She wanted me to read it, so I did.

All 375 pages.

It was a page-turner, so it’s not like it was a burden.

And I really liked the story.

Amari and the Night Brothers was a hit with our 9-year-old.

A female main character and more than a bit of magic.

She can’t wait for the second book in the series to come out.

But asking me to read it was about something different.

As the little sister of an older sister who has taken more to reading, she’s determined to forge her own way, sometimes rejecting titles big sister and I recommend simply because we’ve read them.

And while she wants to be different and have her own books she loves, she does want to share the bond of having read them with her mama.

So while I lean on my memories of the Roald Dahl and the Harry Potter series with the eldest, it appears I will occasionally be asked to read something brand new by the baby.

And that’s ok by me.

All readers aren’t the same.

Especially sisters, it seems.

But the unfolding of this family narrative, straightforward as it is, has me thinking about how very nice it is to share a love for a creator with someone in your life.

It makes for a very intimate community.

And I think we can apply this to our newsletters.

One goal should be that when the email you’ve sent is read by a subscriber, it makes them think of someone they’d like to share it with.

“So-and-so would appreciate this story.”

“So-and-so would love the way this writer weaves different ideas together.”

“So-and-so would like the content this company curates.”

“So-and-so would like the way this creator thinks about this topic.”

Think of one subscriber you know enjoys your newsletter.

Are you giving them reasons to invite someone to bond by reading and discussing what you’ve sent?

What are you including worth sharing with their so-and-sos?

Ashley Guttuso  

Stuck On Your Newsletter’s Name?

Are you ready to start a newsletter but can’t think of the “perfect” name? Dan Oshinsky shared a LinkedIn post you need to see. Here’s the gist:

“Often, keeping things simple is just the easiest decision — it’s also the right decision.”

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Should You Start a Pop-Up Newsletter?

Craig Mod explains the benefits of publishing “Pop-Up Newsletters” (aka timeboxed, seasonal newsletters with a set ending) in this piece. The advantage?

“Ignore how many subscribers you do or don’t get. The goal is to build a habit of writing and publishing. If you successfully pull off the writing, fantastic! Repeat.”

Learn more about the how and why, including when you could charge for these, here.

Discovered via Inbox Reads.

craigmod.com  

Don’t Just Curate To Curate

But WHY should you curate content? This BlogDrip article explains how good curation can actually grow your brand and details the what, how, how often, and where (plus it offers examples that help).

Psst: This is one of many, many “What is content curation and why should you do it” articles we stumble across. It’s not particularly groundbreaking, but I know we have a handful of new subscribers each issue who are looking for this sort of article and it’s strong enough to recommend. If you want more like these, check out what else we’ve shared in the Curated category.

blogdrip.com  

Your Website Isn’t A Content Destination

Website content and dark social content don’t work the same way, so why do marketers assume they can create for the website and then just drop links on social media? According to Chris Walker, it’s because website activity is easier to track.

Check out this Refine Labs TikTok and consider if you’re strategizing for on-platform engagement or just blog baiting (new term I just made up for a social media strategy where brands just post links to their latests blog posts).

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Measuring Content’s Impact On Brand Value

Is it really such a bad thing that we can’t accurately measure brand value? Robert Rose pushes back on “vanity metrics” and encourages marketers to simply “be satisfied with good things” in this CMI article.

contentmarketinginstitute.com  

Content Marketing Should Be Anchored On The Reason Your Product / Service Exists: A New Way

In this LinkedIn post, Cassidy Shield outlines a rut he sees many marketing teams stuck in: broad content with vague descriptions of the way their products solve problems for an equally broad audience.

His solution?

Get way more specific about who you’re targeting, educating them about the problem they have, and showing them how you solve it. It’s very Andy Raskin.

linkedin.com  

Find Your Focus With 6 Words

Struggling to find focus? Scott Myers came up with a writing trick called the six-word test to help.

Discovered via For the Interested.

