Do Email Newsletters Really Work? | Yakezie Reader Insights | Yakezie Forums

My subscribers are getting two types of email newsletters: an automatic monthly round-up of my blog posts (I do not publish too much thus that is OK) in the 3rd week of the month and a specifically written update for that month in the first week of the month.

I use one of the blog titles in the automatic blog posts email. For the manual email I experiment with email titles/headings to improve open rate. What is remarkable is that sometimes you hit it and you see that people who have not opened your mail for months, open your latest email. Thus they were maybe not active for a while, but they were still there.

My results are not that great I think (open rates over 30%; click rates over 10% – note that I show my full blog posts in the emails), but it is worth the effort. I see some email subscribers turning into paying customers for my membership content. Thus for me it works, even that I really would like to improve my open and click rate.  

I only subscribe to newsletters when I am sure that the content is different from what is on a blog. Otherwise, what's the point? 

I agree with Daisy, I never really subscribe to newsletters, everytime I do I end up unsubscribing a couple weeks later.

I like getting unique newsletters depending on the source. For example, I love the Problogger newsletter because when something shows up it is unique and specifically for newsletter readers. Ramit's newsletter is good for people who don't use RSS, but most of what he sends out I would see anyway.

I have an email newsletter set up on one of my bigger sites.  It is a static site, with a newsletter set up to follow up with several autoresponders throughout the year.  Also, I send a blast once per month or so with market updates, etc.

It's very rewarding, in my view.  There is a very big difference between using it on a static site and a blog, I think.  Using it on a static site basically allows me to develop a newsletter as if it were a blog.  

Here are the 5 things that makes it worthwhile for me:

1. Consistent referral traffic – The list grows at a rate of +/- 600 people per month, and has been on an exponential trajectory, which is nice.  People tend to take an interest in the "niche" for 9 months, on average.  Plus, subscribers who click through tend to view 4-5 pages before exiting.  (The site is literally huge.  It would take many weeks to read through it all.)  Take 9 months x 4 weekly emails x 4 page views and each subscriber is an additional 144 page views.  Assuming a $20CPM, that works out to $2.88 in CLV per active subscriber.  Click-throughs are roughly 50% for me.  I don't really have all that much competition, though.
2. Developing relationships – I send out an email asking subscribers about their difficulties with this particular niche.  This helps me develop new content that other people might find valuable, too.  Subscribers are also very good at highlighting parts of the site that I need to improve – language that doesn't make sense, bad examples, inconsistent logic flow, etc.
3. Social Promotion – Have a timely article that could use some social promotion? Nothing accelerates an article like an infusion of thousands of visitors to an article. Also, it's a good way to drive people to follow on Twitter or "Like" your site on facebook.
4. Diversification – You never know what the big G will bring.  I'm getting to the point where the newsletter is the single best driver of traffic.  I won't have to care about Google much longer.
5. Authority – This particular niche is full of get-rich-quick people who sell all kinds of affiliate garbage.  I'm sure I could make a lot of short-term money doing this, but I refuse to as it's really sketchy, IMO.  Instead, I opt to try to really deliver in terms of content to the user base.  (Note: I try, who knows if I really do?)  If a subscriber of mine is subscribed to 10 other newsletters in this niche, and mine is the only one not pushing hard sales online, then I'm building trust and authority, which pays for itself in a number of different ways.  That really makes me feel good, and I find a lot of subscribers are forwarding their emails to their friends/colleagues. 

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no guru with newsletter marketing.  I really don't know much about it other than it has worked for clients in the past who deal in e-commerce.  I don't sell anything, so I never really paid much attention to it.

My only complaint with starting a newsletter for this site is that I only wish I had done it sooner.  I started one for this site years ago but got bored with it.  I spent probably 20 hours sprucing it up and setting up auto-responders to relaunch it last fall.  So far, I've been absolutely astonished with the results.  Net-net, the amount of time and money I put into it will really be the best investment I made in late 2011.  

To sum it all up, I'm not sure what I would do for a newsletter/blog combo.  I can't imagine how I'd work one into MoneyMamba, for example.  (What content would I post on the blog?  Which articles would I reserve for the newsletter?)  But, as far as it working for a static site…it's worked very well!  If you can figure out how to divide and conquer with your content as far as the blog/newsletter split, I would definitely recommend it.  

I've signed up to tons of newsletters over the past couple of years just to see how people are using them effectively.  Some of the tops that come to mind are Pat Flynn, Derek Halpern (Social Triggers) and Ramit Sethi.  Regarding Ramit, this guy sends out 1000+ more emails.  All original.  And his emails put most of my blog posts to shame as they are filled with great content. 

I've mentioned this in a previous thread, but I think NOT setting up a newsletter at the beginning is a HUGE mistake for any blogger.  I learned this the hard way. 

I'm mostly speaking from the Panda updates.  Google giveth and Google taketh away.  

You only get one chance to capture each visitor to your blog and if you get them to subscribe to your newsletter….you've got them.  Now you just have to keep them. 

I've been using my newsletter to share re-packaged content from the blog.  I've also shared more personal stories, or at least delivered differently, and then ask questions at the end.  Going for more engagement.  

For whatever reason, I get more engagement from my email list than I do the actual blog. 

I think we have to remember that even our loyal subscribers don't visit our blog all the time.   The newsletter is another way to engage them and bring them back. 

Plus….if you finally start to figure this blogging thing out (which I'm still learning) you'll always have to option to recommend certain affiliate products to your readers that you think they would use.  Or create your own product to sell them. 

The best success I've had with this has been Credit Sesame and Lending Club.   I have a Lending Club email as part of my auto responder and it never fails that I get a new conversion here and there; just from my newsletter. 

Just my $.02. 

Personally I only subscribe to a few, and if the content is not really compelling I will end up unsubscribing to it. Already get too much email as it is. ;)

Hi Van Beek,

Thanks for the helpful details.  Was discouraged with my low open rates.  Guess I'll keep working at it.

Hi Kay Lynn, Aloysa, Daisy, and Evan

Gotcha!  Different content.  Can someone make a newsletter not feel spammy?

Hi JT,

Thanks for those killer data points.  I don't have a static niche page so that's why it's a bit more tricky?  If I ever do go down that road, will refer back to your post.  Thanks again!

Hi Hunter,

Thanks for the tip and will definitely look into them.

Hi Kevin,

I feel the same way…  Just wondering how everyone else feels.

Hi Miss T,

I'm getting a little newsletter numb myself.