experiments in newsletter design

Quick update:

You may have noticed I’ve been experimenting with a curation-style newsletter for the last 6 weeks.

But if not - or if you’re new around here…

Here’s the skinny:

Every Wednesday, I sent out a curated list of 4 things to help you become a better writer.

Why?

Because writing is a keystone skill for any newsletter publisher.

It’s the central piece that makes it possible for your newsletter to “bear weight” (aka readership).

Without it, your newsletter business crumbles.

Anyway, these writing-centric editions included:

- 1 piece of copy to swipe
- 1 piece of content to consume
- 1 prompt to write
- 1 quote to ponder

Now before I reveal the results of this experiment…

There are two criteria every “content template” needs to meet:

1) Easy to fulfill
2) Fun to write

If it doesn’t, it’s probably not sustainable.

Fortunately, the way I set up my curation-style newsletter checked both of these boxes.

I’m always adding new copy to my swipe file…

And I’m a voracious consumer of content in all shapes and sizes.

So it was both easy to fulfill and a fun way to express myself.

Now, as for the results…

On paper, it was a clear win.

Open rates for this weekly edition were on par with my story-driven newsletters on Mondays and Fridays…

(40-50%)

And since it included multiple links, it actually drove even more clicks…

So it was great for engagement.

All good, right?

Not quite, chico.

You see, it still took me longer to write these curated editions.

Moreover, it required shifting into a slightly different writing gear.

And that’s what bugged me more than anything:

Constantly shifting back & forth between “story mode” and “curation mode.” 

This friction obstructed my writing flow…

And at the end of the day, flow is what I’m optimizing for.

So please join me in pouring one out for Write Better Wednesdays lol

Moral of the story:

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different parts of your newsletter business.

Especially when it comes to your content template.

It’s a hugely influential piece of the puzzle.

So it’s crucial to get it right.

And you can (almost) always revert changes later if they don’t work.

That’s all I’ve got for you today though…

I’m in Myrtle Beach this week with my agency partners and the ocean is calling to me ;)

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

If you want to review any past editions of the newsletter, you can find them all here.