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Will Small Publishers Find A Way To Thrive?

The creator economy has shifted to favor small publishers, but that might be because they are the ones working hard to prioritize engagement. This week’s Publishing Insights looks at what small-scale creators are doing to reach their target audiences.

• Does your newsletter bring joy? The Des Moines Register successfully reaches readers by publishing a newsletter authored by different staffers that is personable, authentic, and engaging.
• Other local news publishers are also working to engage and become sustainable. This WNIP article by Esther Kezia Thorpe looks at four start-ups and the business models they are using.
• “Frequent readers are more valuable to news outlets than occasional readers.” This isn’t revolutionary, but Susan Chandler analyzes this Medill study insight and explains what it could mean for your newsletter.
• In this TechCrunch article, Connie Loizos reports that Substack may be feeling the realities of slowed growth and rising interest rates and has abandoned their plans for a Series C.
• There’s been recent discussion about subscription models catering to the “elite”, so Laura Oliver reports how several international publishers are switching it up and offering a “pay what you can afford” model.
• Joshua Lamel breaks down copyright laws and how catering to Big Content destroys creators along the way in this piece for Fortune.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race?

“The Market is pushing a reset, one that’s forcing companies to show they have the goods now, vs. sometime in the future. The shift is putting those building slowly but sustainably right in the driver’s seat.”

Alex Kantrowitz explains how businesses with slow, sustainable growth are doing the right thing at the right time.

Discovered via The Rebooting.

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Looking For New Newsletter Sponsors?

Here’s a list of the top 25 new newsletter sponsors in May.

whosponsorsstuff.com  

How To See Your Most Engaged Subscribers For Each Issue

Hey, everyone. Seth with Curated Success here.

New feature alert: you can now see your most engaged subscribers on a per-issue basis.

You can view your most engaged subscribers on each issue by following these steps:

• In Curated, click the Statistics button to open the drop-down
• Select Click Statistics
• Scroll down and select an issue by clicking its number
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a section titled Most Engaged Email Subscribers

Seeing who your most engaged subscribers are can help you better understand your audience. Are they the types of readers you were hoping to target? What are they clicking / not clicking? Are they the ones you should interview to find out why they open and click?

Learn what you can about them and keep them in mind as you write each issue.

You can also download this information in a CSV by clicking the CSV Export button at the top right of the page. If you’re talking with your audience across multiple channels, you can use this info in tandem with other channel analytics to get a better picture of your audience across channels.

Let me know what you think about this new report by sending me an email here!

Curated Crash Course Is Today At 4 PM Central

Curated Crash Course is today at 4 PM CT!

As usual, the first 30 minutes include a tutorial on getting started with Curated followed by a Q&A session that begins at 4:30.

This is built to be a come-and-go Zoom call, so feel free to hop in whenever you can and leave when you have to.

If you have any questions about Curated or newsletters, we created a Google Form where you can submit them.

Seth will answer them live at Curated Crash Course during the Q&A segment of the session, but if you can't make it, he’ll send you a recording so you can see your questions answered.

zoom.us  

New to Curated? Make a copy of this Getting Started with Curated Checklist to help launch your newsletter (public, private, or paid).

Learn From An Experienced Newsletterer

Jay Clouse has been writing a newsletter for 5 years. Now, with over 10,000 subscribers, he’s sharing 11 lessons he’s learned. This week’s Opt In Challenge is to read his LinkedIn newsletter and choose one tip to apply to your newsletter.

Note: I hesitated to include this, partly because the last bit reads like a promotion for a competitor and partly because I disagree with him about subject lines (it’s the sender and the reputation you have for sending quality content that drives opens, not the subject line). However, I do think there are several tips worth considering.

Discovered via Growth Marketer.

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Like this newsletter?

Let me know. Reply, email me at Ashley[at]optinweekly.com, or find me on LinkedIn to hit me with some feedback. I’d love to know what you think.

Happy newslettering,

Ashley Guttuso