weekly newsletter planner - iaplifecoaches.org · weekly newsletter planner ... 8-content planning...

Weekly Newsletter Planner

WeeklyNewsletterPlanner

Allrightsreserved©2016www.iaplifecoaches.org

2

Contents

Weekly Newsletter Planner ............................................................................................................ 1

Contents.....................................................................................................................................2

1-Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3

2-Who Am I Writing My Newsletter To? ....................................................................................... 4

3-Why Do People Sign up for MY List? ......................................................................................... 6

4-Why Would People Want to STAY On My List? ........................................................................ 7

5-The Know, Like, Trust Factor ..................................................................................................... 8

6-Iam…..........................................................................................................................................9

7-Create your Mailing Schedule ................................................................................................... 12

8-Content Planning & Your Promotional Calendar ...................................................................... 13

9-Content Planning & Your Editorial Calendar ............................................................................ 14

10-What Do You Want to Include in Each Newsletter? ................................................................ 16

11-Setting Up Your FIrst Newsletter………………………………………………………………………………………………………19

12-Your Weekly Newsletter Plan ................................................................................................. 23

13-Where to Find Ideas ............................................................................................................... 30

14-Idea

Finder/Journal………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………….….32

15-Keeping Your Commitment .................................................................................................... 36



3

1-IntroductionThepurposeofaregularnewsletteristoprovideoutstandingvaluetoyoursubscribers,notjustrepeatedoffersthatdolittlebutlineyourownpocketbook.Givereadersareasontolookforwardtoyouremail,sotheyopenitwithanticipationeverytimeitshowsupintheirinbox,andyou’llsoonseeyourownROIimproving.

Todothat,you’llneedtobeabitmoreintentionalwithyourefforts.Formanypeople,thatmeansbringingbackthatoldfavorite,thenewsletter.

Therearesomeconsiderationstobemadebeforeyoumakeacommitment,though.Ifyoudecidetolaunchanewsletter,you’llwanttobesureyouwillneedtoremainconsistent,notonlyintiming(emailonthesamedayatthesametimeeachandeveryweek),butalsowithcontent.

Foryouraudiencememberswhoareonthego(aren’tweall?)aregularnewsletteristheperfectwaytokeepup-to-dateoneverythinggoingoninyourbusiness.Theywon’thavetoremembertovisityourblog,won’tworryaboutmissinganystatusupdatesonFacebook,anddon’tneedtobeconcernedaboutmissingoutonthatgreatsaleyou’rehaving.

Beforeyoudiveintoplanningyouractualnewsletter,wearegoingtowalkyouthroughafewexercisestomakesureyouhaveaclearpictureofWHOyourreadersareandhowyouservethem.



4

2-WhoAmIWritingMyNewsletterTo?Note:Ifyou’renotsure,runningasurveyisagreatwaytofindout.

Age:

Gender:

Education Level:

Income:

Married:

Children:

Where do they live:

What type of business do they have:

How long have they been in business:

How much does their business bring in:

Hobbies:

Interests:

Wheretheyhangoutonline:

Facebook

Facebook groups

Twitter

Forums

Coaching Groups



5

What problems/challenges do they face?

What keeps them up at night?

What do they ultimately want most?

What is their #1 goal?



6

3-WhyDoPeopleSignupforMYList?

What solutions do I offer them?

What makes me different than others like me? How do I stand out?

What specific areas do I have expertise and/or experience?



7

4-WhyWouldPeopleWanttoSTAYOnMyList? Icreategreatcontentthattheylike:

Video

Audio

Blog posts

Webinars

Free calls and training

__________________

Isharecontentthatotherscreate:

Bringing Experts to them via

calls

webinars

interviews (podcast or blog posts)

Sharing great blog posts from industry experts

___________________



8

TheRelationshipFactor.Iambuildingastrongrelationshipwithmyreadersbydevelopingthe“Know,Like,andTrustFactor”withthem.

