Summary

An author shares their positive experience of creating a Facebook group to foster better communication and relationships with their newsletter subscribers.

Abstract

The author, who has an organically grown newsletter with high engagement rates, discusses the limitations of newsletters in building personal relationships and the value of creating a Facebook group for subscribers. This initiative led to an unprecedented 60% open rate for a newsletter announcing the group, with many subscribers joining to interact more directly with the author. The Facebook group has facilitated discussions, increased fan engagement, and provided the author with valuable insights into readers' preferences. The author recommends creating a Facebook group for anyone looking to enhance interaction with their audience.

Opinions

Newsletters are not designed for two-way communication and thus are insufficient for truly getting to know one's audience.
The author prefers not to adhere to frequent newsletter sending or brand-building advice from marketing gurus, emphasizing the human and artistic aspects of their work over branding.
A real conversation and dialogue are essential for people to get to know each other, which is not possible through a newsletter.
The creation of the Facebook group was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback and significantly increased reader engagement.
The author believes that the interactions within the group have provided a better understanding of the readers' interests and preferences, which is beneficial for future work.
The author suggests that other content creators or business owners could benefit from a similar approach to increase audience engagement and feedback.

Create AFacebook Group For Your Newsletter Subscribers

You have hundreds or thousands of newsletter subscribers, but don’t know who these people are? No wonder, because newsletters are not designed to help you get to know your customers better. The roles of sender and recipient are clearly defined.

I am an author and have had a newsletter for years. There are not more than a few hundred subscribers, but I have excellent click rates.

This is probably because I have built my newsletter entirely organically. Only those who have read one of my books to the end will find the link to the registration.

This is to make sure I only have people on the list who really want to hear from me because they like my stories. I have never used list-building activities such as Facebook ads or sweepstakes.

What a newsletter can’t do

Like so many authors, I only send my newsletter when I have a new book to sell. I know the advice of many marketing gurus that you should send a newsletter at least once a week so that subscribers don’t forget who you are.

Moreover, according to the experts, a newsletter should not only sell but also build the author’s brand. You have to develop a relationship with your customer and reveal something about yourself.

But that’s not my method. I don’t want to position myself as a brand because I’m neither Apple nor Coca Cola. I’m not a product, I make some (books). So I am a human being and maybe even an artist.

But I think people should not primarily send out messages but communicate with each other. Only through dialogue can people get to know each other. And no matter what all the newsletter gurus say — you can’t have a real conversation through a newsletter.

Sure, many newsletter authors ask at the end of the mail to reply, participate in a survey, or otherwise contact the sender. But these are all crutches that have nothing to do with real dialogue.

To cut a long story short: A newsletter cannot build relationships.

Social media as an engagement booster

The success of this mail surprised me completely. Firstly, it had the highest opening rate ever achieved by any of my newsletters with 60% and secondly, already in the first hours after being sent, over a hundred people contributed to my new Facebook group.

Many readers have expressed their gratitude that I have founded this group because they have long wished to communicate more with me and get to know me better.

Of course, I also received a lot of messages from subscribers who told me that they didn’t have a Facebook account. But these people also wished me much fun and success with the group. I actually only got positive feedback for this step.

When the next book release was due, the full potential of the group unfolded. I posted the cover as soon as it was finished, revealed the title and gave first hints what the thriller would be about.

The reactions have been significant. Discussions arose about which character the readers like most, which books from the series they have already read and which they have not yet read.

On the day of publication, members of the group did a lot of advertising for me on Facebook. Also, the first reviews came much earlier this time than usual.

The great thing about a Facebook group is that I can communicate even small news immediately without starting a new newsletter campaign every time.

Since I started the group, the commitment of my fans has increased significantly. I’m getting a lot more emails and messenger messages now.

This means that I now know much better what my readers like, what they would like more of, and what I need to avoid better in the future.

I recommend that anyone who wants more interaction with their fans or customers create a Facebook group. You’ll be surprised at what happens.

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