Fresh Writing Tips From Ann Handley
Ann Handley’s recent issue offers 10 writing tips you might want to add to your list of resolutions for 2022.
Ann Handley’s Proven Strategies For Growth
“Ann Handley thinks differently about newsletter strategy than most.”
It’s this “different thinking” that has helped propel her newsletter to 42,000 subscribers. This Campaign Monitor article breaks down just how she did it.
Psst: If you want to check out the many times we’ve included her tips and advice in Opt In Weekly, you can find them here.
Register For Ann Handley’s Upcoming Email Writing Webinar
You know we are big Ann Handley fans around here, so this week your Opt In Challenge is simple: register for this webinar: “Writing for Email: Top Tips with Ann Handley”. It’s sure to be good.
Details: Thursday, March 24 @ 11am ET / 4pm GMT
Host: Our friends at Sparkpost (Curated’s ESP!)
Discovered via Really Good Emails.
Ann Handley’s Newsletter Growth Story
To say Total Annarchy, the newsletter by Ann Handley, has grown is an understatement. She’s sharing what worked, what didn’t, and the metrics she likes to watch in her 99th issue.
Note: if you missed my ode to Ann last week it’s here.
Ann Handley On Creativity And Newsletter Growth
Letterlist published a Q&A with Ann Handley and it’s delightful. You’ll learn the backstory on her newsletter, Total Annarchy, and how she’s grown it from 2K subscribers to over 42K in 3 years. Her growth strategy?
“I’ve grown it organically. No forced opt-in or lead magnets or coercion or popovers. That might sound judgmental about popovers… it’s not. Popovers work, but they’re not right for my newsletter. I wanted a reader’s relationship with me, ultimately, to be the trigger than would grow the list.”
She chose to create something very personal. And it works.
I found the section of this interview on her writing and editing process particularly insightful.
Read the full interview here.
Is Your Writing Vivid? Ann Handley Can Help
Want to paint pictures with words? Include interesting details.
Ann Handley lists five things you can add to upgrade your copy from abstract to focused in THE P.A.N.D.A. 🐼 GUIDE TO VIVID WRITING.
After you read it, go paint a panda-driven newsletter. (Am I the only one laughing at this bad joke? See Marketing.)
Ann Handley’s Lessons From 3 Years of Newslettering
In her 78th issue of Total Annarchy, Ann Handley shares what she’s learned about the art of sending.
Pay close attention, y’all:
“I wanted connection—not one-to-many social media connection, but me-to-you direct connection.
Three years ago, I also realized a fundamental truth:
**The most important part of the newsletter is the letter, not the news.”
Along with her always lovely-to-read narrative introduction, she provides a list of 7 lessons. They’re worth reading and bookmarking, namely number 5:
“An email newsletter is not a distribution strategy, it’s a relationship-builder.”
Related: Check out this story, which is further proof that tech is less important than your newsletter’s ability to connect writer and readers.
Advice From Ann Handley: Here’s What You Should And Shouldn’t Do
This free resource from Ann Handley will teach you How to Newsletter.
Ann Handley Shares Lessons From Her “Best-Performing” Newsletters
In her recent Valentine’s issue of Total Annarchy, Ann Handley shared some excellent advice for newsletter creators, including an analysis of nominees for the “best” of her newsletters in categories including:
Plus, she asks, “What lessons can we learn from these?” and shares some findings:
What can you learn from your “best” newsletter issues?
P.S. I personally contributed to her OWBR on this issue and let her know how much I loved it... to which she responded, “I literally thought of you with the rhyme ‘newsletter’ & ‘knew better.’” ...so I’m feeling incredibly special this week.
Must Visit Destination: An Email Theme Park
Note: This is a place you go in your mind.
Check out Ann Handley’s recent issue of Total Annarchy, in which she mixes extended metaphor (what if working in email were a theme park called Email World?) with an actionable list of ideas to make it better (and “How do we make it a happier place?”).
I found myself responding as if I were attending a really, really motivational speech:
Ann: “Your From Line matters more than your Subject Line.”
Me: “YES!”
Ann: “One metric cannot possibly measure your success.”
Me: “Preach!”
.... and that pretty much sums up any Sunday morning she includes email or newsletters in an issue.
Read her suggestions, see if it also resonates with you, and let me know I’m not the only one.
And if you’re new to Opt In Weekly and just discovering Ann Handley, here’s a shortcut to all other moments of wisdom we’ve shared from her.
