buckle up because this is a wild ride! I’m going to tell you about how we built our killer email newsletter at Empire Flippers and how it attracted over 100000 weekly readers. It’s been a wild journey and I’m pumped to share all the juicy details with you!
We weren’t always the email marketing rockstars we are today. Honestly our first newsletter was…well let’s just say it was more of a “we should probably send our readers some content” kind of thing. It was called “The Friday Content Wrap Up” and it was basically a list of the four latest pieces of content we produced that week. Think “Here’s our new blog post here’s our latest YouTube video and here’s a podcast we just released” repeated twice.
The problem? It was boring! Our readers were clicking on the first half of the email but who wants to read the same information twice? It was like “we get it you have content! Now what else is going on?”
Then BAM! We decided to shake things up. We realized that our newsletter needed a purpose a goal. Just throwing random content out there wasn’t going to cut it anymore. We needed to give our readers value.
Want to build a killer email newsletter like ours? We’re sharing all the secrets in this epic post! 🔥 Learn how we built our newsletter and attracted over 100k weekly readers!
Why Your Newsletter Needs a Goal
Want to build a killer email newsletter like ours? We’re sharing all the secrets in this epic post! 🔥 Learn how we built our newsletter and attracted over 100k weekly readers!
So we started asking ourselves “What do we want our newsletter to accomplish?” What kind of impact do we want to have on our readers?
Turns out there are tons of cool goals you can set for your newsletter:
1. Content Promotion Machine
You can use your newsletter as a powerful way to promote your content on other channels.
Share your recent YouTube videos blog posts or even podcast episodes in your newsletter to boost their reach and visibility.
It’s a win-win! You can even include a link to your newsletter signup form in your YouTube video descriptions to grow your email list.
Important metrics to track:
- Click-through rate (CTR) on links to your content
- Number of subscribers from your content channels
- Website traffic from newsletter clicks
2. Build a Vibrant Community
Want to create a thriving community around your brand? Your newsletter is the perfect tool! Share your most popular conversations community events and even highlight members who are doing awesome things.
It’s a great way to connect your audience and keep them engaged.
Important metrics:
- Number of new community members from the newsletter
- Engagement on community events promoted in the newsletter
- Click-through rate on links to community resources
3. Product Updates and Feature Announcements
If you’ve got a product or service your newsletter can be your best friend! Share updates new features and even ask for feedback from your readers.
Keeping them informed about how they can use your product to its full potential is a surefire way to boost customer satisfaction retention and lifetime value.
Important metrics:
- Click-through rate on links to new features
- Customer feedback and suggestions from the newsletter
- Product usage statistics after new features are announced
4. Fuel Your Sales with New Products and Offers
Want to keep your customers coming back for more? A newsletter is a great way to announce new products sales and special offers.
It’s a way to reward your loyal audience and keep your brand top of mind.
Important metrics:
- Click-through rate on links to product pages or offers
- Conversion rate from newsletter offers
- Revenue generated from newsletter campaigns
5. Cultivate Brand Love (and Sales!)
This is where things get really exciting! The “Brand Love” newsletter is like a mini-media company focused on building a loyal following by educating and entertaining your readers. Share valuable “how-to” content behind-the-scenes updates and even feature your team members. This helps your brand stand out and become unforgettable.
Important metrics:
- Open rate
- Read rate
- Click-through rate on valuable content
- Engagement on social media with newsletter content
- Feedback from readers
This is the type of newsletter we created at Empire Flippers and it has been a must for us.
Choosing the Right Newsletter for Your Business
Think about your goals and what you want to achieve with your newsletter.
Do you want to drive sales build a community or promote content? Once you’ve identified your main objective you can choose the type of newsletter that will help you reach those goals.
For us our “This Week in M&A” newsletter has helped us achieve a bunch of business goals:
- Increase brand awareness: It has positioned us as a leading authority in the online business M&A space.
- Drive traffic to our website: It’s been a huge source of traffic for our blog podcast and marketplace.
- Generate leads: It helps us attract potential buyers and sellers of online businesses.
- Build relationships with our audience: It’s a way for us to connect with our readers and share our expertise.
Pre-Launch Research: Learning from the Best
Before launching our newsletter we spent a lot of time researching successful newsletters in our industry and beyond. Think of it as a crash course in email marketing ninja skills!
1. Dissecting the Competition (and the Winners)
We analyzed newsletters from different industries including:
- Business news: Think The Hustle and Morning Brew
- Tech news: We looked at TechCrunch and The Verge
- Finance: We studied newsletters from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal
- Marketing: We also dissected newsletters from HubSpot and SEMrush
We paid close attention to:
- Content: How did they share content and what was the overall tone and style?
- Formatting and Text: What kind of layout did they use? How was the text written?
- Consistency Metrics: How often did they send out newsletters? How consistent was their content?
- Tonality: How did they present their brand personality in their writing?
2. Mapping Out the Promotion Plan
We needed to get the word out about our newsletter! We studied how other newsletters were promoting themselves:
- Internal Promotion: How were they using their own channels to reach potential subscribers? Did they have a referral program a signup form on their website or lead magnets?
- External Promotion: How were they sharing their newsletter on social media search engines and even paid ads?
We were like detectives piecing together the puzzle of email marketing success!
The Email Setup: Building a Newsletter Machine
Once we had our research done it was time to get our email infrastructure in place.
We used HubSpot as our CRM which allowed us to track all our customer data and newsletter performance.
Here are some of the key setup steps:
- Campaign Tracking: We created a dedicated campaign for “This Week in M&A” to track its performance in HubSpot.
