TOC #194: The pilates princesses are not going to like this one
(September 10, 2024) What To Do If You Don't Know Whether Your Newsletter Is “Working”
Is Pilates a good option to get thinner?
I didn't have the answer (and, actually, I wasn't even aware that I had the question itself) — but, thanks to Alexia's email on June 11th, I found out.
And then I bought every single thing she sells.
Here's what happened:
Alexia took my email marketing course last January, because she wanted to get more confident with her newsletters.
At the end of my course, I always have hour-long one-on-one meetings with every student to answer questions, go over what we learned, make sure they feel good about everything moving forward, & to help content plan.
When it was time for my chat with Alexia, and she told me all about her newsletter, I was like wait… 👀 I wanna read that 👀
So, I subscribed.
And then read her emails.
Every. single. week.
And I did nothing.
I didn't listen to her podcast, or hire her, or buy her programs.
I liked her content (obviously) enough to read it every week, and to eventually follow her on Instagram.
But, for the time being, that was it.
Until it wasn't anymore.
SIX ENTIRE MONTHS into reading her newsletter, something clicked for me: I wanted what she was selling.
Within half a second, I clicked “add to cart” on (and paid in full for) her biggest offer, without even giving it a second thought.
Her email about Pilates had a recipe, a simple answer to a question she'd received on Instagram, and a brief call to action to check out one of her courses.
She didn't say anything crazy.
It was nothing revolutionary (aside from the fact that, no, for my body type, Pilates really isn't the best workout — which means, as much as I want to be a #pilatesprincess, I no longer have to feel guilt about *not* being one).
She was just sending her regular content.
It wasn't that she convinced me with a purposely persuasive email; it was that she was CONSISTENT — and, eventually, I came to the decision that I was ready, on my own.
Her emails had POWER: they showed up in my inbox, giving me a little bit more information every week, teaching me more about her, making me trust her more, and giving me a glimpse of what it could be like for me if I did decide to invest in one of her programs.
The email that finally “got” me wasn't salesy at all. It was literally just Alexia sharing what she shared every single week.
And that's where the power comes in → throughout the six months it took me to make my buying decision, all Alexia was doing was simply sending her lil weekly newsletter. Sharing aligned content. Sticking to her strategy.
& it worked.
What To Do If You Don't Know Whether Your Newsletter Is “Working”
Slow your roll, gurl!
Just because you’re not getting responses or inquiries yet doesn’t mean you have to quit—all you have to do is remember that email marketing is a LONG game!
It’s easy to get discouraged about lack of response or engagement, especially when you’re used to getting it all the time from social media, but email marketing doesn’t work like that.
It’s normal for people to feel like “ghost followers.”
I’m not kidding when I tell you that past clients have told me they waited on my list for 6 months or more before reaching out, just silently reading each of my emails & getting a feel for my personality and knowledge. Same thing goes for people who have purchased my courses.
Think about reading your favorite newsletter. Do you respond every time? I’m willing to bet that you don’t, even if you love the information and found it super helpful or funny or witty or entertaining.
I’ve found that people only respond when they either:
A) have a personal connection to what you said that they want to share
B) really resonate with the message more than any other newsletter of yours they’ve read
C) have input to share relevant to your content, or d) have a question about the information.
Don’t worry about the lack of replies to your newsletter, if that’s what you’re experiencing.
Focus instead on click rates and open rates, and occasionally take note of how often / how many unsubscribes you're getting, and have faith that your content is doing its job.
If in a few months, you’re still not seeing much engagement or growth, reimagine your strategy by switching up what you say to get people on your list & which kinds of topics you write about.
AND SPEAKING OF STRATEGY…….. 🤠😎🫡😇😏🥰😌
I just so happpppen to be teaching you EVERYTHING you need to know about building an email marketing strategy that works for YOU — and we're getting started at the end of this month.
My LIVE EMAIL MARKETING COURSE is finally ready for you to join, and I could notttt be more excited about all the new + improved lessons this time around!
All the details are here 👇
JOIN THE EMAIL MARKETING CHAPTER!
In this 7-week LIVE email marketing course, you'll learn…
→ WEEK 1: LEAD MAGNETS // so the right people can land on your list
→ WEEK 2: OPT-IN COPY // so you can convince people to sign up
→ WEEK 3: WELCOME SEQUENCES // so you can ensure readers stick around
→ WEEK 4: IMPLEMENTATION // so we can put everything into practice together!
→ WEEK 5: NEWSLETTER STRATEGY // so you can stay consistent
→ WEEK 6: NEWSLETTER STORYTELLING // so you can engage your readers
→ WEEK 7: “BORING STORIES” GAME LIVE // so you can confidently content plan and turn your mundane moments into main character masterpieces
& because this is my third year teaching it live, I know for a fact just how impactful it can be on your business — my past students from the first round are still consistently sending the BEST weekly newsletters (and consistently booking clients + selling out offers from them).
There are only 30 spots available, and 5,000 people are getting this email this morning, so if you're planning on becoming a PRO at email marketing before 2025, I highlyyy recommend checking this course out before the spots are snagged. 😏
JOIN THE EMAIL MARKETING CHAPTER!
If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
Subscribe to my newsletter! I send one marketing tip, once a week - and, according to my subscribers, it's "the best marketing newsletter on the Internet" and "the only reason to wake up on Tuesday mornings." So... yeah. You'll love 'er. 😏 Click here to subscribe!
Check out my services. I write website copy, sales pages, email sequences, blog posts, and brand messaging guides for entrepreneurs of all kinds! Maybe you’re my next favorite client.
Read my blog. It’s home to everything from copywriting tips, to marketing education, to freelance advice, to portfolio-worthy projects… if you like this post, you’ll love the blog. Here’s a quick roundup of my most popular posts.
Sign up for my email marketing course. Learn how to grow your email list full of loyal, ready-to-buy readers with this self-paced course teaching you how to write the best lead magnets, opt-in copy, welcome sequences, and newsletters.
Enlist me as your mentor. I have an entire in-depth blog post about my one-on-one consulting process for new and aspiring copywriters, if you’re interested in having a big-sis-style mentor to help you grow your freelance copywriting business & get results.
To get in touch with me directly, send me a DM or email sara@betweenthelinescopy.com. Have a great day!