5-TheKnow,Like,TrustFactorWhat they know about me. Why they like me. Why they trust me.



9

6-Iam…

Onthispage,youaregoingtofigureoutexactlywhatmakesyouspecialandunique.Thiswillhelpyoutoattractexactlytherightclientswholoveyou.

Here’sanexampleofsomeonedoingitright.

http://leoniedawson.com



10

Hereyouwilllistallofthenounsandadjectivesyoucantodescribeyourself.

Personal Business Interests



11

Nowlookingatexercisesthatyou’vedonesofar,it’stimetoputthemalltogethertocreateacompellingbio.Remember,thisdoesnothavetobeperfect,norareyoustuckwithitforever.Getcreativeandhavefunwithitandseewhathappens.Includelotsofbenefitsfromworkingwithyou.

Myawesomebio:



12

7-CreateyourMailingScheduleNowthatyou’vegotthebasicsoutoftheway,it’stimetogetdowntothenittygrittyofplanningoutyournewsletter.Andthatstartswithcreatingaschedulethatworksforyouraudience.

Everymarketisdifferent,butonethingiscertain:stayingintouchonaregular—andfrequent—basisisimportant.Thedayswhenamonthlynewsletterwereenoughtokeepyouraudienceinterestedaregone.Shorterattentionspansandmoreandmorecompetitionmeansyouhavetoworkhardertostayinthefrontofreaders’andprospects’minds.Formostcoaches,thatmeansanemailatleastweekly.

Thedayandtimethatyousendwilllargelybedeterminedbyyouraudienceneeds.

• Are they busy moms with active kids? Sunday mornings might be the best time to

reach them.

• Are they C-level executives? Tuesdays or Wednesdays may be the best choice.

• Are they entrepreneurs like you? For home office workers, any weekday is probably

as good as any other.

Anotherfrequentlyaskedquestionis“Whattimeisbesttosendmyemailnewsletter?”Thetruthis,withaglobalreadershipasmanycoacheshave,timeisnotalwaysrelevant.10ammightseemidealtoyou,buttosomeoneelse,that’sthemiddleofthenight.

Ratherthansearchingfortheperfecttimetosend,strivetosimplyremainconsistent.Ifyoudecideyou’llsendyournewsletterat10amonTuesdays,thenalwayssenditat10amonTuesdays.Yourreaderswillquicklylearnwhentoexpectit,andthey’llkeepaneyeout,knowingit’sgreatcontentfromyou.

Beingconsistentisnotthesamethingasbeinginflexible,though.Animportantaspectofanyemailnewsletteristestingandtrackingtheresults.Sodon’tbeafraidtochangeupthetimeorevendayyoumail.Monitoryouropenratesandclick-throughs,andseeifWednesdaysat4pmperformsbetterthanSundaysatnoon.ThentestMondaysat8am.Justbesuretogiveeachtestamplerunningtimetogetaclearpicture.



13

Howoftenwillyoupublishyournewsletter?

Whatdayperweek/monthwillyousendyournewsletter?

Whattimewillitbescheduledtogoout?

8-ContentPlanning&YourPromotionalCalendarSonowyouknowwhatdaysyou’llbesendingyournewsletter.Nowyouneedtoplanoutwhatyourpromotionswillbeforthemonthandplanyourcontentaroundwhat’sgoingoninyourbusiness.

• Product releases. If you have new products coming out, be sure to make a note in your promotional calendar. This will be the deciding factor when it comes to creating your blog post subjects and your newsletter topics, so be diligent about keeping notes in your promotional calendar.

• JV partner promotions. Affiliate promotions—if you know about them ahead of

time—are important to put on your promotional calendar, too, so you can plan your content around them.

• Upcoming events. You’ll definitely want to let your audience know when and where

you’ll be speaking, if you have a new book coming out, if you’re hosting a webinar, or any other event that’s important to you.

