7 Common mistakes to avoid when monetizing a newsletter

Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid when monetizing your newsletter:

1. Talking Too Much About Yourself

Mistake: Focusing too much on your own company or products in the newsletter instead of providing value to your subscribers.

Solution: Follow the 90/10 rule – spend 90% of the time educating and providing helpful resources, and only 10% talking about yourself. Build trust by being a valuable resource first.

2. Pushing Too Hard for Sales

Mistake: Using the newsletter solely as a platform to aggressively promote your products and make sales.

Solution: Remember that your newsletter is for building your brand and audience over the long-term, not for direct sales. Earn the right to promote your offerings by consistently providing value first.

3. Not Having a Clear Goal

Mistake: Sending newsletters without a specific purpose or call-to-action for the reader.

Solution: Determine the goal of each newsletter issue, whether it’s driving traffic to a blog post, promoting an event, or selling a product. Include a clear CTA, but don’t overwhelm with too many options.

4. Not Writing in a Human Voice

Mistake: Using overly formal, corporate language that doesn’t connect with your audience on a personal level.

Solution: Write in a friendly, conversational tone as if you’re talking to a friend. Inject your personality and avoid jargon. Subscribers want to feel like they know you.

5. Not Segmenting Your Audience

Mistake: Sending the same newsletter to your entire list without considering their different interests and needs.

Solution: Segment your list based on demographics, interests, or buying behavior. Send targeted content that resonates with each segment to improve engagement and monetization.

6. Not A/B Testing

Mistake: Sending the same newsletter format and content without experimenting to see what works best.

Solution: A/B test elements like subject lines, CTAs, images, and offers to optimize your newsletters for higher open rates, clicks, and conversions. Continuously improve based on the data.

7. Not Monitoring Results

Mistake: Sending newsletters without tracking key metrics to see what’s working and what’s not.

Solution: Use your email platform’s analytics to monitor open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribes, and conversion metrics. Identify your top-performing newsletters and replicate what works.

By avoiding these common pitfalls and focusing on providing value, building trust, and optimizing your newsletters based on data, you’ll be well on your way to effectively monetizing your newsletter audience. Remember, monetization is a long-term game, so be patient, consistent, and always put your subscribers’ needs first.