How to Easily Set Up a Weekly Newsletter That Converts With ConvertKit

You’ve probably heard this a million times, but Email Is Everything! Growing your email list is one of the most important things you can do to get more sales and grow your business. But here’s the thing, email is not just a tool you use to “ask for the sale” – it’s also a great way to communicate with your community, share insights into who you are not only as a business owner but as a person and it’s just one of the most powerful ways to build trust and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

People buy from people they know like and trust and when you can pour into the lives of those who so graciously allow you to show up in their inboxes every week, you create a connection that people crave and want to keep growing.

There are so many ways you can provide value to your audience online, but there are few things that trump a personality-filled, value-based email. They are like digital love letters for the soul and when done right, email can be a complete game-changer for you and your business!

So today I want to share the steps you’ll want to take to set up a weekly newsletter that communicates and converts with ConvertKit, my favorite email marketing platform!

Email lists are so important regardless of what industry you are in because it connects you with people who are already interested in your products and services and for me, my email list has been the #1 way I have driven profits into my business.

As a business owner, your primary goal will be to sell more of whatever it is you sell. That may be a product, a service,  a course,  an affiliate program, or a network marketing opportunity.

Now, your secondary goal should be to grow your email list + online community so that you have people to sell your products and services to.

Remember: Product + People + Profits.

Your email list is going to be the vehicle that will make it possible for you to deliver consistent value to people who need it most. And this value can be in the form of free content such as blog posts, weekly newsletters or an online community – it can also be in the form of a paid product, programs, or service.

So here are 3 truths about building your email list…

#1 You own your email list.

As much as we love Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest you are basically renting space on these platforms, and the people that own that space – the Mark Zuckerberg’s of the world can change things (aka the algorithm) around at any time and they do not and will not consult you before they do it!

We’ve seen paid advertising become the priority on these platforms, but if you are leveraging the power of a weekly newsletter you are able to reach the right people every single time with just one click of the send button.

#2 You don’t need a big list to make money

Big lists are cool and sexy and something we can all envy but you do not need to have a big list to make a lot of money. Bigger lists give us more cushion, but a list of 1000 can outearn a social media following of 10,000 if that list you’re sending your weekly newsletter to is filled with targeted, engaged, excited, and responsive subscribers.

Which lead me to truth #3…

Email is one of the few ways to generate traffic and sales on demand.

Just imagine how amazing it would be to send people an email and generate hundreds of visitors to your next blog post. Fill up your webinars. And sell out your products and services.

All of that is possible when you have an email list!

Now that you are all excited about growing your email list, the next question that comes to mind may be – “Well what do I say?”

Look, not every email you send out has to be some mind-blowing, heart-clenching telenovela, but it should be purposeful and useful to your readers in some way. Your newsletter is meant to educate, empower, inspire and entertain or inspire. You want to make it as easy as possible for those that follow you to get to know you, your brand, and your products better … without feeling like you always have to be PITCHING A PRODUCT OR CONSTANTLY SELLING to them!

So, if you are wondering what to share with your peeps? Here are some of my favorite newsletter topics:

01. Blog posts: Don’t leave it to your audience to stumble upon your latest blog posts. When you hit publish, make sure you share your recent blog posts in your newsletter.

Quick Tip: If you have great newsletter content, repurpose what you’ve already written into a blog post or social media caption to help you reach a wider audience of people who might not be on your list yet.

02. Social media posts: So speaking of social media, if you have a Facebook or Instagram post that is getting a ton of engagement repurpose it into an email! Chances are, your email list subscribers would love to read your juicy caption too! Remember, only a small percentage of your social media followers are going to see your content, so it’s just a smart move to milk your content for all it’s worth and share it with your email subscribers as well.

03. Success stories and testimonials: Transformations tell and stories sell. Share a before and after of how your product or service changed someone’s life or business. If you have pictures, screenshots, testimonials, interviews or videos the better!

04. Behind the scenes content: Give people a peek inside your business and personal life by sharing what’s going on in your business that you think people would like to know about. Events, upcoming sales, new products, big takeaways, personal updates. People love behind-the-scenes content.

05. Product reviews: If you’ve tried a product or service that’s worked for you, share it with your audience so they can experience the same benefits. There are so many options when it comes to which tools to use, and because your community trusts that you have their best interest at heart, they’ll love to try things you recommend. This is also something that you can make a few extra dollars from by offering affiliate links to your favorite things.

06. Guides and Checklists: Think of guides, downloads, planners or checklists that can help your clients get quick wins. For instance, if you are a pilates expert, you could create a checklist directly about pilates exercises called: Top 10 Pilates Power Moves To Tone Your Body. Or if you could create a monthly plan that you share at the beginning of every month called: The November Pilates Power Playbook, where you give your audience a daily exercise routine to follow.

07: Quizzes: Who doesn’t like a quick quiz! Quizzes are a fun and interactive way to boost engagement with your email subscribers. People love personality type quizzes or “which ABC are you?” type quizzes. An example would be the 5 Erotic Blueprint Types™​ from Jaiya of The Blueprint Breakthrough.

