TOC #200: $200 off, $200 cash, 200th TOC... omg!
(October 22, 2024) How I've Stayed Consistent With My Newsletter For 200 Weeks Straight (!!!)
Despite what you receiving these emails every single Tuesday without fail, consistency is NOT my strong suit.
I don't think I've ever done anything for 200 weeks straight in my entire life.
Gym routine? Forget it.
Eating healthy? Absolutely not.
Daily morning pages? I slip up sometimes.
This email, quite literally, is my ONLY consistency, aside from, I don't know, breathing, making sure my child is well, falling asleep at night…?
I don't even know if I've brushed my freaking hair as consistently as I've sent out this email on Tuesday mornings.
For literally no other reason than I decided it was my moment.
I don't know if I've ever told you this, but back in 2015, I had a Wordpress blog called “Journey of Sara Joelle” and, while that journey came to an end before I graduated college, I still always low key had the blogger bug…
So, when I heard all the ✨2020 marketing girlies✨ talking about how beneficial weekly newsletters were for growing your business, I said sign 👏🏻 me 👏🏻 up 👏🏻
And now, 200 weeks later, I love it.
I love this newsletter more than any other thing I do to market my business, but also… I genuinely just love it in general. It's part of my identity.
And, no matter what's going on in my life, you can count on it. And so can I.
I wrote this newsletter the week I broke up with my ex husband.
I wrote this newsletter in bed when I was half-dead with Covid, back when Covid was scarier. (I couldn't taste a thing for weeks.)
I wrote this newsletter when I was half-dead with nerves about a first date I was about to go on with the first boy I liked since separating with Woo's dad, back when dating was scarier.
I wrote this newsletter the week after I ended things with that boy (and was sad about it).
(The subject line had a first-name call-out, so when he read it, it said “I bet you think about me, Cameron” and my master plan worked, he texted me 💅🏼 but then we still ended things again 2 seconds later bc it still wasn't a fit lmao.)
I wrote this newsletter when I lost 15,600 Pinterest followers overnight.
I wrote this newsletter when I was balls deep in burnout with seemingly no end in sight.
I wrote this newsletter in the same vibe, because the burnout still hadn't ended by then.
I wrote this newsletter after I caught a boy cheating.
I wrote this newsletter when I didn't get the results I wanted from a launch, on top of being in a major sad girl era.
POINT OF THE STORY? No matter what's going on in my life, I always make it a priority to send out this newsletter, because it means a lot to me.
And, no, don't get it twisted — I'm not telling you to swap writing your newsletter for protecting your peace, but *I* personally love having this one weekly task (or, rather, responsibility) to give me a sense of stability.
& it doesn't hurt that you love it, too… ☺️
How I've Stayed Consistent With My Newsletter For 200 Weeks Straight (!!!)
→ HOW I'VE STAYED CONSISTENT
I made it a priority.
Like I said, I decided this was my moment, and I chose this as my “one thing” I'd promise to do every single week to move the needle forward in my business. I kept that promise to myself, but mostly, to you.
There are literally thousands of you keeping me accountable to this goal.
To be honest, I think that's the biggest piece of it — you're out there, reading this! And I can see you reading it! And I can see my list growing!
I sent my first-ever newsletter to 61 people.
I sent my 52nd newsletter to 1,282 people.
I sent my 104th newsletter to 2,256 people.
I sent my 156th newsletter to 3,603 people.
Now, this morning, 4,587 of you asked me to send this email to you.
YOU are why I have the privilege of continuing to prioritize my silly little stories and my not-so-silly marketing tips. <3
→ LITERALLY HOW I WRITE IT EVERY WEEK
What I already have done (so I don't ever need to do it again unless I make a change to the actual newsletter itself): newsletter name, format, time and day sent,
What's left to do each week, if I haven't planned ahead: choose a topic to write about, choose a tip to share, decide which extras are going in the “Bookmarked by BTL” section, add anything relevant to the conclusion
What's left to do each week, if I have planned ahead: write it!
I'd say I “plan ahead” for about 50% of my newsletters, and other times, it's Monday night at 9:13pm and spending about 40-60 minutes on it, for the email to go out the next morning.
→ HOW I NEVER RUN OUT OF THINGS TO SAY
Because nothing is off limits! I don't put strong boundaries on what I will and won't include — all it has to be is “one marketing tip, once a week.”
So, I've found a way to include my personal life, my work projects, my good days, my bad days, my squirrel moments, and everything in between, and turn those into interesting anecdotes about marketing.
→ HOW YOU CAN DO IT, TOO!
Literally every single email marketing resource I have all live right here, but these are a few highlights / where I recommend starting:
My self-paced email marketing course — $200 OFF today, in celebration of my 200th newsletter! (Coupon code “TOCPARTY" valid for 24 hours)
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!