What's the Magic Number?

 

As writers, we spend so much time searching for the magic word needed for a piece of writing. But lately I've been wondering about the magic number -- the marketing number. In my prior life in marketing, I talked to plenty of business owners about the Rule of Seven. The Rule of Seven is a theory that the average customer has to have seven contacts with a message before they take action. For writers, the message might be "Buy my book" or "Hire me for my writing services" or "Take my class". On the surface it sounds simple, but how much contact is too much?

Like most of you my inbox is filled with communications from other writers - Substack, Instagram, blogs, email blasts, newsletters. Recently I signed up for the newsletter of a new writer who seemed interesting. I received a "newsletter" that was basically all her book covers  and a synopsis of her newest release. OK, that's fine. I don't know much about her and this introduced me to the different series she writes. Then I received another "newsletter" that featured a different title...and another...and another. I was being contacted every other day. My inbox was jam-packed and much of it was a result of her marketing plan. Why so many emails? Perhaps she was hedging her bets, thinking I wouldn't open every email so if she sent quite a few I would open at least one or two. Sadly, it didn't work out the way this author hoped. First, I stopped opening the emails. Then I unsubscribed. She didn't win me over. She just annoyed me.

I follow other authors that send me something once a week or once a month. Yes, I hear from them less frequently but I ALWAYS open and read their emails. True, they tout their books but it's a soft sell. They also give me something more: personal stories, what they're reading, photos, recipes. When I see their email in my inbox I'm happy! It's like a little gift I can't wait to open. They've managed to communicate in a way that makes them feel like a friend. I remember their names and when I'm in a bookstore I seek out their books to buy, read, review.

I understand that this type of communication takes a lot more time and effort but, at least in my case, it's paid off for these writers. I bought their books. I told friends about them. I recommended their newsletters. And I'm writing about them now (Julia Kelly, Claire Cook and Katie Clapham).

All writers need to touch base with their audience. Share your thoughts...

How frequently should an author contact you?

What's your favorite thing to see in an author's newsletter?

Have you ever unsubscribed from an author's newsletter because it came too frequently or contained stale content?

Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to tea to butterflies.  She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing. Get to know her in her at blog Words by Webb. If you follow her, she promises not to send you something every other day!

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1 comment marketing, newsletters, Substack, tips for writers

Nothing Like a Good Bandwagon

Ever wonder where the expression "jump on the bandwagon" came from? I never really knew until I joined one of my own. It actually originated in 1855. It was a phrase used by Phineas T. Barnum, who used it in reference to the wagon that would carry around a circus band. This was a ploy to attract villagers to the circus performances. Politicians would later do something similar to attract attention to their political campaigns.

Now, we just use it to refer to when someone joins something because of its popularity. 

Lately, I have done that with Substack. Ladies and gents, I have started my own Substack newsletter.

It all started when I read Sue's post about her starting her own. I've been contemplating doing one for a (sometimes) weekly feature on my blog, Three Things on a Saturday Night. It's when I share (or a guest shares) a book, movie, and wild card recommendation that someone would enjoy on a Saturday night. It's a feature that I've always felt deserved more attention.

I've hesitated to start one because I don't want to deter people away from my writing blog, especially since I've been blogging a lot more lately. However, today I realized this could be a great way to drive traffic to my blog. In my first post, I snuck in a link to a book review that I had written recently. While I only have a grand total of two (yes, TWO) followers, I'm excited to have an easy-to-use outlet to share random weekly thoughts and recommendations.

Another reason why I decided to start one is the lack of a social media community online. Since Twitter is rocky and I've never been one for Instagram, it has left me with only Facebook. While that's fine, casual conversation isn't really part of the Facebook groups I'm in. I miss the day-to-day chatter you'd find on Twitter. Sure, Threads is a thing now, but I like to cover my bases. Since a lot of writers are on Substack, I figure I may as well join in the fun.

So, if you are looking for some fun weekly recommendations, subscribe to my Substack, Three Things on a Saturday Night. You may as well sign up to receive updates from my writing blog, World of My Imagination. And find me on Threads while you're at it.

Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has been featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not, Best Colleges, Mental Floss, WOW! Women on Writing, Sky Island Journal, Arlington Literary Journal, The Ocotillo Review, and The Gold Man Review. 

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1 comment Nicole Pyles, Substack

Starting a Substacks Newsletter

Are you ready to step off the cliff
 and start a newsletter?

Well, I’ve done it. After Cathy extolled the virtues of Substack, I started seeing it mentioned here and there.  Some of the newsletters I've been reading for years had even migrated, unbeknown to me, to Substack.  

This week I decided to step off the cliff. I know that sounds impetuous, but I’d been noodling this over since I saw Cathy's May post. If I was going to do a newsletter, what would I do? What do I know enough about to compile a monthly or bi-weekly newsletter? Writing. Books. And creativity. 

