Blogging Versus Email Newsletter: Which Is Better for Writers?

Here’s nan shortest imaginable reply to this question:

• Neither is better; everything depends connected nan writer and their goals.
• If forced to choose, a free email newsletter is nan amended strategical action for writers focused connected semipermanent profession development.
• Blogging useful amended for reaching caller readerships, but requires investigation and skills that return clip to develop.
• You tin negociate to do some without immoderate other work.

Here is nan agelong answer.

Why authors use from email newsletters

The free email newsletter is 1 of nan astir effective income and trading devices available. Every azygous master writer pinch a decent email database knows that it much reliably sells a book (or services aliases a class) than societal media. Book publishers person been focusing for galore years now connected processing their scope to readers via email; it protects them from being overly reliant connected retailers for illustration Amazon. Anyone who is trading thing easy purchased online—such arsenic books—will use from an email list, assuming that database has been built legitimately.

For example, I’m capable to marketplace and beforehand my paid classes for writers done several email newsletters. These are nan strongest root of registrations, and I don’t person to salary for advertizing to waste retired my classes.

The drawback: your email newsletter is improbable to scope caller audiences

Your ain email newsletter is delivered to group who are already willing successful what you do. If you’re a published author, past your database will apt beryllium comprised chiefly of group who’ve publication your work, attended your events, aliases different person an liking successful what you’ll people next. You’re speaking to nan converted; readers thin to springiness their email addresses only to group they really want to perceive from.

While group whitethorn guardant aliases stock your email newsletter pinch others, that’s not really nan constituent of sending an email newsletter. It’s a prize if it happens, but large-scale sharing is uncommon unless you person a large database to statesman with, aliases you’re avidly pushing and linking to that newsletter elsewhere. Once you nonstop an email, its lifespan will beryllium a mates weeks astatine most. It’s improbable to beryllium discovered done hunt aliases social. If nan contented successful nan newsletter is ace meaningful aliases valuable, it’s up to you to determine if and really to repurpose it elsewhere.

The different email newsletter challenge: building nan list

If you’re an early profession writer aliases unpublished, your database whitethorn beryllium very small, and it whitethorn consciousness pointless to nonstop an email newsletter successful nan first place. It besides leads to questions like: How tin I build my list?

The simplest answer: constitute and people much work, and you’ll get much group connected your list. Or: nan bigger estimation you have, nan much your database will turn organically. Some writers connection a freebie aliases ethical bribe to get group connected their newsletter list, which isn’t a bad idea, but specified strategies tin lead to little value names—people who signed up only for nan free stuff.

For tips connected building an email newsletter list

• Email Newsletters for Authors by Jane Friedman
• How to Grow Your Email List by Kirsten Oliphant
• How to Grow an Email Newsletter Starting from Zero by Christina McDonald

Why authors use from blogging

When I mention to “blogging,” I’m referring to online penning that you people astatine your ain tract aliases astatine a group blog. Blogging started astir 20 years agone arsenic a very personal, voice-driven shape of expression. Today I see blogging a master shape of penning that whitethorn travel crossed arsenic individual and informal, but requires a developed contented strategy to beryllium effective.

Great blog contented tin pull caller and sometimes very ample readerships to your door. However, astir of america don’t avidly travel blogs these days. Instead, if we find thing we like, we travel that writer connected societal media, motion up for their email newsletter or—if we’re really excited and enthusiastic—buy thing from nan writer of nan blog.

The drawback: you can’t conscionable blog astir thing you want.

It’s difficult to beryllium successful pinch a blog unless you salary attraction to nan following:

• Focus and positioning. To summation traction pinch a blog, you person to beryllium reasonably disciplined astir nan subjects you’ll screen and your unique perspective connected those subjects. Changing it up each nan clip is not a bully idea.
• Search motor optimization. This whitethorn sound intimidating, but it’s really not. All it fundamentally intends is being alert of nan hunt position that whitethorn bring caller readers to your blog—or what group hunt for. But for immoderate writers, this benignant of marketplace investigation is simply a non-starter and doesn’t liking them.
• Online penning champion practices. You person to study really to constitute bully headlines for your blog posts, constitute and building them for a bully online reference experience, and location nan posts connected a decent writer website aliases wrong an situation that leads to further action (like a newsletter sign-up aliases a societal media follow).

The different challenge: blogging typically requires societal media support

Unless you already person an established assemblage that shares everything small point you do, past it’ll beryllium basal to stock and talk astir your posts done societal media. If you’re seldom connected societal aliases dislike social, blogging makes small consciousness and you’ll person to trust connected hunt engines and connection of rima to bring you traffic.

For much tips connected blogging

• How to Start Blogging: A Definitive Guide for Authors by Jane Friedman
• 10 Ways to Build Traffic to Your Author Website aliases Blog by Jane Friedman

A measurement to build a blog and email newsletter astatine nan aforesaid time

You tin let group to subscribe to your blog posts via email. This is reasonably easy to group up done WordPress aliases an email trading work for illustration ConvertKit, MailerLite, aliases Mailchimp. I’ve agelong offered this action and person astir 10,000 subscribers to my blog posts via email (in summation to a abstracted email newsletter, Electric Speed.)

Ever heard of Substack? It is fundamentally a blog pinch email newsletter functionality built in, aliases you mightiness see it an email newsletter that behaves for illustration a blog (you tin research each issue/post done a website/blog interface, comment, etc).

Whatever you decide, do not station astatine Substack, past move astir and station nan aforesaid point astatine your website. It’s duplicating content, it’s duplicating effort, and it’s causing confusion.

Do you person to do both?

No, and astir authors I’ve met do not use from blogging. There are galore reasons for that, but usually authors neglect astatine blogging because they haven’t paid attraction to their positioning aliases hunt motor optimization.

Nonfiction authors who person expertise successful a circumstantial section person nan astir to summation from blogging and should earnestly see it. Fiction writers who are avid readers and cognize their genre wrong and retired are besides good positioned to beryllium successful. But blogging has ne'er been a must. While it’s a bully thought to get your sanction retired location successful immoderate measurement to pull caller readers, location are galore different channels to consider, specified arsenic podcasting; conversations connected Twitter, Facebook, aliases Clubhouse; aliases being a impermanent contributor astatine well-established sites.

Parting advice

If you’re still not judge whether a blog aliases newsletter is correct for you, see what you would for illustration to write. If you want to constitute short, individual takes; connection down nan scenes of your penning and publishing process; aliases person an friendly speech that’s not optimized for search, an email newsletter makes nan astir sense. If you want to constitute long, instructive articles that would beryllium adjuvant to a wide audience; if you tackle topics that are often successful nan nationalist oculus and get searched for aliases discussed avidly connected social, past blogging whitethorn beryllium a amended prime for you.