Making the most of author newsletters

At this year’s M&P Conference, I’m sharing my thoughts, insights and ideas on the mighty author email newsletter—a brilliant and engaging marketing tool that can often be neglected amid the rush of everything we marketers are doing to sell, sell, sell more books for our authors. I’m also going to put myself in our readers’ shoes and share my experiences in the past weeks of signing up to a lot of author newsletters, as well as showcase some of the creative and clever work marketers in the industry are doing with these newsletters.

In the meantime, here are my top tips for author newsletters:

• Consider your audience. Readers who subscribe to author newsletters are dedicated and interested fans. Think about why they have signed up. What motivates them? Is it exclusive content or experiences, competitions, a sense of community, discount offers? Reward these readers and show them how they can support the authors they love.
• Think about the whole journey. Where do readers sign up to the newsletter? What does that page look like? How do they find out about it? Don’t forget to market your marketing—use your and your author’s other channels to promote their newsletter. Once a reader has signed up, then what happens? Are they welcomed? When will they receive their first newsletter? Does the content cater for new and old subscribers?
• Make it personal. Instead of an email, imagine your author is phoning or WhatsApping the content of the newsletter to their subscribers. What would they say? Would they send photos too? Share events they’re speaking at? How can you make the reader feel like they’re part of a special community with your author?
• Test what works. When are you most likely to open emails from brands or artists? On your commute? Over lunch? At the weekend? Do you like seeing your name in the subject line? Once you’ve opened a newsletter, when are you most likely to read the content? Do you save them to read properly later on? Or do you click to “Buy”, “Find out more” or “Book now” immediately? Ask these questions of your author’s audience—and keep testing.
• Look outward. In their newsletters, clothes brands reveal seasonal collections, flower companies announce peony season, artists and comedians launch their tour ticket sales. As marketers let’s take inspiration from how brands and creators outside of our industry are communicating with their fans, and bring this into how our authors speak to their readers.

I hope the above has given you some inspiration. Look forward to seeing you on the 26th June!

Vicki Watson is deputy marketing director at HarperCollins imprints HQ and Pavilion.