When brainstorming a bold look for your publication, the perfect images you see in your head may not always reach your screen. It's easy to think of fantastic design plans; the hard part is making them a reality, especially if you don't have all the know-how. This week's newsletter is about finding the right person for your dream design project, what design mistakes to avoid, and why the look of your posts is just as important as the words you write. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• How to compose a design brief
• Making the right design decisions
• The importance of proper post format

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Keep it brief

Third-party designers and developers can assist with polishing your existing site, building a new one from scratch, or optimizing your setup to get the best results possible. Whether you're just getting started with your publication or you're ready for a revamp, it's crucial to have a good design brief handy so you don't hire the wrong person for the job.

Let's look at the proper way to create a vivid design brief so your project and who you've hired can start on the right foot.

Your overview

• It's always a good idea to start with a summary of your design goals and lay out all the problems you want to solve. Making your point clear and getting to it as soon as possible will help your developer quickly determine whether they're the best fit for your plan.
• Within your summary, be sure to set proper expectations, like your project budget and timeline. This will ensure that any expert reviewing your design brief knows if they're who you're looking for before they get too deep. Being transparent from the get-go is the best way to find the right person.

Your profile

• Include details about what your publication is all about and who your target audience is. This will give the person you hire a good idea of your content and if you'll mesh well together. You don't need to provide a full life biography; just give the key elements of your work.
• Freelancers tend to work for your business on a short-term basis, which means they'll need to absorb all of the relevant context as quickly as possible. Give a short introduction to your publication, a summary of your target audience, your site's URL, your publishing platform, and key stakeholders.

Your goals

• When embarking on your website design journey, outlining your objectives should always be a priority. If you don't know why you're looking for design help, then what does it all mean? If your desired achievements are clear to you, they'll be clear to your developer.
• Your design brief should summarize the purpose of your project (goals), break everything down into something measurable (objectives), and explain the actions you'd like to see your expert take to reach them (requirements). The more context you can give, the easier the hiring process will be.

Your outline

• Once you've provided all relevant and concise information upfront so that your designer knows whether or not they're the right resource, it's time to spell everything out. Creating an outline of your project that gives all of the intricate ingredients of your project is your final step.
• If you're a visual person, feel free to sketch out what you have in mind (Your drawings don't have to be perfect!) and find existing examples to use as reference materials. You can also share any design assets you already have in your toolbelt, like brand colors, logos, fonts, and images.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Gen Z and Creator Marketing - HubSpot
• What makes a good website? - Ahrefs Blog
• X gets banned in Brazil – Platformer
• Ace subscriber onboarding - The Audiencers
• Delight in website design - Content Technologist

Intelligent design

The design of your publication is more than just nice-looking pages. Your design decisions impact your website's performance, help you gain more subscribers, and influence your publication's overall credibility. No matter your niche, your target audience, or the size of your business, good web design can be one of your greatest weapons in the battle of conversions.

Alec Hanak, art director at Digital Silk, breaks down the essential elements of quality web design to help embolden your brand and avoid mistakes.

#1 Website accessibility supports users with hearing, cognitive, visual, or other disabilities, or solutions like screen reader and speech input software.

#2 Intuitive navigation, which uses clear language and provides links to important pages, allows users to quickly find the information they're looking for.

#3 To-the-point copy with easy-to-understand language increases usability by up to 58%, which can also positively impact bounce rates.

#4 Impactful visuals and a clean design can help capture a reader's attention, but be careful not to overdo it. Too many images can slow down your site.

#5 Call-to-action buttons invite your visitors to get more interactive. Good CTAs are clear and specific, so people know what they're clicking on.

#6 Page speed is one of the most critical factors of good website design. If your site is loading a bit slowly, try reducing the size of your images.

#7 Social proof is evidence that increases your credibility. Reviews from existing subscribers help showcase your trustworthiness and increase conversions.

#8 Consistency in your design choices helps make your brand recognizable and memorable. Set some detailed brand guidelines to keep you on course.

Laying it all out

Your publication's design choices won't always be about site layout and site speed; they're also about the format of your blog posts. Like it or not, your readers will often skim your posts to find the meat. Good post formatting makes things easier on the eyes and keeps attention spans in check. Your words matter, and how they're displayed on a screen matters just as much.

Tan Siew Ann, senior content writer at Semrush, shares some best practices for blog post formatting to increase your engagement.

‣ Summarize your post’s main idea using headings to indicate key discussion points, break your content into sections, and help members understand what they’ll learn. Readers can reference the post’s heading to get the gist of what the post is about so they can decide if reading the whole thing will be useful.

‣ Write short paragraphs and sentences (like we do in this newsletter 👋) to make your post easier to read and more visually appealing. Try stating only one point per sentence, avoid writing with fluff, and break up giant walls of text. Your content should always be concise and to the point.

‣ Feature significant points with bold formatting so your readers know what they should pay attention to. Bolding key points will help your followers quickly find what's important and keep their eyes on the screen. Just don't go overboard. If everything is in bold, nothing is important.

‣ Create lists to display related points succinctly, present information in the correct order, and add some visual variety to your posts. Presenting your info in list format helps readers keep track of their progress as they absorb all of the information. Try mixing it up by using bullets, numbers, and letters.

‣ Make complex ideas easier to understand using media and visuals like images, videos, charts, graphs, and diagrams. Elements like these can inject color and excitement into any post that may need some extra oomph. Visuals can also help explain and expand on any complicated concepts.

‣ Add more visual interest using block quotes to spotlight expert quotes in your blog post, buttons to highlight your CTAs, and banners to underline other relevant content. Doing all this while keeping your post's design choices very demure will help you maximize traffic and boost conversions.

Curator's pick ✍️

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Local news brings communities together, underlines different perspectives, and sheds a guiding light on how policies impact your neighbors. If you want to build a publication with purpose, local journalism could always use more boots on the ground. This week's newsletter is about what it takes to create an independent news product, the tools you'll need to get it done, and how to research like a professional journalist. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Build a local news publication
• Essential tools for journalists
• The right way to research

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Breaking news

You may have heard of food deserts, but what about news deserts? A news desert represents a gap in local news reporting when a publisher closes in your community. We're seeing more of them than ever, but there's still hope. With great gaps come great opportunities, and if you're looking to jump into the blogging world, why not consider local journalism?

Let's break down what it takes to build an independent news publication to quench your community's thirst for neighborhood news.

Financial support

• Building an independent newsroom from the ground up requires many moving parts. That’s why your first step should be seeking financial and strategic support to lay a strong foundation. Having the right people and resources in your corner from day one is a must.
• There’s a lot of support out there that produces long-term benefits, like boot camps, workshops, grants, and fellowships. Some programs dedicated to strengthening the local news industry include Google News Initiative, LION Publishers, and Tiny News Collective.

Sustainable strategy

• Your news business needs to be sustainable if it's going to survive. In today's publishing world, the subscription revenue model has proven to be the go-to option. Still, you should consider multiple revenue streams like sponsorships and affiliate marketing to keep your funds flowing.
• Platforms like Ghost are perfect for independent news publishing. You can collect subscribers, send newsletters, publish premium content, and earn recurring revenue all in one place. With 0% payment fees, you keep 100% of the revenue your local publication generates.

