How can you write engaging newsletters for your Creator Economy audience?

You always need to know what your audience wants, especially when you develop your newsletter. The best ways to gauge this are through polls/surveys, reviewing open rates, and contacting people directly to ask what they would like to see in future newsletters. By undertaking this level of research, your readers are more likely to keep reading and value what you have to say.

"Show them that you know them". Before starting any article, think first about what value this will bring to your audience. How will this piece of content help them resolve their challenges, learn new things, make their work or tasks easier, or make them laugh, etc. Always keep the audience in your head and the purpose of your content.

In my experience, it's important to build out user personas, these are critical to understanding your audience; their preferences, behaviours, and intended goals. Survey's and feedback forms are useful tools to creating these personas. Ideally receiving the negative and positive feedback leads to the most relevant personas to your services/products/knowledge sharing.

Understanding your audience is fundamental in the creator economy. Beyond surveys, engage directly—participate in discussions, host Q&A sessions, and respond to comments. Use social media polls for real-time insights. Stay updated with trending topics in your niche, adapting your content accordingly. Collaborate with influencers aligning with your audience. Analyze engagement metrics regularly to identify preferences. This nuanced understanding enables you to create impactful, tailored content, exceeding audience expectations and fostering a loyal, engaged following. It's not just about knowing your audience; it's about connecting with them authentically, building a community that shares your passion

Similar to the impact that thumbnails have on YouTube videos, catchy headlines in newsletters draw readers to the article. It's important to ensure these headlines are clear and avoid any clickbait-style tactics, as this can lead to losing your audience in future editions. The subtitle is also a good place to capture a person's attention.

One thing I've found helpful is using short, catchy headlines that have a limited character settings (i.e. that fit within the line, and are no longer than what can be seen). The technique or rather the type of headline being used is largely dependent on the voice and tone of your newsletter, and what is being distributed. However, I agree that being too vague or clickbaity would lead to negative open rates.

There are a plethora of Creator Economy newsletters. You have to differentiate, you can't just share the news. I'd even consider not calling it a "Newsletter". Instead, I'd niche down and get super specific. Uou can cover strictly creators in the outdoor industry or the gaming industry. Determine what's happening in those sectors and how those things are influencing or changing the wider playing field.

Curated content in email newsletters is a dynamic strategy to maintain subscriber interest and engagement. By handpicking relevant and valuable content, newsletters can offer subscribers meaningful insights, tips, and updates that resonate with their interests. This approach positions the sender as a trusted resource, enhancing brand credibility and fostering a loyal subscriber base. Diversity in content is equally crucial. Offering a mix of articles, videos, infographics, and interviews ensures that the content appeals to a wide range of subscriber preferences. This approach keeps the content fresh, offering new angles and perspectives in each edition.

From my experience writing a newsletter, the 3-minute article has a higher open rate compared to 4 min or 5 min. Many digital natives have a short attention span, so don't forget to keep your newsletter short, concise, and eye-catching.