Some of you have asked me why I don’t write every week. Because, you know, the marketing geniuses say, “you should keep yourself in front of your market, write every week….”
Well, I’m very calmly and happily done with “I should.”
When I have something to say, I’ll say it! If a rule works for me, I’ll use it. If it doesn’t, I’ll break it.
Being true to my deepest self is way more important to me than some marketing rule.
WHAT IF I SAY SOMETHING too PERSONAL….
I was working with a couple of people last week who
- felt nervous
- were afraid they were going to be judged
- worried about disclosing things their family or friends would think were “too close to home”
- worried that they might displease their readers
- were afraid they wouldn’t attract any new clients
Listen, your newsletter is for people who love you, love what you do for and with them, and who refer you to others. If you “lose” someone off your mailing list, it’s because they weren’t aligned with you in the first place, and didn’t belong there.
They are not your preferred group* of fans, peers, students and clients. They won’t have bought from you ever, anyway. No big loss!
If they do love you and what you do and still don’t buy, it’s because they either didn’t need it, or they didn’t ‘get’ the value of what you’re offering. Try again!
( * Notice I did NOT say ‘target market’ – isn’t it a little weird to think of your people as targets? We’re not shooting arrows here, we’re serving, right?)
3 BIGGIES TO REMEMBER:
HUGE: your newsletter is for three things:
- so you can connect with your readers on a deep level so you can…
- …serve them with whatever products, services or information you have that is useful for them, and…
- …to help your readers understand that you understand their pain and/or needs and desires, and that you can help them.
Write in such a way that they will say, “Yes!” to your products services and information: buy it, refer others to it, appreciate it, etc.
FEAR AND INSECURITIES….
Your biggest fears around writing ought not be about
you and your own worries, insecurities and fears.
Your biggest concern ought to be to connect and serve. Actually, it’s not a concern at all – what if you were excited to connect and serve?
What is it your readers have signed up for? If they don’t want what you offer, believe me, they can’t get to the delete button fast enough! You don’t have to even think about those people, because they will self-select!
You DO have to think about the people who remain on your list, because they do want to stay, do want what you’ve got, and will actually buy from you eventually if not right now.
MY SECRETS
Want to know my secret of why I have very few unsubscribes compared to most?
I believe that it’s because:
1. I really love my readers. I’ve worked with so many of them, and had conversations and email exchanges with them, and every one is a gem to me.
So my first rule of writing newsletters: truly love your people. If you just think of them as people who will buy from you, people you have to convince to get your services, people who might judge you, you will alienate them because you’re witholding your heart.
Open that heart of yours up and let them slide right in so you can surround them with your love. Not all sappy nice-nice, just I-love-who-you-are love.
2. When I write, I think of someone on my list who I really, really like. I imagine her sitting right here with me, and pretend that she has asked me questions or told me of a need or problem. And I look within myself to feel/think of/write the reply that fits for her to the very best of my ability.
That’s why I never address the people I write as a group – saying, for instance, “you guys.” You’ll hear that in a webinar or teleclass a lot. Don’t do it. Erase “you guys” from your phrase list. Saying “you guys” distances people from you, because no one likes to think of himself as a member of a group – people want to be thought of as individuals.
DO YA LOOOOOVE ME….
I’m telling you right now, the people to whom you write can tell if you love them or not. You know yourself you can tell the difference between someone’s letter or sales page that just sells to you and one where they write to serve you, right? You can feel it! So be sincere in loving and wanting to serve your people.
That doesn’t mean you have to give away the farm, either! It just means you sincerely love them. Hold your people as whole, individual, intelligent, powerful, precious beings.
• If you’re a healer, 2 things: it’s not about what people think about YOU or your work. It’s what your clients can learn and absorb from you so they can walk in the world more clearly and powerfully.
Please don’t hold your clients in your mind as broken – hold them as perfect, already powerful, intelligent, unique – they just have been struggling with a few things they forgot to remember about how perfect they are.
If you see them as broken, they’ll feel that and not want to work with you, because they won’t be able to transform past your judgement of them.
• If you’re an artist, remember it’s not about what people think about YOU or your work, it’s about what people GET from you or your work.
We artists complain a lot about people who say, “I want it to match the color of my couch.” But what if that blue they want reminds them of their soul-retreat place, and transports them there in times of stress? What if that red they want helps them feel empowered through the divorce battle with an abusive soon-to-be-ex? What if that yellow they want helps them leave old depression behind?
We have no idea what’s going on for them, so it’s harmful – to us and them – to judge. I believe our real service as artists is to support our clients’ deepest soul needs, and we can do that best by really listening to what people ask of us without judgement.
WHAT IF PEOPLE DON’T LIKE ME?
Worrying about whether or not people will like you is a biggy for most people who are newbies at writing blogs and newsletters. It sure was for me! It took me what seemed like forever to get the nerve up to write.
Here’s what I finally did:
I pretended that only people who loved and appreciated me would read it. Everyone else would go away or not even get to read it in the first place. I pretended that of course they wanted to hear about – were excited about – my new books and teleclasses!
So when you sit down to write, imagine that your dear friend is with you, and is excited about what you’re going to say, can’t wait to hear it, and then pats you on the back with congratulations, and…even…loves what you told her that you are selling or giving away so much that she wants it, too – can’t wait to have it!
And if she doesn’t want it for herself, she can’t wait to tell people she knows about it. That’s the kind of person you want on your list, right?
SOME TAPPING YOU CAN DO:
Here are a few things you can tap on and transform, so the underlying energy can flow freely again:
• I’m not worth it > I’m so worth it!
• My belly hurts with fear > I’m free of fear, and finally feel excited to get going!
• I have no value > It’s not even a doubt! I have so much to give and so much to serve with!
• I’m afraid people will say who the heck do you think you are? > Well, let them, because I know what I am and do is totally valuable, and that if I don’t offer it, I’m depriving someone who needs me and my work
• People don’t want what I offer > Of course they do, and they line up around the block for it!
• I’m so scared people won’t like me > I like me, I like them, and the perfect people always show up for me, and it’s really not even about me at all, it’s about am I doing my soul’s deepest desire and serving the way I know I can?
NOT FAMILIAR WITH TAPPING?
Tapping is the casual name for the Emotional Freedom Techniques, Meridian Tapping, or EFT.
It’s a phenomenal tool you can use yourself anytime, anywhere on practically anything to help calm down and gain new perspective, inspiration, relief of pain, fear and habits – it saved me from my own terrible chronic suicidal thoughts. (Can you tell I love it?)
Go here for a free sample of how to tap: EFTinEveryHome.com
Go here for how-to books and audios: EFTBooks.com
I hope you have found this useful.
Remember I love you!!!
aloha –
Angela
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Angela Treat Lyon
© Angela Treat Lyon 2012 • All Rights Reserved
Published by Out Front Productions, LLC
Kailua, Hawaii USA • 808-261-0940