by Suzanne Bowness
For most freelance editors/writers with a roster of clients, “how to keep in touch without being annoying” is a question that keeps us up at night, or at least flits through our mind on a slow workday. We want to seem genuinely friendly and helpful, while at the same time staying top of mind for the next project.
One useful approach? Create a newsletter.
I’ve been sharing a monthly newsletter with clients for many years as part of my freelance business. These days, tools like Mailchimp, Substack, and others offer templates that make even the most clueless content creator seem like a decent designer. You can even get code to embed in your website or email signature that allows people to sign up and unsubscribe. So, all you need to do is choose a template, create the content, and invite clients and colleagues to join. Here are a few tips to get started:
Come up with a formula
When your newsletter is your own, you could do anything with it. But as any freelancer knows, with freedom comes overwhelm. For this reason, I’ve adapted a template, both visual and content-wise, that helps me to be more consistent in terms of my output. This consistency means that readers know what to expect. In my case, I chose monthly in terms of a frequency I could handle. I developed a content formula: three articles, two hacks, and a podcast, plus a section about what I’m reading (both professionally and for fun), what I’m writing (here’s where I show off my work or just list the type of work if it’s not public), and then a section at the end where I discuss the kind of work I can help with. With this in mind, I know what to look for over the month to fill these sections.
Know your audience
If you’re putting time into a newsletter, know why you’re doing it and who it’s for. If you’re a new writer, your goal might be to provide prospective clients with a regular sample of your writing. For long-standing freelancers, the newsletter may serve as a way to keep in touch and grow your profile as a good source of information. Whoever you target, create your content for them. In my case, my clients are mostly editors and communications professionals, so I try to find articles that would be useful to them, on topics like search engine optimization (SEO), artificial intelligence (AI), and building readership. In my “hacks” category, I find links to new tech reviews that could be useful or shortcuts they can implement in their workday. Podcasts are the hardest links to find because it requires keeping up with the format and finding a favourite. I try to listen to a roster of podcasts related to writing, which is good for my own professional development too.
Add a process (and tie it to your other socials if you can)
My process is to create the newsletter about a week ahead but using links that I’ve been collecting since the last newsletter edition. Often, I ask my virtual assistant (VA) to keep an eye out for links for me and then compile a shortlist that I can choose from (and post the links individually on my social channels so my newsletter becomes a “best of” curation). I also get my VA to put the newsletter together and test the links. I add proofreading into my process, and I use an SEO tool to optimize the post since I also share my newsletter as a blog on my website.
Add original content
After I had been writing my newsletter for a couple of years, I stepped up my production by writing an original blog post to include at the top. This both provides a sample of my writing, plus extends my thought leadership on topics related to my work. It adds a bit of time, but it also makes my newsletter more original than it was in the first iteration.
Know the rules around spam
Most newsletter programs have this built in, but always make sure it’s clear how to unsubscribe – this is what separates us sweet newsletter writers from ugly spammers. Try to be clear how often you will send out the newsletter so your reader knows what to expect.
If you’re up for adding a newsletter to your workload, the first step is to vision it, then try it out. You can always experiment with what works for you and what resonates with readers. The best part is when you hear back from readers that they enjoy your output, and also that you are top of mind for assignments. Good luck!
Suzanne Bowness is a long-time freelance writer/editor whose book, The Feisty Freelancer: A Friendly Guide to Visioning, Planning, and Growing Your Writing Business, was published in January 2025 by Dundurn Press. Find out more about the book at www.feistyfreelancer.com. You can also subscribe to her new newsletter for the book at feistyfreelancer.substack.com.
This article was copy edited by Jane Hodgkinson, a writer and editor living in Toronto.
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