List Building

8 Emails You Can Send That Aren’t About Your Latest Blog Post

I’ve been in a funk lately.

I’ve lost my mojo and my creative juices have dried up. But, wait! That can’t happen to a mommy blogger!

Oh snap! You don't have a blog post but what you are going to send your email list? You don't want to NOT send them anything for fear of them forgetting you, but what DO you send instead? Here are 8 other thigns you can send that aren't your latest blog post.

As a blogger, we always have to be online and growing our tribe of followers, right?

#realitycheck

That’s not always going to happen. Especially for mompreneurs. We have a house to take care of and children to nurture (on top of your blog + biz). And if you end up taking too much on your plate – I’m guilty of this every month – you’re going to run out of energy.

But, this is the worst time to run out of energy or creativeness. You’re growing a new blog, trying to grow your list and eventually wanting to create a product or service.

So, what do you do when you haven’t blogged in two weeks (or more) and you have a growing list of subscribers wanting to hear from you?

You can’t just send them your latest blog post when you don’t have one.

Your Subscribers Want to Hear From You!

I know, this might seem like totally not true when every time you send an email you get like five or more unsubscribes. And if you have a large list, it’s more like 12 or more every time.

But, none of that matters.

You know why?

Because the people who unsubscribe aren’t your target audience. They just subscribed for your freebie and nothing more. Or, they subscribed but the posts just aren’t jiving with them (this is a sign that you need to niche down).

No, you don’t want them, so it’s a good thing when people unsubscribe from your email list.

What you want are raving fans on your list. They want to hear from you. They want to know what’s going on behind the scenes and they want to see what’s happening on your blog.

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Those are the subscribers you want.

And if you don’t email them consistently – it can be several times a week or once a month, as long as it’s consistent – your subscribers might forget about you and find a new blogger to follow.

So, how can you keep your fans excited about you every week? Here are eight emails you can send to your subscribers even if you haven’t updated your blog in a month.

1. Create a Welcome Series

welcome

A couple months ago I found Meera Kothand’s blog and had several tabs of her blog posts open on my browser for weeks.

#badcomputerhabit

I discovered her post on how to create a welcome series and decided to create one for my Twins Mommy list. I’ve never created one before so this was all new to me.

But the advantage to having a welcome series is that it can be automated and sent to all new subscribers.

This can act as a way to filter out subscribers that aren’t your target audience. The set up is like this:

  1. They opt-in to your list via a lead magnet or content upgrade
  2. They receive your freebie (Email 1)
  3. The next day (or whatever hours/day you want to space your emails apart) they receive your first welcome series email (Email 2)
  4. The next two emails are spaced 1 day apart (Emails 3 and 4)
  5. The final welcome series email is sent a week later (Email 5)
  6. Your new subscribers join your list and get notified of new posts and news

In my welcome series I’ve made sure that they don’t get more than one email from me in a day. Since I regularly email my subscribers on Thursdays, my welcome series is sent out on all days except Thursday.

The great thing to having a welcome series besides the fact that it can “screen” your subscribers, is that it gives you time to work on your blog and biz while your new subscribers are reading popular posts and learning more about you and your blog.

But what about the subscribers that have finished your welcome series? What kinds of emails can you send them?

2. Send a Tools Email

tools

One thing you can do is send an email that describes all the tools you use for your business. Depending on which email service provider you use, you can even use affiliate links in your email (MailChimp doesn’t really approve of this practice).

I subscribe to Allison of Wonderlass‘s email list and I received a tools email several months after I subscribed to her list.

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I LOVED this email because it had so much value to help with my blog. From editing tools for photos to a tool to create PDFs, workbooks or eBooks and it also mentioned her Facebook group.

While this email is probably strategic for Allison (she’s growing her Facebook group and earning some income from her affiliate links), it’s a great email to give to your subscribers, especially if they are new to blogging and growing an online biz.

3. Show a Quick and Useful Trick

quick-trick

Let’s face it:

We are moms and we don’t have time to do every strategy to grow your blog or email list or income. We only want to do the one best strategy to get us ahead.

