Happy 300th issue of #jesspicks! 🎉🥂
When I started this newsletter six years ago, I had no idea what it would become. It has become the most consistent and rewarding thing I’ve done in my business.
Thank you for reading this newsletter every week. 🤝🏾
Thank you for the replies, the sharing, the support, all of it. What a fantastic journey so far! 💖
In honor of this special occasion, I wanted to share some behind-the-scenes of this newsletter with you.
But first, numbers.
- The first issue of #jesspicks was sent on July 23, 2016.
- There are 1519 subscribers (at the time of writing this) - most of those coming in the last two years.
- #jesspicks has an average 46% open rate and 11% click rate.
- It has generated over $4,500 in sponsorships, tips, and affiliate marketing.
Why do I publish #jesspicks?
I created #jesspicks when I wasn’t sure what to do with my business, but I knew I wanted to create something valuable for my audience. That was when I first started hearing the word ‘curation’ and realized it was something I was already doing on social media.
It has evolved over the years and has become a place where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creators get tips, advice, and resources for juggling their businesses and other commitments.
It is a place to share lessons I’m learning, experiments I’m trying, and how I’m managing (or not managing) all the things. I hope you get a nudge, a tip, or a spark for taking action while having grace with yourself through it all.
How has #jesspicks changed over time?
Curated newsletters were still a new concept when I started #jesspicks, but I liked the idea of sharing five helpful things I saw that week with my audience.
After a few years of working in the startup space, I realized the power of the side hustle as a way to start a business in a low-risk way, and then I niched it down a bit to focus on “tips and resources for side hustlers.”
It used to include a quick intro and then 3-5 links.
I’ve slowly added other sections like #loves highlighting what I’m reading, watching, or listening to that week, along with fun tech tools and resources. Finally, the #supporters section highlights folks supporting me on
Patreon or
Buy Me a Coffee.
Right now, I love this format as most people can walk away from each issue with one nugget they can use in their day.
What does my process for creating an issue look like?
#jesspicks has this structure:
- Subject line
- Intro note
- #sponsor
- #loves
- #reads
- #icymi
- #lifevibes
- #supporters
The intro section is often the one that takes the longest to write. It usually includes behind-the-scenes updates and lessons learned based on something that happened that week, so I don’t plan much in advance. However, I realize that I may have to rethink this strategy as sometimes Friday comes, and I have no idea how to start this section.
The rest of the newsletter is more curated, meaning I share helpful articles or things I’ve used/seen and try to summarize or pull a lesson out of it for my audience.
I get content from various sources, including newsletters, blogs, and podcasts. Whenever I find something worthy of the newsletter, I bookmark it or save it to read later.
Other sections that sometimes take a bit are the #lifevibes and the subject line. I do something untraditional in the newsletter/email marketing space, as my subject line is usually a quote or song lyrics. But I had seen it before and loved the idea, so I stole it, as one does. 😉 And readers have shared that they love seeing the quote in their inbox before reading the newsletter.
While often, I don’t go into an issue in a particular way, it usually has a theme or an overall feeling that I try to keep consistent throughout.
Each issue takes about 3-5 hours to be ready. I work on the newsletter in small sessions throughout the week, spending more time pulling everything together on Fridays.
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Next week I’ll share more about tools, how I’ve made money, and gotten subscribers.
Hit reply with any questions.
On to the picks!
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