08. Myths and mistakes: No matter what niche or industry you are in, there are long standing myths and mistakes that people in your community make. Think of a way you can educate and inform readers of the no-nos you often see them make or debunk the myths they tend to fall prey to. Not only will this enlighten your audience, it will position you as a thought leader.

09. Seasonal content: Is there a way you can take advantage of holidays or seasonal events? For example, if you’re a designer, seasonal decoration ideas would be a great thing to share. Or you can curate a seasonal gift guide for the holidays.

When it comes to content, you are only limited by your creativity. Each month you can come up with a theme for the content you want to create and then each week, focus one of the content types above when creating your weekly newsletter. Pay attention to what your audience likes (responses, shares, email opens, clicks, etc.) then do more of what resonates with them to ensure increased engagement and profitability.

Now that you know what to say, let’s talk about how to set up and send your weekly newsletter.

Creating weekly content doesn’t have to be hard andthe email-sending process doesn’t have to b complicated or overly techie…all you need are the right tools.

ConvertKit is my go-to email service provider because they make it super easy to design beautiful emails quickly!

They have so many features specifically geared toward online business owners that make creating high-converting email broadcasts and sequences walk in the park.

Their email builder walks you through each step of sending out your newsletter and you can always get in touch with someone from their team if you ever get stuck.

They provide quick tips and short tutorials, you can create paid newsletters or make sales directly from your ConvertKit product dashboard and you can even start receiving tips or donations from your super fans with their new Tip Jar feature!

Step 01. Log into your ConvertKit account or start a free 14-day trial by heading here if you don’t already have an account.

Step 02. Click on +Send in the top right navigation bar.

Step 03. Explore the email templates until you find one that is right for you or create your own.

Step 04. To customize your email template, you can upload your own images, create images you’ve branded on sites like Canva or add a high-quality stock photo from sites like Unsplash, Pexels or Pixabay.

You can also customize the font, colors, heading sizes, content areas, etc. in the editor to make sure everything is aligned with your visual brand style.

Step 05. Once you have created your branded email template(s), you can choose if you want to create a broadcast email or an email sequence.

To send or schedule a weekly newsletter choose the Broadcast option.

Step 06. Click + New Broadcast and choose your email template from the template section on the right side.

Step 07. Add a subject line which is what people will see when they get your emails in their inbox. You will also want to add your text to the body of the email to update it with your own copy.

Keep editing and adding content until your email is complete. ConvertKit has an auto-save function, so you never have to worry about saving your work. It’s all backed up for you! Boom!!

Step 08. Make sure to add any text links or call to action buttons to your email. Your call to action is simply an invitation to check out your offer. Double-check every link to make sure your CTAs are driving your readers to the correct URLs (this could be a blog post, a product page, landing page, affiliate page, or social media page).

Quick Tip: Make sure to add a call to action in the postscript (P.S.) at the bottom of each email for all the scrollers out there. Sometimes people like to skim emails so a short summary of what you covered and a call to action at the bottom will help you capture the attention of more of your readers.

Step 09. When you’re ready to send your email, hit + Continue in the bottom right corner. You can customize who the email is coming from with your name and email address. You can also preview your email to see how it looks as a subscriber or you can send yourself a test email to make sure everything looks how it should and all your links are working.

Step 10. If you’re loving what you’ve just created, choose who you want to send your email to by selecting your subscribers.

You can choose to send your email to all of your subscribers or a specific segment of your audience. It’s very important to only email people who have given you permission to send them email marketing, so make sure everyone on your list has opted in or given you consent to decrease the instances of being marked as spam.

Step 11. Once you’re done, choose when you want to send your email. You can either send your email now or schedule a specific date and time in the future to send it.

Newsletters are going to be a constant and essential part of your email marketing strategy because they help you stay top of mind by allowing you to drop into your readers inboxes on a regular basis.

It is key to focus on providing value and addressing what is most important to them. Do this right and it will lead to more sales later.

You can create a few different templates inside of ConvertKit, then simply take a few hours each month to plan, write out and schedule your weekly newsletter content.

If you need a content marketing plan, make sure to check out the Viral Content Startup Kit for done-for-you writing prompts and ideas on how to repurpose different types of content to boost engagement, conversions and sales not only with your weekly newsletter but across all your social media platforms.

Newsletters are where it’s at, and they just got WAY easier to send.

Get in on ConvertKit and start your email list with the easiest, most reliable platform in the email marketing game.

If you’re thinking of creating your own passive income-generating online course, be sure to check out additional resources at the bottom of this page. You can also join us inside of the FREE WomanpreneuHER FB Group for more tutorials, tips, and training on how to create 6-figure success with online courses and digital products.

Here’s to your 6-figure future!

P.S. *Use the Viral Content Startup Kit to get 365 Days of social media prompts, content, and live ideas to attract your ideal customers and clients. Click HERE to grab yours now.*