Well, wouldn’t it be cool if an email like that was in your inbox? AWESOME!

Giving your subscribers exclusive tips and strategies are what helps make your list elite. It will also lower your unsubscribe rate and it will help strengthen your relationship with your subscribers.

Candis of Smart Mom Blogger sent an email that showed a useful trick to get more attention on Facebook. It was something I never thought of so when I read it, I knew Candis is someone to learn from.

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Getting these emails are awesome for your subscribers so think of neat tips and tricks you can only share with your list members.

4. Give Away a Freebie

rekita-sample-2

One of the best emails to get – in my opinion – are freebie emails. Isn’t it nice that after a few months of being on a newsletter that you suddenly get a freebie?

It rules!

You know it’s exclusive because either the blogger tells you or you haven’t seen it on their blog. I belong to Neville Medhora’s email list. He’s a copywriter for AppSumo and he teaches great tips on copywriting on his blog.

I always love his emails since they are sort of playful, conversational and just dang funny. He also has some great email subject lines that make me open his emails – go figure since he is a legit copywriter.

Every now and then I get emails with freebies. I don’t realize it until I click on the link and notice it’s not on his blog. One email I got recently was for a problem solving checklist. These freebies are awesome for writers and bloggers and I always snatch his freebies when he sends them.

problem sovling checklist

5. Repurpose an Old Post

repurpose

Want to know a secret?

You can use an old blog post and repurpose it as an email. It can be pure value with or without links.

There are several ways to do this:

  1. Repurpose an old post and make that your email. Provide no links.
  2. Repurpose part of the post and then direct your subscribers to finish the post on your blog .
  3. Repurpose several blog posts into one email.

This not only saves you a ton of time, but to a new subscriber that hasn’t read all your blog posts, this will be like reading a blog post as an email.

While some subscribers may not like this approach (some people just don’t like 1000-word emails or just don’t have the time to read a long email), a lot of subscribers do like this and welcome a story or a new trick.

For example, with my other list – over on Elna Cain – I often repurpose several old posts and create a value-based email. One email I sent was titled: Three Things to Help Your Freelance Writing Biz and in my email I gave my subscribers three solid tips.

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Doing this is great when you haven’t had time to update your blog or are doing more marketing like guest posting to grow your brand.

6. Tell Them About Your Guest Post

delegate

I haven’t done much guest posting simply because I’m writing a lot on my two blogs. But if you have a guest post (or client-based post) that relates to your subscribers, why not let them know about it?

This is a great opportunity to show your subscribers credibility and expertise in your niche. For me, since my niche is digital marketing, anything that relates to that I can share with my subbies.

Francesca Nicasio of Be a Freelance Writer, emailed me and told me about her latest guest post over on The Write Life. Since I’m also a fan of that blog, I appreciated her telling me of her post there.

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7. Promote Your Latest Webinar/Podcast/Video

I’m sure you get these emails all the time right? Especially if you belong to influencers’ email lists in your industry like Melyssa Griffin (my secret #girlcrush).

But if you’re wanting to do a webinar or podcast or even just to a quick video, this is a great opportunity to tell your subscribers first. This is a perk for being on your list.

Something Melyssa did was do some webinars to promote one of her courses. You didn’t have to sign up to them, just be on her list.

melyssa-griffin

8. Feature Other Bloggers or Blog Posts in Your Niche

One thing many bloggers do is sort of a round up of the bloggers or blog posts they felt helped them on their journey to success. Your entire email doesn’t have to be this one big feature, but you can do a personal update and then do a feature section.

McKinzie of Moms Make Cents recently started featuring other mommy bloggers in her newsletter. This is great since one of the best things you can do is network with other mama bloggers in your niche and feature them!

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There Ya Go!

There are a lot of things you can tell your subscribers about. But, sometimes when you’re creative tank is on low, it’s hard to come up with some ideas.

