Introduction: An Authors’ Goals:

Get people to read your books and buy your books.

Think of your favorite author. When you first picked up their book, did you know how many kids they had? Where they grew up? Where they went on vacation?

No.

You knew you loved their writing and had to know more.

We are the readers’ rock stars. We’re not making friends; we’re gaining readers.

STEP ONE: CHOOSE YOUR NEWSLETTER SERVICE

You don’t need to pick your provider today. Do your research first and pick a platform that will work best for you. Decide the following BEFORE you pick a service:

-How much money am I willing to budget on a newsletter service? When I get 5,000 subscribers, am I willing to pay for it?

-How much time am I willing to spend on creating a newsletter? Do I want to post twice a month? Every week?

-How many automated newsletters should I write? Which platform is easiest to use for automation?

A few ideas to keep in mind when searching for the email service that will best fit your needs:

1. Are you tech savvy? If so, a service with more features requiring technical knowledge will be a good fit. If not, a more streamlined, user-friendly service will be a better fit.

2. What genre do you write? Fiction and non-fiction authors will cater to different audiences.

3. Who is your audience?

There are many newsletter services out there, but a few of the most popular choices are the following:

MailChimp: User friendly. Can be more expensive.

MailerLite: Flexibility in segmenting groups.

MadMimi: More affordable. Automations can be confusing.

Constant Contact: You can choose your level of experience.

Active Campaign: Great with automations. Must be tech savvy. Expensive.

FloDesk– Beautiful emails. Unreliable customer service.

LEAD MAGNET-

An incentive that authors offer to newsletter subscribers in exchange for their email address. They usually offer downloadable content such as a novella.  A prequel novella to a series is a great way to get readers engaged in the world you’ve created.

Remember WIIFM! (WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?) Potential subscribers need a REASON to sign up. What will they get from signing up for your newsletter that they won’t get anywhere else? This should be something ONLY for them.

CONTENT:

•Sneak peeks

•Preorders

•Chapters

•Snippets

•Cover reveals

•Character interviews

•Giveaways

•Group Promos

FREQUENCY: HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SEND EMAILS?

It doesn’t matter if what you send is engaging to your subscribers, but as a rule of thumb, anywhere between bi-weekly and twice a month should be your goal.

If you send bi-weekly, keep the newsletters short. Longer emails can be saved for twice per month.

Don’t send one email only for new book releases. Readers will forget who you are and lose interest in your content.

WHERE DO YOU FIND SUBSCRIBERS?

BEST: Swap newsletters with authors who write in your same genre. You don’t have to organize this alone! There are some great websites who will do most of the work for you. Some examples are:

-MyBookCave

-BookFunnel

-ProlificWorks -Draft2Digital

OTHER IDEAS:

•-Facebook ads

•-Author Platform Rocket

•-Book Signings

•-Creating giveaways through Rafflecopter

DRIP CAMPAIGN- A 3 PART SERIES:

•Part One: The Welcome Email.

•The first email will be sent immediately after a subscriber signs up for your newsletter. This is a welcome email.

•-Welcome to your newsletter.

•-Remind them why they are receiving it and where they might have opted in.

•-Let them know that they can unsubscribe at any time and how to do that.

•-Because they subscribed, here’s what they’re getting.

Part Two- The Follow-Up Email

•-Send this email 2-4 days after the first email. Your newsletter provider will have a system in place so this can be sent automatically. This is sometimes called a “trigger.”

•Remind

•-Remind readers to claim their free eBook.

•Remind

•-Remind readers they can unsubscribe.

Email Three:

Welcome to the club!

SUBJECT LINES:

-The most important item in your email is your subject line. Subscribers will see this first. It will determine whether your email will be opened or deleted. In many ways, your email subject is more important than your email. A great newsletter is worthless if it never sees the light of day. Spending a little extra time on improving your subject line will boost open rates, avoid the junk folder, and get your message in front of your readers. Some successful subject lines are…

ØAsk a question. Example “Did You Win the $50 Gift Card?”

ØInclude a deadline. “Only Five Days Left to Claim 43 F*R*E*E eBooks!”

ØMake an announcement. Example: “The Winners of the Book Giveaway Are…”

A tip for writing good subject lines: Write 10 subject lines, then choose the best one.

The MOST important aspect of your email.

Your subject line MUST grab readers’ attention.

Avoid phrases like “FREE” or “SALE” as this will be marked as spam. Avoid “Just Checking In” type phrases.