Print12copies(onesheetforeachmonth)oftheMonthlyPromotionsCalendar(Fig1)includedinthispack,andputtheminabinder.Wheneveryouhearaboutanupcomingpromotion,makeanote.Addinyourownproductsandsales,specialholidaysorotherevents,andeachweekasyouputtogetheryournewsletter,referbacktoit.Notonlywillyouneverrunoutofcontentagain,butyou’llnevermissanopportunitytopromoteapartnereither.



14

(Fig1)

9-ContentPlanning&YourEditorialCalendarYournewsletter—andallthecontentyouproduce—hasajobtodo.It’snottherejusttolookgoodorremindpeoplethatyouexist.Formostcoaches,anewsletteractsasaroundupofeverythingyou’redoing,sotakingthetimetoplanoutyourcontentiscriticaltoyoursuccess.Thatstartswithyoureditorialcalendar.

BuildingaCohesiveEditorialCalendar

Ifyou’veeverwrittenforamagazine,thenyouunderstandtheimportanceofaneditorialcalendar.Ittellsyouweeksorevenmonthsinadvanceexactlywhatwillbeincludedineachissue.Thisgivesyouplentyoftimetoresearch,preparecontentandpromoteyourproductsandservices.Italsohelpstoplanforthingslikemajorholidays,anniversaries,andotherevents,soyou’renotscramblingatthelastminutetoworkinapromoforthatconferenceyou’respeakingat.



15

Butbecausethemakegooduseofaneditorialcalendar,everythingisplannedoutweeksinadvance,allowingthemtostaywellaheadofschedule.

Yourgoalistobuildyoureditorialcalendararoundyourpromotionscalendarandwe’reprovidingaworksheettodojustthat.

(Fig.2)

PrinttheWeeklyEditorialCalendar(Fig.2)(includedinthispack)onepermonthandfillinthefollowing:

• Promotion and Date: Write in what you’ll be promoting that week and the date of that week’s newsletter. For example, you’re launching a book, hosting a free webinar, or releasing a new product.

• Newsletter Topic: The goal is to create your newsletter around your latest promotion. So, think of an angle to build interest in the promotion while providing interesting content.



16

For example: If you are releasing a product about video marketing, you could create a video with three tips about using video in your business. Therefore your newsletter topic would be video because that is the topic of your promotion.

• Related Free Content: Brainstorm a blog post, video, or story that ties into the topic of the promotion for this week. This free content will be helpful, but also generate interest in learning more about your promotion.

• Ways to Generate Buzz: Here you’ll add any additional ideas you have for social media or more blog posts, interviews, or videos that you want to create for this promotion. Also, jot down ideas for helping your affiliates to promote you here, too.

Onceyoubegintofillinthesedetails,you’llstarttoseeapatternemergethatwillmakeitmucheasiertoplanyourcontent,notonlyforyournewsletter,butforyourblogandsocialmediaaswell.

10-WhatDoYouWanttoIncludeinEachNewsletter?Yournewslettermayincludeanyofthefollowingsections:

• An introduction

• A disclaimer

• An about you section

• Links to Follow you on Social Media sites

• Upcoming events

• A testimonial

• Your latest product release



17

• A promotion

• Content (an article, blog post or video)

• Tips or strategies your readers can use

• Social sharing options

Thereisnosetordertodesigningyournewsletter.Youcanpickandchoosewhatisincludedandtheorderoftheitems.

What items do you want to include and in what order?



18

11-SettingupYourNewslettertheFirstTime

Thesesectionswillstaythesameeveryweek,soweonlyneedtocreatethemonce.DraftingyourAboutYouSection

Justlikeonyourwebsite,the“AboutYou”sectionisoneofthemostviewed.Unlikeyourwebsite,youhavealotlessspacetomakeanimpression,sokeepthissectionshortandtothepoint.