Here are eight emails you can send to your list and still keep them happy and informed. Now it’s your turn – what types of emails do you send to your subscribers?

81 Comments

So so helpful! I love all your tips and how you are a champion for other mommy bloggers. 🙂 I’m getting close to launching my blog and am trying to nail down this email Welcome Series. LOVE your ideas!
Hi Lisa! Aww thanks so much! <3 Email is still difficult for me. One week I realized I forgot to email my list last week! Ha...Take it one day at a time!
How can I get a good email list? Also do you k ow of good plug ins for emailing my subscribers? I really want to grow my following but this will help in the future for my blog lifeaccordingtojuj.com
Hi Julianna, Most new bloggers use a free email platform like Mailerlite. So try them!
There are so many useful ideas in this article! I’ve really struggled with what to send to my email subscribers, but you’ve given me loads of ideas – thank you 🙂
It’s going to be end of mine day, but before finish I am reading this enormous post to improve my know-how.
Someone from a Facebook group I am in recommended this post and I couldn’t be more thankful! I am just starting out in the mom blogger world (also so I can hopefully stay at home when my son arrives) and I’ve decided this month will be about my email list. Plus, there are so many helpful posts here on your blog! Thank you so much for these tips!
Hey Thandi! That’s awesome! So glad you found this post on what to send your new email list helpful! Yes, this is a great month to list build. I’m doing a challenge in the Mom to Mompreneur group for list building!
Really great post, just what I needed to get inspired. And we follow a lot of the same people. Love the recommendations, thanks!
Hi Sharon! You’re welcome! Figuring out what to email your list is a challenge for sure. I still struggle with this!
Hi Elna, what a great post – yet again! The point on repurposing existing content is such a gem! I’ve repurposed and recycled some of my best-performing content into videos, podcasts, and freebies and created new emails from them just like you wrote here. It’s such a powerful method to give your readers exactly what they want and to narrow down your blog niche even further. Your tips are the BEST, thanks again for sharing again! – Mikke
Hi Mikke, Thanks again! Yes, repurposing content is my #1 time saving hacks for mom bloggers. It can save you thousands of hours. I actually did a Facebook live on this that I uploaded to YouTube and I may write a post on it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJugdVi34n4
Love these tips!! Truth be told I don’t love email as a method of communication but I’m aggressively starting to build my list so I need to write something to these lovely people. Thanks for the ideas!
Excellent tips, Elna! I need to admit that I don’t always have the idea what to send to the list. This came at the right time. How often do you send the newsletter to your list?
Hi Rachela You’re welcome! I send my newsletter once a week. I sometimes do more if I have important information to mention!
I’ve been following you for awhile now, I knew I could count on you to help me get some creative juices following! Thanks a bunch!
Hey! Thanks for the post! I am hooked on your blog after reading it. I live in Russia and have a blog which I am trying to grow. Now I want to build the subscription in it (I didn’t have one except the one that blogspot offers) and was wondering what to write in my letters to subscribers. Excuse me if you see mistakes – English is not my native language.
Hey Olga! Your English is good! Glad you found some tips to write your emails!
Great post Elna! This is giving me so many ideas about how i can improve my emails! Thanks, Dan
Great article on email marketing. It can surely work as a handy guide for bloggers who are in the pursuit of executing email marketing campaigns. I will follow what you have mentioned above. Thanks for sharing a nice post.
Hi Sam! Thanks so much. Creating valuable emails for your subscribers can be a challenge! I always use this list when I’m stuck.
Yay! Another great post Elna! I have no idea why this piece of the pie was daunting to me. This has really made me see that I am “over thinking” a bit. Great tips!
Hi Stephanie! I know right! But I STILL have issues with emailing too. I feel I just want to direct everyone to my awesome new blog post and I have to stop and think about adding more value to my emails! It’s a challenge for me still, even though I KNOW all of this 🙂
Thank you, Elna! Just came across this post on Twitter, and it is the perfect time for it! Just got subscribers, and had no idea what to do next. I am so excited to start putting these tips to use! Thanks again!
