Every single week, I receive a handful of newsletters to my inbox and I’m pretty crazy about maintaining inbox zero.

 

This means that the newsletters I stay subscribed to have been deemed worth it AND it means I have a filing system, so that all of my emails get read and organized accordingly.

 

I know a lot of people use a separate email account for the emails they subscribe to, but honestly I didn’t want another thing to manage, so I created a system that helps me filter all of my emails, so that every single one of them is either kept in its categorized folder OR it gets deleted. 

 

Nothing sits in the main inbox – at least that’s the goal.

 

I don’t achieve this daily, but by Friday afternoon I try to make sure I’ve read everything from the week, filed it accordingly, responded to all messages that need my attention and then start fresh on Monday.

 

One of my favorite email folders is titled “Good Reads” and it never fails that almost every week the same newsletters get moved to this tab. 

 

They all have a few things in common and today I want to share those things with you, so you can take what you need and apply it to your own email writing so that they’re always seen as “good reads” in the eyes of your audience. 

3 Things That Qualify a Good Read

Books, Blogs & Newsletters To Add To Your Reading List

The Dual Purpose of Your Website

When I subscribe to a newsletter of any kind, I’m not just signing up with the hope to receive “updates” and “news” – and trust me, your audience isn’t either. 

 

 

 

I promise I’m not just saying this because I’m biased. 😂

 

It’s just the truth! Every single newsletter that lands in my “good reads” folder all have a blog that they direct me to every single week.

 

Whether it’s a new blog they recently posted or something they wrote a year ago, they are always directing me somewhere else to dive even deeper into the topic at hand.

 

The reason I love this so much is because:

 

a) they’re being strategic by driving me to their website and I can respect that (you know I’m all about some blog strategy and it’s a perfect example of how your blog and email can work together) AND

 

b) they’re showing that they really do care about me learning more about a certain topic. 

 

While emails are great at giving value, you’re still limited on characters (because let’s be real – no one wants to read a book in their email each week), so your blog is where you get to go deep and provide EVEN MORE value one topic at a time.

 

Which leads me to number 2…

 

 

Typically if people are going to fork over their email address, they want true value in return. Like taking-notes-worthy value. And value they can keep returning to in the future.

 

The emails that I’m constantly saving in my “good reads” folder achieve this and I’m almost always taking notes on the content they send. 

 

Whether it’s a mindset tip, a tool I can implement in my business, questions I can journal on later or something specific that I want to refer to again, this is what sets emails apart in my inbox.

 

What’s important to note here is that the value isn’t general either – usually it’s something I haven’t seen talked about anywhere else OR they’re talking about it in a new way that got my attention.

 

 

Lastly, all of the emails that get saved to my “good reads” tab are consistent. I always know when to expect them in their inbox and honestly if I don’t receive them, I notice.

 

When you’re give taking-notes-worthy value people will want to see your name in their inbox and they too will notice when you’re not there. 

 

Consistency is one of the most overlooked pieces of content creation in general and I know that the advice of “be consistent!” can sound so cliché, but it truly can be the thing that sets you apart.

 

That’s the reason I’m committed to sending Notes From Natty like this every single Friday and why I post new blogs weekly – consistency truly matters!

 

 

 

Similar to owning your blog content on your website, you also want a place where you “own” your audience – and spoiler: social media isn’t that place!

 

 

Now that you know what qualifies a good read in my inbox, it’s only fair that I give you a quick list of favorites that fall into this category almost every single week:

 

In the digital age that we're in, everyyyyyyone is creating content. Social media feeds are noisy, inboxes are packed and people are growing more careful with the content they consume. 

 

If you want to be among the people that grab attention and keep your audience wanting more, give taking-notes-worthy value in all that you do.

 

Simply “giving value” isn't enough anymore. It has to be done in a way that gets them intrigued enough to take real action beyond just reading it once. 

 

When creating content, go about it in a way that goes beyond the surface level tips that everyone else is giving and show up in a way that supports your audience in a way they've never felt before!

If someone forwarded you this email, it's time we officially meet 👋🏼 I'm Natalie (but everyone calls me Natty) and I'm a Blog Writer for Business Owners!

 

I send a Note From Natty just like this one every Friday morning – it's like our standing Friday morning coffee date inbox style, where you'll receive a weekly digest full of stories, writing tips and a round up of the latest at Natty Writes!