Conventional writerly wisdom says that apparently every writer should send regular newsletters to their followers (aka subscribers/ readers/ cheerleaders/ fans/ supporters/ friends). And as regular readers know, that word tends to irritate me. I don’t make a habit of doing things simply because other people say I should. If I’m going to commit to regularly e-mailing people I want a good reason.
So I asked my lovely KSW chums for their insight, and they helped me see something really important. All the time and effort I put into my social media pages, hoping to communicate with those who are interested in my journey, is often thwarted by Meta’s programming. The sad fact is that unless I pay for endless adverts, only a select few (selected by who-knows-what algorithm) of the people who have liked or followed my page will actually receive my updates. The vast majority just will not see them.
In contrast, they said, newsletters have been proven to be a much more reliable way of communicating with those who want to keep in touch.
And as I considered the possibility and tackled head-on the subconscious whispers saying people won’t want to hear from me, or that I will have nothing to say, I chatted with God and He spoke to me about Project Lampstand (see my previous blog post). I started to see the potential in a newsletter where I could genuinely keep in touch with those lovely people who are interested in my books, my mission, my journey, etc.
So I’ve been learning how to go about it and am now biting the proverbial bullet (where DOES that saying come from? Answers on a digital postcard…?) So if any of you would like to hear from me once a month, please click here or on the subscribe button at the top of the right hand column. You will (assuming everything works) receive an instant confirmation email with a link to a free chapter from one of my books, and then my first month’s newsletter should arrive later this week.
I won’t be offended if you don’t sign up, but I do hope you will!
Rachel Yarworth, Writer 