It's Got That "Je Ne Sais Quoi"
Get the scoop on the e-newsletter’s success
Lisa Sparks, President of Integrity Writing. Inc.,
speaks with Meryl K. Evans, eNewsletter Journal
eNJ: How did you get started in copywriting?
Lisa: I started copywriting full-time in early 2002 inspired by the book The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman. I read it while I was an associate editor at one of the largest business-to-business newsletter publishing companies in the U.S., Progressive Business Publications (PBP).
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When I first read it, I just couldn't believe that I could make it on my own as a writer. Though Peter's book was a nice story, I just didn't think it could happen for me. Then I moved to Florida, still working full-time for PBP by e-mailing my stories to them.
But when they decided to take the pub I was writing in-house, I was left to either strike out on my own or brave the job market. So I put out Integrity Writing's shingle, based on Peter's book and some clips I'd saved up during my career as a marketing associate, freelance journalist, writer and editor.
eNJ: What brought about the creation of the newsletter?
Lisa: I wanted a fast and effective way to increase my credibility with my prospects. I also wanted to stop cold calling. Although it was effective, it could be an endless cycle of rejection that I didn't want to go through for very long. I did have to cold call to get my list of subscribers going. At first I had a fax newsletter, but that was rather time consuming, not to mention very costly when it came to long-distance charges.
eNJ: How did you grow the newsletter mailing list?
Lisa: At first I used the contacts I already had and mined their e-mail addresses from their business cards. (Note: I only did this with people who already gave me permission to send them faxes. In my first issue I explained the transition and I received no complaints. Everyone was on-board with the change.)
I also began to cold call local business organizations, introducing my business and asking if they'd like to receive the newsletter.
The biggest jump in subscriptions came when I wrote articles for other publications or when other e-mail newsletter publishers mentioned my newsletter.
eNJ: How did you determine how often to send an issue?
Lisa: I kept my own pain threshold in mind. I know how tough it is to publish a quality newsletter, since I worked for PBP for so long. That's why I knew a monthly newsletter was all I could take. I still had to service my copywriting clients. I knew I just wouldn't have time for a full-length weekly or biweekly, even though some of my other e-mail marketing colleagues do.
I found my subscribers love this format and every other month I send out a promotion just so that they know I'm still there. The promotion is normally scheduled in between issues - sometimes a week or two before the full newsletter comes out.
eNJ: What benefits has Integrity Writing, Inc. received as a result of the newsletter?
Lisa: After my third or fourth issue I doubled the volume of my copywriting business. Prospects saw my perseverance and determination. They knew I could take a project and see it through to the end no matter what. That's very important to the people I work with. I also have more credibility in the eyes of my target market. People come to me for help and advice. I've also been able to create ancillary products such as a series of special reports, teleseminars and manuals to boost Integrity Writing's sales.
eNJ: How has the newsletter as a sales tool affected your business? How much business is a result? What is the ROI?
Lisa: So far the ancillary products that have come about as a result of the newsletter make up about 20% of Integrity Writing's profits. And because I've worked hard to keep my online overhead low, that's almost all pure profit.
eNJ: You gave your newsletter a facelift and even a new name. What prompted the change?
Lisa: I wanted to take on a more serious and professional image. I was positioning my company as a market leader, a firm to turn to whenever someone needed effective sales and marketing expertise. The former name, "Writing Whiz," just didn't say that. It was very cute, almost childlike. But the name "Copywriting Secrets Revealed" shows that I'm a seasoned veteran, with a lot of expertise and my audience is privy to closely held information other writers are afraid to divulge.
The new design seemed clearer and easier to understand. I like to change designs every once in a while, just to keep readers on their toes. I love to reinvent and change things. As soon as people get used to something I want to shake it up. That's the way the economy is, that's the way life is. So why not reflect that in everything we do. That spirit of change really helps to highlight the constants in our business lives. No matter what, we'll always focus on clear writing, winning more clients and keeping our existing ones in the fold.
eNJ: What advice would you give to someone contemplating starting a newsletter?
Lisa: I'd suggest doing research. There are many things someone who's just starting out can do to research a newsletter. But I'd say just know your audience and everything will flow from that place. If you know who you're talking to and why they'll listen to you, you've got a winner.
eNJ: What are the challenges of managing a newsletter?
Lisa: Time is the biggest challenge. You want to discover how much time your audience will take to listen to you. You also want to know how much time you can devote to making an effective newsletter.
Another huge challenge is idea management. I get so many of them it's hard to know when to give it all away and how to package it. And then implementing those ideas is also something to reckon with.
I might get an idea right before I publish and I almost have to sit on my hands so that I don't implement the idea right away. Sometimes ideas need time to grow and mature before you send them out to your audience. Otherwise you could have some serious explaining to do.
Another major challenge is drawing feedback out of the audience. Sometimes it's great, you're flooded with responses. Then other times the audience somehow turns lethargic and you barely hear a peep out of them. Learning how to get a consistent dialogue going is a major challenge that I'm sure all newsletter publishers face. Yet creating that sense of community is truly the key to success for any e-mail (and even a print) newsletter.
Lisa Sparks is Founder, President, and Chief Bottlewasher of Integrity Writing, Inc., a copywriting solutions company. Through live workshops, teleseminars and manuals Lisa consults with national and international companies on starting and sustaining profitable e-mail marketing campaigns. Meryl K. Evans is an editor, wordsmith, and writer for InternetVIZ and other resources. The content maven is available for editing, writing, and pepping articles and copy. InternetVIZ is a custom publisher for companies wishing to find, acquire, and retain customers through Internet newsletters.
