Recommendations ~ Newsletter Ninja Book by Tammi Labrecque

Today we're talking newsletters.

Newsletters? Yep. We want to deliver a strong, vibrant newsletter to our actively involved list. The bad news is that so does everyone else who sends out a newsletter.  So how do you stand out in the “inbox crowd”?

Well, I’ve been to countless seminars, webinars and read endless books on the subject.  But recently I purchased a book that resonated so strongly with me that I decided to share my secret weapon with you and post about it.

Newsletter Ninja: How To Become An Author Mailing List Expert by Tammi Labrecque.

It’s a quick read because it's interesting and informative, and I encourage you to highlight passages you find intriguing. THEN take the time to go back and reread the parts you’ve highlighted. For me, that was a slew of pages, and I know that’s where my answers will found.

It was nice to see that according to her thinking, I was doing many things correctly, and a few things not so right.  Again, this book is a guide, not a strict recipe for success because it may not tick all your boxes.  There were a few items she suggested that made me wince, but I’m going to reread them because wincing means either I should do this and don’t want to, like cull your mailing list !!, or I’m just not comfortable with that specific idea. 

And that’s okay.

That means I can take the idea or philosophy as Tammi calls it, and make it work for me another way, or not.  And isn’t that what we want, a guidebook to help us see new things in new ways?

Here are a few of lines that grabbed me:

“First, you are not selling what you think you are. Second, if all you’re using your list for is selling, you’re doing everything wrong.”

WOW. I read on and realized I’m not doing everything wrong, but I was using my mailing list for selling.  I admit this publicly.

“Do not make business decisions based on your own consumer behavior.”

Another wow.  

“You are not your reader.”

I agree, but had not seen it put forth in the context she used.

“But you are a Rockstar.”

Really?  Okay, maybe I can buy into that. Watch out Elton John, your high heels got nothing on mine 😊

Have I intrigued you enough to grab the book and read it?  I hope so because Tammi hits a lot of points I’d never thought of.  And some, as I said, I’m already doing, but she gives me ways for doing it better. 

It’s $4.99 well spent.

Now I’ve shared my new secret weapon. Go forth and conquer your newsletter and mailing lists. 

~L.A.