My Email Marketing Evolution as a Solopreneur
Why Substack is My Forever Platform (And What It Can Do for You)
Hello!
There's too much to be said about the subject of email marketing for a creative or service-based online entrepreneur, solopreneur, or freelancer—much, much more than than to fulfill the purposes of this newsletter. But the topic is still important enough to dedicate some thoughtful exploration to.
The fact is that it's in your best interest to maintain an active and healthy email list if you're concerned about the long-term sustainability of your business. Keeping one creates future marketing opportunity via a source that you own. Your email list acts as a collection or pool of "your type" of people who have indicated their warm interest in hearing more from you with their consent and opt-in. This is infinitely valuable, so establish an email list of your own as soon as possible.
And luckily, there is no shortage of methods, providers, and platforms available to you to get this job done. My favorite ESP (email service provider) happens to be Substack, the platform hosting this newsletter of mine, and that is so for several reasons. My previous top choice, Mailerlite, comes in a close second place.
I previously wrote an edition of The Clarity Call that outlined my experimental journey of migrating my mailing list twice: moving from Substack to Mailerlite, and then returning back to Substack afterwards. I had only good intentions and my best interest in mind during both moves across the two platforms, and I thank my subscribers who endured the transition.
After having done this, I firmly now state the following:
I will NOT be moving my mailing list again to a platform other than Substack in the foreseeable future…
I have several solid arguments that make this the case for me, and I'll illustrate them for anyone who is curious and might be deciding between ESPs themselves. You are free, of course, to make your own judgements about this for your specific needs, based on the requirements of your individual business.
1. I love to write
Probably one of the largest contributing factors to my Substack loyalty is that my very first love wasn't actually my own father, it was writing. It still is writing. With that said, it should be noted that Substack first emerged as a platform to serve writers and journalists who were seeking an outlet to host their creative independence. It has since experienced a transformation, now being flocked to by coaches, content creators, creatives, and other business owners who aren't primarily writers. I know that personally, it suits the needs of my business model as a professional services provider and multi-passionate business founder. Lying underneath the platform engine meeting my practical needs for email delivery is my writing practice being supported by the built-in tools for publishing work intended for reader consumption.
2. I'm NOT a digital marketer
Despite my many years spent on mastering the digital landscape for my purposes of business achievement (and my credentials of a Hubspot certification in applying inbound Social Media marketing strategy and a Google certificate in Digital Marketing fundamentals), I still don't self-identify as a marketing pro. I lack the formal education and traditional work history, even if I possess some skilled knowledge from my years of experience with practical application in my own business projects.
I founded my business to serve others by doing what I absolutely love to do, and could do all day long without a break for free. And a certain degree of email marketing know-how is very much essential to the function of owning an online service-based business today. It is my desire to fulfill this requirement in a minimally complex and less technical method as possible while still getting the job done. Using Substack allows me to grow and nurture my email list with campaigns and deliver valuable content to my subscribers in a simple, streamlined process. The newsletter publishing experience couldn't be more smooth than it is with Substack. In fact, using Substack for this purpose has resulted in my tech stack literally shrinking before me eyes, as I can now publish my entire podcast with the very same platform and the same simple workflow.
I don't utilize advanced automated sequences now, much unlike my days with Mailerlite. I now deliver my lead magnet to new subscribers in a single Welcome email that contains credentials to access an entire Free Resource Vault filled with multiple products. This is better to me than to operate several different automation sequences for many different disjointed resources linked to all over my website. With Substack, I can still schedule my email blasts to send at a selected date and time in the future. I can still monitor open rates and other analytics. I can even share my free content with the public from my own Substack newsletter website, which just goes to increase my visibility and growth each time that I send a single email to my current subscribers. And I can't forget to mention that I'm also able to easily host and distribute a podcast of my own with Substack (Clarity Calling), a longtime wish of mine that was much more difficult to accomplish by relying on other separate platforms before.
3. It's cost-effective
This reason explains itself well. I'm not keen on having to pay for my email provider at all, let alone pay them more and more each time that my number of subscribers increases. While it wasn't breaking my bank, I resented the future of higher fees associated with my email list growing while using Mailerlite. With Substack, I have the freedom to keep an unlimited number of subscribers without experiencing a single charge (other than the 10% taken from paid subscriptions). This is nearly unheard of in the world of ESPs, and it's something that I value from my decision to host my newsletter using Substack instead.
4. There's a community
The variety of messaging possible with email is only limited by creativity, and allows for a very dynamic and unique experience for email subscribers. When this is also met with community features, such as commenting and discussion, the appeal to readers increases exponentially. Unlike with traditional email marketing platforms, Substack possesses native features for engagement with an email newsletter's content. Email newsletter operators are now able to foster a true community following on their own platforms. I, for example, can offer digital operations support to my readers via the subscriber Chat function and answer to the submitted struggles of my subscribers in a more intimate fashion. There is almost a coaching element that I am able to serve them with. I value building relationships with my audience and giving my readers an interactive experience. This enhances the value of my inbox publication and the appeal to potential new subscribers.
Thank you for staying with me through this exploration of email marketing and why I’ve chosen Substack as my email service provider. It’s always my intention to not only share my experiences but to offer insights and options that might serve you in your journey as well.
Ultimately, the tools you choose should align with your business’s unique needs, your preferences, and your goals. My hope is that this newsletter inspires you to explore platforms thoughtfully and to prioritize creating a meaningful connection with your audience—however that looks for you.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you resonate with these perspectives? Are there features you love about your email provider or challenges you're navigating? Share them with me, either by replying here in a comment or connecting with me on Subscriber Chat.
Here's to creating, sharing, and growing in ways that feel fulfilling and true to you. Until next time, take care and stay inspired.
💌With clarity & warmest wishes,
♡ Cheniece P
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