This summer, I had the honor of teaching Email Marketing for Writers alongside WA Instructor Valerie Willis. We had a great time “myth-busting” and giving authors a few tips on how to grow their email list, plus increase engagement. I thought it might be a great idea to share a few tips for those who couldn’t make the class. If you want to take a closer look at email marketing, we recorded a class for anyone who wants to learn more. You can find Email Marketing for Writers here. Let us know what you think about our tips!
You can read our email marketing tips below or watch the video version of this post on Wrier’s Atelier TV.
1. You do not need a book to start building an email list. One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to marketing is that you need a book before you can start an email newsletter. It’s not true. In fact, I urge you to start an email list, like, yesterday. Authors should be building an audience before they publish a book if they can. Think about it logically. If you release your book and you don’t have an audience, then you’re going to be left wondering, “What now?” Think of it as a business plan. Trust me when I say get to work now.
2. Don’t rely on social media because it is not enough. While I am a huge fan of utilizing social media, there’s a lot about it you can’t control. For starters, you don’t own your followers or your platform. If Mr. Zuckerberg wanted to pull the plug at any point, he could. Goodbye, social following! However, when you have an email list, you own that list. It’s one hundred percent yours. With social media, things can get lost because it’s controlled by algorithms. With an email list, you get to speak to your client directly from their inbox. One of my favorite business coaches, Marie Forleo, said that an email list converts 144% more than social platforms. Start your list today.
3. Try to email your audience at least once a week. If you only email people when you have a new book coming out, they are going to equate that to you only emailing them when you want money. To have a loyal and engaged audience, you have to actually care about them. That means getting to know them. Show them behind the scenes info, give them exclusives, and most importantly, show them kindness. If you want them to support you then you have to give back to them.
This is only a fraction of what we covered in our Email Marketing for Writers class! You can find and register for our on-demand workshop, Email Marketing for Writers here.
What are some of your email marketing tips for writers?
If you enjoyed this free video, please consider supporting Writer’s Atelier on Patreon! Membership starts at $1 per month! We also provide extended versions of some of our videos for Writer’s Atelier Patrons and other awesome benefits! You might also consider signing up for one of our in-person writing workshops or our online writing workshops!
Racquel Henry is a Trinidadian writer and editor with an MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is also a part-time English Professor and owns the writing center, Writer’s Atelier, in Winter Park, FL. In 2010 Racquel co-founded Black Fox Literary Magazine where she still serves as an editor. On the freelance side, she edits books, academic work, and ghostwrites Romance novels. Racquel has also presented and moderated panels at writing conferences and residencies across the US. Her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared or is forthcoming in Lotus-Eater Magazine, Reaching Beyond the Saguaros: A Collaborative Prosimetric Travelogue(Serving House Books, 2017), We Can’t Help it if We’re From Florida (Burrow Press, 2017), How I Met My Other Anthology (Orange Blossom Publishing, 2019), Moko Caribbean Arts & Letters, and The Writer’s Atelier Little Book of Writing Affirmations (Writer’s Atelier Books, 2018), among others.
