So…I listened to the first video in the Newsletter Magic course and found it pretty straightfoward and familiar in the main, until the very last part…
Why a newsletter? What is important about having one to you?
Some of Yarrow’s answers were…
~Sharing ideas and offers and invitations without social media
~Better boundaries around sharing
~Autonomy
~It’s a creative way of expression
~Raises awareness
~It’s away from social media
Getting specific
~Do you want to set a numerical goal?
~If you have a newsletter, why do you find it challenging to be consistent?
~Have you any worries or concerns about this sort of sharing?
I’ve had a newsletter for a long time and have been doing it lately because it is the main way I have of sharing, offering and inviting, now that I’ve left Instagram. But my answer to question about consistency was that I don’t really want to send them out! That’s a bit of a problem. I’m hoping this course will breath some inspiration and energy into my even having a newsletter. And the last part of this bit of the course might give me a way in…
Meditation, from the stillness
-Think about the people who want to hear from you, and the ways you can express yourself and the creativity that comes through you. Picture them finding you, receiving your newsletter and how it makes them feel.-
I haven’t actually done this with attention, but just the quick picture and the warmth that surrounded it for me encouraged me that I will be able to find a better relationship with my newsletter. Tho’ I must admit, I am very distracted by the idea of a youtube channel and the beautiful silent films I can make and share there. It may be the best way for me to share, offer and invite…tho’ it’s not just one thing that we can count on, is it? But I remember my most successful days online when I had only a website and a little update/note/newsletter on the front page. Those halcyon days when the interwebs were much less crowded….
michelleswhite October 6, 2021 at 3:21 pm
Oh now this is interesting. I’ve wanted to do a newsletter for years but the real address issue always stopped me (PO Boxes are £300 over here!). And now with the RA, typing is one of my pain triggers so what I’ve done is started a verbal newsletter in the form of a podcast. I’m hoping it fills the same space because it’s all I can do. But I haven’t really thought of it as a platform for selling/informing…at least not yet. And from my research, a YouTube channel’s reach can be massive. If i could handle the editing, I’d start one.
mel October 6, 2021 at 5:53 pm
Are you concerned about the address bit that appears at the bottom of the newsletter, Michelle? I use MailerLite as my provider and have evaded putting in my actual address…..
Territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy <—- true story
The Borderlands <— we live on the Canada/US border
Ontario, Canada
I'm pretty sure you can do that with any of the providers.
I love the idea of the podcast newsletter….I think that has enormous appeal. xo
michelleswhite October 18, 2021 at 9:13 am
Thanks, Mel. I suppose I should have thought about not using a real address but all the forms say you have to be able to get mail at it and I’m paranoid. So. But it’s a moot point as typing isn’t getting easier. Podcast it is.
lesley October 7, 2021 at 11:58 am
As mel said, you can get around the real address easily. There seems to be no checking up on it. I use “lark rise” which is what I would name our home if it didn’t already have a a historical name. And I use a nearby town, not mine.
But I think a podcast sounds wonderful! And the best fit for your needs.
I’ve been learning a lot about youtube in the last few days and have some realistic goals now. It won’t, in itself, be a moneymaker for me unless I get really popular, but I still feel it is the best fit for what I am interesting in doing now.
Oh, and I found a super simple editing program (month long free trial and $9.99 after that) called Adobe Spark that you might look into if little films do appeal to you, michelle.
michelleswhite October 18, 2021 at 9:15 am
If you get picked up by the algorithm, you can get quite popular quite fast on YouTube, but that’s a headache in itself, I imagine. And thanks for the software recommendation – I have tried iMovie & DaVinci and both were far too confusing. Glad you found something simpler.
mel October 6, 2021 at 5:50 pm
I don’t love writing newsletters either….I feel like it’s just one more intrusion into people’s lives and so have put this ridiculous amount of pressure on myself to be magnificent. :).
But, as you say, without social media, one isn’t left with a huge amount of options.
I think you should follow your distraction, Lesley…there’s a lot of wisdom in going where the joy is because it shows in whatever it is that you’re creating. 😉 xo
lesley October 7, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Oh, I’m definitely following my new crush, mel. : ) And it is the first time in a long while that I’ve felt joy in my creating. That’s how I knew it was a good thing.
Your newsletters are magnificent, by the way…or at least deeply delightful with gorgeous photos.
By the way, mel, do receive the personal emails I send? I don’t hear back from you usually and wonder if they are falling through a crack…
mel October 7, 2021 at 2:25 pm
I just went scouting in the cobwebby places of my email and there you were….relegated to Spam…the horror!!! So I have your latest missive, but none before that…i imagine they were jettisoned into the ether without my ever having seen them. I really should check the spam more often — so sorry!!!!
I’m thrilled that you’re following your crush…and excited to see the fruits of your labours 🙂 xoxo
Leanne October 8, 2021 at 10:46 pm
Silent films on YouTube – this is ringing a little bell inside me. I did make one years ago and had a ball doing it, spent way too long on it but then apparently forgot all about it. I’m going to look into this again.
Leanne October 8, 2021 at 10:50 pm
Quickly wanted to add that I’ve also thought longingly about sending newsletters through the snail mail. I used to love and adore writing letters back in the day. I know some people do this with their mailing list for a small joining fee to cover costs but I’m not sure of the logistics of it. I might sign up for some and see how it all works.
tonia October 11, 2021 at 10:09 am
This is my secret wish too. I love, love, love the idea of real mail newsletters. Sylvia Linsteadt used to send out short stories and gifts she’d found on the land that way and I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. But I know myself that I would struggle to keep up with doing them so I have never attempted it. Maybe a short season of doing it, like three letters in winter or something…or one every quarter would be doable.
mel October 12, 2021 at 1:20 pm
I had a very short run of sending out short stories by mail, Tonia, lo these many years ago. It was three, I think, over the course of the summer….but even that felt like an immense strain on my resources – ha!. I would love to figure out a way to do it in a more sustainable fashion….a written newsletter would be the very best of all worlds as far as I can tell. 🙂
tonia October 12, 2021 at 4:38 pm
Yeah, my resources are always way less than my imagination realizes. Haha!