If video killed the radio star, did social media kill email?

Um, no.

Social media might be the cool kid on the block, but email is the reliable neighbor on the other side of the fence. Think Wilson in Home Improvement. (Did I just date myself? Does JTT mean anything to anyone else?)

As a writer, one of the best early marketing strategies you can jump on is creating—or at least prepping for—an author newsletter.

Why you need an author newsletter:

• Facebook and other social media platforms are consistently making changes that effect how many people see your updates. With email, you have the control.
• Other social media platforms require the reader to “go” somewhere, click on a link, etc. Email comes straight to a person’s inbox.
• Marketing professionals say it takes anywhere from four to seven exposures before the consumer takes action. In other words, we authors need to get in front of potential readers in multiple ways. Email is one of the easiest.
• Email is simply more flexible than most social media platforms. Within one email, you can use teasers and links to point your reader a variety of directions in an eye-appealing and user-friendly way.

If you’re a pre-pubbed author, you may be asking, When is it time to begin an author newsletter? Should I start one now or wait until I’m published?

That’s a good question—it depends. LOL, not trying to cop out here, but ask any number of industry professionals and you’ll likely get as many varying opinions. But here’s my thought:

The best time to start an author newsletter is when you can clearly define an action you’d like the recipient to take.

If you’ve got a book releasing, of course the action you’re hoping the email recipient will take is to buy your book…or share it on social media, view your book trailer on YouTube, visit your website, etc.

But even if you’re pre-pubbed, there still may be opportunities for reader action. Maybe you hold contests or giveaways, or host special guests on your blog. Maybe you invite readers into your research process and ask for tips or ideas. Maybe while you’re waiting for a book contract, you’re publishing short stories or novellas on Amazon.

However, even if you decide you’re not ready to begin a newsletter, it’s never too early to begin compiling your email newsletter list. You can begin building your email list by providing a sign-up option on your website, in the signature of your regular emails, etc.

Note: You cannot add people to an email list without asking permission. Just because someone is a personal contact in your address book does not mean they’ve agreed to receive your author emails.

Once you’ve decided to start a newsletter, there are few things you need to think over to get started:

Frequency: How often are you going to send out your newsletter? Once a month? Quarterly? I think this is a question you can decide for yourself, but the key is not to send it so often readers feel spammed and unsubscribe…but not so infrequently that they forget who you are in between emails. 🙂

Content: Avoid wordy sentences and clunky paragraphs. Be professional. The design of your e-blast should match your author branding. Talk in first person…in your unique voice. Think, teasers and links! But also think…

Action: There should always be some action you’re asking the reader to take. In fact, usually you’re going to give the reader choices of actions to take. They can click on your social media links to follow you online, visit your blog, click to buy your book, fill out a launch team form, etc.

Value: As you’re writing your email, ask yourself what’s in it for the reader. How is this email benefiting the recipient? If you can’t answer that question, the recipients won’t be able to either…and it’ll be that much easier to hit ‘delete’ or worse, ‘unsubscribe’… something you’d probably like to avoid. 🙂

We covered the basics of author newsletters today. Do you have additional questions? If so, throw them out in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.

And if you have other marketing-related questions for a future One Thing Marketing post, feel free to email me anytime at marketing@mybooktherapy.com.

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Melissa Tagg is a former reporter turned romantic comedy author. Her debut novel, Made to Last, releases from Bethany House in September 2013. In addition to her nonprofit day job, she’s also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy. Connect with Melissa at www.melissatagg.com and on Facebook and Twitter (@Melissa_Tagg).