Welcome to Connectable #006 đ§âđ€âđ§
I am so thrilled to have you here!
I want to help your business succeed. I want to inspire change. I want you to question your current processes and align yourself with the needs of your audience / community. I want you to attract the right people, solve the right problem and create superfans.
The medium? Email.
Todayâs newsletter is just a quick one because, Iâm going to be brutally honest with you, I did not plan my time all that well again and am left writing this whole thing today, on the morning Iâm due to send it out.
But we are imperfect humans after all and, as the whole of Twitter keeps telling me, âconsistency is everythingâ, âthe only thing that matters is consistency!â - so, here it is, a slightly imperfect, but finished newsletter.
A quick note to clients
So this morning started of swimmingly. I went for a run, the leaves were falling down around me in beautiful warm shades and I was full of energy!
But then I come home, shower and go to my desk only to find an email from a client (who I have already done a few small projects for) telling me she has decided not to work with me on an already planned-out project and apologises, but sheâs just not sure how things are going to pan out for the momentâŠ
Dear people hiring freelancers - if you go to a freelancer telling them âyou need help with X, Y and Z and could you start with X asap, here are all the attachments, and could you lay out your timeline and costs for this workâ - then said freelancer will take the time (in my case 2 whole hours) to go through everything, make a plan, insert time slots in their diary and calculate a cost, because you made it clear this project was going aheadâŠ
So, I wasted 2 lovely hours yesterdayâŠ
Oh the joys.
Okay, rant over.
Donât be afraid to mix things up
I wanted to share a little copywriting inspiration today. Regardless if you are writing your business emails or not, thinking about how to communicate with you audience is important for every member of the team.
Have a little read of this from Patagonia:
How long did you spend reading this?
I easily spent more than 30 seconds making my way through this copy. Thatâs golden.
My attention is grabbed from the get-go, then Iâm intrigued to keep reading, but Iâm confused by the wording, which makes me more curious, and then once Iâve reached the bottom, I read it all over again from the bottom up and smile to myself at the genius.
Patagonia just got me to read their copy twice. In two directions. With all the âgreenwashingâ making the rounds since the COP26 conference, this stands out like a little breath of fresh air.
Sometimes copywriting is about finding that unique way to reach your audience, to be memorable, to create a reaction, a smile, a frown or a tear, and spark some connection - in this case not just with the company, but also the world around them.
đ Takeaway: My tip for you today: donât be afraid to take risks, be more human and more honest.
Donât skirt around issues - face them head on. Your audience will be much more likely to stick around and start trusting you.
This is especially important in the emails you write!
Newsletter of the week đ
In case you missed this announcement last week: welcome to a new segment of Connectable!
As I wonât have a Q & A to share every week, I wanted a new segment, something useful and inspirational, which fit the theme of connection.
As such, I have chosen to share a new newsletter every week (because there really are so many good ones out there) and tell you a bit about it, link some of my favourite posts and give you the opportunity to learn more, connect with some wonderful creators and get a different perspective on relevant topics.
Todayâs newsletter is: The Right Place - by Sally Fox
Sallyâs newsletters are perfect monthly additions to my inbox. While they are geared at small business owners and freelancers, anyone can learn from her insightful conversations, tips and resources. Learn about work habits, work-life balance, supporting the freelance/SMB community and more. Sallyâs newsletter is a supportive and inspirational resource you should all get our hands on!
Here are some of my favourites:
#7 Intuition isnât a magical power: On comparison, greenwashing and creative space
#9 Small but perfectly formed On hiring people, building community and working pro bono
#10 This email is not watching you On brain care, data privacy and four-day weeks
Article of the Week đ
How to make daily writing easy: Preparation, preparation, preparation: 11 pre-writing productivity hacks to win half the battle
- Jason Leow
This is an excellent read! Highly recommend.
Key takeaways:
Building a daily writing habit isnât about what or when youâre writing, but what you do BEFORE youâre putting pen to paper.
Tl;DR:
1/ Input = output
2/ Separate writing from non-writing
3/ Amass your muse
4/ Categories to write about
5/ Collect writing prompts
6/ Recycle old writings
7/ Set up a publishing queue
8/ Kill writerâs block
9/ Less choices
10/ Learn from habit experts
11/ Bring your own challenge
Tweets(perations) đŠ
Thatâs all for this week, thanks so much for the support.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please give it a like or share it with your friends/on Twitter. Iâm still a newbie, so any help would be awesome! đ
If you have any questions, want to say hi, or want to feature in my Q & As - my DMs are always open @LisanneNausner.
Have a fabulous week full of connection!
- Lisanne đ»