Your questions about Revue answered

Hello newsletter editors,

Mark from Revue here with the next issue of The Week in Newsletters. And it’s a very special one.

My colleague Anna, who is our Creator Partner Manager, is taking over the newsletter today to answer all your questions about Revue, getting started with your newsletter, daring to hit send, and getting paid.

Anna is doing such a great job helping newsletter editors and I am excited for her to share her best advice here today. Hope you enjoy it!

A question I’ve seen in our inbox a lot lately is: how do I get started, and what do I write about? It’s one thing to decide to write a newsletter and sign up to Revue, but quite another to actually put pen to (metaphorical) paper. The advice I’d give at this point is to think about your passions. What makes you tick? What could you talk about forever and never get bored? 

If you care about it, your readers will feel it. And it will be easier to find a community in which to share your newsletter and bring in new signups (Facebook groups, Reddit threads… the opportunities are endless!).

Building a big subscriber list won’t happen overnight, but take it slow and you’ll gradually build up a community of readers who care about what you’re writing. After all, 100 engaged readers is better than 1,000 who never open your newsletter.

Here are some writers who have built committed followings on Revue. Check out their newsletters for inspiration:

I remember the first time I clicked “Send” on my first newsletter, several years ago. Nerve-wracking is an understatement. I remember worrying that readers would pick apart any typos or unfortunate turns of phrase.

I’ll let you in on a little secret: that feeling never quite goes away. The best remedy is to keep at it, and every time you click “Send” it will feel more natural.

A final piece of advice: Start writing.

Newsletter writers often take a few issues to find their voice — and to hit that sweet spot that keeps their readers opening every email. You don’t have to figure everything out before you start! We certainly didn’t here at The Week in Newsletters. Our first few issues were about finding the right format and reaching the right audience. This blog post documents our early experiences with this newsletter, and makes for interesting reading if you want to explore further.

To make it easier to get content down on the page, Revue has built a world-class, easy-to-use editor tool. We also have some great integrations that connect Revue to your favorite social media sites and other apps. You can save content in apps like Pocket, Medium, and Twitter, and find them easily in the Revue interface when you’re ready to write your next newsletter issue.

Our browser extensions also allow you to save stories from anywhere on the web, and have them available to share in your Revue newsletter.

Another question we get asked a lot is: how do I make money on Revue? With newsletters booming as a source of revenue, it’s only natural that new writers, as well as writers with years of experience, would be interested in getting in on that action. 

On Revue, you can activate the paid newsletter option, which gives your subscribers the opportunity to pay to receive special issues of your newsletter that free subscribers won’t receive. If you’ve already made up your mind and want to get started, we have a how-to guide to help you set that up.

But what if you’re unsure what to write about, or how much to charge? This blog post from 2018 still stands up as an excellent primer on building a paid newsletter successfully. It draws on the experience of newsletter writers who have already cultivated a paying audience, and offers some helpful resources to get your ideas off the ground. 

I know from personal experience how doubts, self-consciousness, and sometimes even procrastination can get in the way of setting a newsletter free in the world. So if you have any questions about getting started, my door is always open. Find me at support@getrevue.co, and let’s talk about how you can make your newsletter a success!

That was great advice on getting started. Did you find it helpful? Here are the other not-to-be-missed newsletter articles of the week, today about growth, another acquisition, retention, and sponsoring.

Revue by Twitter is an editorial newsletter tool for writers and publishers.

We publish this weekly update and a blog for newsletter editors and audience managers.

I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions about this newsletter, Revue, or your own newsletter. Just hit reply or send an email to mark@getrevue.co.