There is a lot of pressure out there to keep coming up with something new—and that goes for our small business newsletters too. We’re told we need a new topic, a new angle, a new way every week or month. And it can make us feel like we’re constantly having to start from scratch.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Your readers haven’t memorised your archive. Many of them weren’t even on your list when you wrote your earlier newsletters. And the ones who were? They’ve forgotten most of it, because as humans we all forget lots of the content we consume.
You are allowed to revisit, reuse and rework—and below I’m sharing three strategies to inspire you.
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Strategy #1: send it again
There is absolutely nothing wrong with sending the newsletter again—a year later, two years, whatever works.
Especially for product-based businesses, a lot of your content might be seasonal: back-to-school, Christmas, summer. No one will mind if you send last year’s Christmas newsletter again this year—they probably won’t even notice. It might even provide a lovely reminder for long-time readers, and a fresh new take for newer ones. In 2021 and 2022 I sent a newsletter on how to prepare your business for taking time off. Both times I sent it just before summer—and both times, the content was pretty much the same.
And sometimes it can be really joyful for your readers to rediscover a topic again. When Zabby of the Nature Noticeboard sent her newsletter on lichen again, I was excited about lichens all over again—and happy to be reminded of which ones to spot.
Which newsletter can you send again? What topic would lend itself to be shared again as is, or slightly reworked?
Your readers haven’t memorised your archive.
Strategy #2: build on a past topic
As a reader, these are some of my favourite newsletters—the kind where someone reflects on an experiment, a change in their business, using a new tool.
For example, I’ve written several newsletters on marketing my business off social media. In early 2023 I wrote “Reflections on 16 months without social media”. I explained what worked for me in the early years of my business, and how I experimented with social media, before getting to the changes that made me leave. And, of course, what happened to my business once I left. I came back to this topic later in the year, at my two-year anniversary of leaving, sharing six lessons I’d learnt: from not needing social media to market my business, to feeling so much less pressure now.
The true test for any change is whether it holds up—and these kinds of “check-in” newsletters are an excellent way of showing that. Your new subscribers will be prompted to go back to your earlier newsletter too (make sure you link it), and for your long-time subscribers, this feels like a story that continues.
Which topic can you build on? Where can you reflect on a change, or continue the story?
Strategy #3: move it across formats
Everything you produce in your business forms an archive to choose from: whether that’s older newsletters, posts for social media, videos for YouTube, a podcast, or even a product. I’m not talking here about the kind of “repurpose all your content across as many channels as possible”-hustle. Instead, what I’m talking about is being creative, and seeing links between your content.
This week I created a short video for YouTube, for instance, that reiterates a topic from my course Small business newsletter magic. What I looked for in creating this video was sharing about the course, but doing it in a way that is generally useful, providing a full set of strategies rather than just teasing them. I also looked for some “low-hanging”-fruit—something that I’d already created, something that still felt genuinely interesting, and something that I could easily repurpose. And that’s how the video “3 types of small business newsletters” was born.
This is not lazy marketing: it’s marketing in a way that is gentle for you, and that is of genuine value to your audience. What content, from other channels or even products, can you use in your newsletter?
Remember: your work doesn’t have a shelf life. There is so much pressure out there to keep creating new things to feed all kinds of algorithms. But you can do marketing on your own terms, and that goes for your newsletter too. Your ideas are worth saying more than once.
Module 7 of my course Small business newsletter magic is about exactly this—repurposing your newsletter, and making the whole thing more sustainable. THe course is only available through the waitlist: if you’re curious, sign up for the waitlist to be part of the launch.
I’d love to know what resonates with you from this post.
Please feel free to share this post it with business friends, in your newsletter or elsewhere. 💛
I’d love to support you in all phases of your business. Providing clarity, focus and next steps is something that my clients tell me I’m really good at. If you’re curious about how we can work together through 1:1 mentoring, check out what I offer or send me an email–no strings attached. I have payment plans available, and flexible options for mentoring calls.
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