The Blog versus The Newsletter

A friend and colleague, Havi Brooks of The Fluent Self just dumped her “noozletter” in favor of her blog. She was, as she admitted, a-scared and a-tremblin’ about the decision, because every big marketing guru tells you that you have to have a newsletter.

But she dumped it, and now it’s history.

You may be wondering whether you should follow her. You may wonder whether blogs really “win” over newsletters, as some people claim. What should you do, a blog or a newsletter?

The Classic Answer: It Depends On Who Yer Tawkin’ At

For at least a year, I had been blogging with the intention/thought/hope that if people read my blog, they would subscribe to my “noozletter” as my friend Havi calls these kinds of things.

No dice. I mean, it happened that someone from the blog would wander over and subscribe, but it was rare. Eventually, I faced the inevitable conclusion that has since been confirmed anecdotally by several others:

Blog readers and email newsletter readers are, by-and-large, different groups of people. Some people like email, and some people like RSS (which is how you would get notified that there’s been something new added to the blog.) Some people like both, but not so many.

Do One or the Other–or Both

Any garden-variety spiritual master would tell you the same thing. “Speak to the people where they are. Speak to them in the language they understand. Go to them, and bring the truth.”

This same spiritual master would also say: “Don’t go among foreigners until you have spoken to your own people.”

Before in this ezine I’ve discussed, “Does the Cutting Edge of Social Media Really Pay?” The answer is yes, it does. But the rest of the answer is you don’t have to rush off to do the latest thing. Start with what’s familiar to you.

Do you read blogs, familiar with RSS, and enjoy that whole world? Then go for it–start a blog!

Or, do you read email newsletters and like them? Then that’s a great place to start for you.

Either Way, You Can’t Do It Wrong

It’s not such a big choice. If you are already doing one or the other, and it’s working and you’re enjoying it, keep doing it. If you aren’t doing either, which one are you drawn to more?

And, if you’ve been doing one for awhile, like I have, and it’s in a groove, maybe you have the spaciousness to try the other one.

There are a few things to keep in mind, however. Let me give you some of the things I’ve found most useful for each.

Top Tips for Blogs and Newsletters

• For newsletters: Publish, be useful, don’t be careful.

1) When you send out your newsletter, also make sure it gets put on some sort of an archive page on your website, like this: http://heartofbusiness.com/articles/2008/Aug27.htm.

If your content isn’t also on your website, then you are missing out on Google juice, where Google will find your content and have it appear in search engines.

2) Share your expertise! This is one of those no-duh things, but don’t hold back, because you don’t want to give yourself away for free. People will still pay. Why they will is a whole ‘nother article, but trust me, it works to be generous.

3) Something happens when people start writing–they get “careful.” Instead of writing: “Hey, guess what, I can’t believe we’re finally releasing this product.” They’ll say something like, “I’m pleased to announce the release of our product.”

That carefulness builds walls of formality and distance. Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Write how you talk, and have fun with it. That’s what builds intimacy, which builds trust, which brings you business.

• For blogs: find friends, comment frequently, be a peer.

1) One of the big benefits with blogging is that everything is interconnected on the web. And so, a blog without comments can look pretty lonely.

If you find three or four friends who are also blogging, you can comment, and mention each other’s blogs. That will create some seed energy to help build momentum and readership. It will also help keep you connected to your blog as a conversation, instead of feeling like you’re talking to a tree stump.

2) Again, the interconnection thing. If you are reading other people’s blogs that you like, and commenting, people really do follow you back to your blog. Plus, if your comments are heart-felt and add to the conversation, you can begin to make friends with the blogger, who may blog you up, too.

Of course, there’s a thin line between commenting as strategy versus commenting as an authentic real person with something to say. Yes, do it as a strategy, but don’t lose your heart–keep it real.

3) For some reason, blogs thrive on peerness. Meaning, no one is better than anyone else. Even the most popular bloggers often write about their mistakes, goof-ups, insecurities. Don’t be afraid to let it all hang out there, as well as sharing your expertise and insight.

You already know that writing regularly creates intimacy and builds trust which is what brings in clients, so you can help them and be supported. If you’ve been waiting to start, trying to figure out whether to blog or to send out a newsletter… just pick the one you’re most comfortable with, and start. There’s plenty of time for the other one later.

Since this is the blog version of this article (it was also published to my email list) I’m guessing you may be more comfortable with blogs. Is it true? Do you have both, or one, or the other? What have you found?