Newsletters - this term rings a bell to everyone. For most of us, it's that spammy service we had signed up for, lost interest in a while, and now we're too lazy to press that elusive unsubscribe link on the email footer.
Newsletters are dying. And unless we do something to revive them, they will vanish for good. In the following read, I have explored three possible reasons for why this is happening and further you'll see how a different perspective can make newsletters a handy thing to have in your product line.
1) The Purpose ❓
Most startups/firms use newsletters as a channel to deliver curated content to their users. That's a good gesture, but sometimes, the content we curate isn't exactly what the reader might be expecting to read. "Good and engaging content" is a subjective term. For instance, I signed up for a bunch of finance newsletters to learn about stock markets. It was all good for a while until they started shooting content that was too technical and I lost my motivation to read.
2) The Time ⌚
The key demographic for newsletters consist of people who are consultants, product managers, entrepreneurs, programmers, and students. Apart from a strong likelihood of signing up for your newsletters, what else do they have in common? They have very busy schedules. Now imagine dropping your beautifully designed and meticulously curated newsletter right in the middle of their work hours. Will, they read it at that moment? No. Will, they read it later? No. Several other emails would've stacked on top of your newsletter. You clearly deserve better for your efforts.
3) The Incentive 🎁
If knowledge and information is the sole value proposition of your newsletter, then you are in for a rough ride. As humans, we tend to overestimate ourselves and make impractical promises while signing up for something new. Soon, the complacency kicks in and we lose our motivation. Same happens with newsletters. People simply don't want to read anymore. There is not enough incentive to open my cluttered inbox and engage with something that doesn't add any immediate value in my live.
Let's rethink - A case of Netsips 🍎
At Netsips, we approached newsletters in a different way. Rather than a channel of communication, our newsletter serves as a tool to remind users of their bookmarks. We compile all the content you have saved over a period of time and send it to you in both email and PDF format.
✅ Users curate their own newsletter through Netsips extension. They know what they want to read.
✅ Users can select the day and time to receive their newsletters.
Want something to go with your Sunday morning coffee? How about things you wanted to read over the week but didn't have time to do so.
✅ The value-added isn't just knowledge, but also a luxury to save things for later and actually get back to them. The PDF format also ensures that you can read the content offline without any distractions.
The concept of newsletters might seem beaten up, but when put to use in the right way, it can be a wonderful asset to have.
Thanks for making it this far! Hope you liked it.
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