Launch with less

• It's okay to start small and unpolished. Waiting to achieve perfection will cut into the valuable time it takes to publish content and build your audience. When it comes to independent publishing, sustainability isn't all about money; it's also about avoiding burnout.
• Research, planning, and capital are vital before you hit "publish" for the first time, but remember that your evolution will always be ongoing, so don't be afraid to dive right in. When you're ready to grow, journalism fellowships are a common method of acquiring additional funding and team support.

Your mission

• If you want your community to rally behind your work, it's essential to create a hearty About page that clearly states what you are here to do and why people should care. Your About page should impress new visitors while making your current subscribers feel good about who they've chosen to follow.
• Use your About page to introduce yourself, state your values, and summarize what you offer the community. Establishing who you are in a transparent way will instantly generate trust in your reporting and help increase word-of-mouth marketing around your publication.

Growth channels

• Most businesses only have a few marketing channels that drive the vast majority of their growth. As a small news publication, it’s crucial to figure out what works and where you should focus your energy. You may only have a tiny net to cast, but you can still catch some big fish.
• Consider asking your subscriber base for assistance using email campaigns and donation buttons. Be specific and transparent, and reiterate your value to the community. Don't forget to actually participate in your community to elevate your publication even further.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Best friends and fake news – NiemanLab
• Protecting what you love to do – The Creative Independent
• Keeping up with Gen Z – Digital Native
• Conversion-boosting customer experiences – HubSpot
• I tried to vape the internet – 404 Media

Credible resources

Starting a local news publication can feel heavy. You've visualized the big picture and are ready to make a positive dent in your community, but you may not always have the time and energy to create the change you want to see. Luckily, we live in the age of automation, so why not harness the awesome power of digital tools to help keep you and your journalists afloat?

Faisal Kalim, business journalist at Media Makers Meet, has compiled a list of top digital tools for journalists to lighten the news load.

#1 TinEye uses image identification technology to help news organizations spot photos that have been digitally tampered with.

#2 Google Dataset Search is a search engine from Google that helps journalists locate freely available online data.

#3 IntelTechniques can be used to background a source, search through social media posts, and even track someone down.

#4 Crowdtangle is a social media monitoring platform that helps journalists track the performance of their content.

#5 Toby organizes your workspace when you're writing and researching multiple stories and subjects simultaneously.

#6 Hemingway shows you how readable your writing is by highlighting common errors while suggesting ways to tighten things up and strengthen the copy.

#7 Hunter.io can search for email addresses attached to a specific domain, such as a company or government agency, to help you reach the right people.

#8 Otter transcribes audio files into searchable and hyperlinked transcripts. You can conduct a phone interview and have the transcript ready in minutes.

Find what clicks

As a journalist, researching isn't just about gathering information. You have to worry about topic complexity, the scope of your articles, deadlines, and your budget. Performing the proper research is more than just "Googling it." It requires strategy, accurate sources, balance, and credibility. So, how do you ensure you're researching in the right way to achieve accurate results?

Alison Hill, journalist for Writer's Digest, shows us how to research topics like a journalist so that you can produce the most valuable news content.

‣ Start online and read a lot to decide how to tackle your story, just don't get distracted and fall down any rabbit holes. Make notes as you go, and keep a record of the websites you’ve used in case you need to provide sources.

‣ Don't limit yourself to online reading while you research. Remember public libraries? They still exist, believe it or not, and they're a researcher's utopia! Libraries also give you access to underutilized newspaper archives.

‣ Have a phone conversation before an interview so all your questions are ready beforehand. These pre-chats can provide additional sources and make who you're interviewing much more comfortable.

‣ Go out there and talk to people to get to the heart of your story. Chat with the locals, absorb the atmosphere, and be part of the action. You can't write about your community if you're not involved in it.

‣ Peruse social media to discover trends and brainstorm story ideas. Just keep in mind that social media doesn't always accurately represent reality or necessarily the public's viewpoints, so filter wisely.

‣ Gather your own data to make your reporting unique and powerful. Consider some “person on the street” interviews with a camera or voice recorder to get different people’s profound opinions and use the results in your story.

‣ Attend events to flex your networking muscles. Just one in-person meeting or reception can get you exclusive interviews and inside scoops. Start with researching any nonprofits or activist groups in your community.

‣ Know your rights and remember that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows members of the public (you, the journalist) the right to request access to records from any federal agency.

Curator's pick ✍️

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Working alone can be peaceful. You don't have to worry about anyone else, and you can expect the expected, but doing everything yourself can only take your business so far. If you've got big publishing dreams, you need a dream team to help achieve them. This week's newsletter is about preparing yourself to hire the right people, how to find a website-building wizard, and knowing who can take the wheel when your writing takes a backseat. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Find the perfect employees
• Welcome your own web developer
• Getting a ghostwriter

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Prepare to hire

You're publishing quality content and seeing consistent audience growth, but more projects are coming down the pipeline and you've already got a full plate. Before you drown under the tsunami of your own success, it might be time to send out an SOS and make your first team hire. There's no shame in asking for help, and plenty of talented people are ready to lend a hand.

To ensure you're employing the best, let's review some questions you should ask yourself before lighting your signal.

"What do I need help with?"

• Which tasks do you enjoy doing yourself, and which do you wish you didn't have to do? It's important to be honest with yourself about what brings you joy in your business and what causes you heartache. This will allow you to be transparent with your team about what their jobs will be.
• Separating your publishing business into different categories can help compartmentalize tasks. Most of your work will fall into administrative, creative, marketing, technical, and customer service categories. Focus on the ones you're most stressed about and go from there.
• You can make it easier on yourself by dividing your tasks into two categories: high priority (audience and revenue growth) or low priority (additional site customizations). This will help you decide where to spend most of your time as editor-in-chief.

"Do I need a person or a tool?"

• Once you've discovered what needs doing, it's time to figure out who or what is best for the job. You may not need to recruit a social media manager if you're using tools like Zapier or MeetEdgar. Not every human can be replaced with a robot, but you should do what's best for your business.
• Opting to use a tool or an integration may be the more cost-effective option when problem-solving. For example, support chatbots can help strengthen your customer service, templates in Canva and Figma can speed up your creative process, and sites like Wave and Xero make bookkeeping a breeze.
• If you decide to go with a more human touch, thoroughly define the role you need to fill before hiring anyone. Team members are unique and offer a wide range of skills, while a job position has clear tasks that need to be accomplished. This will ensure that you don't overwork awesome people.

"How much will my hires work?"

• When bringing on great people, you'll need to set expectations on the hours they'll need to work to get the job done. Will they be a full-time employee, a part-time contractor, or an as-needed freelancer? If you're not so sure, start by hiring project-based help to test the waters.
• Part-time employees and freelancers are a great choice when you want to offload a set of tasks related to one of your defined categories. If you'd like to beef up your billing, enlist a part-time administrative assistant. Need help making a marketing video? Reach out to a freelance video editor.
• Full-time employees and contractors are crucial when assigning ownership over a specific category. These hires are perfect when your business is growth-oriented, and you want to put as much energy as possible toward the highest priority activities.

