Building Your Email List Part 2 How to Keep Your Readers Engaged

Building Your Email List Part 2 How to Keep Your Readers Engaged Last week I gave you tips for setting up your email list, whether starting from scratch or dusting off an old one. This week we’ll talk more about what to do with that list and how to create content that will keep your readers engaged. First, if you didn’t do it last week, sign up with an email management system (EMS). (I have used   MailChimp, Constant Contact and MyEmma and recommend all three.   Hope Clark uses Aweber.) Besides managing the data, they help you comply with privacy laws Next, you need to decide, and share with your list, how often you’ll be communicating. The two big factors in determining frequency are your audience and your ability to create material. A fiction author may want to have once-a-month check-ins, while a non-fiction author may easily fill a weekly newsletter. For more frequent schedules, offer your audience the option of a â€Å"Digest Version† - once a week for daily emails, once a month for weekly. You’d much rather send them less than have them unsubscribe entirely. Exceptions to the schedule: If you have something big and exciting to share and it’s out of cycle, that’s fine, as long as these random mailings don’t become the norm. If it’s timely, send a special email. If it’s going to be just as cool when it’s time for your next email, hold on to it. probably read it. A short, hyperlinked list of blogs you’ve written recently with a summary no longer than a tweet (140 characters) is okay to draw attention to anything they may have missed. Draft your newsletter in whatever word processor you chose, then copy and paste the text into your Email Management System. Once you’ve found a layout template you like, stick to it. It’ll make formatting future emails much faster, and readers like a familiar feel. Also, try to avoid writing/formatting and sending all in one day. You’re much more likely to catch mistakes if you let the material sit for a day or two between draft and distribution. Things to consider while writing and formatting: Write a greeting and ending (it is a newsLETTER, after all.) Keep blocks of text short and to the point. Lists (bulleted or numbered) make scanning easier. Make use of formatting (bold, italics, underlining) only as appropriate. Use proper grammar/spelling/etc. and have at least one proofreader. This may seem hard for the first couple of weeks or months, but eventually you develop a rhythm. When you provide engaging content on a regular basis, your fans sh