So are newsletters still being sued? Is anyone actually using them? Um, YES! I actually wish I took advantage of them more myself! A bellydance newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with your students and fans and if you don’t have time to use social media consistently then it’s a great way to get the word out about what events and classes that you might have going on currently and in upcoming months. The ongoing problem seems to be, how do you spice up your monthly newsletter so you don’t get tons of unsubscribes or end up in the junk mail folder never to be opened. Here are some tips and tricks that I have learned to help get those opens on my own and that I have gleaned from hours of reading and studying online.
The first step is in the subject and title of your newsletter. Most inboxes will give a preview of the first few lines of an email and that’s your only chance to entice the recipient to open that email. What you don’t want to do is start off with something like, Hello this is Amartia’s newsletter, sign up for my classes right now! Right away, the name is boring and I know you’re trying to sell me something right off the bat! Now, if your newsletter is for your Etsy shop then you might want to use something more sales-like in the title, like Spring Fashion Sale! But this is strictly for bellydancers who are teachers and performers. But your goal with your title and subject is to get that email opened. Try something a little less formal like Hello Gorgeous! I can’t wait to show you some cool tricks this week! OR The only way to get this hot new move is to open this email! Both peak the person’s curiosity and also let them know that you’re not all about sales and promotion in this email.
So, how do you peak curiosity? Try spicing up your newsletter by offering something to your readers first. Maybe a How to improve your shoulder shimmies, or how to change your cymbal elastic. And then move on to whatever other news you might have for that week or month. Try it out right now, type out a few how to-s of your own. Have fun with it! You can even try something like, how to remove that dance makeup! You can also take out the how to and replace it with a word that is fancier: enhance, optimize, amp up, etc. If you feel like how-to is too generic a term then try one of those others or heck, bust open your thesaurus.
Another thing you can try which allows you to put your newsletter on multiple platforms is video. Turn your newsletter into a video newsletter. Instead of typing out your newsletter, speak it on video. Allow people to see your excitement and joy in whatever you are talking. Your title can be as easy as watch my new video! People are a lot more likely to watch a video than they are to read a post. You can put this post onto Youtube and put the link in your newsletter or you can use Periscope or an Instagram live. This allows you to broaden your reach and might get you some new social media followers at the same time.
Lastly, don’t make your newsletter just news. Make it fun! Add a game! Invite your readers to play along with you. It could be an instagram challenge, practice bingo, whatever you like but ask them to connect with you. Not just read about all of your classes and events. If your newsletter always has something fun to do or to chime in with, then your readers will be sure to open it and look for it every time.
These are just a few ways to spice up your bellydance newsletter. If you have any more ideas of things that have worked for you, feel free to add them in the comments below! We all want to make sure we get those opens and interactions from our fans!