WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Start a newsletter

0:00:05.519 --> 0:00:09.799
<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:13.200
<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:16.920
<v Speaker 1>new world of work or location and hours are more

0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:21.000
<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to start

0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:24.800
<v Speaker 1>an email newsletter. This is one of the easiest ways

0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:28.960
<v Speaker 1>to remind people on your terms that you exist. A

0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:32.199
<v Speaker 1>newsletter can help establish your expertise on a topic and

0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.200
<v Speaker 1>give you a way to reach people with your news

0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:38.199
<v Speaker 1>or ways you can help or your needs. When I

0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:40.400
<v Speaker 1>first began writing books many years ago, I had the

0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:44.159
<v Speaker 1>usual naive author thoughts. If I wrote the book, I

0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:48.760
<v Speaker 1>imagined an interested audience would magically appear. I later learned

0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:52.000
<v Speaker 1>that being a thought leader is not just about great thoughts.

0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.520
<v Speaker 1>You need a way to directly reach your audience, and

0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:58.560
<v Speaker 1>so in late summer twenty ten, I began an email

0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:02.279
<v Speaker 1>newsletter that I called a minute. Every month, since then,

0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:06.480
<v Speaker 1>I've sent subscribers an essay on a productivity topic. I've

0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:10.520
<v Speaker 1>also sent book reviews, links and so forth. People opt

0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:13.840
<v Speaker 1>in and having this collection of email addresses means that

0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:16.720
<v Speaker 1>every time I have a new project, like a new podcast,

0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.399
<v Speaker 1>it becomes easier to share it with a bigger group

0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:23.319
<v Speaker 1>of people. I work for myself, so I'm naturally in

0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:25.880
<v Speaker 1>the business of trying to market my work, even if

0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:28.920
<v Speaker 1>I didn't know that at the beginning. But the more

0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:31.760
<v Speaker 1>I study modern careers, the more convinced I am that

0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:34.360
<v Speaker 1>just about everyone needs a way to reach people who

0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.959
<v Speaker 1>are interested in you and your ideas. Let's say you're

0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.240
<v Speaker 1>in the finance industry. You start a newsletter devoted to

0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:45.000
<v Speaker 1>reviewing books about economics or tangentially related ones on leadership,

0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:48.640
<v Speaker 1>and curating links to the best financial journalism out there.

0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:52.400
<v Speaker 1>People will slowly come to you over time, and you

0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:56.120
<v Speaker 1>will become known for your expertise. People will start reaching

0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:59.000
<v Speaker 1>out to you about jobs and projects because they know

0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:03.120
<v Speaker 1>you are an expert. This is infinitely more efficient than

0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:06.440
<v Speaker 1>you having to reach out to them. It's also an

0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.600
<v Speaker 1>excellent form of career capital. If you are ever in

0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.320
<v Speaker 1>the position of needing to find something, you can let

0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:14.840
<v Speaker 1>a lot of people know about what you have to offer.

0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:18.800
<v Speaker 1>Starting a newsletter is smart for many people, but I

0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:20.919
<v Speaker 1>think it's especially smart for those of us who work

0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.320
<v Speaker 1>from home. Working from home means that on the margin,

0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.800
<v Speaker 1>you may be seeing fewer people in person. A newsletter

0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:29.880
<v Speaker 1>is a great way to remind people that you exist

0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:34.640
<v Speaker 1>on your own terms. You are reaching out, presenting yourself

0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:36.520
<v Speaker 1>in the light in which you'd like to be seen.

0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:39.760
<v Speaker 1>People will no doubt draw conclusions about you from a

0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:43.040
<v Speaker 1>variety of sources, but at least you can present one

0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:47.000
<v Speaker 1>of them. The mechanics. A number of companies can help

0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:50.480
<v Speaker 1>you with this. Mail Chimp, Constant Contact. Everything needs to

0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.240
<v Speaker 1>be opt in. Make sure you ask and if you

0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:55.280
<v Speaker 1>have a website with a sign up form where people

0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.600
<v Speaker 1>are downloading something like a white paper or in my case,

0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.760
<v Speaker 1>a time makeover guide and giving you their address, this

0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:06.480
<v Speaker 1>needs to be properly checked. Consistency also matters. It's nice

0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:09.560
<v Speaker 1>to have people starting to look for your newsletter. That's

0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:12.639
<v Speaker 1>why I started with monthly. I thought it would be sustainable.

0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:17.200
<v Speaker 1>Eventually I realized it could make weekly work too. Make

0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.080
<v Speaker 1>sure that you choose a frequency at which you can

0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.239
<v Speaker 1>put out actually useful content. That's the best way to

0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:25.720
<v Speaker 1>draw people in and keep them opening. Be sure to

0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:29.320
<v Speaker 1>highlight other people's work too. Showing the best of what's

0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:32.160
<v Speaker 1>out there and sharing it with others is a great

0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:35.360
<v Speaker 1>way to network. Just forward your email to the people

0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:38.760
<v Speaker 1>you mention. Almost everyone will be happy for the attention.

0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:43.040
<v Speaker 1>As your newsletter grows, you can interview people to create content.

0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:45.760
<v Speaker 1>This is a great excuse to reach out to people

0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:50.080
<v Speaker 1>and can build your community. These things take time to

0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:55.040
<v Speaker 1>grow growth compounds. I probably should have studied a newsletter

0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:58.800
<v Speaker 1>twenty years ago, but ten years ago is better than never.

0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:02.840
<v Speaker 1>I not start now, You'll be on your way to

0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:07.320
<v Speaker 1>establishing yourself as an expert in whatever you choose. In

0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:11.680
<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:18.600
<v Speaker 1>to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New Corner

0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:22.880
<v Speaker 1>Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts, visit

0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.360
<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:27.080
<v Speaker 1>favorite shows.