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Newsletter OS 2.0
The 12-phase system that converted 35% of my audience to my email list.
Sebastian Morino
October 27, 2024
Estimated Reading Time: (7-12 minutes)
“A powerful lead magnet gets your dream clients through the door.”
“But a persuasive newsletter — makes them to buy.”
This time I don't have a crazy story or epiphany moment.
But I can say one thing…
This system has been developed completely on personal experience.
It is the unique approach I took when I launched The Roadmap Newsletter.
I'm gonna walk you through:
How did I come up with the strategy
The day-to-day results from a 1st person view.
And how you can do the same thing.
This system allowed me to:
Grow to a total audience of 4,500 on threads.
Get 1500+ subscribers to my email list.
In only 14 months posting online.
Mind you:
I have 4000 followers on LinkedIn but 90% of my subscribers came from Threads.
Taking that into account…
I was able to convert almost 35% of my rented audience into my email list.
The process is divided into 12 phases:
Phase 1: Strategy.
Phase 2: Choose Newsletter Type.
Phase 3: Tech Setup.
Phase 4: Sign-Up page
Phase 5: Design Assets.
Phase 6: Copywriting Assets.
Phase 7: Promote it.
Phase 8: The Repurposing Strategy
Phase 9: CTA System
Phase 10: P.S CTA Template
Phase 11: Scale & Grow.
I call it Newsletter OS 2.0
With this framework, you will be able to:
Launch the perfect newsletter.
Convert a huge % of your audience.
And learn how to convert attention into contact details.
That being said, let's dive in:
Warning: This is a very long framework, I recommend sitting down, getting rid of all distractions, and fully focusing on understanding the key principles of what makes a Newsletter.
This is all you need to know about Newsletters - the ultimate resource!
I’m giving all of this information for free…
So you don't need to pay thousands of dollars for coaching, courses, or digital products.
If you’re new to the roadmap newsletter…
This is the direct continuation of the Lead Magnet System 2.0
AND a refresh of the Newsletter OS.
On the last article we explained how to:
How to develop lead magnets.
How to grow your email list 2x faster.
And increase your audience conversion rate by 25%+
If you haven't read that one…
Check it out — so you can fully understand how to apply this framework:
Phase 1: Strategy.
First, you gotta figure out what are you going to talk about.
You gotta answer 3 questions:
What is the main focus of the newsletter?
What are going to be the main topics?
What's the name?
I can't help you with the name, but I can help you with the other two.
Here's how to figure it out:
Define the problem you solve.
Define the destination for your solution.
Break down the journey into milestones.
Present micro-solution for each milestone.
For example:
Problem: Poor Lead Gen.
Solution: Tons of leads
Milestones:
Acquisition channel
Sales Funnel
Sales Process
Etc.
Micro-Solution:
Content Strategy
Advertisement Strategy
Outbound Strategy
Landing Page Framework
Lead Nurturing System
Etc.
The focus is the main problem that you are solving in your business.
The milestones are sub-problems (main topics)
Each milestone has micro problems.
And your articles are micro solutions.
THIS is your roadmap.
Each milestones becomes a mayor section of a book.
And each micro-solutions becomes the chapters.
In my case…
I want everyday entrepreneurs to build successful one-person business with social media.
AND in the context of embracing freedom on all aspects of life:
Location freedom
Financial freedom
Time freedom.
And the best way to do that (in my opinion) is building every single business procedure out there — into a predictable system.
No confusion, extreme clarity, massive action.
Each system acting as stepping stone to the next.
That’s why is called: The Roadmap Newsletter.
Is my journey to the top.
And I’ll leave the map behind.
Not all newsletters are created equal.
There’s 4 main types:
Educational
Curated
Product
Personal Brand
Here's how they work:
The main goal of these newsletters is to provide informative & educational content.
They might cover:
Industry trends & news.
How-to guides
Resources
Pro Tips
Templates
Etc.
These are for the “collectors”.
Those people that love to find & share content from multiple sources around a specific topic.
They might cover:
Blog posts
Articles
Videos
Podcast
Or anything that their audience might find valuable.
They rarely write about personal stories or procedures.
The creator acts more as journalist or private investigator.
Meaning…
The creator sees a valuable piece of content & then dives deep on it.
Sometimes adding their opinion about the subject & how it affected their lives.
These newsletter are focused on promoting products.
OR
Updates & tutorials of how to use a product itself.
Agencies & software comes to mind.
They might cover:
Product Tips.
User Testimonials.
Special Offers.
Announcements.
Etc.
I believe this type of newsletter is okay for existing customers…
But it gets a little annoying for un-engaged leads.
Rising your unsubscribe rate as a result.
