I never received more “how do you come up with this shit?!” email responses in my life than I did when I sent this newsletter about a random dude named Tony, but one of them stuck out to me:

My new friend Harry—who, if you’re subscribed to my email list, you might remember from this newsletter—texted me to ask, of course, some version of how I come up with this shit, and I responded by telling him “seriously, that happened! I’ve been waiting to use this for months.”

And when he responded with “how do you prepare each week, then?!” I knew he couldn’t be the only one wondering, so…

How about I finally tell you?!

My biggest newsletter copywriting tip

Before I jump straight into step one, I need to tell you one of my best newsletter copywriting tips: keep a note in your phone with potential stories to tell.

Whenever something funny / weird / sad / stressful / annoying / unexpected / etc happens to me, I write it in a note in my phone to save for a potential newsletter.

Literally all I do is write something like: “TOC idea mom story about Haley asking neighbors if she can come over for dinner knocking on doors asking what they’re having re: website copy CTA do your leads want to stay for dinner” – and that’s it. 

More often than not, it’s a run-on, typo-heavy sentence that only makes sense to me. 

(And sometimes, not even to me. At least 10 times this year I’ve had to rack my brain for what the frick I was even trying to say.)

Then, eventually, notes like that turn into newsletters like this.

It’s really, truly, genuinely NOT difficult to think of a story to tell in a newsletter – but I do believe HOW you tell it, WHEN you tell it, and the WAY you connect it to your offerings is what makes a story a success.

(Click here for 9 ideas for your next newsletter!)

Okay, speech over. Now that you know what happens in the background of my newsletter strategy, let’s talk about how I make these TOCs happen every Tuesday:

Step #1: Decide what I’m hoping to promote / what I want my call-to-action to be

Unless I have a story I’m really dying to tell—like this one, or this one, or this one—I’ll start with what I want the story to tie into. Starting with the end result makes staying on track and deciding what to write about so much easier.

Example: if I know I’m planning on launching my website copywriting course soon, I’ll obviously want to educate my readers about the subject of website copy.

If I have nothing specific to promote / draw attention to / sell, then I’ll consider the main offerings I have or subjects I like to educate about, and write something about those: website copy, blogging, email marketing, SEO, or copywriting / marketing in general. 

Step #2: Once my topic is chosen, I think of how my readers will feel about it

Example: in this newsletter, I wanted to talk about the reasons why your website might need a refresh (because I knew I wanted the CTA to be to either work with me to write your web copy, or hire me for a web copy audit). 

One of the main reasons people don’t update their website when they know it isn’t working for them is because they feel like they’re wasting all the hard work (or hard-earned money) they put into it—especially if they invested in professional copy or custom design previously, or if they spent a lot of time on it.

So, I told a story about a time where I felt uncomfortable with wasting something, and how it ended up badly. Read it right here!

Step #3: Make sure the story actually works

Sometimes, ur gurl’s just talkin to talk. I mean, I AM the inventor of the Long Story Long. So. 

I’ll often write something, and love the story, but then realize… it’s irrelevant. And this is one of the hardest things about being a writer—letting go of the good shit that just doesn’t work for what the goal of the piece is. 

So, every time I tell a story, I make sure it actually flows into the call to action I’m trying to share. 

Step #4: Write it!

And then proofread it. Multiple times. With lots of time in between. Preferably at least a day, but sometimes I don’t have that luxury. 

Not proofreading emails makes for awkward situations, like broken links or should-have-known-better mistakes. 

Step #5: Pick a funky subject line & schedule it to go out at the same time, same day, every week, baby

If you’ve been subscribed for a while, it’s safe to assume that you know I love sugar, but I hate sugar-coating, so I’m just gonna tell you: 

Consistency is a HUGE part of sending a successful newsletter, and if you send your newsletter anything less frequently than biweekly or weekly, people are forgetting about you.

Sry! Don’t shoot the messenger! But people get thousands of emails on the regular, and if you’re not showing up often, you’re forgettable. 👀

I also feel like because people expect me every Tuesday, my subject lines have less weight to pull. This is an advantage that I’ve earned via consistency (and delivering on my promise of offering value, both educational and entertainment).

And it’s why I title my newsletters shit like “if you gave a mouse a lobster roll” and “not the vodka ice” and “these men can’t be serious” and “my brawl with Nestle Tollhouse” 😂  

& now…

Want to get started with email marketing, but don’t know how?

If you’d like to learn more about how to strategize, plan, and write the best weekly newsletters, then you’ll love my 5-part, self-paced email marketing course.

We’re spending 5 modules going all of the essential email marketing must-haves:

• Lead magnets
• Opt-in copy
• Welcome sequences
• Newsletter strategy
• Newsletter copywriting

& I’m SO excited about helping you, my lovely beautiful perfect aspiring email marketer, start to take advantage of the best, easiest, most fun content marketing tool on the internet. 

>> Click here to join my email marketing course!

Not interested in thinking about your email newsletter topics all on your own?

You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.

Instead, join SWIPE FILE — a content storytelling subscription for business owners who want to deepen their connections with their readers by sharing personal stories that ACTUALLY SELL and AREN’T BORING.

Thanks so much for reading!

I hope you’ll subscribe to my email list for more tips—and ridiculous stories. 👀