Have You Set Up BIMI? Should You?
Dan Oshinsky’s December Not a Newsletter was another impressive collection of newsletter fodder, including some detailed instructions on setting up BIMI.
BIMI, which stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification, allows any brand to put their logo next to their name in the inbox. Instructions start on page 4 in the For Your Reading / To Do List section.
Should You Go Straight To A Paid Subscription Newsletter?
In this short clip, Dan Oshinsky, former newsletter editor at BuzzFeed and The New Yorker, explains why most newsletter creators cannot go straight to charging for their newsletters.
Want more? This is an excerpt from his Newsletter Fest 2021 session 4 Newsletter Business Models.
Have You Read This Month’s Not A Newsletter?
Dan Oshinsky’s January edition of Not a Newsletter covers retention strategies, scalability, updates on Mail Privacy Protection, helpful conversion tools, and more.
Brand New Voices Newsletter Launch Challenge: Week 1
I wanted to give a little report from the challenge we kicked off Monday: It’s really been a cool experience so far.
If you’d like to participate vicariously, the first week has been all about ideation. I’m a firm believer in putting some effort into creating a newsletter that does the following:
As a small group, we are working our way through Dan Oshinsky’s Newsletter Positioning Brief (make your own copy if you’d like). It’s been fun to get feedback in the form of small group discussion.
Next week, we’ll move into the creation process.
Don’t forget, Curated is now FREE for up to 1,500 subscribers.
I’ve got a problem.
It’s the same one we all have.
I want your attention.
Not the kind you give something when you’re scrolling social media and you pause for a minute to respond and engage.
That kind is nice.
But I’ve got bigger plans for us.
I want the kind you give, say, a book you really like. Or a television show you’re hooked on.
I want the attention you reserve for when you know what I send is worth your time, maybe even your money.
I want to be the refreshing email inbox delivery you prioritize reading. Every week.
I know you’re tired of the constant flood of mediocre information out there.
So I’m committed to bringing you the best. That’s what a curated newsletter should do. On repeat.
I want to provide you with ideas you can use, strategies you can employ, and a challenge or two to make you better at sending newsletters worth reading—so that you can go earn and keep someone’s attention, too.
Let’s play hard to forget.
The entire process starts with setting goals.
What specific goals are you trying to achieve with your email newsletter?
In my very first issue of Opt In Weekly, I shared an amazing resource. Readership has almost tripled since then so I think it’s worth mentioning again for all the new subscribers.
Dan Oshinsky, former Director of Newsletters at Buzzfeed, has put together this amazing Newsletter Strategy Positioning Brief.
Make a copy of the Google Doc for yourself and use it to set goals, track key metrics, define your primary audience, and more.
More Responses To Apple’s Announcement
I’ve seen varying degrees of frustration and “don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world” about this issue in my social scrolling and email reading this week. The following is a round up of those thoughts in one list.
“Apple: You can't track email open rates anymore.
Marketers: OH NO! The world is ending. Email marketing is dead.
NEWS FLASH: Email open rates have NEVER been accurate.
“If you send good email that your readers love, you’re going to be fine.
The metrics you use to measure success may change, but you’re still going to be able to measure plenty of things when it comes to email.”
“There’s a middle ground position that could be had here that protects users’ privacy and offers just enough data for email senders to work with, but Apple has chosen to paint people who simply want to run a small business over email in the worst possible light instead.”
Creators often debate if they should clean subscribers off their email lists who are no longer engaged. We know from running an email provider that sends over 1 billion emails per month, the data is very clear: to maintain great inbox placement you must clean inactive subscribers...
...Inbox providers like Apple ask that senders keep their list clean and engaged, but then take away the metrics senders need to actually do that.
If creators rely on click tracking—the only remaining method of determining engagement—to clean their lists they’ll remove a lot of engaged subscribers who simply consume the emails without clicking through to the web.”
The February (Issue?) Of Not a Newsletter Is Out
Newsletter consultant Dan Oshinsky’s February edition (yes, edition is the better word for it) of Not a Newsletter, his monthly Google Doc of fresh newsletter resources, is now available.
This rabbit hole of information worth spending the better part of a day with is too good to sum up in one paragraph, so I’m linking to one interesting article about email marketing he included and to an Inbox Collective Google Slide Dan put together (25 Ways to Sign Someone Up For Your Newsletter). Enjoy.
Get excited because Dan is going to be speaking about newsletter business models at Newsletter Fest!
You Don’t Have To Monetize Your Newsletter
Have you noticed the obsession with people asking how you’re monetizing your newsletter lately?
Newsflash: It’s actually completely ok not to have an income-producing newsletter.
Dan Oshinsky (yes, the same one from the Screen Share video above) took a moment to remind the newsletter writers of LinkedIn about that in this post.
“You’ll find that your newsletter — or any side project — can be hugely successful, even if it doesn’t make a single dollar.”
He suggested that we non-monetizers set goals, such as personal, professional, leadership, and learning goals, to measure the success of our newsletter efforts.
For instance, a freelance writer might launch a newsletter to showcase your talent and attract clients. Or someone with a passion for cooking might start a newsletter that journals their adventures in the kitchen.
Not every newsletter needs a paid subscriber base or sponsorships. It’s still completely ok to do a thing for the fun of doing it, or to build an audience that you might be able to sell something to one day.
Psst! Dan’s new not an issue of Not a Newsletter came out yesterday. There’s a ton of useful info in it for you, as always.
Pssssssst! If you do want to earn cash from paid subscriptions, Curated is now supporting that in addition to the sponsorship tools we’ve offered for years. See Curated News below.
Highlights From The July Edition Of “Not a Newsletter”
In case you’re unaware, Dan Oshinsky sends out a monthly link to a Google Doc called Not a Newsletter. This not so newslettery newsletter is loaded with news, resources, and advice.
July’s feature stories include:
Related: Email on Acid breaks down if you should us BIMI.
Take Time to Strategize (Copy this Brief)
Dan Oshinsky, former Director of Newsletters at BuzzFeed, currently runs Inbox Collective. He sends out a monthly link to a Google Doc called Not a Newsletter. It’s loaded with newsletter news, resources, and advice.
Check out Dan’s Newsletter Strategy Positioning Brief (make a copy for yourself) and make sure you set goals, track key metrics, and define your primary audience. It’s a great planning doc you should revisit regularly.