If you strategy is direct-response marketing. This is for you.
These newsletters are used by individuals to build their personal brand and connect with their audience on a personal level.
They might cover:
Personal Stories
Insight & lessons
Unique procedures
World perspectives.
James Clear
Author of “Atomic Habits.
He send a weekly newsletter called “3-2-1 Thursday”
Three ideas from him, two quotes from others, and one question for the reader.
Quick newsletter breakdown:
James often shares personal insights & lessons, making it a personal brand newsletter.
the newsletter often includes practical insights & advice on habit formation, decision making, continuous improvement which makes it educational
The newsletter is sent consistently every week, which helps keep his audience engaged.
Ben Settle
An email marketing expert who send a daily email newsletter focused on email marketing tips & strategies.
Quick newsletter breakdown:
Ben’s newsletter is packed with practical advice & tips on email marketing making it highly educational.
Ben often shares personal stories & experiences, adding a personal brand touch to his newsletter
Unlike most newsletters. Ben’s is sent daily. The high frequency create a following of devotes fans, but it can also lead to high unsubscribe rates.
Sebastian Morino
I send out” The Roadmap” which gives you business systems on how to grow your audience, brand & community.
I send out 1-4 emails per month but might ramp it up to 2 per week soon.
Quick newsletter breakdown:
Extremely practical advice on how to grow your audience & brand, so it focuses on education & value.
I am typically open with personal stories & experiences, adding a personal brand touch.
At the moment the newsletter is sent inconsistently due to Content OS, but will retake the normal schedule of every Sunday once it’s launched.
Phase 3: Tech Setup
Now is the time to set up all the tech stuff.
That includes but is not limited to:
Newsletter Platform.
Email Marketing.
Website.
Domain.
For the sake of simplicity…
I chose an all-in-one platform.
@beehiiv.
This platform allows me to:
Grow for free until 2500 subscribers.
Use sponsorships inside the platform.
See analytics and dashboards.
Have automation sequences.
Schedule posts in advance.
Have my own website.
Post all articles easily.
Here's a full tutorial playlist:
Here's the platform:
Phase 4: Sign-Up Page
A sign-up page is dedicated web page designed for a single focused objective.
It’s where your visitor “lands” after clicking a link promoting your lead magnet or newsletter.
A well-optimized sign-up page…
Enhances brand perception.
Allows you to capture specific information.
Increases the likelihood of more people joining your list.
Even thou we’re using beehive to take care of all the complex stuff…
We still need to convince our audience to sign-up.
What main benefits are your offering?
Why should they give your their contact details?
For example, the roadmap newsletter:
“Join a community 1500+ entrepreneurs & get access to a library of 30+ (free) growth systems”
I use 2 things here:
1500+ entrepreneurs = social proof.
30+ growth system = main benefit.
That is my current value proposition.
When I launched the newsletter it was:
“Get 1 weekly growth system”
That’s it — nothing crazy.
Phase 5: Design Assets
Now is the time to design your newsletter assets.
This is the stuff that your clients see before subscribing.
Here's a basic checklist:
Newsletter Thumbnail
Post Thumbnail Template
Newsletter Logo
You can use my newsletter as an example:
Each post has its dedicated thumbnail
My newsletter has its own dedicated logo
My newsletter has its main thumbnail.
I developed all my assets with Canva.
(It's free)
Phase 6: Copywriting Assets
When developing your newsletter…
You need to be able to easily do 2 things:
Promote your newsletter
And write your articles/emails.
Develop assets that will help you to do that:
Hooks & Formulas
Post Article Template
Inspiration Board
Etc.
Phase 7: Promote it
Have an omnichannel funnel approach.
Meaning…
All of your marketing is done with the sole purpose of transferring traffic from social media channels to your newsletter.
In order to promote it…
Focus in 2 things:
Repurposing Strategy
The CTA System
Phase 8: The Repurposing Strategy.
You need to show your audience what your newsletter is about.
First — write your article.
Then — turn that article into:
Twitter Thread
LinkedIn Carousel
Instagram Carousel
Any piece of long form content.
Same information — different packaging.
Make sure to include a CTA.
Here’s how to make them:
Phase 9: CTA System
Promote the newsletter EVERYWHERE.
Not only in your posts.
Do it on:
Instagram BIO
Instagram Stories
LinkedIn About
LinkedIn BIO
LinkedIn featured section
LinkedIn cover photo
LinkedIn carousel ending
X/Threads BIO
X Cover Photo
X/Threads end of post
You’re customer will see your promotion 7 times before even considering to click.
Make it impossible to ignore you.
Phase 10: P.S. CTA template.