- Audience Segmentation: We used HubSpot’s segmentation features to tailor our email content to different audience groups.
- Email Metrics Tracking: We set up detailed tracking for all the important email metrics such as open rate click-through rate and read rate.
- Engagement Monitoring: We used HubSpot’s features to track engagement with our newsletter content.
- “Don’t Send to Unengaged Contacts” Feature: We made sure our emails weren’t ending up in the Promotions folder by using HubSpot’s feature to avoid sending emails to subscribers who weren’t engaging with our content.
The Launch: Getting the Word Out and Gathering Feedback
We were finally ready to launch our newsletter! We had our template our content strategy and our promotion plan in place.
Here’s what we did:
- Pre-Launch Hype: We teased our new newsletter on social media our blog and other channels to build anticipation.
- Strong First Impression: We put a ton of effort into our first email making sure it was high-quality interesting and informative.
- Feedback Collection: We included a section in our first email inviting readers to share their feedback and suggestions.
The response was incredible! Our readers loved the new newsletter and it quickly became a valuable resource in our industry.
The Anatomy of a Winning Newsletter: Inside “This Week in M&A”
Let’s dive into the structure of our newsletter and how we craft engaging content.
1. The Opening Hook: Trend of the Week
Every week we start with a trending topic in the online business M&A world giving our readers context and ideas they can use in their own businesses.
We usually follow this three-part structure:
- The Trend: We identify a specific trend happening in the industry.
- The Context: We provide background information and explain why this trend is important.
- Business Ideas: We offer actionable tips and ideas for our readers based on the trend.
2. The Newsletter Contents: Previewing the Good Stuff
We list out the contents of the newsletter in bullet points to give our readers a quick overview of what’s inside.
3. Marketplace Data: Transparency and Trust
We share data from our marketplace including:
- Number of businesses listed: We’re transparent about the activity on our platform.
- Average asking price: We give readers insights into the current market.
- Number of successful deals: We show our readers that we’re helping people buy and sell businesses.
4. The Big Story: Industry News and Insights
This is where we go deep into the biggest news stories industry reports or our own content that has a ton of value for our readers.
We break down complex topics and provide easy-to-understand explanations.
We also offer our unique insights and analyses based on our expertise.
5. Opportunity Podcast: The Best Bits Delivered
We highlight the most valuable takeaways from our recent podcast episodes.
We know our audience loves hearing from successful entrepreneurs so we provide them with actionable insights and stories that inspire them.
6. The Hidden Gem: A Featured Marketplace Listing
We showcase a special business listing from our marketplace highlighting its strengths without using salesy language.
Our readers love discovering these hidden gems!
7. Secondary Stories: News Content and Events
This is where we share news stories recent content from our blog YouTube channel and podcast and information about upcoming events.
8. Company Updates: Connecting with our Audience
We keep our readers in the loop about what’s happening at Empire Flippers including updates about our services hiring and new ventures.
9. Promotions: Offering Value to our Audience
We sometimes include special offers like discounts or bonuses to give our readers extra value.
10. Living La Vida Nomad: Company Culture in Action
We showcase the travel adventures of our team highlighting our nomadic culture and giving our readers a glimpse into our company culture.
11. Meme of the Week: A Dose of Fun
We end the email with a meme that reflects our company personality and sense of humor.
12. Feedback Corner: Hearing from our Readers
This is our most important section! We encourage our readers to share their thoughts and suggestions.
This helps us tailor our newsletter to their needs and improve our content.
The Story Atom: Crafting Content that Resonates
We use a system called the “Story Atom” to identify and craft the best content for our newsletter.
It’s a simple framework that helps us ensure our content is:
- Important: Is this something our readers need to know? Will it have a big impact on their lives?
- Actionable: Can readers take action based on this information? Does it provide practical tips or insights?
- Relevant: Is this topic directly related to our readers’ interests and needs?
- Interesting: Is this content captivating and engaging? Does it tell a story?
When we find content that ticks all four boxes we know we’ve got a winner!
Writing for Our Audience: Understanding Their Needs and Interests
Being able to write copy that resonates with our audience comes down to understanding their needs interests and sense of humor.
We know what makes them tick!
- Value Over Everything: We prioritize delivering valuable information over trying to sell them something.
- Clear and Concise Writing: We keep our writing simple and easy to understand.
- A Touch of Humor: We add a touch of humor to keep things light and engaging.
The Results: Building a Loyal Audience and a Thriving Business
The success of our newsletter has been phenomenal! We’ve built a loyal audience of over 100000 weekly readers who look forward to receiving our emails.
It’s been a must for our business!
Here are some of the key results:
- Increased Brand Awareness: We’ve established ourselves as a leading authority in the online business M&A space.
- Boosted Website Traffic: We’ve seen a significant increase in traffic to our blog podcast and marketplace.
- Generated More Leads: We’ve attracted a ton of potential buyers and sellers of online businesses.
- Strengthened Relationships with our Audience: We’ve built a loyal following who trust us and rely on us for valuable information.
The Future of Content Marketing: Giving Value and Building Relationships
We believe the future of content marketing is about giving value to your audience and building long-term relationships.
It’s not about click-bait or short-term gains.
It’s about being a trusted resource that your audience relies on and values.
When you give away valuable information without any expectation of immediate sales you create a loyal following that will stick with you for the long haul.
And in the ever-competitive world of online business that’s the ultimate winning strategy!
Want to build a killer email newsletter like ours? We’re sharing all the secrets in this epic post! 🔥 Learn how we built our newsletter and attracted over 100k weekly readers!