Prologue
So I signed my daughters up for a day camp that I would want to go to myself.
Itās called a Young Filmmakers Workshop.
Doesnāt that sound AMAZING?
Theyāll spend a week working in small groups to write, film, and produce mini movies to premiere the Saturday after it wraps.
Theyāre really excited.
The closest thing I did to this was a creative writing camp.
But I can remember the fun of spending a week learning about a craft and dorking out with other kids who cared about writing.
Thereās something pretty magical about finding āyour peopleā and really connecting as you work on a project together.
That happens for me with work projects sometimes. Those moments when itās just so cool that you get paid for doing whatever youāre doing.
I know Iām not the only one.
That feeling also hits with Opt In Weekly, too, when readers respond and the newsletter feels a bit like a community. There are times when I get all the good feels from truly serving you.
Does your newsletter feel that way? Do you want it to?
Donāt be afraid to get a little vulnerable with your readers and welcome them into your world.
Invite them to your version of a young filmmakers workshop.
Give them a reason to be really excited to connect with someone who āgets them.ā
Do it by really understanding what they care about and being helpful.
Learn what itās like to be them.
Todayās issue is a nice mix of tips and insights from creators, marketers, and publishers who would be wonderful guest presenters for a newsletter creators workshop.
Iāll step aside and let their voices guide you.
Let me know what you thinkā¦ and if youād be interested in attending a small group newsletter makers workshop at some point. I feel a new project coming on.
Oh, and if you want to listen to me babble about newsletters on a podcast for industrial marketers, check that out here.
Marketing
Are You Avoiding These 4 Content Marketing Pitfalls?
Anthony Gaenzle breaks down 4 pitfalls to avoid for the sake of your brand, strategy, and overall success in this piece for Content Marketing Institute. A quick look at the pitfalls he describes:
- Creating brand confusion through inconsistent personalities and perspectives. Basically, consistency is key.
- Failing to do your research. Donāt just take so-and-soās word for it, take time to screen and verify your content.
- Constructing barriers by gating all content.
- Ignoring the importance of data security. Do your due diligence and make sure information is secure.
Click through for the full story.
Discovered via Social Media Today.
9 Customer Retention Strategies To Try
Retention marketing is important.
Not only is it easier and more cost-effective to retain customers than gain new ones, it also sets you apart as a brand that values relationship and experience. These 9 customer retention strategies from Brent Barnhart are worth considering.
Hereās my favorite:
āactively ask for customer feedback to improve your experience.ā
Discovered via Social Media Today.
What The Sunset Of Facebook Analytics Means For You
Fact: Facebook analytics is going away. However, if you depend on these numbers for marketing insights, the good news is youāll survive.
We are losing:
- Quick access to data all in one place
- Facebook tracking pixels
- Access to brandsā page details and demographics
- And some other stuff
Hereās the deal. There are other paid (oh, hey, article publisher, HubSpot) and unpaid alternatives out there.
What are you using? Or does this sunset seem not-so-dramatic for your team?
Discovered via Social Media Today.
Writing
Have You Tried These 14 Copywriting Tips?
As a newsletter creator, you know the importance of creating good copy.
If youāre looking for a magic wand, I canāt help. But, if youāre looking for solid tips on connecting with your audience, increasing open rates, and converting readers, here are 14 good ones.
Discovered via Really Good Emails.
Publishing
The State Of News Newsletters
Whoās set to triple in size this year? 6AM City, aka āthe fastest-growing newsletter-first media company.ā
Local business newsletter, The Charlotte Ledger, is on pace for $175,000 in annual revenue.
Bloomberg is launching newsletters centered around two of its top reporters.
Gift me a news story? Now New York Times subscribers can.
Competitor Or Collaborator?
Ever thought of your biggest competitor as the key to collaborative success? Thatās what some for-profit publishers are doing. And itās working.
When local publishers in Spain were hit hard, both local and national publishers formed an alliance to share data and technology. The result? Thorough, accurate insights into advertising for everyone.
Any of our competitors up for an Opt In Weekly collab? š
Money Matters
Learn How To Build a 7-Figure Newsletter
Ethan Brooks spent 6 months interviewing top newsletter creators. Now, heās explaining how you can build a 7-figure newsletter, too.
Discovered via Publisher Weekly.
Considering Paid Subscriptions?
This top 10 list offers reasons why publishers should consider paid subscriptions, starting with a way to monetize adblockers.
Psst! We launched paid newsletters for Curated.co if you want to check it out.
What Are Programmatic Native Ads? And Should You Use Them?
Ioana Dulcu makes the case for programmatic native ads in newsletters. Essentially, itās AI assisted native ads, which should combine native ads (ad content that aligns with editorial content) and programmatic placement (using an algorithm to show people whoāve clicked similar ads in the past an ad theyāre likely to like).
Publishers would place code into their newsletter templates just once, and then let an ad server automatically show relevant ads to subscribers.
Iām skeptical. Especially considering the source sells this service.
Thoughts?
Curated News
Shout Out To Some Recent Newsletter Launches
Itās tough to keep up with the newsletter launches on Curated.co, but I wanted to give props to some that are pretty cool.
š Tales From the Infrastructure
See photo above. I didnāt realize how fascinating infrastructure can be.
š² ConsimWorld Brief
Anyone want to preorder a wargaming classic?
šØ Notes by The Chord
The South Carolina arts scene is almost as cool as the category headers.
š My Kindness Calendar
Because we DO want to raise kind children, right?
š¼A weekly digest of things Karl Hughes has learned about startups, technology, and leadership
I didnāt know exactly what to title this one, but itās great.
Nice work, new newsletterers.
ICYMI: We released paid newsletters!
You can always check our Curated Public Product Roadmap to catch up on recent releases and find out whatās up next.
Opt In Challenge
Consider Serving 100 True Fans
This week, your challenge is to read this article and consider how you might focus on 100 true fans.
Passion economy enthusiast Li Jin breaks down what it takes to earn $1,000/year from each of your 100 true fans.
Like this newsletter?
Let me know. Reply, email me at Ashley[at]optinweekly.com, or find me on LinkedIn to hit me with some feedback. Iād love to know what you think.
Also, Iād appreciate it if you shared it with fellow email newsletter creators. All archived issues will be available on OptInWeekly.com, so you can send them the link to check it out.
Have a great week sending, yāall.