Now that your newsletter is everywhere.
We still need to actively promote it in all of your content.
There’s 2 types:
Main CTA
Article CTA
The main CTA is your generic CTA you plug in all of your content.
Example:
Article CTA’s in the other hand — are specific solutions to a problem.
For Example:
You post something about copywriting.
That’s a perfect opportunity to include an article talking about copywriting.
Talk about “natural next step”
Phase 11: Scale & Grow
We can't predict the future…
But we can predict the actions required to make that future happen.
When I started my newsletter…
I only had 50 followers on social media.
No one knew who I was.
But I knew that If I get my work out there.
If I make my work public…
Sooner or later people will get notice.
So that is what I did:
Starting to post content every day.
Start posting articles every week.
Rebrand my business twice.
This is what happened:
Week 1:
5 subscribers.
1 article & 21 posts
Just my sister knows.
Week 2:
5 subscribers
2 articles & 42 posts.
Nothing, this is not working.
Week 8:
10 subscribers.
8 articles & 168 posts.
2 months nothing happens, I might just quit.
Week 14:
50 subscribers.
14 articles & 294 posts.
Finally some movement.
Week 18:
480 subscribers.
18 articles & 336 posts.
I can rock with that.
Week 19:
550 subscribers.
19 articles & 357 posts.
Looking strong.
Week 20:
650 subscribers.
20 articles & 420 posts.
Just getting started.
Week 70
1400+ subscribers.
32 articles & X posts.
Plus 400 subscribers in my LinkedIn Newsletter.
Gotta level up soon.
Moral of the story?
Don't give up.
Keep going
Your time will come.
You need to beat the boss at this level to go to the next.
That is part of the game.
Pro tip:
Stay consistent
Post at least 1x per week.
Promote your newsletter every day.
Determine a time when you always post.
Want to grow faster?
Try more first.
Then try to do it better.
Try to avoid doing new.
Ultimate Action List
If you forget everything in this article, remember this checklist:
Phase 1: Strategy
Define the main focus of your newsletter.
Identify the main topics you'll cover.
Come up with a catchy name for your newsletter.
Phase 2: Choose Newsletter Type.
Decide if you want an educational, curated, product, or personal brand newsletter.
Understand the key characteristics of each newsletter type.
Determine which type aligns best with your goals.
Phase 3: Tech Setup
Choose a newsletter platform like @beehiiv.
Set up email marketing and create a website.
Register a domain.
Phase 4: Sign-Up Page
Determine the main benefits you're offering and use that as your value proposition.
Enhance your brand perception through the sign-up page design.
Increase the likelihood of more people joining your list.
Phase 5: Design Assets
Create your newsletter design assets.
Use free design tools like Canva.
Develop a consistent visual brand for your newsletter.
Phase 6: Copywriting Assets
Develop attention-grabbing hooks and writing formulas.
Create a template for your articles/emails.
Craft compelling calls-to-action for social media posts.
Phase 7: Promote it
Implement an omnichannel funnel approach.
Leverage multiple marketing channels to drive traffic.
Ensure your promotion is consistent and persistent.
Phase 8: The Repurposing Strategy.
Turn your newsletter articles into social media content.
Adapt the content for different platforms and formats.
Maximize the reach and visibility of your newsletter.
Phase 9: CTA System
Promote your newsletter signup everywhere - bio, stories, cover photos, etc.
Make it impossible for your audience to ignore your newsletter.
Increase the chances of converting leads through multiple touchpoints.
Phase 10: P.S. CTA template.
Use both a generic main CTA and specific article CTAs.
Seamlessly integrate your newsletter promotion into your content.
Provide a clear and compelling next step for your audience.
Phase 11: Scale & Grow
Stay consistent with your posting schedule.
Continuously promote your newsletter on social media.
Remain determined and believe in your work.
By following these tactical steps, you'll become a Newsletter Master who yields impactful results and sales for your business.
There you have it, Newsletter OS 2.0.
I hope you found these helpful.
Take some time this Monday to begin implementing what I've shared here today, and then hit me up on LinkedIn in a few weeks with an update.
Let’s build together!
Sebastian Morino
P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
1: Build your clarity, systems, and growth with 1:1 consultations here.
2: Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Threads for more operating systems.
If you find this helpful…
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Content OS.
I’ve been developing for the last 10 months a brand new content creation system to grow & monetize your audience through your knowledge, skills & creative work.
With that system you will have access to:
24+ modules with step-by-step.
90-day content library.
3 carousel templates
120+ hooks formulas.
3 month roadmap to 1000 followers.
P.S. Only the first 10 downloads will be free.
Still deciding on the price point.
Stay tuned for that.👋
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