This blog post is written in a slightly different style, as an experiment. Although my writing is naturally conversational, I have written this post so it emulates the back and forth nature of verbal communication.
There is this continual debate in online and the e-commerce space as to whether a newsletter or maintaining a blog is the better approach. Having considered this myself, I feel it is all dependent on how you prefer to work, and how you prefer to present yourself online. In the past I have tried a newsletter — and, of course, the blog — but have always reverted back to using a blog because I feel it allows me to express my creativity, but also acts as an archive for everything I've written. Certainly I can see for myself that over the course of writing my hundreds of blog posts that my writing process and writing skills have improved. That's only been enhanced by the fact that I write a blog regularly. It also helps that blogging is a shorter form of content — so it is easier for me to write than a novel. Literally speaking, I can't write a novel in a week (that would be a cool experiment?), but I can write a blog post. So there is that somewhat instant satisfaction.
As you may have guessed by now, a blog can either be short form or long form content, and that content is in the form of posts that people can choose to read at their own pace. They are on our website forevermore, unless the owner deletes it. However, a newsletter is something that is sent out via email periodically to the subscribers of the email. A difference here is that you have to be subscribed to receive the emails, whereas you don't have to be subscribed to be able to access the content on a blog, but there is still the option to subscribe to a blog if you would like to keep up to date with the blog Well there it is it invisible too subscribe if you would like the content of the blog to be sent to your inbox the day that it is published. For me, the newsletter doesn't have the same feeling as a blog because the newsletters are sent out periodically and — as far as I know — once it's out there you cannot refer back to the content unless you actually save it to your computer. So once it's gone, it's gone. There is a level of commitment very early on from your readers.
I can see with the blog everything that I've written from October 2020, and that is a long log of content. My blog covers a few areas of content, but it remains focused. The newsletter, however, is even more focused because it is only going to your subscribers. So, for example, it could be going to thirty people, but they are thirty people (hopefully) interested in what you have to say, and the products that you potentially sell. Whereas, with a blog, you have subscribers and people who are interested, but people are more likely to indirectly read it through their research on Google, and then coming across your page. Both newsletters and blogs help build up trust because a reader is able to get an idea of your writing style, and who you are. They are able to get to know you comfortably without having to commit too much of the time or energy. So, through that, they can decide whether or not they would like to buy one of your products or follow you elsewhere. For example, with my blog I discuss all things to do with disability, mental health, and writing — so it is more varied compared to just the fact that I'm an author. People get a broad understanding of who I am.
It is interesting to mention that both blogs and newsletters are written periodically; the time, the struggles, and the happiness that a writer may be going through will be reflected in those little chunks of writing. Whereas s novel, for example — although it is most definitely influenced by feelings — it is then edited and crafted to so-called perfection. Whereas a blog or newsletter could potentially be said to be more natural. That is not to say that my writing does not go through several rounds of editing before we get what you see, but the approach is different. Some of the sentences will make it all the way from the draft to the final piece. Although both a newsletter and a blog could be considered long form or short form content, I would say that in a newsletter you have to keep things brief, as you don't want to be keeping people for too long; it is something they are going to read as it comes up in their emails. They do not want necessarily want to be spending in the afternoon reading what you written. Whereas with a blog I find there is flexibility to be really sure with what you have to say — but at the same time the reader understands that if a blog post is longer that is okay. A blog is expected to be 500 to 5,000 words long — anything longer or shorter than that may bore readers.
Newsletters, I feel, have a more formal connotation. Therefore, they may feel restrained in how they communicate, whereas I find that blog naturally comes across as more personal. Although, for example, an author has a ‘brand’ and a way that they like to present themselves. They can be more personal, and almost divert from their brand slightly, because a reader knows that it's meant to be more personal. Someone might think: ‘I enjoyed their blog post, so I would pick up their book, and vice versa. It is just a way of developing and nourishing the relationship between a reader and a writer.
Although I do have some niches that I prefer to write about, I do have a lot to say about a lot of different things. I find the newsletter’s formality is a little constrained in what you can write about, once you've set your parameters.
I mean to say that I do not think that a blog or a newsletter is inherently better than the other. I prefer writing a blog because it works for me. In order to find out what works for you, you have to consider how you like to work, how you like to present yourself, your writing style, and where you plan to take things in the future. But again, there is no right or wrong way of doing things — it is only by considering both sides that we can come to a conclusion.
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