Build, Test, and Launch an Email Newsletter From Scratch

Hey friends!

This is via my first newsletter deep-dive and I thought there would be nothing better than sharing the entire process of how I built, tested, and launched a new email newsletter from the ground-up.

I’ll cover these topics, in general:

• Is a Newsletter Worth It in 2020?
• When Should I Start a Newsletter?
• What is My Optimal Newsletter Stack?
• A Content & Publishing Workflow for Newbies
• How to Test-Drive It and Launch
• Final Considerations and Thoughts

My hope and goal is simple: To demystify the process of creating a simple and effective email newsletter from scratch!

To infinity & community,

— John

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Is a Newsletter Worth the Effort?

If you’re even asking, then, this issue might not be for you! But, the short answer is a resounding and definitive “YES!” as they’ve proven to create a positive and high-ROI throughput for any business of any size, in both online and offline-centric companies.

Personally-speaking, this newsletter @ YEN.FM is one of a dozen email newsletters I’ve built and managed over the years and I currently have nearly 19,000 folks subscribed to a weekly newsletter that once started as a personal email to a small group of friends!

And this leads me to the most important piece of advice that I can give you as you embark on building a newsletter (and community of happy readers) that you can be super-proud of: Consistency is everything.

Once you start you must not stop until you’ve sufficiently exhausted your attempt and are clearly not seeing the results that you want. And a “reasonable” amount of time is, at the very least, 6-months, but I coach startup founders and business owners to give it, realistically, a full year.

The reason is because a newsletter is nothing more than a channel of communication between you and a willing reader. It is, essentially, a relationship and your singular mission is to deliver value in every issue that you publish.

In this way you’ll build the currency of trust with them and you’ll “earn the right” to share with them your business, at the right time and in the right way. In fact, the best newsletters never sell anything directly.

With all of that being said, a newsletter is a powerful relationship and community-building tool that, when built and operated properly, can be an absolute boon to your brand and business.

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When Should I Start a Newsletter?

Today. Immediately; without hesitation. Even and especially if you’re not entirely sure what you’re going to be writing about. The reason is both strategic and tactical:

1. The vast majority of businesses do not use newsletters as a part of their core customer and community-building strategy. Statistically-speaking, the fact that you’re operating one at all makes you more competitive as a business and venture out of the gate. As a small business, brand, or creator, you have to use every piece of ammunition that you can to not just survive, but thrive.
2. Building a newsletter is nothing more than writing and most of us really suck at writing. I mean, terribly-so. More specifically, most of us are not used to writing consistently in thematic prose to a growing, curated audience. Practically-speaking, it’s going to take time to learn how to “write a gud and ahsome newsletter” and build a publishing cadence that works for you.

You see, this is about “reps in the gym,” so to speak. It’s about getting in as much practice as you possibly can and learning the fine art and science of newsletter writing which, as I’ve already said, is foreign to most of us.

Consequently, the sooner you start the better. And this post is here to help!

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My Optimal Newsletter Stack

I am primarily using two tools with the following, high-level motivations:

• WordPress — For content ownership and landing page (http://yen.fm)
• Substack — For subscription management and content delivery (https://yenfm.substack.com/)

The reasons I use these technologies in-tandem is because newsletter tools have come and gone (remember: I’ve been around for a while!) and being stranded on a dead platform is something you’ll never want to experience first-hand; trust me on that.

🛑 — Read the rest of this large post via the newsletter and deep-dive!