19

INCLUDE:

Ahigh-qualityphoto:Yourbiggestaccomplishmentsorashorterversionofthebiothatyoucreatedearlierinthisworkbook:Wheretolearnmore(linkbacktoyour“aboutme”pageonyourwebsiteorblog):

Whileyoumightthinkthateveryonewhoreadsyournewsletterwillalreadyknowaboutyou,don’tforgetthatsometimespeopleforwardinterestingarticlestotheirfriends(moreonthatinaminute),orthey’rereceivingyournewsletterbecausetheyregisteredforawebinarorothereventwithoutevervisitingyourwebsite.



20

EncourageSocialFollowing

Ofcourse,thepeoplereadingyournewslettersareidealforalsofollowingyouonthesocialmediasites.Besuretoencourageyourreaderstofollowyouonallofthesiteswhereyouareactive.Don’tmakethemistakeoflinkingtositeswhereyouarenotactive.

AddyourURLtoyourprofilethatyouwouldliketoincludeinyournewslettersforeachsitebelow.

Facebook:

Linkedin:

Twitter:

YouTube:

Periscope:

Instagram:

Pinterest:

EncourageSharingOneofthegoalsforyournewsletterwillbetogrowyouraudience,soyou’llwanttobesuretoincludesocialsharingbuttons.Mostemailmanagementsystemsmakeiteasytocreatethelinksandaddgraphicstoyournewsletter,socheckoutthehow-tosectionofyourproviderforinstructions.

You’llalsowanttoencouragereaderstoforwardyournewslettertoafriend.Asimplecalltoactionattheendofthepagewillwork,butdon’tforgettoincludeanotefortherecipientaswell.



21

Writeanotesimilartothistoencouragenewpotentialreaderstovisityoursiteandsignupforyourlist:

“Didyoureceivethisfromafriend?Visit[LINK]toreceiveyourowncopyeveryweek,andI’llsendyou[OFFER]asmygifttoyou,justforregistering.”

Includealinktoyourbestlanding/squeezepage,sonewreaderswillbeenticedtosignupforyournewsletter.

Disclaimer

It’snotsexyorcooloranyfuntoread(orwrite)buteveryemailyousendmustincludealegaldisclaimerofsomekind.Theexacttextwilldependlargelyonyourbusinessmodel,butsomethingstoconsiderincludingare:

• An affiliate disclosure. If you promote products or services as an affiliate and you’re in the US or Canada (and many other countries as well) you must let your readers know that.



22

• An option to unsubscribe. Your email management system will very likely include this automatically, but it pays to make sure.

• A mailing address.

• A support email and phone number, in case your readers need to reach you for any reason.

Ifyou’renotsurewhat’srequiredinyourdisclaimer,checkwithanattorneyforguidance.

Here’sanexampleforinspiration.(Again,pleasecheckwithyourattorneyforguidance.)

In the spirit of full disclosure some of the links in this email may be affiliate links, which means we may receive compensation from some of the entities listed here for referrals, as their thank you for sending you their way. However, we never recommend any product solely for the reason of receiving commissions.

You are receiving this email from us because you are a customer or subscriber of [INSERT YOUR URL].

If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, please use the link below to unsubscribe.

Click here to Unsubscribe or Update Your Information



23

Draftyourdisclaimerhere:

12-YourWeeklyNewsletterPlanNowthatyouknowwhatyournewsletterwilllooklike,it’stimetoplantheweeklycontenttomakethisparteffortless.Printthissectiontoworkfromeveryweek.DateforthisWeek’sNewsletter:____________



24

YourWeeklyPersonalNote

Typically,you’llopenwithapersonalnoteofsomekind.Whetheryoumentionsomethingthat’shappenedtoyouinthepastweek,abreakthroughaclienthad,orjustacutethingyourtoddlerdid,thesepersonalnoteshelpengageyourreader.Justbesureyoucantieitbacktobusinesstomakeyourintroflowsmoothlyintothebodyofyournewsletter.

