Mailing List 101
How to create a direct link to your fans/network!
Mailing lists are all the rage and more important than ever for having control over your audience data and bypassing the pesky algorithm. Newsletters may not look or sound as flashy as a 15-second clip of that song you posted on TikTok, but it remains un-phased when social media platforms have a wobble and is super simple to set up.
One of the perils of social media platforms is that we don’t own our data. The decline of Myspace meant thousands of bands lost contact with their fanbase overnight and we’re seeing a similar thing happen - albeit more slowly - with the demise of Twitter/X.
A mailing list future-proofs you and ensures that even if the social media bubble bursts, you’ve still got a direct link to your fans… and even if social media lives forever, a mailing list can be a far more personal and genuine method of communicating with your fanbase.
We thought we’d share some info, tips and tricks, and how to find the platform that works best for you.
Why start a mailing list?
For artists, it’s a direct link to your biggest fans and is the ultimate space for sharing news, show announcements, ticket links, merch drops etc.
For managers, it’s a way to build a community and update everyone in one go about exciting things you and your artists are working on/have got coming up. It’s also a nice reminder to shout about the good stuff, regularly - we love to see it!!
Which platform do I choose?
Mailchimp is great for personalisation and linking up to other platforms, such as your website and/or analytic tools. Mailchimp does ask you to go paid if you reach over 500 subscribers or send 500 emails in total over the course of a month, but it has great customisation options to make it look and feel ‘you’.
Substack is very user-friendly, free to use (for sending free newsletters) and has the flexibility to house multiple newsletters under one roof - say you want a separate newsletter per artist on your roster, or you want to explore the possibility of paid content, like you might find on Patreon. Substack does take a little longer to set up compared to most hosts (but is so worth it in our opinion!) and will take a small percentage if you enable paid subscriptions.
Other popular options include EmailOctopus and Sender - both free to set up and generous on the subscriber size/emails per month before prompting you to go paid. We know less about them, but that doesn’t discredit them - it might be the one for you!
The choice is ultimately down to your preferences, how many emails you’d expect to send per month, and how much customisation you would like on the appearance of your newsletters. Either way, they’re all great options.
What will I need?
All platforms will ask for your bank details and business address. Tip: your address will be at the bottom of every newsletter, so if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your full address (e.g. it’s your home), your chosen platform might allow you to put a space in the ‘Address Line 1’ field, or you could add something fun as a cover up - our favourite example is Melanie Baker’s ‘magical music land’.
Ideas of what to write about! Have you got a release coming up? New merch? Are you playing a show or touring soon? Are you working on new music and want to tell your subscribers/network before the big announcement?
An email for your newsletters to be sent from! Tip: this could be an artist/management email you already use, though you may prefer to set up a new one to keep it separate.
The Dos
Do set one up, even if you don’t intend on sending a newsletter straight away
Do get curious - sign up to other artist/manager mailing lists as a source of inspiration
Do include a link on your socials/website/merch store so people can sign up at any time
Do incorporate images, your logo (if you have one!) and colours that align with your branding/aesthetic - a little goes a long way
Do keep reminding people it’s there - people can hit ‘follow’ or discover what you do at any given moment, so a friendly reminder every once in a while can help scoop up any newcomers
The Don’ts
Don’t set one up and tell no-one about it! Share it on socials and let your audience/network know where to subscribe
Don’t be afraid to start - you can always send a test email to yourself so you know how it will look when your audience opens it
Don’t worry if it’s lengthy! Newsletters are a great way to share more about your music, the process, what you’re working on/excited about etc.
Don’t overlook the power of a mailing list! One single newsletter could be the key to selling out shows, merch, and/or getting a bunch of pre-saves before you’ve even hit socials!
Ready to set up your mailing list?
If you’re new to the world of newsletters and good ol’ email marketing, we hope this gives you some confidence to set up your own mailing list! The key thing to remember is, once it’s set up, people know where to sign up and you keep reminding your fans to sign up, you can (mostly) let it tick over and watch it grow, as you grow.
Do you have a newsletter people can check out? Drop it in the comments!
Good luck!
Jodie & Henry