"When should I start hiring?"

• Consider your budget. What money do you have right now, and what funds will you have later? This also ties to whether or not a human or a piece of software is essential for the job based on what you can afford. There's no shame in holding off on hiring until your bank is more bountiful.
• If you still feel a bit disorganized, ensure you have your ducks in a row before taking on people management responsibilities. Additional employees can save time, but being a manager is a job all on its own. Wait to hire until you have the bandwidth to give your team the attention they deserve.
• If you're already experiencing burnout, this usually means you need to regroup before you bring someone else into the fold. It's important to calm any chaos now so that new employees are onboarded in the best way possible. Take a step back and examine what is and isn't working.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• The first year of Threads – Platformer
• A social media future for journalism – One Man & His Blog
• Time to diversify your revenue streams – Media Makers Meet
• Why male voices dominate the news – Press Gazette
• A fraud fighters case study – Animalz

Website insight

Most everyone knows what a website is, but not everyone knows how they're made. Many publishing platforms allow you to customize the look and feel of your site with various design settings and themes, but what if you want to go a step further and truly build a site from scratch? If you don't have the know-how, hiring a talented web developer could be the solution you're looking for.

Stan Burenko, business developer manager at Uptech, explains how to hire the most suitable web developer for the job.

#1 Outline your needs before jumping into the hiring process. Why do you need to hire a developer, what are your expectations, and what is the scope of work? Don't rush when it comes to recognizing your requirements.

#2 Select a cooperation model so you know what expectations to set. Freelance developers are best for flexible, short-term, and specialized tasks, and they're usually the most cost-effective solution.

#3 Determine the skills needed to get the job done. Front-end developers work on what your users see, back-end developers tune up your infrastructure, and full-stack developers provide the full package.

#4 Establish what's essential regarding the critical criteria you're looking for. If you have a tight budget, are multiple low-level devs better than one senior developer? Rank your essentials so that you stay within your means.

#5 Choose a hiring platform to begin your search. If you need to enlist a freelance developer, check out sites like Upwork, Fiverr, or Toptal. If you need a permanent in-house dev, try LinkedIn or consider a recruiting agency.

#6 Ask for recommendations on social media or within your social circle for a built-in trust factor with new hires. Plenty of people are excited to recommend their favorite developer who has solved all of their website woes.

#7 Review portfolios and read through any testimonials to get the inside scoop on the developers you're considering. A good dev will be happy to provide proof that they're the best for the job.

#8 Connect with their values, goals, and inspirations to ensure you get along well. Bringing a new developer onto your team isn't all about the technical work; it's also about the chemistry in your working relationship.

Ghost with the most

As your publication grows, you may find yourself writing less and less. Maybe you've gotten tied down to the technical responsibilities that come with running a successful business, or you've simply lost the passion to publish everything yourself. Whatever your reasons, bringing someone onto the team to carry the writing weight can be a powerful move.

Meghan McKenzie, author at Crowd Content, breaks down why hiring a ghostwriter is an effective way to keep your voice heard.

‣ If you've always had trouble putting words on paper, a ghostwriter can help decipher your thoughts. You can partner with them to decrypt jumbled notes, review confusing outlines, or set up a helpful in-person interview so that they can get to know you and your niche on an expert level.

‣ When your content volume is down because your other business needs are up, a ghostwriter can fill in the gaps to keep your publishing schedule flowing. Keeping up with demand is tough if you don't have a large team, so relieving yourself of writing responsibilities can provide you more freedom.

‣ As you're looking to take your publication to the next level, a ghostwriter can assist with transitioning from a singular name to a big brand. Not every piece of writing needs your name on it. All you need to do is review the content and provide your stamp of approval using your brand name.

‣ If your publication has evolved to include multiple niches, you may no longer be the maestro of everything your business offers. In this case, your ghostwriter can be the expert you rely on to come up with clever content ideas. Just be sure that whatever they create aligns with your brand's voice.

‣ Remember that a ghostwriter isn't always a good idea. If your content is highly personal, your followers may not like that you've hired someone else to deliver your message. Whatever hiring decisions you make, you should always strive to be authentic and transparent so as not to break subscriber trust.

Curator's pick ✍️

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When laying the foundation for your publication, it can be exhausting to figure out what structures to invest in and which systems will meet your customers' needs. How do you know what will be a benefit, and will that benefit eventually turn into a limitation? The pressure is pressuring, but we've got you covered. This week's newsletter is about starting with the right tech, finding the best tools for your belt, and why you should set up camp on an open platform. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Tech stack essentials
• Critical content creation tools
• Benefits of an open platform

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Stacks on stacks

A "tech stack" is the set of technologies you'll use to build, run, and grow your newsletter. Whether you're just getting started or thinking of switching publishing platforms, choosing the right tech stack for your needs is incredibly important. If you're stressing over choosing your stack solutions, we're here to help organize your thoughts and break down some of the leading tech options at your disposal.

Let's review the key components of the creator tech stack so that you can run your blogging business with ease.

Content management system

• Building a website for your business is a no-brainer in 2024, but you'll also need a content management system (CMS) that allows you to create, publish, and manage your content effectively. Having all your web content stored in one place allows easy access for change, growth, and sustainability.
• If you're reading this, you may already be giving Ghost a try. We're a CMS built for publishers, with complete content management, SEO, a clean editor, and memberships built in. Using a CMS like Ghost gives you tons of flexibility to customize your branding, organize your content, and grow your team.
• Whatever CMS you choose, you'll want to be sure that it allows you to publish dynamic content, gives your readers an easy way to subscribe, and provides an overall distraction-free environment so that you can get things done. Content management should be manageable.

Email service provider

• Growing your email list can be a core growth strategy for your publication. All kinds of businesses use email delivery as a success mechanism, but an email service provider (ESP) is especially pivotal for publishers since an email newsletter is part of the product you're selling.
• Thankfully, publishing platforms like Ghost have built-in email newsletter sending. This means you don't need to set up or pay for a separate service to deliver content to your subscribers' inboxes. If you need more sending power, you can still connect to an external ESP using custom integrations like Zapier.
• If your chosen publishing platform doesn't have native email newsletters, you may want to consider using an external ESP like EmailOctopus or MailerLite. These email marketing tools will allow you to send complex, targeted, and unique campaigns to your followers.

Payment processor

• Having the ability to process customer payments is the final crucial component of your tech stack. If you're trying to make a living from your creative work, choosing the suitable payment processor to handle all your transactions is vital for you and your members.
• Many publishing platforms already have their chosen payment processor built directly into their services, so you shouldn't have to think too hard about which is best. The most common payment processors are Stripe (online/international transactions) and Shopify (e-commerce).
• When choosing the right publishing platform for your business, be sure to research their policies on transaction fees. For example, two different platforms may offer Stripe as their payment processor but may have different rates regarding their transaction fees.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• How to save a failing newsletter – Journalism.co.uk
• Your content isn't the problem – Creator Science
• Get replies from your dream customers – Justin Welsh
• The race to win personal AI – Creator Economy
• Many people don't pay full price for news – NiemanLab

Tools of the trade

Now that you're familiar with your tech stack's key components, what happens when you're ready to dive into the deep end of your digital space? Choosing the right tools and integrations to add to your stack can help you produce higher-quality posts, better-organized content, and more robust marketing. There's a lot to pick from, so how do you know if you're on the right track?

