The apostrophe was curved the wrong way, y’all.

As in, not an apostrophe at all but an opening single quotation mark.

This: ‘, not this: ’

And I didn’t realize it until AFTER hitting send.

The HORROR.

The MORTIFICATION.

The… meh, oh well.

Typos suck. But they don’t define you. And at some point we just need to live with them and move on.

Especially if we’re sending them in newsletters.

I remember the dawn of digital media.

It felt so comforting to realize that, after years and years of trying to achieve perfection for print, we could just log back into a CMS and correct an error. An entire industry of overly anxious editors collectively exhaled.

But, in email, that pressure is back on. I’d accidentally miscurved(?) my apostrophe, and I’d need to live with it. I mean, I did go back and correct the web version, but the damage was done.

Or was it?

Here’s the thing: Somewhere along the way I’ve learned to own my typos.

They’re inevitable.

I give myself grace as long as they’re not so prevalent that they detract entirely from my goals: sharing good advice and building relationships. And they haven’t, yet.

We can’t catch them all.

Not that we shouldn’t try.

But do yourself the favor of speeding through the emotions and forgiving yourself soon after you realize what you’ve done.

Mine are almost always the result of not looking closely enough and using the wrong quick keys.

You see, my eyes are… nearly blind.

I can’t see the big E on the eye chart.

It’s a hazy mess that glasses and contacts are able to correct except in the mornings, when my vision is its most blurry.

A bit of transparency, here: I wake up early on Thursdays, edit and “Ashley-fy” all the curated commentary Samantha helps with, and then race the clock to draft the Opt In Weekly Prologue in attempt to send by 9 Central. I typically have no idea what I’m going to write about until I open a blank Google Doc around 7:30 or 8 and force something to flow out my fingers. Adrenaline rush, maybe?

It’s as if my eyes need time to wake up, but I’m all “It’s fine. I can totally drive impaired.”

—------------------------

Flashback to first grade when I respectfully asked my teacher why the spelling words on the chalkboard were misspelled.

I distinctly remember “iny” posing as “any”.

She chuckled as she drafted a note to be sent home to the town eye doctor. It read, “Dr. Nichols, your daughter needs her vision checked.”

—------------------------

So what am I getting at, besides the fact that newsletter typos happen?

It’s more than preaching typo forgiveness.

I want to challenge you to consider your metaphorical typos.

That time you sent the wrong person the wrong email.

That time you dropped the wrong message in the wrong Slack channel.

That time you put your foot so far in your mouth you could practically chew on your ankle.

If your intentions are good, you can overcome it.

If your intentions are good, people will forgive you faster than you forgive yourself.

If your intentions are good, the people you’ve established rapport with will empathize and help you realize the goof up didn’t impact how much they value you.

Newsletters foster incredibly strong writer / reader relationships.

Build something a typo can’t crumble.

Ashley Guttuso  

The State Of Newsletters

We are years into the current rise of newsletters, but will it continue? What should we as newsletter creators do to prepare? Here are a few answers and tips to apply.

• Could newsletters be right but email be wrong? Matt Karolian thinks so. His advice is to start putting your newsletter in other places besides just email (think website, apps, social, etc.).
• The “newsletter gold rush” is underway, and Chris M. Sutcliffe believes there will be clear winners and losers. Want to strike gold? Continue providing value.
• Reuters’ 2022 Digital News Report recently released and Esther Kezia Thorpe identified 4 takeaways for newsletter creators. This is what I’m applying from takeaway number 2: It’s crucial to learn about your audience and meet them where they are.
• Substack’s laying off 14% of the company (13 people) to stay profitable after pausing fundraising earlier in the year.

Newsletter Insights In “Not A Newsletter”

Dan Oshinsky’s June edition of “Not a Newsletter” hit inboxes last week. As always it’s chock-full of newsletter headlines, tips, and resources including:

• Why Apple’s support for BIMI matters
• How to use audience research to launch products
• Advice for selling ads

Like this and want more? Check out all the Dan Oshinsky newsletter wisdom we’ve shared in Opt In Weekly if you want to go down a rabbit hole.

google.com  

Josh Spector On Newsletter Strategy

In this episode of The Craftsman Creative Podcast, Josh Spector (of For The Interested) discusses his approach to newsletter strategy.

craftsmancreative.co  

Long Live Email Marketing

Why is it that email marketing has stood the test of time? Peter Roesler explains:

“Unlike other marketing channels, email marketing lets you consistently stay in touch with your customers.”

