Love letter. Not Newsletter.

Here’s how you can break through the fear to write a good one.

There you are, sitting in front of the screen on Wednesday afternoon. You have removed all distractions, made a fresh cup of coffee and have a fresh, blank page open.

Oh crap. What should I say?

You talked about your products last week. You mentioned that talk, this meeting and thrown in a LinkedIn bunfight… Heck, you pulled up a cute dog picture in desperation last month, just to get something out there before you went on holiday.

You want to write to your email list. You worked hard to build it, after all. At the same time, you don’t want to be smarmy, salesy or just dumb. You want to leave a good impression.

All that expectation is weighing on you, as you glance at the flashing cursor.

Why should I bother? After all, it’s all been said before, by other people.

Well, yes. Even best-selling authors wrestle with that dilemna. However, you are not writing to say something different or even to sell.

Your audience is waiting for you to connect with them. Once you have that connection, the selling becomes effortless.

Selling, in business, is the end result of a good relationship.

“The old saying is that “It’s better to give than receive,” but in selling, the giving has to happen first. Then, you’re in a position to make a sale and receive. Selling is the act of giving not getting, serving not selling, assisting your client first and then closing a sale.”

Grant Cardon

This is why calling your regular email a “newsletter” over-complicates things. It makes it sound official, as though you are doing a company round-robin or one of those extended family missives at Christmas. It implies you don’t know your reader.

I doubt you feel the same way when you call your best friend. The conversation flows naturally; you don’t second-guess yourself and they are your biggest cheerleader when you talk about your plans.

That’s who you are writing to. Your business best friends. The people you can’t wait to work with – who thank you for helping them, happily pay the price and keep coming back for more.

You attracted your subscribers. They want more of the same.

Whether you got them from social media, your website freebie or just through a referral link, you attracted them by being you. In fact, if you dig into your superfans – those key subscribers who always open and read your work – they will share the same characteristics. These characteristics will overlap with your business best friends (otherwise, we need to talk).

Your seven essential steps to writing a business love letter.

1. Pick a question they have asked you this week. Put it on a sticky note. Now, write down your solution. That’s the end of your email. Put it on another sticky note.
2. Open up Google voice notes on your phone. You can also use Otter AI for free transcription if you have a microphone and you are on your computer.
3. Close your eyes and imagine you are talking to your best friend. They have asked that question. Just talk about the topic. Everything you can remember – don’t filter. If you half-remember a quote, for example, just say ”quote from a guy”. The aim here is to stop you overthinking. Put the sticky notes in front of you to stay on track.
4. Now, go away for five. Walk around the office, do star jumps in the corridor…just move around. You are deliberately breaking your concentration and the movement will make you more alert for…
5. Editing. With the core premise down, it’s time to smooth out and polish that prose. If you have the time, leave it for twenty-four hours. Let it mature in your mind. When you do edit, aim for clarity, confidence, specificity and emotion. That is one clear message, written in your voice that answers the question and leaves you smiling. Don’t be afraid to add a statistic, anecdote or aside (as long as it helps the reader).
6. Get someone else to read it. The amateur thinks their final draft is great. The professional knows they have missed something.
7. Send it. Action is better than perfect procrastination.

If you want to brainstorm your next six newsletters (or get me to write them with you), get in touch.