Rachel Handley, senior content writer at Semrush, breaks down some of the best creation tools for making your content more efficient and effective.

#1 Content research tools like Keyword Magic Tool and Google Trends show what people are searching for in Google and what's trending right now. You can research any topic to get inspiration, develop existing ideas, and take a more data-driven approach using all the information you've gathered.

#2 Content writing tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly can assist you in improving your writing and increasing your search engine rankings. Just be cautious about how you use AI tools, as they may sometimes provide inaccurate information or duplicated content. A human touch is always a must!

#3 Image tools like Canva and Unsplash can help you create or find eye-catching visuals for multiple marketing channels, such as your publication, newsletter, and social media accounts. Both are user-friendly and offer free services for publishers just starting out and looking to save wherever possible.

#4 Video tools like Descript and WebinarNinja make it simple to produce professional-quality videos or host engaging webinars and livestreams. In today's visual world, combining attractive video content with your wonderful writing to connect with your audience just makes sense.

#5 Podcasting tools like Buzzsprout and Alitu can store your podcasts online, automatically clean up your audio files, and distribute them to your chosen platform. Podcasting has surged in recent years, so having the right audio tools can help you take advantage of this trend to boost your blog.

#6 Content planning tools like Google Workspace and Trello are essential for all forms of content creation. Planning your content helps you determine what tasks need to be done, set deadlines, and effortlessly increase overall productivity so you can see quality results fast.

Open for business

When deciding on a publishing platform, it's wise to consider how your business may look a month, quarter, or even a year from now. Your needs and wants will grow and change over time, so you may not stick with the same ecosystem forever. That's why understanding the differences between open and closed platforms is critical to your ability to own your data and move it if needed.

The team at MYOB explains some of the benefits of choosing an open platform for your publication that can help future-proof your business.

‣ Closed platforms can be easier to use right out of the box but tend to have fewer features and lock in your data. Open platforms give you full ownership of your own payments and customer info, allowing you to freely move your content and your business between different services.

‣ Open platforms allow you to seamlessly integrate specialized tools and custom applications so that you can quickly adapt as your business evolves. You may need to run additional SaaS subscriptions when using a closed platform, undermining your productivity and growth.

‣ Developers, partners, and users can continuously improve an open platform by offering new ideas and applications to enhance functionality, create value, and stimulate innovation. Closed platforms are usually much less collaborative and not very moldable by their users.

‣ An open platform's flexibility allows you to be much more agile in adapting to changing markets and emerging trends. Choosing an open platform from the start helps you future-proof your business from anything your field may throw at you. Having the ability to scale and diversify on a whim is extremely powerful.

‣ Businesses that choose an open platform tend to run much more efficiently and seamlessly than those on a closed platform. This means that your costs will be lower and your profits will be higher, providing a solid return on your investments that will keep you pushing forward.

Curator's pick ✍️

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Every legend has a beginning, and every publication starts at zero. When making the tall leap to run your own blogging business, things can feel a bit up in the air. You've got the skills, the content, and the personality, but you don't yet have the members. This week's newsletter is about laying the foundation for your founding audience, reaching your first 1,000 followers, and getting them to stick around for the long haul. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Find your founding audience
• Reach your first 1,000 subscribers
• Ways to build customer loyalty

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Zero to hero

For new publishers, collecting emails to grow your subscriber list from scratch can feel like a giant mountain to climb. Building a sustainable online business comes with a lot of pressure, but nabbing your first free members isn't as serious as it sounds. There's much to learn and plenty of action to take, but your first signups can quickly become your most loyal customers.

Let's examine some proven ways to attract your first 100 free subscribers so that you can start your publication on the right foot.

Your site

• Prominently display a signup form on your site's homepage to make subscribing as easy as possible. You can also feature signup forms throughout your site, like on "members only" posts and content, to encourage curious visitors to join your cause.
• Create a strong value proposition to give readers and visitors a good reason to subscribe. If much of your content is protected, consider sharing screenshots, previews, or samples of your newsletter to give them a taste of what they're missing out on.

Your first 10

• Begin with friends and family when starting your membership-building journey. People who already love you are the most likely to support your work from the get-go. They're also the most likely to provide constructive feedback so you can make things better from the very beginning.
• Don't be intimidated when starting from the bottom. It's okay if your first members aren't a perfect match for the content you're creating. Onboarding your loved ones is the perfect way to practice your business pitch in person and experiment with different ways to communicate your work.

Your first 50

• Social media followers can be potential subscribers, but you don't want to spam them. Reaching out to your friends on Facebook or Instagram requires a more personal touch. Take the time to write only a few personalized messages daily to the ones you think will be the most interested in your content.
• Be patient and prepare yourself to be ignored by some. The social media strategy takes time, but the benefits can be worth the wait. It will allow you to refine your message, receive and apply valuable feedback, and reignite relationships that can help with networking.

Your first 100

• Build relationships with people connected to your niche by attending conferences, meetups, or digital events. This will allow you to speak to other creators and build a personal support network with like-minded people. Who doesn't like gaining a few more friends?
• Ask current members to share your work using word-of-mouth marketing. Your first signups can be the ones who trust you the most, and they're more than happy to leverage their trust in your favor. Try adding a call-to-action to the bottom of your newsletter to encourage subscribers to share.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Certain personality traits consume more news – NiemanLab
• Heroes wear capes – Jodie Cook
• Day jobs, money, and creative work – The Creative Independent
• Why you must create – Original Impulse
• How LGBTQ+ leaders can market themselves – HubSpot

Bam! Pow! Growth!

Now that you've gained your first 100 members by leveraging the relationships and connections within your circle of influence, how about adding an extra 0 at the end and making it a cool 1,000? To conquer this, you must expand your horizons by exploring new digital spaces, building fresh strategies, and consistently creating quality content.

Let's review how you can reach your 1,000-member milestone to help solidify your following and brand.

100 to 250

• Create lead magnets to attract a more attentive audience. A lead magnet is a free item or service offered to your readers in exchange for their contact information. The best ones are built in response to your members' needs and wants, so it's good to wait until you have at least 100+ signups.
• Contribute to niche communities regularly to find potential customers interested in the topic(s) you cover and the unique work that you do. You can hang out in online spaces like subreddits, Facebook groups, and Discord channels to help build momentum.

250 to 500

• Submit to online directories that expose your newsletter or publication to new audiences. You can participate in searchable databases or share your content directly on aggregator platforms. Each benefits a different type of business and consumer, so research what's best for you.
• Choose one social media platform and double down on it. You don't need to be Everything Everywhere All at Once to reach new readers. Mastering one social network will allow you to focus on deeper connections and take advantage of specific trends.

500 to 1,000

• Create a pillar page and ask your followers to share it. These pages are informative and extensive, providing enormous value within your niche. This will cause your work to be shared widely online and your publication to rank well in online searches (SEO).
• Experiment with contests and giveaways to inject some energy into your growth strategy. People are naturally competitive and love gifts. Just ensure that they're interested in the great work you're doing and not just free stuff. Whatever prizes you're handing out should make sense for your business.

