How often should a writer send a newsletter?
At least once a month. Regularity matters more than frequency. Readers come to expect a letter that arrives on a steady day, and after a long silence some won’t recognize your name.
Litopia Editorial, with Peter CoxUpdated
Which rhythm suits you?
The one you can keep through a bad month. Most writers settle on one of three:
- Weekly: the strongest habit for readers, but hard to sustain alongside a day job and a novel.
- Every two weeks: the rhythm most writers can keep for years.
- Monthly: perfectly respectable, as long as it really is monthly.
The worst schedule is an irregular one. Readers who hear from you every second Sunday start to look forward to it; readers who hear from you whenever you remember start to forget who you are.
How do you write a subject line people open?
By saying one specific, true thing about what’s inside, in a voice that sounds like you. The subject line sits beside your name and little else, so it does almost all the work.
- Be specific: “The chapter I rewrote eleven times” beats “Writing update.”
- Raise a question you answer: “Would you read a prequel?” Curiosity works only if the letter pays it off.
- Put the interesting words first, because phones cut long subject lines short.
- Never repeat yourself: “Newsletter, March” gives nobody a reason to open it.
Don’t put much faith in open rates when judging what works. Apple’s Mail app can load a message’s images in the background whether or not anyone reads it, which inflates the counts (source). Replies and clicks tell you far more.
Why does the initial welcome email matter most?
Because it arrives at the moment a reader is keenest, and almost everyone opens it. It’s the handshake that decides whether your next letter gets read. Make it:
- Immediate: sent automatically the moment someone confirms.
- Personal: who you are, what you write, and why you started the newsletter.
- Clear: what they’ll get from you, and how often.
- Generous: a short story, a chapter, a reading list, or a link to your best past letter.
- Conversational: end with one small question they can answer in a line, such as what they’re reading now.
That last point matters more than it seems. Replies are the best sign there is that readers want your letters, and Replies explains what to do with them.
When should you send an extra letter?
Only for real news: a cover reveal, a launch, an event, something readers would be sorry to miss. An extra letter for genuine news is welcome.