Like many writers, I have a love-hate relationship with my newsletter. I love that it gives me a way to talk directly to my subscribers without having to worry about being filtered out by a social media algorithm. I love that it gives my audience a way to reach back out to me, and I’ve had some meaningful exchanges with readers because of it. I love that it’s relatively cheap and the logistics are easy.
Sounds good, right? Not so fast. There’s one thing about the newsletter that I really hate: coming up with content. When I have a book coming out, it’s easy—I write about the book, the release, sales and promotions, and book signings. When I don’t? Content can be hard to come by.
Just giving up and not having a newsletter isn’t the right answer, though, for all the reasons I laid out in the opening paragraph. Most importantly, while social media is an easy way to engage with readers, you never know when a platform might change its terms of service, the algorithms it uses, or other variables that are beyond your control. I know authors who’ve had to leave a social media channel for one reason or another, and it’s taken them a long time to regain the followers they once had when they resettle somewhere new. With a newsletter, your subscribers are with you until they unsubscribe, and you have a lot more control over the process than if you solely rely on social media.
So, let’s assume we’re all going to have a newsletter. What do we write about? Over the years, I’ve found the following shortcuts to content creation that I can come back to when I’m stuck.
Work in Progress. Readers like to know what you’re up to; you can write about your current project, why you’re excited about it, and your goals for the project. If you’re feeling especially brave, you can share a snippet or two from it with them. Subscribers love to feel like they’re getting inside information, so sharing “newsletter exclusives” like that serve as a reward for sticking with you.
Book Reviews. I love to promote other authors in my newsletter, particularly if they are in my genre. My subscribers tend to be avid readers, and they love to hear about what I’m reading, what I’ve enjoyed, and what I recommend. As a bonus, if you highlight other authors from within your community, they’ll often return the favor and help spread the word about your work.
The Story Behind the Story. You can’t use this one too often (unless you have an extensive library of published work), but readers love to hear about where your ideas came from. Tell them how you arrived at a particular plot, what a setting means to you, or what made you think of the characters in your work.
Personal Details. I try not to go overboard on this one (people really don’t care about that excellent chicken sandwich I had for lunch), but there’s room for sharing some details that aren’t about writing. Have another hobby? Gardening, hiking, bird-watching, jigsaw puzzles, solving quadratic equations? You can write about it. Took a cool trip? Write about how it inspired you. Don’t overshare, but giving some personal information helps humanize you and fosters connections with readers. I mean, who doesn’t want to hear about your love of algebra?
Free Stuff! Again, subscribers want to feel like your newsletter is worth their time. One way you can do that is by giving them free stuff. I’ve shared essays and short stories featuring my novels’ characters. I give the first few paragraphs in the newsletter, then link to my website for the rest of it. That helps drive traffic to my site and, hopefully, readers will look at my novels while they’re there.
More Free(ish) Stuff! You can use your newsletter to share news about discounts and other promotions on your book (and books you like). You can also work with other writers to put together giveaways. That helps introduce your readers to other authors and helps establish a sense of community among your subscribers.
Interviews With Someone Famous or Not-So Famous. Reach out to your author friends in the writing community and offer to feature them in your newsletter. Come up with a handful of questions that are fun and easy to answer, and share the interview with your readers. I’ve even “interviewed” myself and called it “Questions I wish people would ask me.”
If you don’t like those ideas or you’ve used them all and need more content, subscribe to other authors’ newsletter. See what they’re doing and borrow the ideas that work for you.
Have a great content idea you’d like to share? Drop a comment below, and let us know about it!
Photo by Manfred Richter at Pixabay.com
Travis Tougaw grew up in a military family. As a perpetual "new kid," he quickly learned the value of sharing stories to connect with others. Having settled down after his own stint in the Air Force, Travis stopped relocating, but he's never stopped telling stories. He's always on the lookout for characters and storylines that will grab readers' attention and keep them turning pages. Travis lives in Colorado with his wife and children. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, outdoor activities, playing musical instruments, and trivia competitions. The first three books in his Marcotte/Collins investigative thriller series (Foxholes, Captives, Last Call, and Death Grip) are now available. Learn more about Travis and his books at https://travistougaw.com.