5 Tips to Create a Successful Author Newsletter

Author newsletters are vital.

They have an exceptionally high conversion rate, which means they turn fans into buyers. Plus, they give you direct access to your readers. In a world where social media can go through a drastic re-branding (think Twitter) and their algorithms change all the time, you don’t want to rely completely on third parties to communicate with your readers. That is why it is so important to strategize the best way you can create a successful author newsletter.

Here are five tips to create a successful author newsletter

1. Begin right away.

In the best case scenario, you want to start your newsletter before you even publish a book. The more people you have on your email list before publishing, the better your sales will be. A strong newsletter list is also a huge selling point when pitching your manuscript to agents and publishers.

2. Set a sending schedule and stick with it.

Make it achievable. If you know you won’t be able to write a newsletter every month, then don’t plan to write one every month. Bi-monthly or even quarterly newsletters can be just as effective if your content is strong. Remember, a well-done newsletter that comes on a schedule every 3 months is better than a shoddy one that comes every other week or one that never comes at all.

3. Think like a consumer.

What would make you sign up and read an author’s newsletter? Don’t just send news about your books. Include fun things, like bookish memes, recipes (bonus points if it ties in to your book in some way), interviews with other authors for cross promotion, behind the scenes looks into your writing life or the inspiration behind your book, playlists you listen to while you write or a playlist based on a certain character. Get creative!

Of course, you want to include news about your book as well: cover reveals, character image inspiration, sales announcements, buy links, book news, signings, etc.

And don’t forget to remind people once in a while (don’t bombard them) that your newsletter exists. When you have a new book coming out, announce that you’re doing a cover reveal a month earlier in your newsletter. Or you can do a special pre-release giveaway to only your newsletter subscribers.

4. Create a lead magnet.

A lead magnet is something you give away to get people to sign up for your newsletter. Place your lead magnet in a popup or sidebar in plain view for everyone who visits your website. Ideas for lead magnets include a free novella, short story, coloring page or activity book (great for children’s books), or the first chapter of your next book.

5. Choose which email service best suits your needs.

To create a successful newsletter, you’ll need to choose a good email marketing service. Think about how many contacts you’ll need to store, how many sends you’ll want to do per week (keep in mind one email sent to 500 people = 500 sends), how intuitive the design tools are, if you want to use the service to create landing pages, and anything else that is important to you. Some good email services with free plans are MailerLite, Brevo, Omnisend, GetResponse, and EngageBay. If you are paying for Squarespace for your author website, you can manage your email list and newsletter directly from there.

This is a great article that breaks down the top 16 best free email marketing services.