Rachel L. Tilley enter Wetherby Institute

My two latest newsletters had the best open rates yet, both over 49%. Here are a few things I've learned from running one as a designer. They went out on different days and times, so the next thing I want to figure out is whether there's a specific day and time my readers are more likely to open. I'll experiment and see. I've also been slowly losing a few subscribers here and there, which is completely normal. People sometimes subscribe as a favor and later change their minds, or they realize it's just not for them. If you're not losing a few people every send, that's the exception, not the rule. The feature I love the most is the reply option. I let my subscribers reply to me and I always try to get back to each one personally. I've received some really nice emails this way, and a few new clients too. Having a newsletter made me realize I don't need to overthink it. When I plan each month's issues, I ask myself two things: what would authors most want to know, and what do they usually worry about or have trouble with? Once I have a few topics, I choose the most important ones and go with those. I know people worry that newsletters are outdated and that nobody will care. Trust me, a newsletter is one of the most powerful tools you have as an indie author. That audience is the only one you actually own. Do you have a newsletter? What do you usually write about?