Hi Michelle! How perfect is that??? Amazing 🙂 So happy you found some emails to share with your new subscribers! Have fun!
Hey, I recognize that stock photo in the main pinnable image at the top ! 😉 Also, great post. I actually haven’t done #7 (sending my webinar recordings to my entire list afterwards), but I miiiiight try it now. 😛 xoxo Allison
Uh! I almost choked on my water when I saw your comment girl!!!! And YES your images Rawk hard.K, I can breathe now. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Great post and wonderful ideas! You rock!
Hey Becky! Thanks so much! Glad you liked these ideas.
I love all these ideas Elna! Thanks for sharing them with us. You gave me some great ideas. One thing I thought about doing was a list of my favorite tools – but now that I know MailChimp doesn’t approve of that, I’m glad I didn’t waste time doing it. 🙂 Thanks again for sharing. Happy Friday! Cori
Hey Cori! Yeah, MailChimp isn’t really intended for marketing purposes so that’s why they look down on affiliate links in your newsletter. But you can always direct people to a post you did about the tools you recommend!
Do email services that Don’t mind affiliate links even exist? I’d love to know which ones. Loved the article. Definitely saving it for a reference! Thanks!
Hi Janey, I know that MailChimp doesn’t like affiliate links in their emails and Amazon doesn’t allow you at all to post their links in emails. So read the guidelines for your affiliate products for sure!
Lots of great ideas here Elna, I loved how you described this post in the Baddass thread, made me click right away. Thanks, Kellie from Princess and the Yard Ape
Hey Kellie! Thanks a bunch girl! Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Now I’m going to be leaving this tab open on my computer for weeks 🙂 Seriously, such a great post! Thank you for the tips!
Ha! Thanks Chanel! Glad you like my blog so much!
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! As a fellow blogger, this post really got my creative juices flowing and sparked some inspiration for the future. Keep doing what you do and good luck – xoxo <3
Hi Haley, That’s fantastic to hear! I love reading post that get my creative juices flowing too!
I really enjoyed this post. I have been looking for tips and information on building my email up. Thanks for sharing this information.
Hey Dana! So happy you have some ideas to email your new subscribers!
I’m really enjoying your blog. You’ve got some great great tips. I’m still so overwhelmed with getting started, but this blog has really helped. Thanks for this post- I’ll be referencing it when I get there!
Hey! I so get where you’re coming from. Starting a blog takes time. I know I need to write a “how to start a blog” to help all of you get started the right way (because there’s a wrong way). So happy to hear you found some great tips to help you get your blog up and running!
These are great ideas! I can’t wait to try a few of them 🙂 thanks so much for the tips!! –Rachel@Tidy&Teal
Hi Rachel, You’re welcome! Have fun trying out these email ideas!
Great tips as usual. I am going to give this one a try and send a freebie n email to my subscribers. Thank you.
Hi Clearissa, That’s a great idea. Offering freebies just to your subscribers makes them feel special for just being on your list! Have fun creating your freebie!
Great ideas! It often takes me awhile to come up with things to send to my mailing list. And so true for unsubscribers. I try to remember that every time I see one ha.
Hey Lisa, I know what you mean. Even though I technically know that unsubscribes are just people that aren’t my target audience, it still hurts on the inside when I see an email from Mailchimp saying I lost a subscriber. Have fun coming up with some ideas for your email list.
Awesome tips, thanks! Going to have to consider some of these fun options.
Hi Emily, You’re welcome! I hope you have fun using these emails on your list!
What a great timing Elna. I have been away traveling in summer, only to come back to see my subscriber list has gone way up since the last time I sent out a newsletter. Now I am really stuck at what to send them, since it’s been a while I sent my last newsletter. These are some great ideas, I need to start brainstorming soon. Thanks for the inspiring post 🙂
Hi Gurki! That’s great to hear. Yeah, the summer is a slow time for blog content and newsletters. It’s time to get back on the saddle eh? Have fun brainstorming some ideas for your next newsletter.
