Module 3 — Lesson 13

Why does writing well matter?

Well, hopefully, by now you should already know the answer to this question. But if you don’t, worry not, because I’m about to reveal the answer.

The truth is writing well matters because as a newsletter writer… your writing IS the product. The better you write, the happier your reader. The happier your reader, the more they will open, click, buy, and share your newsletter. Does that make sense?

In essence, a great newsletter operator does two things really well:

1. They write stellar content

2. They are masters at distribution (AKA getting people to subscribe)

If you can master those two aspects, you’ll have a world-class newsletter.

Okay, so how do you become a better writer? It starts with knowing WHO you write to.

Understanding your target audience

Before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), you have to understand who your reader is.

Who are you writing to? Are you writing to corporate attorneys or college kids? Stay-at-home moms or professional pickleball players?

Who you write to determines the language you use and the tone you write with.

If you’re writing to corporate attorneys… you may want to write in a more serious and professional tone.

If you’re writing to college kids… you may want to write in a more conversational and playful tone.

Do you understand what I’m saying? You do. Good, then let’s go on. The next question you have to ask yourself is, “What am I optimizing for?”

What’s the end goal of your writing?

Are you trying to educate, inspire, or entertain them? Is it a mix of all three? For example, a Crypto news newsletter will look and feel a lot different than a personal travel blog.

What’s your end goal?

• Build the next Morning Brew?

• Keep your SaaS users in the loop?

• Build authority in an industry?

• Sell products, events, or courses?

• As a hobby to hone your skills?

The who and why determine the how and what.

End of sermon. Now here are a few best practices no matter what type of newsletter you write.

3 Best Practices

Before we begin, I have to preface: these are not rules, they’re guidelines. So keep that in mind as you continue.

Principle #1: It’s not about you

Nobody cares what you can do. Everyone cares what you can do for them.

This is a universal law not just for writing, but for life. Again, it’s context-dependent on the type of newsletter you’re writing — but even if you’re writing a personal travel blog, people subscribe because they believe the value they will get exceeds the time they invest into reading your newsletter.

So when you’re writing your newsletter, constantly ask yourself, “Is this adding value to the reader?”

Principle #2: Follow the 3 C’s

The 3 C’s are as follows:

• Clear

• Concise

• Compelling

What makes for a great writer? In my opinion, a great writer is someone who makes things perfectly clear in a concise and compelling manner. Because here’s the truth…

As a writer:

• If you confuse, you lose.

• If you start rambling, you’re gambling (with your reader’s attention).

• If it gets boring, they’ll start snoring.

Cheesy, I know. But the best writers explain complex topics in a simple manner. They don’t write long-winded posts. And they employ rhetorical tactics to keep readers engaged the entire time.

What are some of these tactics?

1/ Optimize for readability

2/ Vary sentence length

3/ Bold, italicize, and underline

Principle #3: Use The ‘Punch, Slide, Linger’ Method

This framework is simple:

1. Your first sentence should punch the reader in the gut. Get them to stop scrolling and pay attention.

2. Your middle should effortlessly pull the reader down the page. Like a slippery slide.

3. Your last sentence should be impactful. It should linger in your readers’ minds long after they leave the page.

That’s it! And the best part is the ‘Punch Slide Linger’ framework can be used for pretty much every type of newsletter.

How to write more consistently

The #1 pitfall newsletter writers make is quitting their newsletter after a few weeks. This pitfall stems from:

1. Picking a topic they aren’t interested in

2. Picking a cadence that’s too frequent

3. Not being able to write consistently

For the first two, that’s on you. But for number three, here are 3 simple tips:

Tip #1: Theme Your Days

Most people go from ideation to publishing all in one day. That works for some people, but what happens if you get writer’s block? Or if you get stuck? Then what?

My suggestion?

Theme your days. For example:

Do you see what I mean? Instead of spending 3-5 hours all in one day — break it up into different days. 30 minutes on Monday, 30 minutes on Tuesday, etc.

Tip #2: Create Templates & Checklists

Using templates is one of the smartest things newsletter writers can do. Why? Well, because you make it once but use it infinitely many times after.

What are the things you find yourself repeating every time you send your newsletter?

Can you templatize that?

(Don’t worry, we have an entire lesson dedicated to creating templates… oh, and that lesson? It’s the one right after this 🤝)

If you can’t create a template, can you create a checklist?

Does editing your newsletter take far too long? Can you create an editing checklist that if went through you’d feel confident in its quality?

Can you create a publishing checklist to know the exact steps you should take before and after publishing your post? The better systems you build, the more consistent you become.

Tip #3: Craft your idea generation system

“Idea generation system”. Sounds fancy, eh?

Well, I hate to break it to ya, but it’s not that fancy. An idea generation system is simply the process you have for getting cool ideas.

• Do you have a place to quickly capture new ideas?

• Do you have a place to keep track of all your newsletter ideas?

• Do you make time to scour the internet for ideas?

• Do you have a process for prioritizing one idea over another?

These are all questions to be answered as you build your idea-generation system.

Let’s pause here.

I know that was a lot to absorb, you still with me? Good, because in the next lesson, I’ll show you how to create templates so you can spend less time writing and more time sipping margaritas on the beach or whatever else you do in your free time.

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