No one signs up for a social media account and says, “don’t worry, I’ll only post once a month, I don’t wanna be too spammy!”
So why do we act like that with email newsletters?
Maybe because when you donate to a political campaign they start emailing you twice a day?
Or when you buy from an online retailer they bombard you with emails a few times a week?
Well, you’re not them.
The stuff you post on socials – the photos from shows, the work-in-progress videos, the rants, the albums that you love – could all go into an email.
Remember these two facts:
- Not everyone follows you on social media.
- Even if they do, algorithms will prevent them from seeing your posts.
So your live-action shots and clips from the studio go unseen – mostly (probably) by your biggest fans.
The ones who buy your albums, your prints, you shirts, your art.
Yes, if you email once a week with just PURCHASE NOW or BUY TICKETS messages, people are going to unsubscribe.
So don’t do that.
Your fans subscribed because they love you, and want more of you. Give them more of you.
You can literally scroll back through your socials from each week, see what resonated, and copy and paste that into your email.
Write more about some of your thoughts from the week.
Post some photos from your art opening on your site, then mention them in your newsletter. “Hey, click here to see more.”
That’s not a hard sell. That’s not trying to get anyone to pull out their wallet when they’re in line at Dunkin Donuts.
It’s a passive ask, friend to friend:
Here’s the lyrics to our next single.
Sneak peek at our next shirt design.
This is the inspiration for our next album.
Yes, include your album art and a pre-order link. Below the fold. Think of it like an ad in a magazine. You read the interview, then notice the full page ad on the next page.
Your fans aren’t ATMs, they’re your friends, followers, people who gave you their email address and said, “yes, I want more from you.”
Give more of you.
Some resources for your own study:
“Never treat people like units of data, create buyer personas complete with photos for each segment to maximize results. This will help you create and send not just the right content, but also define the perfect email frequency. Additionally, conduct your own experiments to test email frequency for every segment,” from Snov Labs.
“Our data suggests every two weeks is the “sweet spot” for getting the most people to see your emails without burning out your subscriber list. Though of course, you should always test to see what works best for you,” says Campaign Monitor.
“Once you’ve established an email cadence you’re comfortable with (and that you think your subscribers will enjoy), your main focus should be on providing quality, relevant content. If it’s something your subscribers will enjoy, they’ll look forward to every email you send,” says AWeber.
“You should err on the side of more, not fewer, emails,” says Jilt, with lots of data behind it.
Artist Joan Pope sends out a weekly email, serving as “an overview of my creative works made in the past week.” Read it here.