The power of love

You're starting to see your hard work pay off, and you've matured to over a thousand members, but how do you ensure they stay put? Customer loyalty doesn't just happen overnight; it has to be thoughtful and intentional. Your followers are the reason all of this is possible, so it's essential to incorporate them into everything you do.

Sean Peek, senior analyst at Business News Daily, outlines how to cultivate customer loyalty to give you an audience for life.

#1 Get to know your members and allow them to know you. Send them a special deal on their member anniversary, keep them updated on any publication changes, and open up to them about any negatives. Just be human, and they'll return the favor.

#2 Launch a referral program to reward faithful followers. A referral program allows your members to receive unique benefits if they refer your publication to a friend or loved one. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your mailing list and customer base.

#3 Stay true to your values, and your customers will do the same. Whatever sets your soul on fire, inject that into everything you do. Focus on what your business is best at and what makes your brand unique, and you'll have a loyal following in no time. Being someone else is hard; being yourself is easy.

#4 Engage with your readers on a personal level. You don't have to treat them like a best friend, but they should feel a bond with you, whatever that looks like for your brand. Use social media to interact with them, share behind-the-scenes scoops, and offer VIP deals.

#5 Encourage member feedback to ensure high happiness. Asking for their thoughts, gripes, and ideas makes your customers more willing to invest in your publication. Be sure to implement their feedback in productive ways to build trust. If you're dedicated to them, they'll be devoted to you.

By removing your mask and showing your readers who you truly are, they'll trust your work. Quality content is excellent, but if it's not wrapped in the sweetness of the human spirit, your subscribers won't fully connect with what you're trying to achieve. Let your guard down, and they'll support you indefinitely.

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When it comes to gossip, it's wise to remember that other people's opinions of you are none of your business... unless it's positive gossip, of course. Who can resist being referred to favorably? This week's newsletter is about why referral programs are so successful, what gifts you should give your readers, and whether affiliate marketing is the right approach. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Why referral programs work
• The best referral rewards
• Affiliate marketing pros and cons

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Heart over mind

Have you ever bought something you didn't need? Have you purchased something because a friend wouldn't stop talking about it? Well, we regret to inform you that you have been influenced. Don't feel bad! You can't escape basic human psychology. This behavior is hardwired into our heads, which is why customer referral programs are such a fruitful ride.

Sandra Petrova, senior content editor at Growsurf, breaks down why starting a referral program is a no-brainer for your blogging business.

What is a referral program?

• Referral programs incentivize existing members to recommend your publication to friends and family. You can offer benefits like discounts and freebies in exchange for positive word-of-mouth that can increase your subscriber count.
• Asking your members to recommend your blog to their social circle without an incentive doesn't generate much motivation, but offering attractive bonuses encourages your followers to discuss why they love your brand and content in daily conversations.

Why do referral programs work?

• When one of your members endorses your publication to someone they love, this tends to have higher success than traditional marketing. Referral programs use the human element of trust and the psychological principle of social proof, which carries a hefty amount of weight.
• New customers referred by existing ones have a higher lifetime value and are more loyal than customers who aren't. This creates a more sustainable growth model that continuously generates new subscribers so that you can focus on your content.

How are referral programs successful?

• Tapping into people's motivations and creating marketing tactics around their desires is the heart of why referral programs work. People tend to follow what their peers are doing, we feel obligated to return favors, and we're more likely to be influenced by people we relate to.
• The key to designing effective marketing campaigns is ethically influencing human behavior. Understanding what drives us on a personal level is the key to a winning referral program. Just be sure your marketing tactics are wrapped in positive intent, and your followers know the real you.

What makes referral programs more effective?

• Gift things to your existing followers before you start asking for referrals. This will increase the likelihood that they'll recommend you to their social circle before you even have to build a referral program. You can hand out birthday gifts and celebrate brand milestones by giving discounts.
• Consider a two-sided referral program that rewards the person giving the referral and the person receiving it. This tactic is extremely powerful because who doesn't want to give a little something extra to a friend or family member? Success is easy when both parties have something to gain.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Publishers are preparing to federate – Digiday
• "For You" feeds are not for you – Creator Science
• How to generate ideas to write about – Creativerly
• Dispatches from the media apocalypse – Werd I/O
• OpenAI loses its voice – Platformer

Just rewards

You now know how referral marketing functions on a human level, but how does it work on a business level? Not all referral programs are created equal, and each one requires unique resources, time, and patience. To choose the best program path for your publication, you should know the three most used referral models and how each can benefit your newsletter.

Let's examine the most common types of referral programs based on the kinds of bonuses you can offer your readers.

‣ Physical rewards, like branded swag, are incredibly effective. The most well-known referral programs in the newsletter space use them, and tools like Viral Loops make it easy to manage. Physical gifts are best for publishers looking to grow a free email list fast and have space for freebies in their marketing budget. If you have minimal resources, you may want to go a different route.

‣ Monetary rewards, such as recurring commissions or one-off payouts, are an excellent fit for blogs using the subscription business model. Consider this type of program if you have an existing audience willing to go the extra mile to promote your work. You can also use tools like FirstPromoter to connect your referrals to your billing platform with ease.

‣ Benefit rewards that give exclusive access to premium content or free downloads are great options for publishers with a limited budget and an active audience. If you don't yet have an established community or products you can already offer as an incentive, focus on building those things first. Once you've laid your foundation, handing out benefits is super simple.

Regardless of your reward route, the best gift you can give your members will always be quality content. Customer happiness is the first step toward referral success, so if you're not creating something worth talking about, your referral program will be for naught.

Positive affiliation

Now that you're more familiar with referral marketing, let's take a gander 🪿 at affiliate marketing. "Aren't they the same thing?" Well, sorta kinda. Referral programs encourage your current subscribers to share your work with their friends in exchange for rewards, while affiliate programs encourage other content creators to share your brand with their followers to gain commission.

Nikitas Filosofof, growth officer at Viral Loops, explains the pros and cons of affiliate marketing to help you decide which lane to take.

Pro: You don't have to hire your own marketing team, which saves you time and money. Your affiliates are paid based on their performance, so their compensation will always be limited to the leads they generate.

Con: Because starting an affiliate program is so easy, competition is high. There's little cost, which makes it highly appealing to many of your competitors. Just be sure to one-up everyone else by offering the best benefits.

Pro: Your business can scale quickly without taking huge risks since you're not investing any money upfront. You only have to pay your affiliates once you start gaining members. Win, win!

Con: Customer lifetime value (CLV) is often lower for businesses that participate in affiliate marketing. Affiliates tend to focus more on customer count rather than custom retention, so loyalty may be low.