I know some social media fans who will say this isn’t necessarily true, but he’s got a point.

This fairly short Inc. article offers some tips for making email work for you, some of which sound very newslettery.

Discovered via Really Good Emails.

inc.com  

Do You Follow Jacalyn Beales On LinkedIn?

Jacalyn Beales is killing the content marketing game on LinkedIn and I promise she’s worth a follow. Twice in the past week her posts made me stop and think about how I can apply what she’s sharing to my own content.

First, she shared this advice about how to make dark social work for your company.

Then, in this post, she explained how people consume content for the end result… not for the actual information. Revolutionary, I know! How do you change your content accordingly? She offers 3 tips, plus what to avoid.

Should You “Kill” Your Marketing Team?

Here’s the story: Oatly “killed” their marketing department by replacing it with a team of creatives who were charged with creating a “human voice” for their brand. Ioanna Lykiardopoulou explains how it worked for them.

Here’s how I see it: their approach was to choose “anti-marketing” as a marketing strategy. Smart.

Discovered via Growth Marketing Weekly.

thenextweb.com  

Cookies Are Crumbling: Now What?

In case you hadn’t heard, Google is ending third-party cookies on Chrome. Atul Jindal shares 5 steps you can take now to prepare.

Discovered via Really Good Emails.

marketo.com  

Control How Your Reader Skims

People will skim your newsletter, but that’s not a bad thing if you write with the assumption they will. Sonia Simone explains how effective subheadings make writing and reading easier.

Discovered via Growth Marketer Weekly.

copyblogger.com  

Did You Know?

Sometimes, it’s just good to be informed. This week’s Publishing Insights looks at trends, reports, and articles that may help you make better decisions moving forward.

• ​​Kirsten Eddy explains how publishers now have to think outside the box to reach and engage younger generations (Nieman Labs).
• Want to know which news websites are the most popular? Here’s a list of the top 50. The New York Times topped the list thanks to their acquisition of Wordle.
• Reuters Institute recently released the 2022 Digital News Report. In this Toolkits article, Jack Marshall identifies what the findings mean for subscription publishers.
• Here’s an interesting trend: digital newspaper ad revenue is set to eclipse print newspaper ad revenue in the U.S in 2026. Why it matters for you.

Findings From The Tilt’s Creator Economy Research

The Tilt just released their 2022 Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research and teased some of the findings in their newsletter. Here are a few:

• The median revenue of full-time creators is $50K
• It takes about 6.5 months on average for a creator to earn their first dollar
• Only 1% of creators say they regret their decision to become content entrepreneurs

Download the full report here.

thetilt.com  

Send New Subscribers To A Custom Subscription Pending Or Subscription Confirmed Page

Hey, everyone. Seth with Curated Success here.

Did you know you can send new subscribers to a custom subscription pending or subscription confirmed page once they subscribe to your newsletter? By default, new subscribers see a “pending” or “confirmed” message on your publication’s website after they subscribe, but you can choose to send them to a custom page that you host.

Here’s how to do this in Curated:

• Go to your Curated Settings page
• Scroll down to the Hosting, Subscriptions, and Publishing section
• Select Subscription Messages
• Enter the URL of your custom subscription pending or confirmed pages in the corresponding text boxes

If you have double opt-in enabled for your newsletter, new subscribers will land on the “subscription pending” page. Once they confirm their subscription, they’ll be taken to the “subscription confirmed” page. If you don’t have double opt-in enabled, they’ll immediately land on the “subscription confirmed” page after subscribing.

This feature lets you completely customize what your subscriber sees after subscribing and is a great way to give them easy access to other content you’ve created or learn more about you and/or your business.

If you have any questions about this feature, let me know!

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).

Are You Cross-Promoting?

This week your Opt In Challenge is to look for opportunities to cross-promote with other newsletters in the same niche. One way to do that is to submit your newsletter to directories like this new one, Cross Promote from Alex, author of A Byte of Coding newsletter, who will help to connect you with other newsletters in your niche.

Find other directories here.

crosspromote.io  

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