You know you’ve got to expand into newsletters if you’re writing a topical book or self-help guide.

So why does your online newsletter sit unwritten?

I believe it’s not about writing ability or finding the time. It’s about overcoming perfectionism.

Most of us have the expertise or life experience. But translating that knowledge into newsletter content exhausts both your mental capacity—and hits the wall of wanting to be perfect.

While my newsletters are not perfect either, I think research can help us overcome these barriers.

The Research Gap Nobody Talks About

Expert authors say “Just share about how your wrote your book”.

Specialists say “Just share your expertise and stories”

That’s not where to start.

Before you write a word, you need to understand what your audience is actively searching for. Not what you assume they want. What they’re actually typing into Google at 11pm when they’re stuck.

Start with your website analytics. Look at your most popular pages. If you don’t have a website yet, use research tools. Tools like Answer the Public (Answerthepublic.com) reveal the actual questions your prospects are asking through online search.

Here’s what surprises most people: the content they thought would resonate isn’t what brings readers back. When I analysed my own book publishing blog, I expected insider opinion pieces to dominate. Instead, evergreen how-to articles kept drawing traffic.

Your assumptions about what matters rarely match reality.

Specific searches, not Volume searches

Here’s where most newsletter creators go wrong. They chase high-volume searches. It’s best to ignore those low-hanging searches and go specific.

I got some viewers for “Savings tips for those earning under $60,000”, this is specific and I could write about the related book.

Specific intent searches signal someone who’s already decided they need a specific solution. Now it’s just matching it up to what you can provide/sell.

This is called “topic to purchase alignment”.

When you find these aligned keywords, don’t just answer the surface question. Use it as a springboard to a specific goal.

Simple Tips to Start Writing Newsletters

When you start writing newsletters, you can do it:

• At your blog, where the specific headline style will also attract generative chat users…
• Via Substack, where it is auto sent to your subscribers
• Via an EMS, which allows you to add a product (i.e. book) to the newsletter at the bottom. (EMS such as Brevo or Kit, not GoHighLevel)

Choose which one or distribute via all three. You don’t need a complex funnel system to start a newsletter!

Uncover the Underlying Struggle

Someone searching “How to grow my readership list to 10,000” shows where they’re stuck. Your newsletter could point out a perspective shift they need to make first.

Your newsletter should define that underlying struggle and align it with your relevant experience. However, you need to give genuine, valuable advice whilst creating curiosity about all your online products.

The solution? Use metaphor and case stories. Choose something your audience can quickly relate to. An example: “not seeing things with the same glasses”. Simple. Universal.

For case stories, explain them like you would to a friend at a dinner party. Natural language. Before and after vignette. No jargon.

Remove Terms that will Lose Readers

Remove assumptions about what readers already know or want.

Most of us are blind to what content is accessible. The ‘dinner party test’ solves this. If you wouldn’t explain it this way to a smart friend over wine, rewrite it.

Newsletters focusing on a specific niche see 16% higher open rates. But that narrow focus only works if you make complex ideas simple, not simpler ideas complex.

One great example is “Strategic AF” a newsletter by Adriana Tica. It helps with automation or systems advice but in her own style, straight down the line.

When Your Mind Goes Blank

Even with research and a clear angle, you’ll hit creative blocks.

Your analytical brain takes over. You start comparing yourself to professional writers. You overthink every word choice.

Here’s the fix: grab felt pens and paper.

Draw a mind map with your narrow topic in the centre. Let branches flow outward without judgment. Studies show that mind mapping boosts information retention by 10-15%, but more importantly, it bypasses your overthinking circuits.

The physical act of drawing activates different neural pathways. Your hand moves faster than your inner critic. Ideas emerge that your analytical mind was blocking.

Don’t overthink it. Just draw.

If the mind map unlocks your structure, move to bullet points for each subtopic. If you’re still stuck, that’s the signal you need a content partner.

What Newsletters are Really About

Your newsletter is your chance to show how your advice is nuanced. How you care about the person and their success, not just how fat their wallet is.

Every newsletter should take a hurdle and offer a simple tip to help with that specific struggle. Rather than too much information, share just enough to show you see their situation clearly.

When you write this way, you are giving value and showing how you think. And the perspective shift you bring. That’s what builds trust. That’s what makes someone think, “This person gets it”.

And that’s what turns newsletter readers into clients.

If you’re stuck translating your expertise into newsletter content that resonates, let’s chat. Book a free call to discover a content strategy that works for you.