"...it’s now time to pull up your socks and get started with the right affiliate or referral marketing strategy, depending on your brand’s requirements and expectations....both approaches offer effective results, allowing brands to use them together to get more revenue and fulfill their marketing goals." – Nikitas Filosofof

Curator's pick ✍️

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When you first launched your new blog, everything felt so light and free. You posted a little here, gained some new members there. But as your business started to boom, you began to lose sight of why you started your publication in the first place: words. This week's newsletter is about mastering new writing speeds, polishing your writing quality, and developing your own unique language for your brand. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• How to improve your writing speed
• Ways to become a better writer
• Creating your own language

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Post haste

Once you've established yourself as an active publisher, writing can sometimes take a backseat to all the other big responsibilities you have on your tiny plate. If you're struggling to find the time to produce quality content before your next deadline, it might be time to teach yourself how to write faster so your business can continue to grow at a pleasant pace.

Christopher Jan Benite, content strategist at Blogging Wizard, shows us how to become a fast writer so that you can go from rough draft to final post in no time.

Your environment

• Get rid of distractions before you start writing. Find a quiet place to work, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, and wear noise-cancelling headphones. Eliminating interruptions will increase your ability to focus while decreasing the time it takes to write.
• Physically clear your workspace so that your mind is centered on your writing and not anything on your desk. The more cluttered your workspace is, the more chaotic your writing will be. Clean up your space to ensure your content is just as spotless.
• Use dark mode or lower your monitor's brightness to reduce eye strain, especially if you're a night owl. Most word processors use a white background by default, so it's essential to take care of your eyes to continue working when you're riding a nice writing wave.

Be prepared

• Do all of your research first before you sit down to write. Your work will get done quicker if you fully understand your topic beforehand. This will keep you focused on your writing rather than having to go back and research your topic. You can go a lot faster if you already know your stuff.
• Create a content calendar to help you write and schedule content consistently. Knowing what you have planned for the week, month, or quarter will help you mentally prepare for a productive writing session. Don't forget to schedule breaks!
• Make a checklist for your writing session to keep your head on straight. This will help you concentrate on any specific goals, and you won't have to worry if you missed anything. Anxiety while writing can slow you down, so it's best to get your thoughts in order before you start.

Wise words

• Have your thesaurus handy to quickly look up alternate words with little stop time. This will keep you from trying to think of a word that may or may not come to you. Sometimes, it's not that you've run out of things to say; you've just exhausted ways to say them. Swiftly Google those synonyms!
• Disable spell check (at first) so that typos or grammar errors aren't a distraction when trying to focus on your work. The constant blue and red underlines popping up on your screen can cause significant disruptions and keep you from writing at a faster pace.
• Master touch-typing to increase how many words you can type per minute. Try practicing with fun typing speed games to get those fingers flying. You can also familiarize yourself with any keyboard shortcuts offered by the word editor you're using to further increase your speed.

Best practices

• Work with an outline or build post templates to organize your thoughts and make your writing more coherent. This will prevent you from rehashing the same points and force you to stay on topic, saving time. You can also share them with your team to make editing a breeze.
• Write in waves to give your brain some break time. Start with your rough draft, then take a breather. You don't have to pressure yourself to finish everything all in one go. You can also try writing out-of-order if you feel stuck on your intro or already know how you want your story to end.
• Use a conversational tone to express yourself in a more human way. The more natural you write, the faster you go. Try lumping similar topics together so you don't have to switch mental gears too much, and consider shorter sentences rather than long-winded ones to help speed up the editing process.

Treat yourself

• Invest in a second monitor so that you can have your project on one side and your research on the other. This will stop you from having to switch tabs, minimize windows, or close apps. You'll also be able to write even faster since you can keep your eyes on your research while typing.
• Snacks! Food can help you write faster by acting as a motivator. Knowing you have delicious treats waiting for you after a writing session is over can give you the writing power of 1,000 suns. You can also eat while writing to refuel your brain from all of the deep thinking you're doing. Being smart is hard.
• Take breaks if you feel like your writing battery has depleted. This will keep your content quality up to par and prevent mistakes. Just because you've improved your writing speed doesn't mean your other writing skills can keep up. Always take time to recharge and reset.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• How publications get sloppy – One Man & His Blog
• The great flattening – Stratechery
• Student journalists covering campus protests – NiemanLab
• Defining your own work – The Creative Independent
• Why am I still doing this? – Jason Fried

The write stuff

If writing speed isn't a concern, content quality should always be top of mind. You may produce content in record time, but nobody will care if it's not engaging. Whether you're just starting a new blogging business or looking to strengthen your existing brand, what you publish must be well-written and properly formatted, no matter who wrote it or who's reading it.

John Boitnott, a journalist at ClearVoice, shares expert advice on how to make your writing more compelling.

#1 Know what kind of post you're writing to discover the best tone of voice. If you're writing about your niche, strongly showcase your know-how. If you're reporting on news and current events, keep it informative and timely.

#2 Mind your grammar, like heavy use of passive voice, so your persuasive argument isn't weakened. Be sure to follow verb tense rules so that your readers know what you're writing about is reliable and trustworthy.

#3 Strategically format your posts for the publishing world. Your audience will read your newsletter differently than they read their favorite novel. Cut out unnecessary words, vary the length of sentences, and leave whitespace.

#4 Express yourself to show your audience the person behind the publisher. Standing out from other creators isn't easy, so don't be shy about using your personality to highlight how great your content is.

#5 Read everything out loud to catch any problem areas that need to be fine-tuned. Writing something on a page can sound completely different when said audibly, so talk to yourself to pinpoint any weirdness.

#6 Hire an editor to bring fresh eyes to everything you do. A good editor can make your writing easier to read and comprehend, leaving your followers with a positive impression of your hard work.

#7 Take a writing course using services like Skillshare to help improve any writing weakness, even if you're a blogging veteran. You may also consider content writing and marketing classes to further boost your brand.

#8 Follow other publications to note your peers' success. Choose other blogs relevant to your niche, scope out your competitors, or subscribe to content specifically for writing.

It's a weird word

Language is powerful. (Have you ever participated in a lively coke, soda, or pop debate?) The words we choose when we write tell the story of where we’ve been, who we are, and where we’re going next. Crafting a unique language around your brand and online community can help your content stand out and add a cheeky element of playfulness to everything you do.

Let's examine how to create a unique language for you and your members that will help build lasting loyalty.

‣ Start small so you don't do too much too soon. You can turn off potential customers if they think you're trying too hard. Begin with existing followers by creating members-only content that contains special offers and products just for them, like local restaurants do with "secret menus." This will give them an insider experience and spark outsider curiosity.

‣ Use language purposefully to solidify a sense of group identity within your community. This will help new members bond with current ones so that the newbies can feel in the know. Using different words, terms, and phrases for things that already exist will automatically make your space unique, like when society decided we were okay with renaming exercise classes to "CrossFit".

‣ Name your audience or encourage them to name themselves. A collective identifier builds a connection between followers, as shown in popular music fanbases and online communities like Taylor Swift's "Swifties" and BTS' "Army." Do whatever feels natural within your niche, and don't force it. The last thing you want is an awkward and out-of-touch moment with your readers.

‣ Introduce new terms early so new members know it's a normal and fun part of your community. Customers should learn what they need to do and how to act immediately during their onboarding process so everything feels like a natural part of the world you've created. This will help them dive right in and feel just as included as longtime members.

