Have you signed up for the *free* Grand Newsletter Experiment yet? By joining us, you’ll not only get a backstage pass to what I’m playing with when it comes to newsletters, but you’ll also receive a complete copy of the results (even if they’re completely embarrassing). I’d love for you to sign up, if you’re interested!

I’d hoped to launch the Grand Newsletter Experiment today, but because of a couple factors (you’ll have to join the list to know exactly what ), the launch has been pushed back to April 17.

This is a photo of my neighbor’s crab apple tree from yesterday afternoon–isn’t it gorgeous? I love how April bursts out in layered color in North Carolina–that my neighbor’s tree is in full bloom, while the tree in my yard has yet to come out of hibernation.

Three Reasons a Newsletter Helps You Get Clients

“Publish a newsletter!” the experts shout. “Start an ezine!” they proclaim. In fact, even with the on-going debates about email and whether or not “email is dead,” marketing experts continue to recommend publishing a newsletter as one of the foundational tools for attracting clients.

Of course, I’m not going to argue. But, where I think they fall short is in explaining precisely how a newsletter can help you fill your client list. And in this case, it’s the how that matters.

There are three key ways that a newsletter helps you attract clients into your business, and knowing what they are means you can publish a newsletter that leverages what a newsletter is already good for so that you don’t need to work nearly as hard to get the results you want.

A newsletter demonstrates your reliability.

We’ve all worked with companies that were less than reliable. Maybe what they delivered fell short of what they promised, or they took ages longer than scheduled to deliver at all. Or, gasp, they didn’t deliver anything at all!

As a result of these less than ideal interactions, most of us are a bit nervous about working with a new company–we don’t leap right in full of trust and enthusiasm. And that’s where a newsletter comes in.

With your newsletter, you can demonstrate that you’re different. That you are timely, supportive, and reliable.

Demonstrate your reliability by: publishing regularly, keeping your promises in your newsletter (which doesn’t mean you can’t postpone–it just means you’ll want to keep readers aware of schedule changes), and ensuring that each issue you publish is in line with what you’ve invited readers to subscribe to.

High Achievers Bonus Points: Get bonus points by posting complete (and up-to-date) archives on your website (to demonstrate how long you’ve been publishing), and publishing unedited reader feedback in the newsletter or on the subscribe page.

A newsletter puts you on display.

A newsletter is a great way to get really personal with readers. But, it doesn’t have to be. More than a place to share garden photos, a newsletter is a place where you can set the tone for how you want to work with clients.

Not a warm and fuzzy person? Then simply skip the friendly chatter. Want your readers and clients to share more about themselves? Share more of yourself, first.

I don’t quite buy into the school of thought that your best clients are just like you (how boring would it be to work with a bunch of people who were too similar?), but I do believe that a common approach to business communications will absolutely make for a smoother relationship.

Put yourself on display by: deciding how personal you want your clients and readers to get with you and keeping your newsletter at that level, sharing stories, photos, and testimonials as appropriate.

High Achievers Bonus Points: Rack up extra points by keeping the stories, photos and testimonials you share in each issue related in some way to the content of the newsletter.

A newsletter helps people “try on” a relationship with you.

The first business coach I hired, I hired because of her newsletter. I liked who she was, the stories she told, and the way she described her interactions with her clients. And, she was exactly that same way in our sessions together.

Your newsletter lets people see what it would be like to work with you, it’s a low risk way to see how you treat people, what you know, and how you help your clients. Or, it does all that if you let it .

So many newsletters are just articles–articles that might as well be published anywhere–instead of being unique to that one newsletter.

It’s not about violating your clients’ trust by sharing all the details of your work together (in fact, that’s a sure way to ensure readers won’t trust you either!), but it’s also not about sanitizing and sanding down everything until there’s not a single rough spot or uniqueness.

Let people try on their relationship with you by: Sharing real client stories with as many details as possible (always get your client’s permission, first) and tell the story in your own fashion. If you’re a don’t-hold-back sort, and that works for you in your work with clients, by all means, tell the stories that way. If you’re especially gentle with your clients, take that approach in relaying your stories.

High Achievers Bonus Points: Get bonus points by interviewing clients for first person case studies or 3-4 paragraph testimonials. Or, for something that’s twice as scary, share what you did wrong with a client–share the missteps of your journey together (along with the success, of course). This not only helps readers get a realistic perspective of what it’s like to work with you, but it’ll also reassure them because you’re sharing the whole story and not just the highlights.

A newsletter is indeed a powerful way to invite more clients into your business. And by knowing exactly how a newsletter brings you more clients, you can make sure you take the right approach for your readers.

I’d love to hear which approach is most important in the way you attract clients with your newsletter. Simply add a comment here to share.