After receiving a lot of feedback on the first episode about podcast newsletters, I wanted to answer more questions, and this time, I brought in Paul Gowder to help. We talk more detail above what to write about, and newsletter resources to get started.
We’ll discuss what tools to use and what content to include. If you really want to skip this whole newsletter thing, we've got some backup plans for you, too. Paul has wisdom about newsletters, and we also talk about building his community.
Spoiler alert: You might even want to ditch social media for this! Buckle up, because we’re about to make your newsletter dreams a reality.
You Can Start Your Newsletter For Free
Tools such as Substack, Mailerlite, and Kit all allow you to build your list for free. After a certain level (around 1000 subscribers) you will need to pay. ONe thousand subscribers may sound small compared to some people who GIANT lists, but it will take some time to get those first one thousand subscribers.
Communities Take Effort and Discipline
Paul explains how you need to remember to do everything for the community. Sometimes, removing someone from a community is something you do “For the community.” You post rules and make sure everyone understands them, and if they break the rules, there must be consequences to keep the community feeling safe. If you're using Facebook Groups, there is a tool called Group Leads that makes it possible to harvest the email address from those who join your group (if one of the questions you ask them to join the group, is their email).
Takeaways:
- Start building your podcast newsletter today; it's like planting a seed for growth.
- Don't overthink content; even simple updates can keep your audience engaged and informed.
- Use email as a direct line to your audience; it's way better than shouting into the social media void.
- If you're not asking for emails, you're missing out—it's like having a party and not inviting anyone.
- Be cautious with Facebook. They may delete your group with 85,000 people in it.
Mentioned In This Episode
- schoolofpodcasting.com
- paulgouder.com
- Paul's Free Strategies
- paulgowder.com/emailtools
- Paul's Email Jump Start
- What to expect at your first Powow.
- schoolofpodcasting.com/972 – Part 1 about Newsletters
- schoolofpodcasting.com/974 – This episode
- Jef Sieh's Social Media News Live Podcast
Newsletter Resources:
- Sustack
- Sendfox
- Mailerlite
- Kit
- Newsletter Database
- Liz Wilcox Templates
- Group Leads for gathering emails from Facebook Groups.
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