About that newsletter you're not writing

"I hate getting emails, I don't read any of them."

This is how the conversation usually goes when I ask new clients about email marketing.

They say, “I don’t want to annoy my subscribers because everyone gets too much email these days.”

And I ask, “What specifically don’t you like about the emails you get in your inbox?”

The response is usually, “They’re always selling something, cluttering up my inbox, sending too many, they don’t say anything, they’re boring.”

I always agree here. Yes, most emails you get in your inbox are wasting space, energy, and time. They very rarely provide value and are usually not even worth opening.

But, then I ask, “What if you received a value-packed email from someone you really admired, you follow them on social media, you like how they see the world, and you enjoy learning from them? Would you read it?”

And THIS is where we begin with creating consistent, valuable weekly newsletter content.

I’m no fan of shitty emails—my unsubscribe game is ruthless.

And I know that email marketing continues to be the most slept-on content strategy that wellness/spirituality coaches and service providers have available to them.

As much as I want to tell you ALL the reasons why you need a newsletter, there’s something more important that’s holding you back from sending them—and that’s your belief that the emails you send will annoy your subscribers. And no matter how valid my arguments supporting weekly newsletters are, if you don’t believe you belong in your subscriber’s inbox, it’s not going to help you move forward confidently with email marketing.

So, you’ve got subscribers. You’ve probably sent them a couple of emails, but you’ve never been consistent. You might be feeling anxious about “bothering” people with too many emails, or you feel like you have to send extremely high-value emails so that you can earn your place in the inbox.

Instead of committing to a weekly rhythm, you end up over-thinking every email, feeling pressure every time you sit down to write, and eventually abandon any hope of consistency because the emotional cost of writing to your list is too high for it to be sustainable.

But, what’s really going on here?

What are you making hitting “send” mean about you and your writing?

And what needs to happen for you to realize that you DO belong in your subscriber’s inbox? I mean, they willingly gave you their email address for that exact purpose. They want to hear from you.

You’ve been given an invitation, and here you are worrying about whether or not you’re welcome to send them a letter.

"My newsletter used to be stuck in perfectionist teacher jail. The pressure of trying to say the perfect thing kept me inconsistent and scattered for over a decade. Today I am so proud to say that issue #19 of my twice a month "The Awarewithall" will go out this week. Wow. That's 9 months of consistent relationship-nurturing connection with my subscribers, who now reply and connect with me, telling me things like my newsletter is one they always read, or that The Awarewithall is an email they make themselves a cup of tea to sit down to read and savor. Which kind of makes me want to cry (in the good way!)." ~ Heidi (The Awarewithall)

When you can own this sense of belonging, you can shift your perspective on writing to your subscribers. You can take ownership of your words and send emails because you have something important to say. Consistency feels more possible than ever because you’ve removed all the baggage around what it means to send your newsletter.

And your subscribers get what they signed up for.

"Knowing I have a newsletter deadline each week keeps me in relationship with my community and my body of work. Instead of wondering when to write, how much to write, and what to write... my energy (and tbh vulnerability) is freed up for greater self-expression and connection." ~ Brooke (The Second Bite)

So, how do you get over the hesitations you have so that you can feel excitement and joy about writing a weekly newsletter?

Here are a few considerations that might help:

Are you creating consistent content anywhere else? Social media? Podcast? YouTube? Blog?

Do your clients rave about working with you? How does it feel when you’re “in the zone” with your clients? What kinds of things do you say?

Do you wish that you had a place to share a more well-rounded, authentic version of yourself?

Do you struggle with trying to hack the algorithm to get your message to your followers?

If you responded “yes” to any of the above, you’ve got the perfect foundation to start your weekly newsletter.

"I used to think emails had to be salesy, pushy, or something people would find annoying — but I've realized that people genuinely love opening emails that feel valuable to them. It's like a breath of fresh air landing in your inbox when it's thoughtful and aligned… and I honestly had no idea before. I'm now on newsletter #40 and haven't missed a single week since I started. My list has been steadily growing, and almost every week I receive feedback from readers saying they look forward to my emails, feel resonant with the messages, and are excited to read them when they come through. Focusing on consistency in this one area of my business has created momentum in so many other areas too — and I know it's building deeper trust with my audience." ~ Sophia (Lightcodes Weekly)

A good email isn’t about being perfectly polished or packing an educational punch. They teach ideas, they build connection, and they offer some kind of surprising element like a good laugh, inspiration, or something thoughtful to chew on.

The more human the better.

“I’ve been writing a weekly newsletter, “Divine Inklings,” for nearly a year now, and am continually compelled and inspired by the magic I’ve discovered in this consistent rhythm. Intuitive insights flow from one week to the next, as I share more deeply who I am and connect more deeply with the women who receive these “inklings.” That’s what it’s all about for me: the rhythm, revelations, and deeper connections. It’s a practice of ‘presence,’ spiritual and creative inspiration.” ~ Janet (Divine Inklings)

Write like you’re sending an email to a good friend and I promise your subscribers will be delighted to hear from you.

When you can do this over and over again with a predictable rhythm, your subscribers learn to trust you, trust your words, and will look forward to receiving your emails.

"My open rate is consistently over 60% and I have people who reply to my newsletter each week with their feedback. On a personal level, having a newsletter has awoken some kind of writing dragon in me. Most mornings all I want to do is write and I actually get excited to work on my newsletter. This has extended into creating for Substack and contemplating (with more seriousness) writing a book." ~ Kristell (Morning Brew)

There’s no other place in our current marketing landscape where you can build a connection like this with your audience and it’s 100% worth examining what’s holding you back from sending consistent newsletters right now.

The quotes throughout this essay are from my clients who have been writing newsletter content for their email list as both a nurture strategy and one that helps them cultivate their creativity through their writing practice. I think their words, more than anything I could share, perfectly describe the value a weekly newsletter brings to their audience and their work as a whole.