by Rachel Smith
24 January 2025
Above are just a handful of excuses I told myself to put off writing a newsletter to clients.
Even though, I spent a heap of time helping other people with their email marketing, building their subscriber lists and writing their lead magnets. It’s a bit like the builder whose house looks all wonky and unkempt, because he’s so busy building functional houses for other people.
Anyway, it wasn’t until I did Kirsty Fanton’s Brain Camp that I had an epiphany: not only was my business evolving into more of a web copywriting niche, but my newsletter could follow that trajectory.
So I started it, and although I’m only a few issues in, it’s going well so far. And I truly believe in the importance of a) building an email list (the only thing you own, if we’re honest) and b) staying in your clients’ inboxes. It’s the digital form of being in their faces, but in the nicest possible way.
SEO copywriter and wordpress consultant Rachel Amies sends a client newsletter weekly. “And when I’m lazy, it’s fortnightly!”
Her list is a mix of clients, ex-clients and ‘business humans’ who’ve never been clients – and because you have to opt in to her email list, not all of her current clients receive it. But it’s still been worthwhile, she says. “I’ve gotten some work from it as a result. And I’ve been asked to do presentations on the topics I’ve written about in my newsletter. My next goal is to grow my list. I haven’t really been pushing people to sign up.”
Rachel’s newsletter might talk about what’s going on behind the scenes of her business, but she says she’s more likely to focus on a specific topic related to the services she offers, plus some tips. “Other times it’s a series of newsletters on the same topic – so for example, I did two or three newsletters on ChatGPT and a series of 5 on SEO. And it’s almost always something I can repurpose into social media posts afterwards. All of my EDMs are saved in a Word doc with a table of contents. Makes it easier for me to open up then repurpose them. I have a separate Word doc (again, with a table of contents) with all my social media posts. I’m such a geek!”
Marketing expert and copywriter Beck Cofrancesco has both, for different reasons. “My monthly email is a key part of my marketing – it’s a mixed bag of clients, people in my community, other copywriters,” she says. “It helps people remember what I do or prompts ex-clients to get in touch for a quick job. And sending an offer every now and then has helped me earn some quick cash when needed.”
Beck’s list is around 400 people now and her newsletters get a decent average open rate of 60 percent. “I try to stick to similar format – a personal intro from me, a quick and easy marketing tip, an article and something interesting I’ve come across,” she says. “I also have an ‘out and about’ section where I share what’s been happening.”
Her LinkedIn newsletter has ‘totally different content’ and is aimed at more of a corporate crowd. “I’m giving email a red-hot go this year so I’ll be tidying my lists, planning growth and sharing how I did it along the way.”
For more of Beck’s tips on newsletters – listen to her on this podcast ep.
Rebekah Lambert also does a monthly newsletter – appearing on both Substack and LinkedIn – in a narrative non-fiction style. “I’ve had people constantly telling me it’s the wrong way to go but I get loads of new subscribers and work, including $10k of work recently from one start-up.”
She believes we can get too bogged down in writing a newsletter that caters to clients in different niches. Instead, we need to create variety that offers something for “skimmers and scanners versus inbox learners and story consumers”.
Rebekah’s tips for success?
Ultimately, she says newsletters thrive for various reasons. “Highly successful ones range from Audacity style storytelling to 3 x 3 tip stuff from James Clear. Different people want different things from newsletters because they have a very intimate appeal. What works for both you and the audience will vary.”
This is a biggie because it IS a commitment.
I love Eman Ismail’s newsletter – she has a quiz on her website which is another great idea for segmenting subscribers if you want to make sure you’re writing content to different audiences.
Steven Lewis from Taleist writes a brilliant daily newsletter and also has courses and resources on everything from lead magnets to using your newsletter to bring in clients.
I also really enjoy Tarzan Kay’s newsletter, which is warm and thought-provoking and a masterclass in good storytelling.
Do you send a newsletter to clients – former, current or potential? Tell us about it and how it’s benefitted your business in the comments.
