The Opt In: Why Do Readers Give You Their Address?

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

An online devotional for writers

A Word From The Word

A wise man will hear and increase in learning. (Proverbs 1:5, NASB)

A Word For Writers

Why do you opt in to a mailing list?

Years ago, when I first started writing, my mentors encouraged me to launch an online newsletter – a type of formatted group email, they explained.

I balked. Sending mass emails felt impersonal. I didn’t like the idea of throwing a lot of content into cyberspace to see what stuck.  

Until then, I received just a handful of group emails, mostly from my child’s soccer coach with news about game cancellations and league standings. I recognized each name in the “To” line, even though it went on forever.

Yes, I was on the receiving end of one or two online newsletters from copywriting gurus, which contained solid, helpful content. But those writers had something to say. I was a new writer. (I didn’t think what I had much “news” to offer to subscribers, even if they opted-in for free.)

Fast forward. An online newsletter, it turns out, is a powerful way to communicate with a large number of readers. 

But the tipping point is this: an online newsletter shares helpful information that the readers need or want.  Like the content I needed to know from the soccer coach about the updated game time. Like the tips I wanted from a respected copywriter. Those group emails were not impersonal. Rather, they communicated information that was valuable to me.

You opt in because you want to learn.

Jesus didn’t shy away from communicating to large crowds of people. His listeners opted in. They chose to hear from him, often at great cost. Travel was not easy in Bible times. The common man did not have large amounts of free time to spend listening to teaching on a mountainside. Yet these people needed and wanted what Jesus had to say.

Your readers opt in when your content is valuable to them. They ask for it. They choose to hear from you.

Give them what they need.

A Wise Word

Readers opt in when content is valuable to them.

A Word To Pray

Heavenly Father,

Let me understand what content I can offer to readers in order to be helpful to them. They want to learn new information and skills. Let me be faithful to give what they need.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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