Your newsletter questions answered
Consistency, randomness, and the in between
Today is a beautiful day to be alive. Amidst the turmoil and pain and loneliness and the gravity of it all, it is such a gift to be alive another day.
Today I have compiled two sections of words by you dear readers :
WHY WE WRITE NEWSLETTERS
YOUR NEWSLETTER QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Before we begin I want to share three things. First this beautiful writing from
in their latest newsletter really encapsulates the utter grief of being alive in this time, alongside the inspiration of how we all come together, a world without cops, and examples and resources for redistribution.Second - This weekend I am teaching a new kind of quilt class. It is most pleasurable to me to finish an object and that is something we will all do together. No one turned away for lack of funds, read all about it and see you there!
And lastly - Today there is a beautiful new album of gentle music in the world by
and Yali Rivlin. Perfect to quilt to, cook to, love to, write to. What a gift to live at the same time as these two sound angels.
Having an email newsletter since 2012 has been how I have been able to divest from social media, cultivate community, and fine tune my writing practice and keep it as both a ritual and a job. I wanted to ask the readers why they write their own newsletters as well as what questions might arise.
I love writing about and teaching about newsletters, and as the landscape is always rapidly changing I’m excited to be developing a new newsletter class.
WHY WE WRITE NEWSLETTERS :
Gentle archiving of time
A personal journal
Sometimes capitalism, sometimes to make mutual joy
Sorting out thoughts, but not alone
To build community / share things I’m thinking about and learning and experiencing / nto promote my biz
To have a writing practice, to get more comfy with vulnerability, to incorporate more creativity
To share my writing and reflections with my “audience”
For me. Writing = doings something for myself
To force myself to write
Personal Essay
I hope something I write will make someone else’s path a bit easier
I’m a writer and this is how I share my work
Share my thoughts on ecological survival and a specific project. Share my work.
To share my thoughts on a specific topic/project, to update my subscribers on my work and build community and connection
To express myself and reach my people
To let people know about events/offers - or to share blog type writing! It is a glorious mess
To sell pots
To practice writing and to promote my classes and shows
To connect and exchange ideas. To not feel so lonely.
To build community, share personal stories, and foster customer relationships
To be of service, keep people abreast of what offerings I have coming up
Writing practice and share accountability. Wanting to self express and connect with others
Brainstorming lifestyle alternatives and unfreezing creative impulses
To stay devoted to my writing practice, to hone my craft, to build community
Always if I have an event, but trying to share more about my practice an my studio
To express myself and increase my writing skills
To update folks about events for a non profit
To show people new work
To sell my art, tell people about my events, and to keep me from crawling into a virtual hole
Informing people of my new workshops and new offers
To say something I need to say out loud
Because I like it, it’s a ritual, it helps my writing practice
To build community and to further normalize questioning everything in life!
Inspiration strikes and I haven things to tell people about or like gigs coming up
A creative outlet to tide me over in the midst of slower, less public facing other art making
Gives me a regular space to share my writing
Connecting /signposting
Connection, announce services, make money
To share about what is going on under the surface, to share an aha moment, to be together
As a practice, ritual, and to share about my work/upcoming events
One as a creative outlet, another as an attempt to make money
To share my writing with the world
To promote / share my work
Connect with my audience, share biz updates, sales, I want to write in more blog style
Keeps me in steady devotion to my practices + writing + feels like I can express more there
Thoughts on art practiced and personal promo
To tell people what I’m selling /offering
To share my writing, connect with others, find new readers
To share thoughts, resources, stories, for fun
Connection
To bring people into the work I am making b/c my work feels communal
Share events/offerings amplify other artists, promote my paid snail mail newsletter
Share news, promote classes, share poems
Telling the people my little news
Because my Venus is in Gemini
When I am proud of a piece of writing I want to share it to celebrate
To keep people informed about biz happenings, to share ideas I have, because words just come
Share news and things of interest
Check in and inform people about upcoming product launches or sales
To share free resources and to attract new 1:1 clients
To have longer form writings outside of social media
YOUR NEWSLETTER QUESTIONS ANSWERED :
Editor’s note : As an example of imperfection I wrote this in one draft with no editing. Typos and misspellings abound :) Enjoy xo
How do I get new readers?
How do you find new communities who will be interested?
How did you bring new people outside of your community into your newsletters?
Tell everyone you have a newsletter. Make a clipboard for your stand at the farmer’s market. Tell your followers social media. Make a lead magnet. Do good writing. Keep it weird. Email everyone you know with the link to subscribe and ask them to share it. Keep writing. Tell everyone you have a newsletter.
Borrow audiences. Be on other people’s podcasts and tell them you have a newsletter. Tell your parent’s friends. Tell your postal worker. Find another friend with a newsletter and trade links in your newsletters. Tell everyone you have a newsletter.
Guest teach in a friend’s online course. Tell the students you have a newsletter.
This is also where relationship marketing comes in. Building relationships is important because it keeps us alive, but it also builds your creative and professional ecosystem where we cheer each other on in public. This brings in readers from other communities. Don’t force it! Let it be a natural unfolding.
Do you have a writing routine?
Yes I do. I write every Monday, or I should say I publish every Monday and often on Fridays. But I usually keep my Monday mornings open for writing and editing my newsletter. I also write throughout the week when inspiration strikes, but I usually have to sit down for the muse to arrive at the temple. The best way for me to do thesis wake up at 5:30am, put on my writing playlist, light a candle, and get to work.
How do you handle the fear of marketing your writing?
I am actually not scared of marketing my writing. I am scared of marketing classes and offerings and things that require a clear exchange for hundreds of dollars for my teaching. That is still scary to me. But what I know about doing that enough times is that I have to trust that the right people will find me. In my efforts to do art as business in an anti capitalist framework I also offer sliding scale, payment plans, and scholarships for everything that I offer. This has never left me without enough money, in fact it leaves me with just enough and a vibrant community of students and readers. Creating a spacious an accessible channel for reading and learning helps me not be afraid to market, there is a place for everyone here.
And if people think my writing is bad they can always smash the unsubscribe button. Many blessings on those who leave to find something better for them.