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Maybe I’m getting jaded but I’m losing interest in newsletter recommendation widgets.
Do I think it’s good to promote other writers? Absolutely.
Do I think platforms doing it for you is important? No.
Everyone gives Substack WAY TOO MUCH credit for this when readers are being subscribed to stack of publications without having any idea what they signed up for, resulting in low open rates and not much else. This strategy is losing its luster.
It’s much more meaningful to find a few writers you really click with, where your audience overlap is strong, who you can promote year round. Recommendation widgets are useful, but nothing beats just talking about each other out loud. It will drive way more subscribers than a widget ever could.
To help you do that, I’m sharing a new cross promo method you can try each week.
Last week, we looked at newsletter swaps. This week, we’re exploring social media takeovers.
I get that it’s hard to have energy for marketing when there’s so much else going on, but I also want you to know it’s not that hard to give and get these shout outs yourself. To make it even easier, we’ve started our own cross promo network and YOU can be part of it.
It’s only for paid subscribers. If you’re a subscriber, read on below! And if you’re not, join us at any subscription tier!
P.S. I swapped out my tip jar. Good bye Buy Me a Coffee, hello Ko-Fi.
P.P.S. Coming tomorrow! Have an idea for your own project but want to see how it lands with others? Join us for a Pitch Slam! Hosted by Liz Kelly Nelson, this is a great way to gain some momentum and get some support before you launch.
This week’s cross promo method
Maybe you have a promo partner that’s not right for your newsletter audience but could be great for one of your social channels. Try a social takeover!
I haven’t seen many journalists use this method but I’ve seen nonprofits and politicians use it to expand their audience for fundraisers. The idea is that you takeover each other’s social media channels for an hour or for the whole day. Choose one channel and a timeline and have your partner share about their work or do an AMA.
Pros:
- Fresh content for your social channel
- More airtime for your partnership because you can post as much as you want
- Expands your social audience and your newsletter audience
Cons:
- You have to change your social media password 😛
- You need to trust them enough to share your account with them (you could also use a scheduler)
- Harder to build the email list because it’s a channel away on social (you’ll have to be intentional about sharing the newsletter links)
Example:
Comedian Tig Notaro used to give her Twitter account over to different charities. Tig’s assistant would change the password and DM it to the new charity for a daylong takeover. A rep from that charity would log in and tweet as much as they wanted to about what they were up to and what they were raising money for.
Tips:
- This works best on fast moving feed platforms like Twitter, Bluesky, Threads and Instagram stories.
- If you trade social takeovers, schedule them on different days.
- Make sure to have your promo partner introduce themselves and link to their work. They can pin this post too.
- Change your password before and after and/or use a scheduling tool.
Did you miss last week’s tip? Find all the cross promo methods in this post. I’m adding them as we continue with the challenge.
Take part in the Cross Promo Challenge
Liz and I are challenging you to place TWO promotions of any kind by June 30. Here’s how to do it:
- Choose 1 or 2 partners (From our network or on your own)
- Run 2 promotions of any kind (It really can be any kind of link, shout out or swap and you can run them both for the same partner or they can be different. Look out for more tips in this post. I’ll be adding them all month!)
- Submit your 2 promotions here to compete in the challenge!
Everyone who submits their promotions by June 30 will be entered to win one of three prizes:
🏆️ I’ll design a sticker for your publication
🏆️ A one hour design consult on your newsletter layout (yes, we can talk about the logo you made in Canva)
🏆️ A one hour 1:1 automation set up call
It should be easy and fun! Don’t overthink it.
Join our Cross Promo Network
See who’s already in the network ↗️ and join us! You can reach out to other journalists and writers in our community and I will also recommend some matches to you when I see good fits.
