How do I decide what to share with my 30,000 newsletter subscribers?
I ask myself nine questions.
They can be applied to any niche and will improve the quality of your own newsletter content.
1. Will it help my readers accomplish their desired result?
Everyone subscriber is trying to get the result you promised on your newsletter signup page.
My newsletter promises to help you get more from your content, so the most important criteria when considering a piece of content is whether or not it will help you do that.
2. Is it actionable?
I’m biased toward sharing useful content instead of just interesting content.
I ask myself, “What can a subscriber DO after consuming this piece of content they couldn’t do before?”
If the answer is nothing, the content isn’t actionable and I’m unlikely to include it in my newsletter.
3. Is it a perspective or tactic I’ve never heard before?
A lot of content out there says the same things.
Those things may be valuable, but my readers have already heard it a million times before.
I aim to share unique things they haven’t heard before – not just the conventional wisdom.
Speaking of which…
4. Is it counter to the conventional wisdom?
I love people who zag instead of zig.
The most interesting – and valuable – content comes from people who do things that run counter to the assumed best practices of your niche.
For example, my anti-lead magnet stance always captures the attention (and appreciation) of my readers.
Here it is in case you’re curious:
5. Is it specific and proven?
Generic content isn’t valuable.
Do you really need another person to tell you engagement is important on social platforms?
What you need is someone to show you HOW to get engagement and to share specific examples that prove their approach works.
The more specific and proven the advice in a piece of content is, the more likely I am to share it.
6. Does it make me think, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
The best content features suggestions that seem so obvious in retrospect you can’t believe you never thought of it before.
If I’m envious of an idea, I’ll feature it in my newsletter.
7. Did I want to tell one person about it when I saw it?
Ever consume a piece of content and immediately think of someone you know will love it?
If you know exactly who a piece of content will resonate with, it’s a safe bet there are other others like that person who it will also resonate with.
The flipside is also true.
If you can’t think of a specific person who would want to see something, it’s not worth sharing.
8. Have a I seen it everywhere already?
Most newsletters link to the same stuff.
That’s why you don’t read most issues of most newsletters you subscribe to.
The way to become a must-read is to share what people aren’t likely to see elsewhere.
The more unique your finds, the more valuable your newsletter becomes.
9. Will it still be valuable a year from now?
I believe in evergreen content.
That’s why I rarely share news – the return on investment is too small and the value timeframe is too short.
Timeless content delivers a higher return on investment because I can repost and repurpose it for years to come.
I’ve published my newsletter every week for more than 10 years (and daily for the last 5+) which has led me to create an insanely valuable library of content.
That wouldn’t be true if I didn’t focus on evergreen content.
A Final Thought:
The approach I outline above is how I’ve chosen to write my newsletter and it’s worked well for me and my clients.
But it’s certainly not the only way to do it.
You do you.
But if you’re struggling to figure out what to share in your newsletter, the questions above are a great place to start.
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