This new column will run the last Friday of each month, allowing authors to share what they love about their e-newsletter providers. To kick off this feature, here’s Melissa K Norris.
About Your Service
Which newsletter service do you use? MailChimp
How long have you been using this service?
For a year.
Are you a convert from another service and, if so, why?
No
How did you choose it (ie: what criteria were important to you?)
I liked that it had a free option that included tracking of clicks, how many times it was opened, who opened, and the legal wording and options for unsubscribing, and I could customize how it looked.
What do you like best about it? The worst?
I like the reports, that it offers a button for my website for people to sign up. The first time I made my custom newsletter it took some time to customize, but it saves the version so I just have to update the copy.
What, if anything, is the cost?
Free, baby.
About Your Newsletters
How often do you send a newsletter?
I end up sending mine out quarterly. I originally thought I’d do it bi-monthly, but decided quarterly worked better.
What is the purpose of your newsletter?
To keep people up to date on my publication journey, to offer inspirational articles, and to share my favorite recently read books.
How easy (or difficult!) do you find creating your newsletters? Why?
I find it easy. I send them out when I have something special going on or that I think my readers will find interesting.
What do you always try to include in each letter?
I always include a devotional written by myself and a best books bet on books I have personally read.
About Your Subscription Base
How do your subscribers find your email sign up?
It’s on my websites homepage and when I run free book giveaways, I list it as a way to enter.
Do you offer an incentive for new subscribers?
Not yet. Been tinkering with this thought though.
Are your subscribers the same people who are your Facebook fans, or who follow your blog or Twitter?
Some are, but not all.
About Melissa
Melissa K Norris writes inspirational historical romance novels. Her stories inspire people to draw closer to God and their pioneer roots. She found her own little house in the big woods, where she lives with her husband and two children in the Cascade Mountains. She writes a monthly column, Pioneering Today, for the local newspaper that bridges her love of the past with its usefulness in modern life. Her books and articles are inspired by her family’s small herd of beef cattle, her amateur barrel racing days, and her forays into quilting and canning—without always reading the directions first.
You can sign up for her newsletter at MelissaKNorris.com
Here’s Melissa’s latest newsletter.
Valerie Comer uses YMLP (Your Mailing List Provider). You can sign up for Valerie’s newsletter here.