March 30, 2021- Tomorrow is our last day of taking your questions! We’re sad, but at the same time very excited for Aprils theme which is Pushing the Envelope in Your Writing. Just because we’re done with the theme for March doesn’t mean that you can’t still email us your questions, send us an email at pandapublishing8@gmail.com. Here is our question for the day:
Q: “You’ve said that there is value in sending out newsletters about upcoming book releases etc. As a self-publisher how do I collect email addresses from interested readers?”
A: Yes! You are correct; there is a ton of value in communicating directly with your readers and there are many ways to do this:
- Subscribe button on website or blog. This is one of the easiest ways to get readers to subscribe to your content since they’re already coming to you and interested what you have to say. A pop up page can come in handy, just make sure it’s not obnoxious and popping up while readers are trying to view your articles.
- In person events. This is the most fun way to gather email addresses! You get to directly interact with your readers and tell them about the valuable info that you provide in your newsletter and why they should subscribe. Tell them about upcoming releases, free classes or workshops, tidbits of interesting info, upcoming events, and whatever else you think they’ll be interested in! Have a sign-up sheet and make sure that you get their permission and consent to add them to your newsletter.
- Post card and direct mail marketing with your sign-up information. Never disregard direct mail as a great way to communicate with your readers! If your readers purchase titles directly from you, this is a great opportunity to include marketing information such as a postcard, flyer, or last month’s newsletter. Your reader can find out how to subscribe to your newsletter on the marketing that you include with their purchase. Remember to include a call to action such as “Sign up today!”
- Exclusive access. Giving your readers valuable content and knowledge is important and surprising them with a little something extra is always a great idea. You can say, “Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get free access to Ten Things You MUST Do to Write a Best-seller!” and then give them exclusive access to the article, course, or download.
Remember not to overdo it with your newsletter. At most it should be bi-weekly, but we prefer monthly; be consistent with when your newsletter is sent out. Pick the same date each month such as the first, fifteenth, or thirtieth to make it easy to remember and schedule.
If you’d like to subscribe to our newsletter, send us an email to pandapublishing8@gmail.com and we’ll add you to our list. In the meantime, check out some of our books and services here: Products – Pandamonium Publishing House