It’s all about little steps (and little wins!) that build your platform and community as a writer.

I’ve been writing and building my online writing platform for about eight years now. I started with writing sporadic blogs on my website, and then moved to writing for various online platforms and literary journals. It’s been a prime example of “slow and steady wins the race,” but I’m committed to my writing platform because I enjoy virtually every bit of building it!

One thing I put off for a long time, though, is starting my newsletter.

At first, I didn’t see the point of putting in the work to start. I didn’t have a large following at the time — I still only have a modest (but amazing!) following — so I didn’t see the point in essentially writing into the void. Who would join my email list? And, more importantly, why would they join my newsletter list? What would I write about? And how would I make sure that what I wrote was actually worth reading and sending out?

So I didn’t start a newsletter.

At least, not when I first heard another author or blogger mention it. I tucked away that bit of information into the back of my mind and went on my merry way, continuing to write and build my platform, but without a newsletter.

As I began to participate more and more in the online writing world through my own writing and through attending writerly events, I started to hear about creating a newsletter more and more often.

A few authors who spoke at a local writing conference mentioned the value of a newsletter, I saw some rather convincing articles about starting a newsletter here on Medium, and I heard about the creative ways writers were using their newsletters to reach readers during an online writing summit (serializing a novel a la Charles Dickens? Count me in!)

Soon I, myself, had signed up for some of these authors’ newsletters, and I quickly realized that I was demonstrating their arguments exactly. I was now a part of several writers’ email lists and was learning more about them and supporting their writing — all through a newsletter!

This got me thinking about starting one of my own even more, and the final thing that sealed the deal was seeing a few of my real-life writer friends start newsletters. If they could do it, so could I. And the best place to start was from scratch.

So I started.

My experience starting my newsletter.

I had absolutely no clue how to start with a newsletter, so I just jumped in. I had subscribed to a few newsletters over the years, of course, and had even written a few for previous jobs, so I at least had somewhat of a starting frame of reference, but I was still starting largely from scratch.

The hardest part of the process (see below if you want more details on my recommendations for what that process should look like) was actually summoning the courage to press send on that first letter.

Designing the newsletter, building out my content, and creating graphics that tied in with my branding from my website were fun! But preparing to send my words out was nerve-wracking. And sharing that I was starting a newsletter with friends and family on social media? Terrifying!

Your mileage may vary here, but the hardest part was actually putting myself out there. I felt silly asking people to sign up for a newsletter that I didn’t fully understand just yet. I had major imposter syndrome — I wasn’t a big-deal published novelist, so why would I expect people to subscribe to little old me?

I’m so glad I forced myself past all of that, though, because I now have a newsletter that, while not always consistent, and not always full of Pulitzer-Prize-worthy musings, is mine. I have a new little corner of the internet where I can share what I want with people who actually signed up to hear from me. It’s all mine, and I love it!

So if you have a mixed bag of feelings about starting a newsletter, and are wondering where to start, here are my tips:

My tips for starting a newsletter.

1. Figure out your platform

One of the most daunting things about starting a newsletter is figuring out what platform to use. About a million newsletter writing platforms are out there — or at least, that’s how it seems. Medium even has its own newsletter function, for crying out loud.

One of the things that finally helped me decide to actually take the plunge and start a newsletter was actually finding the platform I use — Substack.

There are a lot of mixed feelings about the platform that I see online, but I was attracted to Substack because it has its own algorithm which means my newsletter is shown to people who aren’t even subscribed to my mailing list, and I liked that I could create a landing page for my newsletter. It’s almost like my newsletter has its own website.

I know Substack isn’t the only newsletter platform to have these features, but it’s the one that drew me in.

So step one is deciding which platform to use — Constant Contact? Mailchimp? Convertkit? The plug-in option on your website? — and set up your account. Import that list of emails you already have swimming around somewhere, and get ready to create.

2. Figure out what you’re going to write

Is your newsletter going to be about a specific topic? Is it going to be about your writing or your dog? Is it going to have different sections, or include a simple list of links to where your writing has been published? Any or all of the above is perfectly a-ok, but you have to decide upfront what you’re going to write so that you can stay somewhat consistent.

Your readers will come to expect the same sort of content from you week after week (or month after month), so finalizing at least an outline of what that content will look like is going to make sure you’re off to a great start!

3. Figure out how you’re going to share your newsletter

Are you going to share it with everyone at work? Maybe on social media — but which platform? I know my different social media platforms have very different audiences on each, so I had to choose if I wanted to share my newsletter with everyone from high school on Facebook— even those who had no interest in my writing — or if I’d stick to advertising my newsletter on Medium and Twitter, where the bulk of my writing friends live.

Again, there’s no right answer! You can even print out one of those car magnets people use to advertise their Mary Kay business and put a QR code for your newsletter on it if you want. Whatever option works for you, it’s smart to have some sort of plan for how you’re going to let people know about your mailing list when you’re first starting.

For me, I shared a link on Twitter, and I have links here on Medium, and then I have a page dedicated to my newsletter on my website. I know that this is where most of the people interested in staying up to date with me and my writing live.

4. Figure out your first topic, and write

Now that you know your platform, your content, and how you’re going to share your newsletter with others, get down to it and write! Take the first idea that pops into your head and fits with your overall theme, and write a few paragraphs.

It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be prize-worthy, but it does need to be in existence! And who else is going to spur that first newsletter into being other than you?

Starting a newsletter is a great way to track your progress and celebrate the little wins in your writing journey.

Ultimately, I’ve found that my newsletter is a way to celebrate the little wins in my writing career. Right now, I have a lot of small wins rather than a big win, and that’s okay.

One of the biggest wins, for me, is every single person who has signed up for my newsletter. They’ve put something valuable in my hands — their email! — and I get to share my musings with them. Each time I log in to Substack and see the number of subscribers on my dashboard increase, I remember that there are people who are interested in what I have to write, which motivates me to keep going.

As James and Jessica at BookEnds Literary Agency often say, writers forget to celebrate. So I take every opportunity I can to celebrate little wins, share those wins with my newsletter community, and find inspiration from my subscribers to continue writing. One word, and one newsletter, at a time.

Previously published in Inspired Writer