π€·ββοΈ The audacity of me giving newsletter tips right now
Me: struggling with my own newsletter. Also me: giving tips π
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Hiya,
I've been sitting on this newsletter for three days because I kept second-guessing myself.
You know that feeling when you have something helpful to share, but you're like, 'Who am I to give advice when I'm barely keeping my own writing routine together?'
Yeah. That feeling.
But then I remembered what happened last week...
After I sent that summer survival newsletter, I got exactly one comment - from
who said she's 'drowning in general lol.'And I thought: THIS is why we need to help each other figure this out.
So here's what I'm working on - a super simple guide for when you want to write to your readers but your brain feels like mush.
I've narrowed it down to 5 brain-dead-easy methods, but I'm stuck on something:
π Should I give you 5 options to choose from, or just focus on the ONE that actually works when you're running on empty?
Will you help a girl out, hit reply and tell me:
(If youβre on the Substack platform, you can leave a comment below)
Do you want options to choose for yourself
Just send you the best one (no decision required, if it doesnβt resonate, you ignore it:)
And if you're feeling chatty, what's making newsletter writing feel impossible this summer?
Letβs keep it super simple over the summer.
Keep writing,
P.S. Check out Kristiβs post about βHow One Headline Brought 99 New Subscribers,β where she shares a free headline tool she uses. I use the same one, so this was a great post. (I wish I wrote it!) Strong subject lines are key to grabbing your readersβ attention and drawing them in.
If youβre struggling for motivation this summer, these might help:
This is fabulous, Jen. Because I'm a Libra, and we're notorious for being completely unable to make decisions, I feel like the smart choice for me is to ask for just the ONE option. But then the magpie part of my brain can't help wondering what the other options might be ...
Bottom line - I leave the choice in your very capable hands. ;)
As for LULL MODE - I'm so glad to hear it's not just me!
I've actually taken the last two weeks away from writing as I work through a slight pivot for my newsletter (or at least a reframe ... for me more than anyone else), so I've been a bit AWOL myself, BUT I have been lurking, and I agree - definitely feels a little slow. (Except for the news ... the awful, awful news.)
THAT (the news) is part of what's making newsletter writing more of a battle for me right now. It seems futile to write my little missives in the face of so much cruelty and tragedy. And yet, I know it's the right thing to do. It's just tough to muster the energy some days.
Thanks for this post. Made me feel better. xo
Jen! First, thanks for tagging me. Also, I'm so sad my comment that you included has a typo in it π Stupid cell phone autocorrect not even working properly.
Your subtitle on this post is GOLD! I laughed out loud. Isn't that all of us at some point? I give advice every single week that I don't take myself.
I think the biggest thing standing in my way this summer is the massive LULL on Substack. I don't even feel like participating in my own newsletters with such slowness on the platform. But alas...I must.