I recently dusted off my trusty mailing list and moved it from MailChimp to ConvertKit. I am loving ConvertKit (apart from a minor link glitch – learning moment!) and I have high hopes for growing my list with their lovely landing pages and forms.
What’s interesting is the unsubscribes! Now, I get a lot of email, and I also unsubscribe when I’m no longer interested. And of course, sometimes you just sign up to get a freebie and then you’re like ‘Huh? How come they keep emailing me!’
I’m fine with it – really I am. I’m not broken-hearted. If readers sign up to get the free book but aren’t really interested in further books or what I have to say and share, then of course I don’t want them on my list. It costs money to keep subscribers on a list, so keeping it engaged is a key task.
So what I’ve decided to do now – just to keep my ego relatively safe – is focus on shrinking my list for a while. Yes, that’s right! I’m going to view each of those unsubscribes as a gift. I want to shrink my list down and down and down … and even if I end up with only 20 subscribers, if they are all people with a genuine interest in hearing about my books and engaging in topics around reading and stories, then I am happy to wave goodbye.
I do plan to do a bit of canvassing though, on social media, to find out how often people are happy to get emails land in their inboxes. All the experts say to send them weekly – and not to only email when you have news or want to sell a book. Which makes sense. But this is all new to me – or at least, it’s changed a lot during the years I allowed my list to gather dust.
What do you think? Weekly? Twice a month? More or less often? I supposes the answer is test, test, test, just like everything.
PS If you’d like to see what I’m sending to my subscribers you can sign up here.
Joanne Phillips 
October 7, 2020 at 2:10 pm
I love getting your emails so keep them coming ❤
October 7, 2020 at 2:12 pm
Ah thank you! And you get both my blog emails AND my mailing list book emails – you’re a superfan 🙂
October 7, 2020 at 2:56 pm
Joanne, so good to see you back! I missed you!
October 7, 2020 at 3:06 pm
Aww thank you so much! I’ve missed blogging ❤️
October 7, 2020 at 4:47 pm
But at least it looks like you’ve been busy writing. I probably blog too much and write too little!
October 7, 2020 at 6:09 pm
Ah you can never blog too much! 🙂
October 8, 2020 at 1:44 pm
Personally, I’m quickly irritated if I sign up to someone and then get bombarded with emails every couple of days. But according to mailing list guru, Tammi Labrecque, we authors are “awesome” and our “fans” love hearing from us. Oh, and “you are not your reader” if you cite your own views on the matter. I often wonder if it’s a Brit thing, that we are less inclined, mebbe?
The general advice is a newsletter (and well done if you can think of a better word to use than “newsletter” which has become a bit tired over time – I haven’t so far) should go out infrequently enough not to annoy but often enough so your subscribers don’t forget who you are and that they signed up to hear from you. As to how often that is….
I asked my list once (at a time when it was pretty insignificant number) and they were happy with quarterly, so I’ve stuck with that. It’s always nice to get replies saying how much they’ve enjoyed reading it. And if they want to be in touch more often they can subscribe to my blog which is mainly family history related, the inspiration behind my novels so there’s a crossover there.
But having built up my list using a freebie novella, I do suspect I have quite a few hangers on that aren’t really that interested in engagement and so aren’t opening my mailings so, like you, Joanne, I’m going to have to bite the bullet and do some culling!
Good luck with yours.
October 8, 2020 at 2:31 pm
Hi Wendy! So great to hear from you, and brilliant insight there. I suppose that as I’ve done nothing with my list for over 2 years it’s understandable that I’ll get some unsubs when I start to hit their inboxes again. It’s really difficult to decide what to do. Half of me wants to emails regularly, like weekly even, or at least twice a month, and share useful and interesting content (that I genuinely believe is useful to them, and not about selling my books). On the other hand, it’s not like a mailing list you sign up to for, say, motivation tips. I’m edging towards making it monthly, and just making damn sure I’ve got something of interest to report every month! And I might (when funds allow, because it’s a paid feature on ConvertKit) set up a short sequence of introductory emails for new subscribers, so they can get to know me and me them, and hopefully help them feel engaged.
The other thing is all the different audiences we ‘speak’ to! It was easier a few years ago, but now my platform (for want of a better word) consists of different audiences, such as readers, fellow authors, friends, and like-minded folks who may or may not be readers or writers! And readers is split into read everything, like mysteries, like rom coms, interested in non-fiction, and might read one day if I’m lucky 🙂
Facebook is the most split, while Instagram is more about me following other people and engaging with them. Twitter has the biggest following but it’s like shouting into the wind (or whispering, more like).
I’m going to go sign up to your mailing list now, anyway, so do post the link if you see this. x
October 9, 2020 at 6:12 pm
Just spotted your name on the new subscriber list! 😉
I’m lucky with Twitter because family historians meet to swap stories and ask for research assistance so it’s a great place to be a genuine part of the community while people get to know I write genealogy mysteries too!
October 12, 2020 at 2:01 pm
Hi Wendy,
Really enjoying your freebie book 🙂
Love this character and can’t wait to read more.
Jo x
October 9, 2020 at 3:25 pm
Mailing lists, I sign up and then I end up deleting news from authors (I’m sorry! But my patent agents are breathing down my neck and my toddler might be sick) So even though I’m so interested in what’s happening I tend to keep on the mailing list and then just not read it- then finally unsubscribe. I’m the worst. I did however buy Cupid’s Way and hopefully have in my hands by October 14, I need to get back into reading. I know it was a free book but I really wanted to support you. OK back to the topic at hand- I think monthly or bi weekly newsletters is just fine. You can update people on upcoming projects, sales, what you were up to with publishing if you wanted. This is just my opinion, I’m sure whatever you decide will be the right choice. When things calm down at work I’ll be joining (and not ignoring) your mailing list.
October 9, 2020 at 4:24 pm
Thanks Holly! That’s so lovely 😊 I am exactly the same – I have loads and f emails that land in my inbox that I just delete, but I don’t unsubscribe because I figure I might one day be interested. One of these actually was author Joanna Penn, who I’ve been following for years and sends out regular newsletters with links to her podcasts and loads more. Recently the subject line caught my eye and I read the email – now I’m working my way through 4 years’ of podcasts 😂😂
I really appreciate the feedback because I do want to pitch it right – I want to engage with readers but not p**s them off!
Hope you enjoy Cupid’s Way and thanks so much for buying 🙏
October 10, 2020 at 3:58 am
Joanne, I’ve always enjoyed your newsletter and am a bit lax in letting you know. I’d really miss you even you didn’t visit my inbox at least once/month. And truly I enjoy several newsletters which come only once a month. Do what fits your life and schedule. Be a happy writer writing things you want to write! So good to know you’re busy.
October 12, 2020 at 2:00 pm
Oh thank you so much, Sherrey! This is great to hear, and please – you don’t need to let me know that you enjoy the newsletters, it’s enough that you’re happy for me to continue sending them 🙂 I think once a month is a really great balance, and will go for this in future. Big hugs!