I bookmark all of your posts! Thanks for another informative, detailed post. Loved the screenshots of the emails too!
Hey Julie, Love your blog by the way. It’s on my list to do blog commenting on 🙂 So happy you found this post useful!
Great ideas! I am going to have to pin this for later!!
So happy you found some great ideas for your email marketing.
Nice! I just started taking Meera Kothand’s new class on email lists, you should check it out.
Hey Emma! That’s great. Meera has some great posts and new classes so thanks for letting me now about it!
You know email posts are my favourite! 😉 I love #8. I’ve seen some bloggers start to do this recently and it looks really fun. I wonder how you do all that you do and still keep sane. Keep rocking girl! 🙂
Hey Meera! Yeah, I have too. At first, I was like, why do that, but then I thought these bloggers really want to help out their subscribers! They want to give them the best information, even if it’s not on their blog!
Hey Elna, I hope you find your mojo soon 🙂 Love this post – I try to send my subscribers interesting emails that aren’t just about my latest blog post. I try to send what I want to receive: I love freebies, and I love good tips. Some bloggers are doing their email marketing so right! If I have to open all your emails just in case you give some amazing free info… that’s awesome 🙂
Hey Cath! I know right? I love learning about email marketing, but to tell the truth, I freeze a lot on what to email my subscribers. So, I also default to the latest on the blog. I have to learn to also do other emails like strategies and tips 🙂
Great post! I need to start working on my newsletters and building subscribers. It’s so hard thinking of that first freebie/incentive!
Oh hey Kimba! I know what you mean. I had a hard time also. So, instead of having a lead magnet that represented my blog, I decided to do content upgrades which helped me create my lead magnet (resource library).
Awwww!!! You put my face in your post! I am honored 🙂 I was reading through it and all of a sudden I saw this cute little momma – just kidding!! 😉 Thank you – you made my day! <3 your stuff!
Hey Suzi! Love your newsletter and blog. Also liking your FB page too 🙂
Totally love this post! I’ve been wanting to start an email newsletter for my blog, but I didn’t want it to be just about my latest blog post. Now I have all sorts of good ideas.
Hey Valerie! That’s great. So happy you found some great email ideas for your new list. Yeah, I tend to only send updates of my new post and have to remember there are other things you can send your subscribers!
YES to FREEBIES! So many blogs take, take, take. They immediately want our email, they’re promoting their first or newest product…it is SO nice to get something for nothing. Not to say that I don’t offer a newsletter and am not creating my subscriber gifts and content upgrades, but my preference is to give massive value first and to continue doing so, even after someone blesses me by subscribing. That was my biggest motivator for creating my blogging for profit series – to just give away great content for nothing. I don’t have an opt-in for that because I personally was so tired of having to “pay” with my email for info. Love this list for keepin’ it real and changing things up with your list!
Hey Julie! I so hear ya! I wrote a post about Pinterest on another site and one comment thanked me so much because there was no one telling her how to really use Pinterest for FREE. You had to buy a course to learn it!
Um…I’d be interested in that post! LOL
This is a great list of ideas. I love the idea of repurposing old posts. I forget about some of the content I have written and newer subscribers might not bother to find an older blog post on my site. So, being able to link up older content with newer content in an email blast is a great way to generate a bit more traffic to older posts.
Hey Ref! Yea, I totally agree with you. And if you update your old post, then it seems like you’re treating your subscribers to old but updated material. Repurposing old blog posts is my favorite!
# 8 is a great tip! You can create some communication with your subscribers AND do a good deed for other bloggers!
Hi Sheila Jo, I know right! Yeah, letting your subscribers know about other bloggers in your niche or blog posts can totally help them with their blog!
I love this post. I just started my blog and I need to setup my emails. Thanks for sharing !
Hey Rachel! That’s great to hear about your blog 🙂 Good luck and I’m sure you can use any one of these great emails for your list.
Perfect timing! Was just talking about this lol – thanks!
That’s great Janet! So happy you found some great emails to share with your subscribers!