter is a great way for you to be able to keep your committed followers in the know.
• You can share your recent blog posts, as well as insider news. A lot of people naturally assume newsletters will often promote recent blog posts, because that's often what you see. It can't be denied, though, that it is a great way to share your articles and posts with people who are already interested. You can also use this to give out some news that perhaps isn't shared in the blog post-- a perk for those who are interested and following you and your journey.
• You can share subscriber only tips and tricks. A great way to show your love to those on your subscriber list is to offer special things just for them. Not only does this give back to your supporters, but it also shows them how much they are appreciated. If you want some ideas on what to share with your subscribers, we go into this more below!
• You can open up and be more YOU then you might be able to in articles. Especially if you're presenting professional level articles, most indie authors don't share as much personally in blog posts, so the newsletter can be a chance to open up and show yourself for you a little bit more. While it's always important to protect your privacy and also stay on brand, sharing more personal stories in your newsletter helps you connect on a human level and also allow your followers a closer, more down-to-earth look at you.
• It's your way of communicating directly with those who follow you. Ultimately, a newsletter is just a way to communicate directly with those who are your followers. It's important to have this avenue of communication for several reasons: not everyone has social media accounts, and even if they do, there can be a lot on social media that never even shows up for your fans. A newsletter gets your conversation straight to their inbox, allows them to reply directly and privately to you, and won't disappear if they don't look at it right away.

Now that we know why, here are some tips for basic formatting!

• Logo, header, body, links. The most important things to remember to include in your newsletter are these items. It doesn't matter how you style your newsletter or what you put in it, you have to have these things. Your logo (or a branded image or a name), an email header with the title for the email, your main body in an easy to read format, and easy to access, up to date links.
• Free templates or build your own. Having a template you use can help keep things streamlined, and it can be an easy way to get the same look over and over again. You can either create your own or build off of free templates available online. If you want to get more in depth about templates, there's more about it below!
• Remember to keep things simple and clean. It is so important to keep your newsletter readable and easy to navigate. It's your job to make it simple for the reader and also keep their attention. This means easy to read fonts, short and to the point sections of text, and highlighting important parts in some way to make it easier to skim.
• Use your brand. Like with anything you do, always keep your brand in mind when styling your newsletter. It helps make your newsletter stand out as yours, as well as keeping everything cohesive. If you want help with author branding, check out our brand kit services!
• Think of creative ways to draw attention to various important items. Think outside the box when it comes to how you draw your attention to important parts of your newsletter. The simplest way to go is by using a bold type, but you can also do things like inserting photos, making side-bar boxes, breaking up things with lines or color boxes, or using contrasting colors.

Need to know more about how to use templates?

• You can create your own or use one designed by MailChimp. I have been using Mailchimp for years, and the cool thing is that they give you both layouts and template themes you can use as a base to get started. If you're not interested in spending all the time to build your newsletter from scratch, you can start with a theme and just tweak it to make it yours. (The Fearless Type is not affiliated with MailChimp, but we do like their service). It's a good way to get started, though, especially if you aren't really into design.
• Think about colors, fonts, style, and more. Simple changes can have big impact. Think about your brand's colors and fonts, and infuse your template with your brand's personality. Are you simple and chic? Friendly and down-to-earth? Bold and modern? Use your brand to customize your template for your future use.
• You can reuse the same template every time and reduce the amount of work that goes in to it. It's super easy on Mailchimp to use the same template every time you send out a newsletter, or even duplicate past emails and just change what's necessary. Not only does this save you time each newsletter that you don't have to spend formatting and designing, but it also makes sure your look is the same continually.
• Make sure you double check links are accurate and update all the info you need to. A big thing with using templates is making sure you update every link and all the info needed each time you use it. You don't want to end up linking to a past post instead of your new one, or have a mistake in the news you give! So be sure to double check the links and make sure everything is up to date.

Want to share something just for your newsletter audience? Here are some ideas!

• Personal updates and accounts
• Free short stories
• Free worksheets
• Share your favorite apps or websites
• Coupon codes
• Advance news/opportunities
• Beta-reading chances
• Giveaways only for subscribers
• Links to your favorite articles or videos

Lastly, make sure you decide on a system:

• Choose how often you will send a newsletter out. A lot of people send out a weekly newsletter, or just whenever they have a blog post, while others opt for a monthly newsletter. It all depends on what works for you. Take some time to figure out what fits you, and then commit to that. Here at the Fearless Type we've found that a bi-monthly set-up on Thursday works the best for us, because it allows us to invest into creating more quality content versus more quantity but not as thorough. We prioritize having posts that are in-depth and well thought out, and we strive to include that same goal in our newsletters. On the other side, though, you don't want to go too long between newsletters or else you run the risk of people either forgetting who you are or just feeling unconnected.
• Encourage feedback and make it easy to do so. Create space for a conversation in your newsletter, either by asking a question or requesting feedback. Make it easy to reply to you-- pop in your email address or link to messages-- just be sure that if you encourage communication that you make it possible.

That's it for today, creatives!
Let me know in the comments what you like to receive in newsletters, and how you do yours!

Stay fearless.