Curator's pick ✍️

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In a world full of technology and AI, constantly craving organic connections is something we all have in common. That's why creating a thriving online community where your followers can flourish is more important than ever. This week's newsletter is about giving your business a human touch by crafting a community space, drafting the proper guidelines, and how you can show your faithful followers the person behind the publication. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Building an online community
• Community guidelines for your publication
• How to establish community trust

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Giving back

Being part of a community can help you feel like you have a place in the world and are involved in something meaningful. Starting an online community for your publication creates a deeper connection with your readers, supercharging engagement and loyalty. The simple act of conversation can also help generate more content ideas and word-of-mouth marketing.

Let's examine some actionable steps for community building that will help turn transactional relationships into meaningful moments.

Initiate your audience

• Harness the power of promotion so you can easily be discovered, boost trust, and transform attention into income. You can't create robust brand awareness without first gaining an audience. Once you welcome the right people who will advocate for your work, community will start to happen naturally and become self-sustaining.
• Decide if your community will be free or paid by examining the pros and cons of each. A free community space can grow quickly and reach broader audiences, but it also tends to have lots of spam and inactive users. A paid community space creates quality over quantity by filtering out not-so-serious users in favor of more active members who contribute at higher levels.

Define your goals

• What will your community accomplish for your publication? Your community should deliver fresh content ideas, raise your status within your niche, and help you stay accountable. Define your incentives clearly so running, moderating, and promoting the community won't become just another item on your to-do list.
• What will your community provide for its members? They should be aware of what they will gain access to, be able to pitch publication ideas, and give/receive feedback. Your community should be a space to help your followers save time, solve problems, or be more productive. Knowing your community goals upfront will attract those who are most compatible.

Choose your tools

• Select a community platform that best suits the needs of you and your members. There are free platforms like Slack, Discord, and even Facebook. If you need more elite features, opt for paid platforms like Circle, Cove, or Swarm. Plenty of available options can fit your community's lifestyle, many of which can be integrated using tools like Zapier.
• When launching a paid community, you'll need integrations that allow you to take payments, and you'll want to choose a protected platform that only allows specific people to access it. For example, publishers on Ghost that offer paid subscriptions can automate this process using Circle and Zapier to invite new paid members to a Circle community automatically.

Create your workflow

• How you handle setting up your community, organizing your space, and onboarding your members will depend on the community you want to cultivate. Generally, the best way to satisfy your followers is to keep clean visuals, use simple layouts, and create an easy-to-navigate sign-up process. Anything more complicated can lead to community confusion.
• Begin by brainstorming the name of your group and how you want to customize color and imagery. Check that settings like language and permissions are correct and what channels, rooms, and threads should exist. Consider special introductions for new members, develop a schedule for specific content, and clearly display community rules.

Track your success

• Measuring what your members do once recruited is the last stage of building an online community. To create positive results, consider sending out a personal email to early adopters of your publication, inviting them to your new community with an included discount or free access. This will help start everything off on the right foot with followers who are already loyal.
• You can track community analytics like the number of members added, how many are active or inactive, and what spaces are generating the most engagement using paid community platforms like Circle. Data like this will help you recognize what's working, what isn't, and what changes need to be made based on your audience's wants and needs.

Moderate your community

• Elect who will moderate your community and how much time they'll dedicate to doing it. Discuss how new members will be approved, what language should be used, what topics will be tolerated, and how community violations will be handled. Consider looking to other thriving online communities for moderation inspiration.
• Posting explicit community guidelines keeps unwanted content out of your community while keeping it relevant and enticing for new members. Setting clear expectations, asking for moderation help, and using automation when possible will make the community easy to maintain. The easier your community is to maintain, the longer it'll be around.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Find a business idea that you'll love – Indie Hackers
• Ways to write faster – Ann Handley
• How publishers are optimizing revenue streams – Digiday
• More podcast listeners than ever – NiemanLab
• Young people aren't interested in news – Press Gazette

Guiding light

Your community should be a safe space where readers feel secure expressing themselves authentically without fear of harassment or abuse, and your community guidelines are the rules you set to ensure that this mission is successful. Your policies should cover acceptable and unacceptable behavior, the content your members share, and their interactions.

Ashley R. Cummings, freelance writer for Uscreen, shares eight ways to set clear community rules that show how much you care.

#1 Use your brand's current mission statement to help guide your guidelines. Harness your standards, voice, and authenticity so your members trust you'll follow through on your safety promises.

#2 Make your community guidelines matter by asking your members what they care about and what rules they want to see. Invite them into the process by conducting surveys, having discussions, and applying their feedback.

#3 Break down your guidelines into dos and don'ts for easy reading. Not every member will read every word of your terms and conditions, so it's nice to spell it out for them in a simple-to-read package.

#4 Include a content policy to help your members understand that the content they share should be safe, appropriate, and helpful. Don't be shy about being firm on what they can and cannot post to avoid confusion.

#5 Don't go overboard with the depth of your community guidelines. If they're too complicated to understand, violations are almost guaranteed. Just stick to the basics, such as no spam, personal attacks, NSFW content, or discrimination.

#6 Value your member's privacy and safety by explaining what data you collect, why you collect it, how you use it, and whether or not you share it. Trust should always be a top priority when cultivating a healthy community.

#7 Consider any age restrictions based on your content and brand identity. Who can and should participate in your community? Feel free to research age laws in your members' countries or states.

#8 Explain what happens when rules are broken so your members know what to expect. Are they given a warning, put on probation, or removed from the community entirely? Deciding on the consequences is crucial.

Handle with care

Earning the confidence of your readers is essential for forming faith in your publication and content. Your followers wouldn't be followers if they didn't like and respect your work, but to curate a thriving online community, they also have to trust who you are and what you stand for. If you want to keep your community real, your members should know the real you.

Meetwaves content writer and marketer Georgi Todorov explains how to gain the trust of your members for infinite online community growth.

‣ Keep your online door open by inviting your members to engage with you. Encourage them to email you any positive or negative feedback about your brand, content, or the community. Consider messaging your members to thank them for their contributions, ask how they're doing, or what you can do to improve things. Making everyone feel at home will let them know they have a home with the community you've worked hard to assemble.

‣ Be authentic and keep your promises as much as possible. If something fails, own up to it. If you've made a mistake, talk about it. Being honest about the good and bad will show your community members they can trust you. Transparency will encourage your members to offer their own guidance and contributions if things aren't going well, and you'll have a nice circle of advocates to celebrate with when things are successful.

‣ Create unique community experiences to help your members reach their goals. Why did they subscribe to your publication? What do they want to accomplish within the community, and how can you guide them? They should know that you want to create great content, but you also want to give them memorable moments they can share with their loved ones. The more personalized the community feels, the more they'll see you as a person they can trust.

‣ Make it all about the people, not just your brand. Members don't fall in love with analytics, sales, and revenue; they fall in love with content and connections that speak to them on a human level. Anyone can give a transactional experience, but creating a community culture that upholds trust is the real deal. When you make your community about your followers, they'll naturally promote your publication without you having to do a thing.

‣ Don't oversell by treating your members like everyday customers. Constantly pitching to your followers doesn't garner their trust; it only creates doubt. Your brand's value lies in the content you create and the community you build around it, not what you can sell. Providing proper resources and solving problems within your niche will sell itself. Establishing a hearty community is playing the long game, so don't sell yourself short.