As I contemplated this for several weeks, the content didn’t change much. I've also been reading a variety of Substacks newsletters to familiarize myself with things. I really like: 

• Sarai Mitnick’s Making Time. Her newsletter is about creativity but she approaches it from the perspective of making time to make what you want. She sews but she also cooks and obviously, because she has a newsletter, writes. I always take something valuable away from this newsletter.
• The Practicing Writer by Erika Dreifus. I’ve been reading this one since long before it migrated to Substack. She shares a lot of writing and publishing news as well as markets. 
• Never Not Nervous by Brooke Barker  In this newsletter Brooke shares her comics and her thoughts.  I absolutely love her comics. 

There are more, but I’d been reading these for a while and saving the ones that I especially liked as inspiration. Why did I decide to step off the cliff and create my own newsletter right this moment? For one thing, it seemed like a great topic for a post. “I decided to do this, and it went great!” 

I’m also under contract for three separate books with two deadlines this week. What better time to start a newsletter. No, really. I get a lot done like this. 

I’ve been reading about design lately, so I sat down yesterday evening and quickly pulled together my text. I found fonts for the body of the newsletter, for the banner, and for the subheadings. I am capable of spending way too much time looking at fonts. 

This morning, I got up and changed the fonts around. I needed something bolder for the subheadings. Then I changed the font for the body of the newsletter.  Twice.  Finally, I was ready to put it all together in Substacks. Naturally, I googled what to do. 

Step 1. Sign up for Substacks. Um, yeah. That one seems a little obvious. 

Step 2. Create a publication. Hmm. Someone has clearly never written a how-to for money, but I clicked through.  Where was the button for publication? I waffled for a bit and realized that what I needed to do was create a post. (Click!) 

When I realized what I was seeing, I had to take a deep breath. My design?  Irrelevant.  You upload everything into a template. That said, what is moderately frustrating for me means it will, in the long run, be easier to do. They have created a format that is clear and easy to read on a phone and on a desktop.

Sure, I have a few things that I want to adjust but I've made a start. My plan is to post twice a month (midmonth and the end of the month). For those of you who are curious, you can find my first issue here.  And I’d appreciate it if you subscribe.

If you are trying to create content on Substack and can't figure something out, feel free to comment below. I'll gladly help where I can. Just remember, I've only just recently stepped off this particular cliff.

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of 40 books for young readers.  To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.  Click here to find her newsletter.

The next session of her new course, Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work will begin on  August 7, 2023).  Coping with rejection is one of the topics she will cover in this course.

Sue is also the instructor for  Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins August 7, 2023) and Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins August 7, 2023).

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9 comments newsletters, Substack

Stop the Writing World, I Need to Catch Up!

When I first jumped into the writing world, I approached it like a good student: researching, studying, learning, applying. And though everything was a bit overwhelming--with a lot of homework—I finally felt like I was on top of things. For about twenty minutes.

I mean, when you consider that it took hundreds of years for writers to go from penning words to typing words, the profession crawled along. And then technology arrived and zoom! It’s impossible to catch up with the constant innovation. The next new thing comes around just about daily. It's enough to make your head spin.

So when I see something new in the writing world, it might take a minute to make an impression. That’s what happened this week, when, after months of seeing Substack mentioned here and there, I finally studied up on the new platform. 

Well, I say “new” but Substack has been around since 2017—and it seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. Or maybe I should say dollars and cents because Substack is all about subscriptions. And though it’s possible to have a free Substack, I’m sure that once an audience explodes, the switch is made to the paid option. Which works out well for everybody. 

But you might be like me, wondering what the heck is Substack, anyway? And why should you, as a writer, care? So first, here’s the way the company describes itself: the subscription network for independent writers and creators. It’s mostly a platform for a blog (and you can export your already-developed blog from another platform), or a newsletter, or even a podcast, and it can set up the content for free or payment. (Substack makes a percentage of the subscription fee since they do all the tech work that you don’t want to do.) 

I’m sure there are writers/creators who are making a chunk of money; I’m not so sure they’re producing fiction (or essays or poetry). But that’s not saying an author couldn’t use Substack in a creative way. For example, a comic writer providing funny podcasts, or the novelist who might serialize their work. 

Substack reminds me a little of magazines. But instead of paying twenty dollars for a year’s worth of articles, maybe even a monthly short story and “lighter side” essays, the Substack reader picks very specific content and it’s digital only. 

The business model probably has much to do with the audience. My target audience, for example, is the more mature reader. They might read an ebook but they prefer paperbacks. They’ll look for favorite authors on Amazon or at bookstores; they like to attend book-signings. They have a TBR stack next to the bed. Yep, these are my people. 

Then there’s the readers who grew up connected to the Internet. They prefer getting their news or entertainment on their phones; they like their content in quick bites of three hundred words, and they may already be paying for their favorite podcasts. This is, I suspect, the Substack crowd. 

Ultimately, it’s like any business. If the value’s there, if there’s a market, readers will show up. Until the next new thing in the writing world comes along. And then off we’ll all go, sprinting to catch up!

Substack doesn’t feel like a good fit for me now but what about you? Have you explored this platform and/or use it?

Cathy C. Hall who finally wrote a new blog post!

Photo by Daryl Wilkerson Jr:

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6 comments blogging, Cathy C. Hall, Newsletter, online platform, podcasts, subscriptions, Substack