Designing Your Newsletter

Whether you’re creating your first newsletter template or polishing one you have, these are some ideas for designing and organizing your document.

I subscribe to a bunch of different author, publisher, and company newsletters. It’s good to peruse a sampling to get ideas of how others present information and what content they include. Make note of what catches your eye and how it appeared on the page.

It helps me to sketch out (storyboard) how I want my content to look and what sections I want to have. Most newsletter services have templates that you can use to make the design easier once you know what you want to include.

My newletters go out quarterly, so I usually have some sort of seasonal theme to go with each one.

Include a give-away if you can. You can put this in the subject line to build some buzz and hopefully, entice readers to open it to see what’s inside.

Your subject line needs to be short and interesting. People get hundreds of emails a day, and you are trying to make yours stand out.

I always have some kind of introduction that is a welcome to new followers.

If you write a blog, look through your posts to see if one or two can be repurposed in your newsletter. I do interviews of other authors on my blog, and in each newsletter, I feature 10 to 12 of them. My hope is to introduce my readers to some “new-to-them” authors.

Vary the content. Think of interesting things to share. People are looking for information and entertainment. All of your content shouldn’t be “buy my book.”

Make sure that the fonts and colors that you choose match your branding.

After you add all the content, photos, and graphics, send a test draft to yourself. Make sure everything looks the way you intended. Proofread all content. Check all forms and links to make sure they work.

My newsletter software has a scheduling feature, and it offers suggestions for the best time to send a newsletter. (Usually, you don’t want it to go out first thing on Monday morning when mailboxes are already full from the weekend.) I schedule based on the most optimum time. Since I’ve been doing this, I have had a better open rate.

Be prepared. You’ll get some unsubscribers each time you send a newsletter. Don’t take it personally. People sign up for all kinds of things, and then they clean up their email boxes later.

Look at the analytics page a week or so after you send a newsletter to see what you can glean from the data. It should show you things like how many went out, how many opened it and when, how many unsubscribed, etc. This can help you with planning your content and your schedule for your next one.

Your newsletter subscriber list, like your website, is yours and you manage the contacts. It’s valuable. Your social media sites are a key part of your marketing strategy, but if they shut down or ban you, you have no way of reaching your followers.

Building Your Newsletter Subscriber List

It takes some time (and work) to build your list of newsletter subscribers. I collected names for months before I sent out my first one. Here are some ideas for ways authors can increase their lists of subscribers.

• Create a sign-up sheet and take it to all of your events. Make sure to leave enough space for them to print their name and email address.

• When I do Facebook take-over parties, I always put a link in one or more of the posts for the participants to “keep in touch” via my newsletter.

• Make sure you have a form or a widget, so that visitors can sign up for your newsletter on your websites. A lot of website design software offer a pop-up when folks visit your site to sign up. You may want to delay that for a few seconds (or minutes), so that that’s not the first thing new folks see on your site.

• Newsletter swaps are a good way to build up your following. Look for another author who has a similar audience as you. You also want to have about the same size audience to make it worthwhile for both of you. You create content for her newsletter, and she’ll do the same for one of yours. Basically, you are featuring that author, and she will highlight you and your books in hers. Add a link in your article for readers to subscribe to your list.

• There are quite a few newsletter builders out there. These companies charge a fee for you to participate. Usually, every author also agrees to give away a book or two for the contest’s prize. The contest entrants agree to subscribe to the authors’ newsletters for additional chances to win prizes. At the end of the event, you get a spreadsheet of email addresses to import into your newsletter software. If you do participate, make sure you sign up for ones in your genre. You don’t want to collect names of readers who aren’t interested in what you write.

• If you participate in group author events, make sure to have your sign-up sheet available for folks.

• I do a lot of classes for different civic and social organizations, and these aren’t really opportunities to sell books, but I do take my newsletter sign-up sheet in case anyone is interested.

• Advertise your newsletter on social media sites. It’s good to post when you’re about to send one out, so that you can pick up any interested new subscribers.

What would you add to my list?

Ideas for Updating (or Creating) Your Author Website

If you have an author website, make sure that you’re keeping the content fresh and current. Visitors don’t often return to a site with outdated information. Here are some ways authors can spark some ideas to jazz up their site or apply some techniques to improve what you have.

