Here's what writing a newsletter taught me about B2B sales

Writing a newsletter taught me nothing about B2B sales. Let’s move on.

I’m in Oslo this week. It’s my first time here and I’ve enjoyed it! I’m here for work; met with some customers and launched a new community chapter in Oslo. We had a kickoff event for the new chapter. Super fun.

This week marks 9mo since I started this newsletter. What initially began as a random assortment of different posts, is now a somewhat more focused newsletter, where I write about career, work, and the millennial experience.

Even though writing a newsletter taught me nothing about B2B sales, it did teach me to just keep going. Showing up is more than half the battle. Here’s more specifically what’s learned along the way, the past 9 months:

1. Consistency builds trust, and therefore, people (more likely) come back. My mission was to show up regularly rather than having something perfect on paper.

2. I try and be clear, not clever. Have I done this? I’m not sure, but I try and do my best to mirror how I speak. ‘A’ for effort, right?

3. Pivoting is okay, really it is. I initially started with a newsletter called ‘In 100 words,’ where I wrote 100 words every day for a few months, with a newsletter summarizing that week’s posts. I figured out what felt more natural to write about and where people were opening/clicking. So, I zoned in more and started to focus on key topics, leading to Workish by Jacob, and 1 post per week (the actual newsletter).

4. People skim stuff like this. So I try (I promise I do!) to try and break things up and I create lists too, just like this one. I want my stuff to be approachable, readable, and skimmable.

5. I’m still figuring out distribution. I’m not super loud about the newsletter. It’s in my Linkedin profile and I think my BlueSky profile, but I think that’s it??? I just kinda let it be. My growth I think has come from either word of mouth or the link in my Linkedin profile. Shoutout to my strong group of 55 subscribers; I appreciate you!

6. Deadlines create discipline. I have a goal of publishing a newsletter one time per week, and for the last 9 months, I’ve stuck to that; I gave myself a deadline each week to hold myself accountable.

7. Stories stick. Looking at my open and click stats, stories stick more than bland, boring, theoretical nonsense.

8. The title is everything. It’s just as important, if not more important, than the content inside. After all, when I hit “publish,” an email goes out to my subscribers, and the title of the post is the email subject. I need to make sure it packs a big enough punch for folks to at least open the thing.

9. Timing matters. I thought a lot about when I should be sending the newsletter. The first few months I sent it on Sundays. And since pivoting, I’ve been sending it on Fridays, end of the work week. I’m not sure if I have exactly nailed it, but what I know for sure is that I wouldn’t send it on Mondays, Saturdays, mid-day mid-work week, or any time where I know folks are usually consumed by other things or are likely not in the mood to be reading something extra, for fun.

10. Repurposing works well. The content I write is usually just one part of my POV. I don’t want to write a novel and include everything in one go. Breaking it up gives me a chance to be more focused, but also provides me with some good content later. Also, old ideas can be reframed for new value.

Thanks for reading and for being here. I don’t take for granted that you care what I have to say. Or even if you don’t care, and you’re still here; thanks for being a fan anyway. ❣️

Let’s connect!