WillIincludeanintroduction?YES/NO

WhatkindsofthingscanIshare?

• Photos and pictures (lifestyle or business)

• Stories about family, travel, or even going to the grocery store

• Lessons learned

• Client brags or bring up a current client issue and the solution you came up with to resolve it

• Personal challenges or struggles and how you’re working through them

• Business challenges or struggles. (Writing your first book, creating a program, hiring your first VA.)

• What you’re currently working on, including excitement. (Joint venture partnership, opportunities, etc.)

• Travel and speaking adventures



25

Listideasfromyourownpersonalexperienceshere:

Writeyourintroductionhere:



26

Content(yourarticle,blogpost,orvideo)

Thisiswhereyouwillsharegreatfreecontentwithyourreaders.Typically,you’llsendpeoplebacktoyourblogtoreadorviewthefullcontentandonyourblogiswhereyouwillincludeanoffer.

ContentTitle:

ContentTeaser(ashortdescriptionofyourcontent):

Linktofullcontent:

Image(anattractivestockphotoorthumbnailofyourvideo):



27

LatestReleases&Promotions

Ifyouregularlycreateproducts,keepingalatestreleasessectioninyournewsletterwillletyourreadersknowwhat’snewandwhattheymayhavemissed.Besuretomakeanoteofanyspecialcouponsordiscounts,expirationdates,andwhentheproductwillberemoved(ifit’salimitedoffer).Andofcourse,don’tforgetthebuylink!

AffiliateandJVoffersthatareamatchforthisweek’snewsletteredition(checkyoureditorialcalendar!)willallfindahomeinthepromotionssection.Ofcourse,youwon’tnecessarilycallitthat,butyoushouldreserveaspotineachnewsletterforanyrelevantproductorserviceyourreadersneed.

Ideasforpromotionsinclude:

• Complementary products and services

• Upcoming conferences

• JV offers

• Books—yours or others’

• Available coaching packages

• Your new product or service package

• Solo ads from other vendors (check out www.safe-swaps.com for potential partners)



28

Promotion(yourownoraJVoffer)

ProductName:

Image:

Link:

Description:

Coupon:

ExpiryDate:



29

UpcomingEvents

Ifyou’reaspeaker,trainer,orauthor,thissectionisusefulforgettingthewordoutaboutwhereyou’llbeappearingnext.Youcanincludethingssuchas:

• Telesummits (both free and paid)

• Podcast interviews

• Book signings

• Live events—whether you’ll be speaking or not

• Workshops and other virtual events

Besuretoincludethedatesandtimes,whetherornotyou’llbespeakingorjustattending,andwhereyourreaderscanregister/attend/buytickets.

Addyourupcomingeventshere,bothonlineandoffline:

Date Event Name Location Where to Sign Up



30

13-WheretoFindIdeasHere’swhereitallfallsapartforalotofnewsletterpublishers.Theybeginwiththebestofintentions,butafterafewweeks,they’restrugglingtofindenoughideastokeeptheirshipafloat.

Sotheyskipaweek.Andthenanother.

Andsoonenough,yourweeklynewsletterisjustathingyou“usedtodo.”

Thatdoesn’thavetohappentoyou.Ideasliterallyareeverywhere,andI’veevenincludedahandyworksheetinthiskitsoyoucanstartkeepingtrackofyourfavoritenewsletterinspirations.