• Do some research. Look at other authors’ sites in your genres. Look at publishers’ sites to see what colors, fonts, and graphic designs they use. Pictures draw more attention than long columns of text.

• Find colors that match your brand. If your writing is dark, choose the spooky colors. If your writing has a lighter tone, pick pastels or brighter colors. If you’re not sure, Google “emotions colors evoke” to get some ideas.

• Make sure your website has several different versions of your biography. You should have a very short one, one with several paragraphs, and a longer one. All should be written in the third person.

• Match your colors, fonts and style of your website to the graphics on your newsletter and your social media banners. You want readers to recognize your style (brand) and know it’s you.

• Make sure you have a place for readers to sign up for your newsletter on your website.

• Always test your website after you publish it. Make sure that all forms and links work correctly.

• Most website builders today automatically adjust your page for the devices your readers might be using (wide for laptops and tablets and tall for phones). Look at your website on different devices to make sure the pictures and layouts look like you want them to.

• If your events don’t change often and your books come out yearly, you’ll need to think of other types of content for your readers. Consider adding a blog. Mine gives me content to share weekly on my social media sites, and it keeps readers coming back to my site.

Social Media Tips for Authors

Social media, especially when you’re trying to market a book, can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips that can help.

1. Know the platform’s style. Are hashtags popular (or even used)? They are popular on X, Instagram and TikTok, but not as much on Facebook.

2. Can you include a clickable link in the post? You can include one on Instagram, but it’s not clickable. On Facebook and X, you always want to include a link to make it easy for the reader to find you or your book.

3. Many platforms will truncate your text. (It will show a few lines and then offer a more link to see the rest.) Put the most important parts of your post first. It’s a three-second world out there. People are skimming, and they often don’t click for more unless they are really interested.

4. Always include a graphic with your posts. Movement in videos or interesting graphics draw readers to your post.

5. Avoid long paragraphs of text. Again, people are skimming on their devices, and they don’t spend a lot of time reading volumes of text.

6. Always tag locations and people that you mention. This helps your content reach those who search for the tags you use.

7. Reactions and likes are good. Comments and shares help you more with the platform’s algorithms. Pose questions. More responses will help your post be visible to a larger audience.

What ideas would you add to my list?

Warm up your Cold Calling

Many times, when authors schedule events, they have to reach out and do some cold calling, and it can be stressful to pitch something to someone you don’t know. Here are some ideas to help make your call not just another random request.

The best thing I ever did to build my contact list was to volunteer to schedule the programming for one of my writers’ groups. This gave me the opportunity to reach out to all kinds of venues and speakers and to build relationships with local book sellers, libraries, and other professionals. (I was scheduling writing, marketing, and law-enforcement-related presentations for my Sisters in Crime chapter. Among hundreds of local contacts, I now have two bailbondsmen in my contact list who did a fabulous presentation on what it’s like to seek bond.)

Here are some ideas to help you when you reach out to plan an event:

• Contacts and relationships are important. It is much easier to call or email someone you have a relationship with than it is a complete stranger.

• When you meet new people, make sure to add them to your contacts immediately. Make sure to include a note of where you met them.

• Visit your local bookstores and libraries regularly (not just when you want to do a book signing). Be part of the community. Make sure you introduce yourself.

• When you participate in a book festival, make sure to introduce yourself to the event coordinators and planners.

• Be willing to volunteer.

• Join a writers’ group and volunteer. These groups help authors build their networks.

• If you have a skill to share, volunteer to teach a class. Even if you can’t sell books there, you can still promote your newsletter and offer bookmarks.

• Contact your local library or bookseller and proposal a panel for a program that they could offer. Many groups are looking for interesting speakers.

• Do your homework. Learn about the group, organization, or business before you reach out to them. Look at their event calendars. Make sure that what you’re offering matches.

How Do You Avoid Being Overwhelmed by Social Media?

Keeping up with all of your social media sites can be a lot of work, and it can often feel overwhelming. As a writer, your goal is to be active on your key sites and still write your next book. Both are important components of your writing life. Here are some ideas that can help you manage your social media and promotion time.

