Apologies for the vomit-inducing, arrogant subject line 🤢. But I needed to say something bold to get your attention.

Truth is, I wanted to dig into newsletters today because…

It has taken me years to get to a place where:

1. I post consistently ♻️

2. I don’t find it a chore (most of the time) 😫

3. I’ve found a format that people engage with ⚡️

4. It has started to grow by itself 📈

There is still plenty to improve.
[Sidenote: If you have feedback, please reply to this email. I read it all]

10 lessons I’ve learned so you don’t have to.

1. [Investment] Financial investment is a powerful motivator 💰
   Last year, I started to pay for the privilege of building a newsletter. For me, it was a toss up between Beehiiv and Substack. I chose Beehiiv because I love a challenger brand…. (more on why here).
   
   When you’re a small business, spending £500/year forces you to take it seriously.
   

2. [Frequency] Switching from monthly to weekly 📆
   It took me 4 years to pluck up the courage to go from monthly to weekly. I thought all my hard work would be undone because you lot would get fed up of seeing me in your inbox. I told everyone I was moving to weekly, only a small minority (~5%) unsubscribed.
   
   Monthly newsletters create lower engagement and build weaker reader relationships.
   

3. [Branding] Give your newsletter a name
   The only person who wants to read my ‘blog’ or ‘newsletter’ is my mum. Deciding to call my newsletter Founder to Thought Leader made it instantly more enticing.
   
   What are you going to call yours?
   

4. [Concept] Sum it up in a sentence; make it your tagline
   I tweak mine all the time. In fact, which one do you prefer?

5. [Design] Find a template that works for your readers
   It will help you create faster and your readers recommend quicker. Occasionally, I indulge in a long form article like this one, but usually my newsletter is 400 words and structured like this:
   
   1. 1-2 sentence hook
   2. Speaking tip in a blue box (aka Bottom Line Up Front)
   3. 150 word explanation of tip
   4. Short video example
   5. 3 reasons why the example worked
   6. Call to action
   

6. [Topics] Don’t write for your readers, write for your clients
   In other words, don’t hold back. Give your best stuff away for free. If you find yourself sharing articles you’ve written with your clients, you’re on the right track.

   
   My favourite thing about Beehiiv is that all the articles automatically end up on my site. It’s become a knowledge base in its own right.
   

   

7. [Amplification] Talk about it.
   Every single week. Sounds obvious doesn’t it, but I wish I’d started doing this earlier. Sometimes it’s a teaser post. Sometimes it’s a lite version of the article with a CTA at the bottom.
   
   However you need to do it, just DO it!
   

   

8. [Growth 1] Create a highly valuable resource for subscribers
   Like my Ultimate Public Speaking Toolkit. I could have charged for it (and still might), but for now and for all of you at least, you get it for free. Why? Because most people don’t.
   
   My toolkit launch caused spike 1 in the pic below.

9. [Growth 2] Recommend and get recommended!
   We've already grown 188% this year. Being recommended by other newsletters has caused spike 2.
   
   Side note: If you’re on Beehiiv, write for founders and have a complimentary (e.g. different topic), a partnership might make sense. Reply to this email!

10. [List] Nurture your email list.
    In other words, chop those who don’t read it. For us, that means anyone who hasn’t opened the newsletter for 8 weeks gets unsubscribed.
    
    It’s why we have a 60%+ open rate.

The compound effect

I’m here to play the newsletter long game. The plan is to write this newsletter for the next 10 years.

If it grows 1% a week for the next 10 years, there’ll be 298,892 of you receiving this. I have no idea what I’d do with all those people! But that said, the larger my engaged audience:

1. The greater my impact ✨

2. The higher my perceived worth 💰

3. The more opportunities I’ll attract 🧲 

Which can’t be a bad thing.

A final thought…

I mentioned that you shouldn’t be writing for your readers, you should be writing for your clients.

I wrote this because a lot of MicDrop members will benefit from it. But I also wrote it for me… I use the newsletter to help shape my thoughts and improve my own clarity around different aspects of my work.
Sometimes it feels like a thankless task.

Other times, I'll get a message from one of you sharing how an article has helped you. That one email makes it all worth it.

Thank you for being part of it :-).

Alex