<description>&lt;p&gt;If you’ve ever stared at a blinking cursor while trying to write your weekly newsletter and thought, &lt;em&gt;“What in the whole enchilada am I supposed to say?”&lt;/em&gt; — today’s episode is your permission slip to stop overthinking and start structuring your emails in a way that works &lt;em&gt;for you&lt;/em&gt; and your audience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I’m breaking down the two classic newsletter formats (and why I don’t follow either), the hybrid structure I swear by, and the eight must-have elements your weekly emails &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; if you want them to be opened, read, clicked, and shared.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you're brand new to email marketing or finally ready to clean up the spaghetti-at-the-wall approach we &lt;em&gt;all&lt;/em&gt; start with — this episode gives you practical steps to build a bingeable, forwardable, valuable email your people will look forward to every week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, you’ll hear…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The two traditional newsletter formats — and why a hybrid approach wins&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why story-driven writing builds connection (and how to use it well)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How to structure “predictable sections” and weekly “boxes” your audience can rely on&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The three core goals every email should have (and how to choose yours each week)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How many links to include — and the &lt;em&gt;right&lt;/em&gt; balance between your content vs. other people's&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Eight essentials you &lt;em&gt;must&lt;/em&gt; include in your weekly newsletter&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How to write subject lines + preview text that actually get opened&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;My #1 habit that instantly elevates the quality of your emails (and makes them sound human)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/how-to-grow-your-email-list-series-4/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;RESOURCES:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/sidebar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Get&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/sidebar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Sam’s free weekly newsletter,&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Sam’s Sidebar&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Listen to&lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/how-to-grow-your-email-list-series-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt; Part 1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/how-to-grow-your-email-list-series-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Part 2&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/how-to-grow-your-email-list-series-3/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Part 3&lt;/a&gt; of the "How To Grow Your Email List" Series&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://samvanderwielen.kit.com/e0960a96f4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Download the free “How to Grow Your Email List” Workbook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Get Sam's book "&lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy"&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/the-6-weekly-anchors-behind-my-8m-business/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Listen to Epi 262. The 6 Weekly Anchors Behind My $8M Business&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://samvanderwielen.com/captivate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Watch my email walkthrough training&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://samvanderwielen.kit.com/c733b8ed78" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Click here to be notified when new episodes of On Your Terms® come out&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.samvanderwielen.com/oyt-workshop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Click here to watch the free workshop so you can get legally protected right now!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;CONNECT:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://instagram.com/samvanderwielen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Sam on Instagram&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://facebook.com/samvanderwielenllc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Sam on Facebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/onyourtermspodcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;On Your Terms&lt;/a&gt;®&lt;a...</description>

On Your Terms®

Sam Vander Wielen

266. How to Grow Your Email List (Series #4)

NOV 24, 202540 MIN
On Your Terms®

266. How to Grow Your Email List (Series #4)

NOV 24, 202540 MIN

Description

If you’ve ever stared at a blinking cursor while trying to write your weekly newsletter and thought, “What in the whole enchilada am I supposed to say?” — today’s episode is your permission slip to stop overthinking and start structuring your emails in a way that works for you and your audience.

I’m breaking down the two classic newsletter formats (and why I don’t follow either), the hybrid structure I swear by, and the eight must-have elements your weekly emails need if you want them to be opened, read, clicked, and shared.

Whether you're brand new to email marketing or finally ready to clean up the spaghetti-at-the-wall approach we all start with — this episode gives you practical steps to build a bingeable, forwardable, valuable email your people will look forward to every week.

In this episode, you’ll hear…

  • The two traditional newsletter formats — and why a hybrid approach wins
  • Why story-driven writing builds connection (and how to use it well)
  • How to structure “predictable sections” and weekly “boxes” your audience can rely on
  • The three core goals every email should have (and how to choose yours each week)
  • How many links to include — and the right balance between your content vs. other people's
  • Eight essentials you must include in your weekly newsletter
  • How to write subject lines + preview text that actually get opened
  • My #1 habit that instantly elevates the quality of your emails (and makes them sound human)

Click here to find the full show notes and transcript for this episode.

RESOURCES:


CONNECT:


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