There’s a couple sleepy Midwest towns cozied up along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan: the old stomping grounds.
Dad still lives just 20 miles inland. Sometimes, when I make the trip to visit him, we’ll run errands in town and stop off for a quick bite.
Usually, we’re sitting in his Ford pickup truck at a McDonald’s or Arby’s enjoying a gourmet feast of epic health… low-sodium, low-carb, heartburn-free fast food.
For dad, an elderly guy who prefers staying home, catching a burger and fries is kind of a thing, you know? And I’m happy to sacrifice a real meal on occasion for some good old-fashioned father-son bonding.
Last time out, the weather was pleasant, the food was hot, and the conversation was good. But something other than sustainable nutrition was missing from our four-wheeled dining experience.
Seagulls.
Not on the menu… on the premises.
These twin maritime cities are hot spots for seagulls. And gulls are known scavengers at coastal fast-food establishments.
But there wasn’t a gull in sight.
And that’s when the first of these three newsletter tips hit me faster than a chicken with Colonel Sanders swiping at its tail feathers.
1. Publishing frequency is an expectation.
Previously, anytime we dined atop a set of all-terrain Michelin Defenders, there were gulls screeching, fluttering, and hovering, waiting for someone in the parking lot to toss a sacrificial fry out their window.
When that happens, the scene is reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, only with a lonely French fry as the victim.
What happened to the gulls? Where were they?
Munching my sandwich, the answer popped in my mind.
It was 2:00 in the afternoon, right between the lunch and dinner rush. And the gulls have been well-conditioned. They’ve learned when to expect their consumables to arrive. In their case, when humans frequent these establishments.
But here’s the thing, your newsletter audience is similar. When you publish something they love to consume on a consistent basis, they too look forward to it and become conditioned when to expect it.
Publishing consistently tells your audience…
- You’re committed.
- You’re dependable.
- You’re organized.
- You are the pro they need—with all the knowledge you share.
And more than all of these, you care about them.
Chalk one up for the trust factor here.
You can boost readability by scheduling your newsletter to deliver when your audience has the time to read it.
This isn’t a science any more than anyone can say the exact minute gulls arrive for their daily burger and fries. But scheduling your newsletter for 7:00 AM Monday morning after a weekend of email floods a reader’s inbox might not be the best time.
2. The climate doesn’t matter.
One species of gull, the Herring Gull, hang around the shores of Lake Michigan all year long. You’ll find them even when their natural, non-fast food diet swims safely beneath frozen ice (evidenced by local fishermen trying to plummet their pickup trucks to the sandy bottom driving over gaping cracks in the ice).
Even though the climate prevents the Herring Gull from feeding on fish and crustaceans this time of year, they don’t abandon their post for more amiable weather.
They’re highly adaptable creatures and find a way to eat.
Publishing a newsletter is similar… Life gets busy, deadlines loom, and at times your day timer climate is iced over. Publishing a newsletter seems impossible and you’re tempted to skip it, just this once.
Expect the temptation, but don’t fall prey to it.
Your readers will notice. They’re conditioned, remember? They don’t see the reasons you moved off task (just this once), nor do they really care. They’ll only assume you are inconsistent and undependable.
The trust factor takes one on the chin here.
The temptation to let publishing slide typically happens in the 5th or 6th month (if publishing monthly). But take the gull’s role model: adapt.
If you’re writing and publishing a newsletter yourself, it’s a good idea to plan ahead. Keep one or two issues in reserve, ready to publish if the calendar gets crazy.
3. Resisting the opportunist.
Gulls will nip and peck at their winged buddies, trying to steal morsels mid-flight.
Leaving an unattended takeout bag at a picnic table while you run back to the car for a second is perilous to your lunch. A gull will crack open your abandoned Big Mac like a fresh egg on a jagged rock.
Gulls are opportunists trying to survive. But that’s not the image you want to portray.
It seems like a good idea to offer your latest book, a holiday sale, or another promotion as a regular mainstay of your newsletter.
Thing is, your audience came to you for helpful tips, engaging content, and a connection with you.
You can easily be mistaken for an opportunist trying to steal morsels from their wallet rather than helping them.
If they start to see your newsletter as another sales pitch out there, it’s not like Hotel California—they’ll check out and leave,
If you do promote something on occasion (let’s be real, it happens), create a special email. Or, keep it under 10% of your newsletter and low-pressure.
We’re looking at a longer plan here, not an opportunity for a cash injection.
In some markets that works and is expected, but independent professional clients have a different mindset.
It’s simple. Valued newsletters build trust over time. That way, when your audience needs your service, they already know your priority is to help them, not squeeze them for money.
Here’s the scoop.
Consistently providing helpful content, not using it as a pitch opportunity, creates loyal readers. They’ll choose you when they need your service, but they’ll also tell others about you.
Treat your newsletter as the consistent word-of-mouth marketing tool it is, a way to help your audience without immediate expectation, and not a sales letter.
Until next time…
Write like nobody’s watching, connect like you can’t get hurt…
Be the trusted professional you were born to be.
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