Morning Brew’s Growth Director Explains Why Engagement Trumps Subscriber Count
Jenny Rothenberg, Director of Growth at Morning Brew, explains why engagement has been key to the success of this popular newsletter.
“Our goal from the onset was to build, grow, and retain a hyper-engaged audience. To keep ourselves pushing toward that north star, we measure ourselves not on our list size, but on subscribers that are actually engaging with our content–most cleanly measured by unique opens.”
She offers specific advice and tactics for newsletter creators looking to pursue that same north star, including referral tips, diversification strategies, and the importance of testing.
Related: Read about How Chase Diamond Got 500k Email Subscribers in 10 Months
Nic Getkate breaks down the deliverability acronyms email newsletter senders need to understand, including:
Related: Curated users should check here for a breakdown of what you control vs what we control.
Get Your Newsletter Listed in Directories
New to newsletters or looking to spread the word beyond your current network? Check out these newsletter directories and submit yours to be listed.
How a 25-year-old Entrepreneur’s Free Newsletter Made $1.1 Million in One Month
A LinkedIn connection of mine shared this story last week with a hint of disapproval for newsletters that lack original content, so I subscribed to see how founded the insult was. It turns out The Newsette is way more than a link dump. The commentary is extensive and each issue includes a long-form interview with an influential woman.
Be sure to read this story to learn how founder Daniella Pierson has grown this publication to 500,000 subscribers, secured lucrative sponsorships, and has stayed focused on a newsletter-first approach.
Does Your Newsletter Inspire Action?
Anti Racism Daily does.
In this article, Hanaa’ Tameez details the catalyst of Nicole Cardoza’s newsletter and how it goes beyond social media posting in its mission to educate and inspire action.
“‘Reading news about racism is draining and can leave people feeling helpless, overwhelmed, and unsure of what to do next. But offering actions to take helps reduce the passive or performative activism that’s common on social media,’ Cardoza said.”
Newsletter Evolution: Lessons from The Economist
Lysanne Currie summarizes The Economist’s newsletters editor Sunnie Huang’s insights after three years in the role. She offers four important lessons.
- Focus on the reader’s goal
- Ensure a good experience
- Create your email squad
- Understand your readers’ pain points
Make Your Newsletter Emotionally Intelligent
In this LinkedIn post, Megan Bowen, Chief Customer Officer of Refine Labs teaches the 5 core competencies to develop emotional intelligence.
They’re empathy, communication, self-awareness, self-regulation, and vulnerability.
While critical to rocking a role in Customer Success, they’re also part of becoming better at understanding and engaging with other humans, which should be integral to your newsletter.
When we think through what we plan to send to the individuals on our subscriber lists, we should be asking, “Is it empathetic? Does it communicate clearly? Am I respecting this person’s inbox, or am I pushing them to buy or believe something without first earning their trust?”
17 Things Your Email Newsletter Needs Right Now
It’s checklist time!
Ann Handley, who I absolutely adore, has put together a list of 17 things your email newsletter needs.
“A global pandemic is a great time to launch an email newsletter.
Why? Because a crisis is not a time for Marketing to be clever or snarky. It’s a time to be helpful and sincere. It’s a time to build relationships, nurture customers, and create long-term loyalty.
There’s no better way to do that than with the slow, steady cadence of an email newsletter. But only when it’s done right.”
Because 17 might seem intimidating, I’ve picked my top five from her list:
Any questions? You’ll probably want to click through and bookmark this one.
Turn Your Newsletter Into an Experience
Writer Ari Lewis thinks your newsletter has the potential to be an experience. He recalls the thrill of subscribing to Game Informer as a child and eagerly awaiting its arrival.
“I still think there is a huge opportunity to start and build an email newsletter business. Remember that most people still don’t subscribe to many, if any, newsletters. If you can figure out how to make the experience as enjoyable as reading Game Informer, you’ll have a good publication.”
Note: I discovered this article via Really Good Emails.
How Welcoming is Your Welcome Email?
The team over at The Newsletter Crew is steadily releasing great content to support your newsletter strategy. This piece on welcome emails is the result of analyzing 70+ newsletter welcome emails.
While a welcome email is one of the first interactions you’ll have with your subscriber, the crew found that many of them fall short when it comes to connecting. Click through for tips on
Related: The Newsletter Crew’s Podcast Episode 18: Are we in a newsletter bubble?