• Create a social media schedule. I still have a day gig, so what works for me is to check my main sites in the morning, at lunch, and in the evenings. I respond to messages and comments.

• The “social” part is key. You need to interact with those who comment on your posts. It’s also important to comment and share others’ posts.

• Know which sites your readers are on and focus your efforts there.

• Make sure that you post regularly. I schedule a lot of my daily posts on my main sites. This lets me plan my posts to match my goals and strategies. I still do ad hoc posts on random things that I want to share. It also allows me to have posts throughout the day, even if I’m busy doing something else.

• Remember that every post is not going to sell a book. Balance the content of your posts, so that twenty percent or fewer of your items are “buy my books.” It’s important for readers to see what you’re doing and your interests. Everything shouldn’t be a sales post.

• Social media followers are interested in entertainment and good content. Avoid being too wordy. Include graphics or videos to draw attention to your post.

• Be careful not to let your social media time take over your writing time.

• Create a business account on these platforms where you can. They offer more flexibility, features, and metrics than a personal account does. They also allow you to schedule your posts.

• Review your accounts’ metrics or analytics from time to time to see what posts are working. Many of the business tools offer hints for the best times to post for your readers. This can also help you to see how your audience is growing.

Who's Your Audience?

Who is your reader? When I ask new authors that, many says that it’s “everyone who reads.” Not quite. You need to determine who is reading your books or who would be interested in reading what you write. Here are some things you can do:

• Look at your social media analytics. Many offer information on your audience’s demographics (e.g. age, country of origin, gender, etc.). This helps you see who is paying attention to your posts.

• Look at your website’s analytics. This tells you who is visiting your site and when. Many of the dashboards show detailed information about your audience.

• Make a list of several authors who have books that are similar to yours. Look on major book seller sites and skim the reviews. What can you glean from those who have read these books?

• Find Facebook sites or groups for your genre. Look at the members or the “top fans” of the page. Who is commenting the most about your style of writing? I write cozy mysteries, so I look for groups, sites, and book reviewers/bloggers who specialize in my genre.

• When you create posts or ads for your books, make sure that you target your readers. Think about what appeals to that demographic. Do they prefer content, lots of pictures, videos?

• Build your social media platform on sites where your readers are. Search for social media platform demographics online. There are lots of articles that define all kinds of statistics about who is using what site. This gives you an idea where to focus more of your promotion time.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to narrow down your readers. It takes a little work, and as you build your website and social media audiences, you’ll have more data on your analytics pages.

What's Your Author Brand?

What is your author brand? A brand is something that is easily recognizable like a logo or packaging. It’s a way for readers to know what to expect from your writing. It’s your identity as an author.

Colors - The colors you choose for your logo, bookmarks, website, and social media sites create a feeling or a mood. Make sure your color palette matches your writing style. My first traditionally published work was a short story in an anthology series that had a black, white, and red cover. I used that color scheme for my first website and my graphics. Later, I was talking with a publicist, and she asked me why I chose those colors because my mysteries are lighter and often humorous. She recommended that I stick with brighter colors and pastels.

Fonts - Fonts also evoke a mood or style. Design applications like Canva will let you create a color and font palette with some of their packages. That way, you can be consistent with your designs. Some fonts are thicker and bolder, while others are loopier. Some fonts are more casual than others. Find one or two that match your style and your genre. If you’re using it for headlines or logos, make sure that it’s easily readable. I saw a tagline on the back of a tow truck recently. It looked like it read, “We Tow Less.” The words were on two lines and there was a squiggly something that I couldn’t read under the “We.” It was actually the word “for” in a loopy font. Their message of “We Tow for Less” got lost and twisted because of a font choice.

Things to Consider -

• Make sure you have a professional headshot. Selfies aren’t the quality that you want to reproduce online or in print.

• A logo helps link you and your brand. It’s a nice item that you can include on everything.

• It’s also good to have a tagline that’s easily understood (and readable) that describes your style.

• It’s helpful if you can get all of your social media handles to be the same. Sometimes, that’s not possible. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to find you. In Meta products (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), it is much easier to find Heather Weidner than it is Heather.Weidner.1234 or Mystery_Author _Heather Weidner.

Your brand helps readers know about you and your writing style. It creates a cohesive look for your online and in-person presence.