Tips for Creating a Successful Newsletter

The creator of the popular Spanish newsletter El Club de la Cabaña (The Cabin Club) shares some style tips and good working practices

Newsletters, far from being regarded as a dated marketing tool, are now considered as a tool that helps to consolidate communication with your followers, expand a brand’s universe, and even inspire experimental projects. We can learn about many diverse topics, cultural recommendations, intimate diaries, and art critiques by reading them.

Eva Morell (@carlayeva)’s, El Club de la Cabaña, is one such interesting newsletter. The content curator and consultant used her passion for cabins and design to create a community of loyal readers: a club of people who are passionate about solitary lifestyles immersed in nature.

In this newsletter, Eva shows off her knowledge in design (she collaborates with AD, the go-to magazine for design and architecture). She puts together valuable pieces of information that go from interior design to the creative habits of famous writers who retreat in tiny wooden houses.

We spoke to her about the creative process behind El Club de la Cabaña, her work routines to keep it going, and her tips for those who want to start their own newsletter.

Eva, what makes a newsletter?

Newsletters have traditionally been a bulletin full of the information you received in your inbox to keep you updated on various stuff you were interested in. In their boom years, they became a significant marketing strategy for brands, to the point of becoming intrusive and stressful for the users.

Newsletters are messages sent to your email, where stories are told, relevant content is shared, and your most personal creative material is given rein to. It is one of the most important examples of content creation and curating of the present day.

They became a sort of spam mail that no one wanted to receive. However, around a year and a half ago, the concept idea of newsletters changed and has become a new communication tool for many journalists, content creators, and creatives.

What inspired you to start your own newsletter?

The inspiration came through my passion for architecture and cabins. I wanted to create a virtual space in which one could disconnect in such a hyperconnected world. The tranquility one can experience staying in a cabin in the middle of the woods is the very sensation I wanted to achieve. I’ve been into this kind of environment for years, and I’ve been sharing it on Instagram and Twitter. I thought the best format for this disconnected space and share reference material. I wanted it to be something different from a blog or other social media accounts. The name El club de la Cabaña was key when creating a virtual space for a community of like-minded people who love this type of world.

What keeps your readers engaged in your newsletter?

Once a week, all my subscribers know that they will find a space to disconnect and experience a virtual trip around the world in their inbox. The most important thing is to source pictures of cabins they will like, places to travel to, and info about cabins in Spain. The content is varied, and I try to match it to everyone’s taste. The advantage of a newsletter is knowing that it will be well received by the reader. I share pretty cabin images and other stuff: books, films, fun facts, travel… to go a bit more in-depth.

How do you create a weekly newsletter in a way that makes you enjoy the process and not feel like it is an obligation?

The weekly newsletter is sent out at 10 am every Thursday. During the week, I read on the subject, investigate and research any resources I want to add, divide the material into sections, and keep adding ideas and links. From there, I write the content, and I upload the images. I set a day for it to go out and do not rush through at the last minute, as I want to enjoy this process.

You’ve got to dedicate an hour a day to this. I do not usually do more than that.

I tend to work with music in the background. For this purpose, every weekly letter comes with a playlist to accompany your read. So, I tend to listen to the same music to help me feel inspired. You’ve got to dedicate an hour a day to this to complete each step: research, select, and eventually add the content, then edit it where needed, and schedule it. Each step is a part of curating the content.

Why are newsletters becoming more and more popular?

In a world where there is a high saturation of digital content, there is a demand from people to be told things they want to know about. They became synonymous with intrusive marketing, and Google even created tabs to sort content and lighten the inbox, filtering out offers and promotion emails.

A newsletter is a combination of quality content and quality editing. Always. Even when writing about something simple, such as cabins, add something original: decor, travel, reading, music.

We live in a world of over information, and newsletters help to classify the material and meet our need for knowledge, at all levels, with carefully curated and edited content. Not only on a journalistic level, which helped revive the newsletter concept, but also at a cultural, creative, and literary level. This ‘misused’ tool resumed its original purpose: telling stories and communicating interesting facts. Newsletters have existed since Roman times.

What must be included in a newsletter to work?

Good content and good content curation. It is indispensable. You have to choose what you put out there carefully, edit well, ensure you share quality content with attractive and visually pleasing images. A newsletter is a combination of quality content and quality editing. Always. Even when writing about something simple, such as cabins, add some original extras: decor, travel, reading, music. Create a whole universe of relevant and lovely stuff around them. Always.

What tips can you give us in terms of style?

- Consistency is important. When you send a newsletter, you create a new project, and you must consider it as such. You need to prepare every element well: research, knowledge. Is anybody else doing the same? What can I do differently? What sources are you going to use? Set a time to work all of this out.

- It is crucial to have the type of content and segments (if we are including any) clear in our minds and whether they add to the piece. Once this is decided, begin step by step: collect the content, classify it, add, edit, write it up, and share it. Organizing the content well is key to a successful newsletter.

- You also need to choose a platform (Substack, Getrevue, Mailchimp…), depending on what you are sending and how frequently. Some make the process easier; others are more complex, requiring personalization, so look for one that fits your skills and the look you want.

- Most importantly, make this a project you’ll enjoy. If it becomes a chore or another job, your lack of enthusiasm will transpire, and you should stop. You should always enjoy this activity if you want it to add something special to your work.

What type of project is suitable for a newsletter?

We do not all need to produce a newsletter. We must weigh up why we would need this extra feature in our brand or project as it may bring us a negative feedback. For example, it is evident that if you have an online selling project, a bulletin will help sales by advertising special offers, new products, etc. On a more creative level, it showcases what inspires you, your portfolio, and new projects. In my case, the aim is a personal project, which is highly recommended because it helps improve your personal brand and shows off what you do and what your references are to others.

It is not a case of everything goes, however. You must consider whether your content will be genuinely relevant to others and promote your digital identity. Many creators use it for this purpose, to add value to their work and experience. An interesting case is Wences Sanz and his newsletter Stereochromo, in which he shares creative references at all levels and check out what inspires him and even how he works.

How frequent should newsletters be?

It depends on the content and the type of project. In my case, it is weekly. We must keep in mind that newsletters have had a bad name as spam, so we must ensure we do not invade those inboxes excessively. Weekly or biweekly are common periodicities for this type of format. For presenting portfolios and projects, a monthly frequency is more suitable.

However, you must always consider a few things: the amount of time you wish to dedicate to creating each bulletin and how long it takes you; how often you can create one according to the content. If you set yourself a weekly target and you feel overwhelmed, perhaps you should send the newsletter every fortnight. The decisive element for the success of a newsletter is the management of time and information.

What are your favorite newsletters? Any recommendations?

I’ve been a consumer of newsletters for years. Creatively, I love the daily selection from Trendland and Designboom. They keep me up to date and informed on creative topics. I also love Creative Boom’s newsletter, a must among creative people. I need to keep abreast of the news for my work, so I like to read a daily newsletter called Al Día by Juanlu Sánchez. It offers insightful views on political and current affairs. It’s a perfect read over breakfast.

If you’d like to sign up for Eva’s El Club de Cabaña, click on this link.
You will be able to find the content of all previous newsletters.

Learn about quality content creation with Eva Morell and storyteller Carla González in their course, Branded Content and Content Curation for your Personal Brand.

English version by @acesarato.

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