It’salsoagoodideatokeepacurrentbrainstorminglistofideassoyou’llneverbefacedwithablankpageonthedayyournewsletterisdue,andnocluewhattowriteabout.Recordthingslike:

• Questions that come in to your help desk

• Hot topics that appear in your Facebook group

• Questions and comments from other social media channels (Twitter is great for

searching on specific topics)

• Interesting blog comments

Anothergreattoolisasurvey.Awell-plannedsurvey—evenifit’sonlyafewquestions—cantellyouexactlywhatyourmarketstruggleswithmost.Youmightevenfindthattheanswerssurpriseyou.Youcancreateasurveyeasilywithanynumberoftools,includingGoogleDrive,SurveyMonkey,FormidableForms,orjustbypostingafewquestionsonFacebook.Thebest(andmostuseful)surveyscombinemultiplechoicequestionswithessay-styleoptions.Thisgivesyoubothharddatatoworkwith(suchasthepercentageofpeoplewhostrugglewithaspecificconceptorstrategy)andthelanguageyourmarkettendstouse.Thatinformationiscriticalwhenit



31

comestodesigningnotonlyyournewsletter,butyoursalespages,andevenyourproductsorcoachingoffers.

Protip:Ifyoufindyourmarketisreluctanttoanswersurveys,considerofferingabonusinexchange.Thiscanbeasimpleworksheetorchecklist,ashortconsultationwithyou,oryoumayevenwanttoofferadrawingforanAmazongiftcertificate.Chooseanincentivethatwillresonatewithyourmarket,thenpromoteyoursurveyjustasyouwouldapaideventorproduct,andyou’llsoonhaveplentyofideastofillyourbrainstorminglist.

Alittlereconnaissanceworkgoesalongway,too.Besureyou’resubscribedtoyourcompetitors’blogsandnewsletters,followthemonsocialmedia,andpayattentiontotheirproductsandservices.

Don’tjustlookatyourdirectcompetitorsthough.Lookatthosewhoserveanaudienceslightlybeyondyours.Thisiswhereyouwanttoaspiretoasyourbusinessgrows.

Whileyoucancertainlyoutsourcethistoatrustedstaffmember,it’sstillagoodideaforyou,personallytobecheckinginonyourcontemporaries.Notonlyforyournewsletterideafile,butjusttoknowwhat’shappeninginyourniche.

Yourideafilewillhelpgetyournewsletteroutontimeeachweek,butit’salsoagreatresourcefornewproductsandservices.Whenyoulistentoyourmarket,they’lltellyouexactlywhattheyneedandwantfromyou.Thenyouronlyjobistoprovideit—whetherinyourblog,yournewsletter,orinanebookorotherproduct.

Printtheworksheetsbelowandusethemtocollectlinksyoucanuseforinspiration.Sendcopiestoyourassistantsaswell,andaskthemtokeepaneyeoutforinterestingblogsandsocialmediachannels.

14-WeeklyNewsletterIdeaFinderUsetheseasstartingpointsforyournewsletter.YoucouldalsoassignaVAtomonitorsomeorallofthem.

FacebookGroupsandForumsWhereMyIdealClientHangsOut



32

Competitors’Blogs

IndustryNewsSites



33

InspirationalPinterestBoards

YouTubeChannels



34

AmazonMagazineandBestsellerLists



35

Newsletter Idea Journal Print out this page and keep this open on your desk to capture those great ideas that appear from nowhere when you least expect them.

Idea/Subject Inspiration/Notes



36

15-KeepingYourCommitmentStayingCommittedtoSuccess

Anewsletterisnotasmallundertaking,buttheresultscanbephenomenalwhencomparedtootherformsofmarketing.Beforeyoujumpinwithbothfeetthough,spendsometimewiththebrainstormingworksheetsincludedhere.Besureyouhaveenoughideasandinspirationtokeepyournewslettergoing(andyouinterestedinit)foratleastseveralweeks.

Remember,you’llbeteachingyourreaderstoexpecttohearfromyoueachandeveryweek,andthelastthingyouwantistofadeawayonthem.Soprintouttheworksheetsandcalendarsandstartworkingonyourideas.Revisitthenewsletteremailsyoureceivetogetideasforlayouts,andplanoutwhatyouwantyourowntolooklike.Thengettowork!

weekly newsletter planner - iaplifecoaches.org · weekly newsletter planner ... 8-content planning...

Documents