SIMPLE WORKS
Photo, text, repeat
Hi, I’m Seth Werkheiser and I love love love talking about sending email newsletters to your fans so you can someday quit social media.
Earlier this week The Armed sent out an email newsletter (below, right). As you can see, it’s similar in layout to an Instagram post (below, left).
The rest of the email is the same; photo, text, image, text.
White background. Dark text. Like an Instagram post, or a book, a newspaper.
Make sure your text isn’t too tiny
Don’t use eye-searing background colors
Make your link colors stand out - they’re important!
Make photos full-width
Don’t use columns (yeah, I said it)
Make the bulk of your email a reflection of your authentic self, as The Armed did here:
“Well that’s it for right now…we’re in North Carolina and it’s 96 degrees. We play at 6:30 pm outdoors and there is no shade anywhere. So uh..I guess if we die, please remember LIAR 2 as our final, irrevocable mathcore legacy.”
An intern (or AI) didn’t write that, that came from the band.
That’s the opposite of mullet marketing.
Your social media feeds are the party. Loose and free, filled with witty rants, spontaneous photos, lengthy captions.
The likes pour in, and the replies.
Party in the back.
Then you subscribe to a band’s newsletter and get their “email blast,” which is just a few vinyl mock-ups of their album, some text, a button.
No lively text. No attitude. No swagger.
Business in the front.
Remember, the bulk of your social media followers don’t see your posts, so copy, paste, and elaborate on the wonderfully long captions you’ve already written.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Here’s some things I wrote in recent years that you might have missed:
How many live shots do bands post every week on socials?! A TON! Put ‘em in an email with your next tour announcement!
From ‘RE-USE SOCIAL PHOTOS IN YOUR NEXT NEWSLETTER’
Re-purposing the content you’ve already posted means less time thinking about your next email newsletter, and gives you a jump on the creative process.
Once you have everything copied and pasted into your newsletter, you can make expand on some of your ideas, or include some other photos that you didn’t share on socials.
Now you’re offering exclusive bits and pieces to your fans!
From YOUR NEXT NEWSLETTER IS ALREADY WRITTEN
Your social media is fresh videos!
IG stories are fun and spontaneous!
Your Twitter takes are sassy and smart!
Your feeds are bursting with amazing concert photos!Then your email newsletter is… an image of a record.
How boring.
From LET'S DO BETTER THAN VINYL MOCK UPS
I’m Seth Werkheiser and want to help you reach your fans so you can keep bringing your art into the world.
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I’m working on a SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE PLAN PLANNING PARTY - sign up here and I’ll be in touch.
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Send questions and links to BMX videos here: seth@closemondays.com
I love dark mode. Maybe I’m a closet goth. 😉 Happy Friday, Seth!