by Tari Faris, @FarisTari

Welcome back to Making Your Newsletter Work for You series. It is so great to share with you how I shifted my feelings about writing newsletters from dread to joy and at the same time grew my subscriber list from 300 to 7000 in three years. If you missed PART 1, then you can find that HERE.

Now let’s dive in because today we are talking about the biggest hurdle many have in putting out a newsletter: CONTENT.

What do you put in a newsletter? How do you keep from repeating yourself? How do you keep from making it full of self-promotion?

I get it. We’ve all been there. So let’s start by making it simple by using the 90/10 rule.

Your newsletter should be 90% educational and only 10% promotional.

90% Educational? Does that sound intimidating? Don’t fear—we aren’t talking about physics or any other specialty you need to brush up on. Guess what you are educating your reader on?

You. And I am pretty sure you are an expert on that.

Wait, we aren’t just supposed to talk about ourselves. I know. I have heard it said before—for every one thing you share about yourself, then you should share 5 things about others. I get the idea but I don’t buy into it for this reason. If I wanted to follow the other people, I would. And people who tend to just share others’ content all the time, then I don’t feel a connection to the original author and eventually unfollow.

People tend to sign up for newsletters for three reasons:

• They want to know more about you.
• They want to know more about your books
• To get free stuff. (We’ll discuss free stuff in PARTS 4 & 5.) 

We are going to focus on the fact that people want a connection—a connection with you. 

I know that idea is resistant to many of you. It feels a little too much like self-promotion. That isn’t what I am talking about. Think of it as self-transparency.

A few years ago, my sister was telling me that she was headed to a Beth Moore rally. I actually started to say, “Oh fun, tell her I said hi.” I caught myself and began to laugh. Do you know why? Because I don’t know Beth Moore. I have never met her. I haven’t even been in the same room as her. I have only seen her through the screen of my TV as I worked though many of her different Bible studies. But if you have ever attended one of her studies, you know what I am talking about when I say by the end, she felt like a friend. She is transparent and real and I find myself thinking of her not as a speaker or author but rather as a friend. 

That is the feeling you want to give your readers through your newsletter. How can you be transparent? How can you give them an inside look at your life?

I offer the 3…2…1… method. I share three photos of places I found beauty this month, two places I struggled, and one new thing I tried. I am not recommending this approach because, after all, you are not me. 

Before I was an author, I was a photographer. Therefore, it is a natural transition to share photos.

What makes you, you? How can you share a bit of yourself with your reader? How can you invite them into your world?

Now simplify the process. I created a template I use every month for my newsletter. It is formatted and ready to go. It took a bit to set up but now all I have to do is drop in the photos and write a small blurb. Taking all the formatting decisions out of the equation simplifies it and takes away that blank page dread. 

Come up with a format that fits you, your personality, your books. Use colors you love and graphics that bring you joy. Then ask your readers for their thoughts. I did that and my readers responded that they loved it but wanted reading recommendations. Great suggestion. I modified the template to include a reading corner at the end.

Your turn: What do you love? Is there a theme with your book you could capitalize on? If you’re a foodie, consider a recipe corner. If you write stories about dogs, maybe you could include a “dog house corner”. Get creative and see what feels right. Because if it feels right for your personality, then you will have an easier time filling the spots every month.See you next month on June 9^th when we talk about which email services I recommend and why.

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Since You’ve Been Gone

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah’s past difficult, he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.

Jon is trying to prove to the Heritage Fruits board that he, not his manipulative uncle, should be running the business. The board insists Jon find a new owner for the building that will house Leah’s business. To avoid forcing a buyout of Leah’s part of the building, Jon strikes a compromise with Leah, and the two go into business together. With her vision and his know-how, it might work. And Leah might realize he’s loved her since high school. If only he didn’t keep on shooting himself in the foot by boxing her out of important decisions.

Sparks fly in this romantic story of two people who must learn to trust both each other and the one who called them to this journey.

Available now for preorder! And visit linktr.ee/tarifaris to sign up for preorder rewards!

Tari Faris has been writing fiction for fifteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and writes for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com . When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rockhounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com