‣ Always lead by example by being the community member you want to have. If you don't see enough connection happening in the community, start conversations. If you don't see enough questions being asked, propose questions to your members to get things rolling. If things are feeling a bit chilly, be warm, engaging, and open-minded. Generating community trust will take some effort, but the return on your investment will be priceless.

Curator's pick ✍️

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Feeling like you're screaming into an empty void after creating great content can be maddening. Putting all your blood, sweat, and tears into your work to hear only crickets isn't the dream you envisioned when starting your blogging business. This week's newsletter is about getting your publication the attention it deserves with word-of-mouth marketing, using best promotion practices, and distributing your content in the right ways. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• The power of word-of-mouth marketing
• 12 ways to popularize your publication
• Choosing the proper distribution channels

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Spread the word

Word-of-mouth marketing is when your followers relay their positive experiences with your publication to their friends and family. Their trust in your content keeps them coming back for more and gives them the confidence to talk you up to the people most important in their lives, organically increasing your traffic and revenue in a perfect win-win scenario.

Zsuzsanna Ban, loyalty specialist at Antavo, explains why word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful promotional tool for your publication.

What you need

• Authenticity is what customers value above all else. If your content and overall aura aren't real or you've broken their trust, over half will never connect with you again. Try giving them as much appreciation as possible by being open to feedback and wholeheartedly applying it to create change.
• High-quality content offers your readers something unique and delightful while making their lives easier and their work more effective. Genuine content will allow them to genuinely promote your publication. If they can find your content anywhere, they'll go elsewhere without a second thought.
• Engagement on a human level can create a timeless impact on both your members and your work. Replying to your followers, giving them a comment section to build community, and inviting them into the publishing process by hearing them out will make their loyalty last.

Why word-of-mouth matters

• Community building is much more cost-effective than targeted ad spending, which most people don't respond well to anyway. Generating positive reviews organically by treating your readers like real people and giving them the content they crave will encourage them to do the promotional work for you.
• Invaluable insights your followers have about their friends and family (potential customers) are always naturally available to them. They know their tastes, interests, hobbies, and problems. They consider all of this when they endorse your work without you having to do any research.
• Trust and loyalty surge when your publication is recommended to someone by a person they love. Then, when you give them great experiences and worthwhile content, new members can quickly become advocates, starting the word-of-mouth process all over again. Growth!

Organic vs amplified

• Organic word-of-mouth marketing is when you delight a customer so much that they can't help but share their positive experience with those around them. They're happy to leave reviews without being incentivized and are actively engaged in your publication's community.
• Amplified word-of-mouth marketing encourages readers to share their experiences through referral or affiliate programs. You can offer rewards for their reviews, such as membership discounts and gifts, but don't forget that free stuff never replaces excellent content.
• What works for you is based on your publishing goals and what you want your overall vibe to be. Organic word-of-mouth marketing works best for everyone (especially small blogs). Amplified word-of-mouth marketing works best for seasoned publications that have greater financial responsibilities.

At the end of the day customers are led by their emotions, curiosity, past experiences, and thorough research. Sharing positive experiences comes naturally to people. It makes them feel like they are helping their friends by sharing their recommendations. That is what word-of-mouth marketing is all about... – Zsuzsanna Ban

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Distribute ideas, not content – Animalz
• The media's "less-is-more" era – Simon Owens
• Building a truly independent Tangle – A Media Operator
• How the world is changing – Digital Native
• The TikTok ban is a terrible idea – Free Press

By popular demand

If great content falls in the woods and nobody is around to read it, does it make an impact? Well, no. Creating valuable content is the most crucial step to a successful blogging career, but your work won't stand a chance if you're not properly promoting it. Before you have a steady stream of revenue, you first need a steady stream of visitors, or you'll give up before you get going.

Ryan Robinson provides twelve ways to popularize your publication to ensure you get the site traffic you crave.

#1 Optimize your SEO so that you rank high within your blog's niche on Google. This is still the most tangible source of ongoing, high-volume traffic.

#2 Research your competition to discover what you can offer your readers that others aren't. Providing unique perspectives produces better results.

#3 Promote to your target audience by learning who they are, discovering their interests, and creating solutions to their problems.

#4 Growing your social media presence by focusing your energy on only a few platforms will allow you to hone in on your target audience.

#5 Email marketing is a solid and quick promotion strategy, even if you're only starting with a small email list.

#6 Guest blogging is a great way to network, promote your blog, and drive traffic to your business from day one.

#7 Make your content easy to share, understand, and digest to encourage your followers to spread the word about how great your work is.

#8 Use your analytics to learn what's working and what's not working. This can reveal what your readers are responding to and provide invaluable insight.

#9 Interact with your audience and make it easy for your readers to connect with each other by providing them a comment section or starting a Discord.

#10 Utilize your existing content to promote new work by regularly linking to other posts. This will increase engagement and boost your SEO.

#11 Network within your niche to connect with the most influential publishers and creators to give your publication more exposure.

#12 Use the right resources, like Ahrefs' free SEO tools, to automate much of the work for you. Set it and (sort of) forget it!

Channel surfing

Every publisher should ask themselves two questions: What will I write about, and how will people find it? Content distribution is sharing your content to help your work get recognized, boost engagement, and increase conversions. Marketing yourself in the ways that speak to you and the distribution channels you decide to focus on can take your blogging business to new heights.

Let's examine what it means to distribute your content, why it's vital for your publication, and how to get started.

‣ Content distribution can be divided into three channels: "Owned channels" are when you share your content on your social accounts or deliver email newsletters to your subscribers, "Earned channels" are when someone else promotes your content for you, and "Paid channels" include any promotion methods that cost money, like paid ads or sponsored content.

‣ Align content promotion with your audience by knowing where they are, what problems they're looking to solve, and what kinds of content they crave. Starting with who can best benefit from your work can lead you to where your audience is, which will help you decide which distribution channels to use. Target audience + the proper promotion channels = more engagement.

‣ Decide which content to distribute to help you choose which promotion tactics are best for your brand. Evaluate the style of your content, such as long-form blog posts, research studies, or news articles, and then analyze what mediums you enjoy working with, like written word, videos, or podcasts. This will ensure that the right content goes through the best distribution channels.

‣ Recognize what channels you already have access to to utilize your strengths. If your website gets a lot of organic traffic, double down on SEO. If you have a strong network, collaborate with fellow publishers. If you have a nice revenue stream, buy some ads. If you have a big social media following, use it. Always lean on your strengths to identify short-term and long-term successes.

‣ Find your brand's tone of voice so that when promoting your publication, you always speak true to who you are and your work. Your marketing message should always be consistent, even when using different types of distribution channels. Remember, it's not always about what you say but how you say it. Make sure you have a plan on how you'll show your soul.

‣ Track your promotion performance to see how your efforts are paying off. Depending on how you deliver your content, various tools can help you track its success. You can use web analytics to track your traffic, email analytics to see open rates and click rates for newsletters, and conversions for paid ads or sponsorships. Knowing the hard data will help you determine if you're on the right track.

Curator's pick ✍️

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