Profile

In short

• Your description is the first thing new visitors see. Say who you are, what readers get from you, and ask them explicitly to subscribe.
• Choose a name that works as a brand.
• Language, time zone and forward replies are set once.

Your description: the first thing a new reader sees

Go to Settings › Profile. At the bottom you’ll find the Description field. This is a very important text, because it’s the first thing new visitors see, at the top of your homepage, with the sign-up form right below it. This is where you introduce yourself and convince visitors to subscribe.

What works well

• Say why you’re an authority, or what makes you special as a writer. So many people write online that it’s important to explain what makes your writing worth it. A bit awkward, I know, but it really helps. Use social proof if you can.
• Explain what the reader can expect and what’s in it for them. Pick a genre and make it clear: is your newsletter a public mood board, a collection of good links, an open diary, the show notes of your podcast?
• Say explicitly that they should subscribe. People look at everything with half their attention, because so much is asking for it. So always spell out every action you want readers to take.

How I do it

This is my description (translated from Dutch):

Dear reader,

Thanks for reading along. I’m Ernst-Jan Pfauth, co-founder of De Correspondent and author of Intentioneel leven. Every month I share an algorithm-free list of 15 recommendations on culture, creativity, entrepreneurship and focus. Not a member yet? Join more than 32,000 others:

Note

This is a different text from the opening text of your emails (that one lives under Mail) and different again from a page you create yourself.

The other fields

The same screen has a few more fields.

Name

Choose an appealing name for your newsletter. Preferably not just your own name (unless you’re famous), because then only people who already know you will subscribe. Treat your newsletter as a brand. Think of:

• In Therapie by Lena Bril
• I Like to Watch by TV critic Anke Meijer
• Docupdate by documentary critic Helmut Boeijen

Language

Dutch or English. This is the language of your Lettership and your newsletters. If you write in English, set it to English.

Time zone

The clock of your publication. It determines the dates readers see on your emails and the times at which you schedule.

Forward replies to

Readers reply to your newsletter with the reply button in their email client, and only you see those replies. I find all the tips and kind messages an enrichment of my life.

For most writers this field can simply stay empty: replies then arrive at the address you use to log in to Lettership. If you’d rather receive them in another inbox, enter that address here.