Newslettering

ArtMelC

Hello SVSers, with the uncertainties and stress around social media, I have decided to focus my energy on building email list and newsletters. For now I only have the energy for monthly... anyone else starting a newsletter here? I'd like to have a support group of some sort

I haven't been able to plan and schedule content in advance... the month seems to come really quickly and then I get scrambling to put them together lol.

This is my newsletter: mondayblues.substack.com

handwritten letter
content around art journaling
some updates about my current project, event, etc and sharing 1-2 things I like

If you have one or are starting one, do share a link and we can probably follow and learn from each other!

MimiHecher

How is it going?

For me:
Having no community at all, having not a single emailaddress, I'm not yet in the position to start a newsletter, BUT I'm trying to get a grip of posting on a blog regularly.
Jake recommended to read loud all of my blog entries and put them as videos on youtube, to increase the possibility for people to stumble over it, and that's GREAT advice, but at the same time GREAT hindrance, as it means for me:
Not only learning how to handle a blog website and having the discipline to write a new entry at least weekly (and doing art for them as well) ... I also have to learn about Youtube and how to read alound "beautifully", so it's nice to listen to my voice ... O_o;

And THEN I thought: Hey, I could also add a newsletter in the way that I tell people when a new entry is online. So ... maybe I will do that as well.

But everything I will do I will do in my native language, German, so it won't be any help for not German speaking people.

Adam Thornton 0

@ArtMelC
Hi Mel,

I'm in the process of starting a newsletter, for the same reasons as you. I've not written my first one yet but they will also be monthly and plan to follow a similar content style to Jake (Parker), i.e. not feeling that I need to create all of the content myself but also reporting on things that I find inspiring in the world/internet, that are relevant to what I do

I've just subscribed to your newsletter and will let you know when I've published my first one.

Good luck with it!

Adam
UK.

ArtMelC

@MimiHecher Oh goodness, I know how you feel. I hate the sound of my voice, so the whole youtube video thing is a huge turnoff for me!

It is great that you will be doing this in your mother tongue. It's going slow (I started out wanting to post weekly but ugh I only have the energy for monthly now). I usually draft my main topic 1-2 weeks before posting date but only polish and add on the fun "Daily Delights" section on the day itself.

My subscriber number is tiny but I plan to keep going and give it at least a year of consistent posting.

ArtMelC

@Adam-Thornton-0 That is awesome. Thanks for your support. Do post here when you get started, I find having this little accountability circles help me stay consistent

Chantal Goetheer

@ArtMelC I subscribed and love your beautiful newsletter. It really gives an extra dimension to the text itself. Havent thought on a project for hare and tortoise yet.

Kristen Lango

Hey Mel! I loved seeing this post, because I did just start one this year too!

I totally understand you about struggling to keep up with them. I just sent my February letter 2 days ago just in time before the month was over haha

I'm basically doing the same thing you're doing but mine are called Studio Reports

In them I'm going to link to my latest vlog on YouTube and give a brief update about something I've worked on recently and maybe share some thoughts from the art books that I read.

I've just subscribed to yours and I love the idea of supporting each other in this way

ArtMelC

@Kristen-Lango super cool! Great that you're all in on youtube too. How do I subscribe to your newsletter? There doesn't seem to be a subscribe button on the page you linked...but maybe it's just me being a dud

Kristen Lango

@ArtMelC Thank you! And haha no worries! It's not super obvious, I have to work on making the subscribe feature on my website more prominent.

It's at the bottom of the page:

I really have to try to change the language, but Wix doesn't make anything easy despite their marketing team saying otherwise

ArtMelC

@Kristen-Lango Ooh I see, it's on your main website. Will be good to have it on the newsletter itself too. It takes time to figure these stuff out I am frustrated too with my site and everything.

Kristen Lango

@ArtMelC Ugh tell me about it, I can't even figure out how to change the language from "Subscribe Form" to something else...
Plus there is the added bonus that I think Wix differentiates between newletters and email marketing. Like what the heck is the difference anyway?!

ArtMelC

@Kristen-Lango I've read somewhere that Newsletter is sent at regular interval and tend to have a couple of things bundled together. Its content is considered more "valuable" to the readers (e.g. Thoughts on certain issue, Tips, Story, with a little room for updates and marketing).

Email Marketing is direct and is usually single-purpose to get you to sign up for a thing, or purchase a thing. It is sent as an when needed (prelaunch, launch, reminder). Think off all of those emails telling you "Last chance to get XYZ before price increases on x date". Email marketing is seen as serving the business more than the receiver.

The reason the 2 is distinguished is probably for control and analysis purpose. The advise is generally to balance the two. Too many marketings and people will get tired and unsubscribe if they don't get value from the subscription. I hope I am making sense!!

ArtMelC

@Chantal-Goetheer @Adam-Thornton-0 @Kristen-Lango @MimiHecher Thank you for your support!

So, after much frustration, I have finally sent out my March newsletter. 3 things I learnt from my experience this month:

If you are using Substack but want to capture subscription forms on your website, at this moment you have to manually export the new signups stored in Squarespace (or wherever platform your website reside in) and import them on Substack. There is no automated way to do this so you have to manually scour for new signups in your website.
Test your website's sign up form! Mine was connected to nothing for a while, until someone I knew whatsapped me to let me know she subscribed, only to find out her email wasn't captured in my system. I had to embarassingly ask for her email address so I could help her enter it manually while troubleshooting my settings. Thank goodness she told me, otherwise I would have unwittingly lose a subscriber!
Despite having rough ideas and drafts a week in advance, life still never failed to derail me. Causing my #MondayBluesNoMore publication to never publish on Monday, at least for the past 3 months. Lol. For now I decide to give myself grace and be okay with this dynamic as long as I send something good out each month at a semi-regular interval.

NickyDrew

I just signed up!
I've been thinking about doing one for a while, but I'm trying to start a Youtube channel and that's taking all my extra time. So great job getting yours started!

And monthly is fine! When I get mine started, it'll probably only be once a month too. And as a reader, I get overwhelmed by newsletters that come out every week- but I forget about the monthly ones and then get excited when I see them pop up in my inbox! They're a nice suprise that way.

The one for this month is so calming. Haha I needed that today.
Looking forward to reading April's!

ArtMelC

@NickyDrew It is super cool that you are starting a Youtube channel! Thank you for your support, I am glad you enjoyed the March newsletter

Kristen Lango

@ArtMelC Thanks for this! Yeah I know the difference between the two, but what's stopping me from writing my newsletter in a template that is from Wix's email marketing option?
So here is my second one, and I really like the format of it.

But I don't know, would you call this a newsletter or email marketing?
Either way, I like it haha so I'm honestly not sure why I even care hahaha most of the time I think we've gone way overboard with all this crap. Like it doesn't need to be that hard, you know?

ArtMelC

@Kristen-Lango I like it. And I agree with you. I haven't used wix templates but newsletter tends to have a few sections of previews with a few "read more" buttons whereas email marketing only has 1 section and a big CTA button. Mostly.

But who cares...as long as it is clear to the readers what they are supposedto do. I am not one to heckle about the correct format since my newsletter is almosy entirely images of my handwritten stuff

I love your take of painting an illustration twice.

Kristen Lango

@ArtMelC Aw thanks Mel! Right?! All the terms just make me want to pull my hair out haha
I love that you're incorporating handwritten things into yours! I love anything that brings in an "analog" touch