Do yourself a favor and get good at writing roundup newsletters. They can save you time and money (they’re faster to write than other kinds of newsletters), and they’re an excellent traffic pull to your website. Also, readers love roundups because you’re bringing the good stuff to them, so they can save time. (And who knows? Maybe money too!) Finally, roundups also do a great job of catching the attention of search engines—so basically you’re looking at a win, win, and win.
What is a roundup newsletter?
A roundup newsletter brings diverse sources together into a single comprehensive piece, which brings a ton of value to your readers. Typically, these are the kind of people who want to dig deep into a subject, but don’t have the time to do it.
Roundup newsletter formats
- Listicles
- These are compiled lists of curated content. The ones that do best tend to have an expanded list structure. So, the main content (tips, strategies, experts, products, etc) is bulleted or numbered and then a little more depth and detail (including links) is added to each separate point.
- Resource Roundups
- They feature resources for a given topic, based on research and categorization. Creating and using your own rating system for the choices you make often draws in more readers—because you build their trust when you make your choices transparent.
- News Roundups
- These newsletters focus on the important news of the week. You become a one-stop shop for people who like to be up to date on current research, trends, news, and products.
- Expert Roundups
- Curating quotes and other information from experts has the added bonus of helping you build relationships with other professionals in your field. You don’t have to be a subject expert to create a newsletter around a specific topic, you just need to find the people who are.
- Roundups of your own content
- Finally, you can do a roundup of your own blog posts, for example, like bringing together your most popular posts. This is perfect for turning new readers into subscribers
How to write a rich roundup newsletter
- Decide on the format for your roundup that is best suited to your readers.
- Do your research. Gather information. If you’re interviewing experts, do enough research that you can ask them specific questions, tailored to each of them separately. This will give you unique and varied answers.
- Write a compelling headline. This is the door to your newsletter. It needs to open.
- Structure your roundup so it is easy to read. Use bullets, numbers, and visuals.
- Link to other articles to raise your SEO
- End with a call to action. What do you want your reader to do after they finish your newsletter?
Yes, you want to drive readers to your site. And yes, you want them to subscribe to or purchase something. But keep top of mind that you want to create useful, meaningful content. Ultimately, the more readers get out of your newsletters, the more dedicated to you they become.