If I have a blog, why do I need a newsletter?

I read a lot of blogs.  Too many blogs.  I read so many blogs that I’ve cut out most mainstream media in favour of blogs.  Because I read so many blogs, I am very ruthless about what other information sources I consume.  As a result, until recently, I had a strict “no newsletter” policy.  I tried to keep my inbox pristine.

I’m not alone in this kind of thinking.  Many people have a hard time digesting e-mail newsletters.  it’s one thing to visit someone’s blog daily, it’s another to give them permission to deliver something into your personal inbox.  Besides, what’s the point?  If you have a blog, why would you need a newsletter?  Why can’t you just say everything on your blog?

Before blogs, there were…

Before blogs became one of the biggest forms of publishing on the web, the web was rampant with ezines.  Ezines served a similar purpose to blogs in that they were a medium to convey content, but they had more in common with their offline counterparts. They were more editorialized, often organized around set publishing schedules, and were generally collaborative, as opposed to individual, endeavours.

One of the earliest books I read on freelance copywriting as a business advised leveraging the internet to find clients.  A website was the main focus of the internet marketing campaign, but more important was the newsletter.  The newsletter was a regularly scheduled release of information that would be given away for free to anyone who wanted to sign up for it.

When blogging became all the rage, I decided that blogging combined the best of ezines and newsletters, and could probably replace both media.

I was wrong.

The purpose of a blog

There are any number of reasons to start a blog, but for a small business owner, the primary reasons to start a blog are to create content that will attract visitors to your site, whether through search rankings, or through social channels.  Blogs also help to build trust, and they demonstrate a level of expertise.

The purpose of a newsletter

At first, I thought the purpose of a newsletter was identical to that of a blog.  That’s where I was wrong.

If you create a newsletter with the same goals as a blog, you can probably have a relatively successful newsletter, based on readership and subscriber base.  However, that’s a waste of a newsletter, because a newsletter is first and foremost a prospecting and lead generation tool.

Because of the more personal nature of a newsletter, the reader invites you into his inbox, the relationship between the creator of a newsletter and the creator of a blog is generally much closer.  These are the publisher’s biggest fans, his tribe.

Running a blog and a newsletter

The fine line that needs to be walked of course, is for those who have both blogs and newsletters.  It is easy for the two to become redundant.  After all, to the reader, in the end, what you’re doing is creating free content.

The best way to avoid this is to create each with the knowledge in mind of who the audience is.  A blog’s audience is large and wide. Anyone should be able to stop by your blog, read and browse. The content should appeal to all, and should be written for all.  Meanwhile, subscribers to your newsletter already know who you are, and they like you enough that they’ve decided to let you into their inboxes.  As such, this is a place where you should be writing to a smaller, closer audience, an audience that you should be engaging in a dialogue with.  This is your inner circle, and they should be treated with the respected that that commands.

Oftentimes, I point to Chris Brogan as an example of a guy who does a lot well on the web, and I learned about Chris through his blog.  I became an avid reader, and devoured everything he wrote.  One day, he came straight out on his blog and asked me (okay, everyone) to subscribe to his newsletter if they felt so inclined.  He promised different content, and a different feel.  And y’know what?  Chris delivers in his newsletter.  He gives subscribers to his newsletters unique content, addresses them colloquially and even gives them early heads up on his upcoming projects.  Sometimes he encourages them to share the word, other times he asks that they keep the news their little secret.

If you want an example of how to run a blog and a newsletter properly, visit Chris’ blog, and then subscribe to his newsletter.

Getting the most out of your newsletter

Now that you’ve decided to create a newsletter, and have an idea of how to differentiate it from your blog, how do you actually pull a benefit from it?

First, and foremost, never forget that your number one goal is to provide valuable content.  If your newsletter degenerates into pointless rants, or constant sales pitches, you’ll lose subscribers faster than you sucker in new ones (and yes, if that’s all the content you offer, you are suckering them in).

The next thing to remember about a newsletter is that it is a leads generation tool, as such, there is a certain amount of selling that you should be doing, and that’s okay, because newsletter subscribers, when they subscribe are expecting a certain amount of sales pitch.  People don’t necessarily mind being sold to, as long as they know it’s coming, and it’s something they’re interested in.  So, in addition to your content, sprinkle in some offers, or news about upcoming projects, or products.

Use your newsletter as a prospecting tool.  These are the people most likely to purchase from you, but at the same time, be careful how you position this.  Remember, these people have trusted you with their contact information, and trust is easily lost when you oversell.

The true secret to a great newsletter is managing the balance between offering great value, and earning trust, and also prospecting for leads in a way that’s acceptable and unobtrusive.

Do you have a newsletter?  Do you have a blog?  How do you balance the two?