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Introduction

Carolene hails from 15 years in the events and entertainment industries, with 10 of those being on tour with the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.

There she led over 50 guest experience teams in 17 different countries for 6 different shows and ultimately specialised in leading VIP experiences for the company.

Her expertise in experience design also took her to leadership roles in the cruise, retreats and start up ecosystems, to co-authoring an Amazon best-selling book on customer experience and to keynote speaking.

Carolene’s love for creating memorable experiences has now taken her to the world of digital experiences where she is a Premium Ghostwriter working with video-based creators to launch their first newsletter.

Whether she is writing for her own newsletter business or ghostwriting for her clients, she treats each piece like a VIP Experience for its reader - a highly unique approach.

If you’d like Carolene to ghostwrite your newsletter or are interested in subscribing to Ready. Set. Send, head to: www.carolenemeli.com

How To Launch a Successful Newsletter

By: Carolene Méli

As a Premium Newsletter Ghostwriter, you might assume THAT I have been writing my whole career.

But that could be further from the truth.

When I was just 22 years old, I ran away with the circus, and that ‘pack your bags’ moment began a decade-long adventure with the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.

In those 10 years, I worked on 6 different shows in 17 different countries and led over 60 local guest experience teams.

I ran every front-of-house department, from the merchandise boutique to the box office to the concierge, but my specialty was the exclusive VIP experience.

As a result, my expertise in experience design grew, and slowly but surely, I began seeing everything around me through a new lens - the lens of great experiences.

Even digital ones.

And this is where you’ll find me today—creating VIP experiences in the digital world as a Premium Newsletter Ghostwriter.

I know that comparing an extravagant, highly stimulating VIP night out at Cirque du Soleil to an email newsletter arriving in your inbox is a bit cheeky. But you can take A LOT of inspiration and strategy from a great in-person experience and then apply it to the digital world of email newsletters.

Let’s take the first moment of any great experience, The Arrival, and try it together.

What happens when you arrive at an in-person VIP experience?

You might receive a personalized greeting, a specialty cocktail, a welcome gift, or an escort to a private space.

Now of course, we can’t drop those into someone’s inbox, but it is still important to consider what the newsletter version of this may be.

In the newsletter world, this encompasses 3 essential elements:

1. Your Landing Page

2. Your Thank You Page

3. Your Welcome Sequence

Your Landing Page

This is your potential subscriber’s first impression of you and your newsletter. With this in mind, here are 5 must-haves for your landing page:

1. EVERYTHING sign-up related is above the fold (before scrolling), preferably on a dedicated landing page.

2. A short, punchy headline that has a clear value proposition.

3. An eye-catching image - headshot for solo newsletters and industry/themed image for company newsletters.

4. Street cred either in the form of the number of subscribers or reader testimonials.

5. And last but not least, a super strong call to action, AKA a high-value opt-in such as a free, 5-day Educational Email Course.

If you implement all 5, you will already be lightyears ahead of many other businesses and creators currently trying to build an email list.

To see these 5 in action, head to the landing page of my newsletter, Ready. Set. Send.

What’s next?

Ok, you now have a killer landing page and are seeing high opt-in rates because of it.

The next most important element of The Arrival stage in your subscriber’s journey is:

Your Thank You Page

Once your new subscriber hits ‘Subscribe’, don’t leave them hanging (the way most businesses and creators do).

Your landing page should automatically transform into a thank you page that:

1. Thanks to your new subscriber for joining your list.

2. Sets expectations for them - what are they in for? When can they expect you to show up in their inbox to drop some golden nuggets?

3. Directs them to their inbox to open your first email (important for deliverability and ensuring you don’t up in their spam).

I think that the best thank you pages are in video format.

That way, you check off the above, and your new subscriber gets to hear your tone, catch your vibe, and feel like they know a bit about you. If you’d like to see an example of this, sign up for my newsletter - the thank you page will follow.

Now, if you succeeded in creating a great thank you page, your new subscriber is hopping over to their inbox, and we have officially entered The Arrival's third and final stage.

Your Welcome Sequence

Picture this:

You have just arrived at an entrepreneur event.

You walk into the venue excited to see your favorite entrepreneurs speak.

Your ticket gets scanned

You are greeted with a standard 'welcome, have a great night', and then are left to find your way around.

Average experience.

Now picture THIS instead:

You walk into the venue excited to see your favorite entrepreneurs speak.

Your ticket gets scanned

You get a personalized message: 'Welcome [your name], we are so excited to have you here. How was your journey over?'.

The bartender brings you your favorite drink.
 
Then gives you a private tour around the venue.

Then, your favorite of all the speakers comes out to meet you and gives you one piece of advice to take away with you.

All of this before the event even begins.

Memorable experience.

This is the impact you can have with a great welcome sequence, yet 99% of businesses and creators don’t use this strategy at all, and it is a HUGE missed opportunity for them.

So, what does a fabulous newsletter welcome sequence have?

It starts with a welcome email that appears instantly in your new subscriber’s inbox.

Get creative! Aim to let your personality shine through.

Remember, this is their first time reading your stuff, so make it memorable.

Tell them a bit about your story and your mission, and educate them on your brand and what you offer.

For a technical advantage, ask them to reply with a question prompt and get them to move your email to their primary inbox.

Both actions will improve deliverability - a key metric for the success of your newsletter.

For some, one email in the welcome sequence suffices.

Others may offer something like a free 5-day email course.

Whatever method you choose, ask yourself - am I offering a highly engaging VIP experience for my new subscriber?

And that’s it! The Arrival experience is now complete. You have a killer landing; a thank you page, and a memorable inbox welcome sequence. You have nailed one of the most important but highly under-utilized stages of your new subscriber’s experience with you. Your newsletter is off to a great start.

I’m sure by now you can see how closely the world of in-person VIP experiences and digital inbox experiences are related. Now armed with this new lens, you can build a highly successful newsletter for your business.

Carolene Méli is a Premium Newsletter Ghostwriter working with video-based creators to launch their first newsletters. She also has her newsletter Ready. Set. Send where she is currently documenting each step she takes to build a newsletter from scratch, starting from zero subscribers. If you’d like Carolene to ghostwrite your newsletter or are interested in subscribing to Ready. Set. Send, head to: www.carolenemeli.com