© 2023 Tracy Crump
In June, Chicken Soup for the Soul celebrated an incredible 
30 years of publishing America’s favorite stories, but we couldn’t let them be the only ones to party. The Write Life turns 15 this month! That’s right, our newsletter has faithfully traveled to inboxes every month (without fail) since November 2008, bringing the latest in writing tips, news, and inspiration.
Marylane and I started with 9 subscribers at our first Chicken Soup for the Soul workshop and have grown the list to 1000. That may not sound stupendous when some newsletters draw tens of thousands of followers, but as one subscriber said, “In a field as saturated as writing, that’s an impressive number!”
But what’s so important about having a newsletter when there are so many social media platforms where you can post?
Social media is getting fickle. Platforms can ban you, particularly if you post a lot of Christian content, or they may fold altogether. You own your newsletter list. No one can take those contacts away from you. And contacts are important in the business of writing.
If you haven’t started your own newsletter, let me give you some tips.
- Find an email marketing platform (to distribute your newsletter) that works for you. Here is a comparison of the top ten email marketing platforms for 2023. Some charge, but others are free within limits.
- Settle on a topic/theme for your newsletter and stick to it.
- Be consistent. Send your newsletter on a regular basis so readers know what to expect.
- Offer good content. Our marketing expert, Patricia Durgin, preaches this all the time. Your main goal is to serve your subscribers, not continually promote yourself. In God’s timing, your products will take center stage.
- Branch out. Marylane and I have been blessed with articles from industry leaders such as Cecil Murphey, Liz Curtis Higgs, Edie Melson, and many others. We’ve had three outstanding devotional contributors and now have a marketing columnist. These writers add value to the newsletter in areas in which we have no expertise. Don’t be afraid to ask.
- Focus on your reader. Our newsletter includes anthology story callouts, tips on writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul, and a Subscriber Spotlight where we shine a light on one subscriber’s accomplishments each month. Our goal is to help writers.
Putting out a newsletter month after month is work, but it’s well worth it. Find your niche and start today!
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Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness, but she is best known for contributing 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She writes regularly for Guideposts devotionals, conducts writing workshops, and does freelance editing. In 2022, she started a blog for caregivers, our unsung heroes. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.
