Best Practices For Musician's Email Newsletter

Are you still not sending out a regular email newsletter to your followers? Perhaps you don’t quite know where to start. This is a guide dedicated to sharing the best practices for email newsletters. For those of you still under the impression that they are old school and therefore not effective, get ready to take notes!

Do you think that nobody reads them – just because you might not? It’s time to think again!

Email is still the most vital asset you have for generating revenue. These email newsletter best practices for musicians and artists will get you started.

Here is a quote from Entrepreneur:

“Email marketing works 40 times better at getting customers than Facebook and Twitter, and compared to social media, it offers 17 percent higher conversion. The secret to success is making every email count. Email not only converts better than the most popular social media, but people spend up to 17 percent more when they do buy.” – Aaron Agius

Let’s go through the infrastructure of an effective email newsletter together. This is a structure that I have used and coached my clients to use for years.

Note – this structure is great for your monthly communications for fans who are already on your newsletter. You must FIRST make sure you have created a welcome series and a nurture series for your list. To read all about that click here.

Follow Ariel’s 3 G’s Formula – Greeting, Guts & Getting

Greeting – Be Personal

In your email newsletter greeting, you want to share something that is non-related to your product or services. Talk about you, something that inspired you recently or something in the news. This warms people up and, like a letter, connects on a human level. Steer clear of controversial topics that will isolate certain readers – stay neutral.

Here are some suggestions to get you thinking:

Vacation/current trip
Something that interests you / a theme of fun, beauty, art, etc.
Whatever you are currently reading or listening to
The latest TV show you’re watching on Netflix or a movie you have seen

Post photos of these personal touches on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or blog, etc.

Guts – The Body of the Newsletter

Now you can get into talking about your current project(s). Fill your followers in on what you’ve been up to.

Do you have an exciting announcement, a talk or workshop or panel coming up? Are you writing, brainstorming, or fundraising? Remember, people love and connect to stories, so tell them yours.

Use ChatGPT, Jasper.ai, or other tools to help save you time or assist with writers block.

Getting – Put Readers Into Action!

This is the most critical part of the email newsletter as it is what you are leaving your readers with. This section is known to marketers and savvy business people as a Call to Action or a CTA.

I have read countless newsletters that left me cold without asking me to do something. Don’t let this be you!

Examples of Calls to Action – CTA’s For Community Building

When you are getting started with your newsletter send a few that do not ask for money.

Encourage them to follow you on Twitter
Invite them to like your Facebook Page
Have them watch a video of you on YouTube and subscribe to your channel
Suggest they follow you on Spotify or Soundcloud
Invite them out to hang with you at a bar, club, coffee house, art show, conference, etc.
Send a survey to fill out or a contest to participate in

Examples of Calls to Action – CTA’s For Money (once you’ve developed rapport)

Send an invite to an upcoming appearance
Invite them to purchase your music
Direct them to your crowdfunding campaign
Sell merch

Remember: There should only be one Call to Action per newsletter. Readers will get confused and end up choosing nothing if they have more than one choice.

A Note About Subject Lines

Keep your subject line short and sweet; no more than 55 characters!

Studies show that including the reader’s first name in the subject line can grab their attention and increases your open rate (the number of people who open your email).

Most newsletter management programs can easily insert first names right into the subject line. Consult with yours on how to do so.

You can use ChatGPT to help with this as well!

Send Newsletters Regularly & Consistently

It’s crucial to send out your newsletter letter on a consistent basis. Give your followers the opportunity to look forward to hearing from you!

I recommend sending out your newsletter once a month. This gives you an entire month to come up with content.

Now, keep in mind that some months may feel more exciting than others, so choosing a theme that you can thread throughout each newsletter will stop the doldrums.

Separate yourself from others who never hold themselves accountable, and stick to a consistent schedule; your fans will notice.

Promote Your Newsletter on your Socials

After you send, don’t forget to share. Create tiles for each newsletter and share on your blog, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Find out the best times to post on social media here.

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