Hi everyone! Thank you so much for tuning in to another Letterly edition. 

Last week, I closed a new ghostwriting client. 

I can’t reveal who (because of the nature of ghostwriting) but she has a super popular podcast and has worked with tons of people I admire—eek! 

Now, you might be wondering how I landed this client. 

Guys… She saw a comment I wrote on Gary Vaynerchuk’s post. Sent me a connection request. And then, I DMed her using a value-based approach. 

She didn’t reply to my first message 🥲. So I followed up with her one month later. And well, the rest is history. 

I learned three insights from this experience. 

One, your future clients are watching you. Put yourself in a position that gives them access to your content. I (actually) don’t engage, comment, or network with everyone. I connect with and talk with people who are my ideal client profile—people who are in the health and wellness industry—80% of the time. Bonus points, if they have a podcast. 

Two, don’t take things personally if people don’t reply. People are busy. 

Three, follow-up! Instead of being ‘annoying,’ I lead with empathy. I write, “I’m sure you’re swamped, but I just wanted to bump this message up to the top of your inbox.” And then, I point out another thing that could be improved about their newsletter growth strategy. (I learned these follow-up tips from Nicolas Cole and Dickie Bush.) 

So, this past week, I’ve been a busy bee—putting together an onboarding process and getting my systems in order. 

Now, on to today’s edition of Letterly. 

Step-By-Step Guide

I confess—I had no clue what a ‘Thank You’ page was until I read Matt McGarry’s newsletter. 

And I facepalmed when it dawned on me that I was (actually) doing what he advised us NOT to do. 🥲 

So after I realized there was a huge hole in my newsletter growth strategy, I set out to create and optimize my ‘Thank You’ page ASAP. 

I followed Matt McGarry, OptinMonster, and GetResponse’s tips. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide of how I took their advice to create and optimize my own ‘Thank You’ page. 

But first, you might be asking…

What is a ‘Thank You’ page?

According to GetResponse, “a thank you page is a page that website visitors are sent to directly after they’ve completed a goal on your website.” 

If your landing page’s purpose is to collect emails, then it’s the first page they see after they’ve subscribed to your newsletter. 

Before I created a dedicated ‘Thank You’ page, my subscribers just got a simple popup confirmation message that said, “Thanks for subscribing!”

Why is a ‘Thank You’ page important?

According to OptinMonster, it’s important for three reasons. 

One, you build trust with your subscribers. A ‘Thank You’ page lets your subscribers know they’ve subscribed and that you appreciate them for subscribing. 

Two, it’s the perfect time to get your subscribers to engage with your content more. They’ve just subscribed so they’re far more likely to explore your content, products, and services at this moment. 

And third, it creates a positive first impression of your brand. Why? Because you thanked them for subscribing. And you also provided additional resources that are valuable to them. This positive experience sets the tone for future interactions. 

5 Components of a Successful ‘Thank You’ Page

Now, let’s dissect my current ‘Thank You’ page that I created based on Matt McGarry, OptinMonster, and GetResponse’s tips.

Component #1: Clearly state they’ve subscribed. 

My headline says, “You’re In! Welcome to Letterly.” It’s the biggest text on this page AND it’s in bold. 

Why? 

Because you want to be as clear (and obvious!) as possible they’ve successfully subscribed. 

Component #2: Get them excited for your newsletter. Re-explain what they’ve signed up for.

Next up, I re-wrote my tagline, “Every Sunday at 9 AM EST, you’ll get a step-by-step guide on how I’m growing my newsletter — to help you in growing yours.” 

Why? 

Because it’s important to get your subscribers excited to read your emails. To remind them why they signed up in the first place. And to again set clear expectations about when they’ll get your emails, how often, and what they’ll get. 

Component #3: Remind them to move your welcome email to their primary box.

Then, I wrote, “If the welcome email lands in your Spam or Promotions folder, please move it to your primary box.” 

I included this sentence for two reasons. 

One, I don’t have a double opt-in option. When you subscribe to most emails, you (usually) get an email saying something like, “You’ve subscribed. Click here to confirm your subscription.” 

I learned from Matt McGarry it’s better to scrap the double opt-in because a ton of people won’t get your emails if they don’t confirm. 

Instead of a “Confirm your subscription” email, my subscribers get confirmed right away and they’ll receive a welcome email immediately. 

Two, it’s a just simple, friendly reminder so my emails have a higher chance of being read. 

Component #4: Give your subscribers one call-to-action.

Remember what OptinMonster advised? 

A ‘Thank You’ page is the perfect place to get your subscribers to engage with your content more. 

This is why I’ve included one call-to-action, “You can read past editions here.” 

I only give them one action because if there are too many options, they might do… nothing, lol. 

Here are a few other CTAs OptinMonster suggested:

• Share you’ve subscribed on social media

• Register for a webinar or event

• Download a free resource

• Fill out a survey

• Buy a product

Component #5: Express your appreciation.

Last, I thanked them for joining Letterly. 

It’s a simple gesture showing subscribers you appreciate them for what they did—giving you a place in their inboxes, the opportunity to communicate with them directly, and their time! 

So treat your subscribers with care and respect.

Since I’ve created my own ‘Thank You’ page, I’ve been analyzing dozens of ‘Thank You’ pages from health and wellness podcasters. 

My conclusion after looking at theirs (if they even had one)? 

That ‘Thank You’ pages are completely underrated. 

And that a ton of podcasters are missing out on an opportunity to create a positive first impression of their brand, build trust, and get subscribers to engage with their content more! 

So, what are you waiting for? 

Go and build your ‘Thank You’ page now! 

All the best.

A Writing Tip

“The More the Think, the Easier the Ink.” I learned this writing tip from Ann Handley, the author of Everybody Writes. Ann says, “The more you think about what you want to say and plan for it, the easier it is to say.” Before writing, she advises you to answer these questions:

• Why am I creating this? What’s my objective?

• What is my key take on the subject or issue? What’s my point of view?

• Why does it matter to the people you are trying to reach? (The so-what?-because)

What I'm Learning

These are the 3 resources I learned from to create and optimize my ‘Thank You’ page:

• The Fastest and Easiest Way To Increase Your Open Rate—As I said in my previous email, I’ve been devouring his emails. They’re easy to read, actionable, and have tons of great examples. I also learned from Matt the three components of increasing your open rates are to optimize your landing page, ‘Thank you’ page, and welcome email. So that’s what I’ve been doing. Can you guess what my next weekly email will be about? ;) 

• 15+ Thank You Page Examples & How to Create Yours—GetResponse explains in detail what is a ‘Thank You’ page and why you need it. And they provide over 15+ examples to learn from!

• From Gratitude to Growth: Thank You Page Examples to Elevate Your Strategy—OptinMonster also explains why ‘Thank You’ pages are important and the 3 key elements of a good ‘Thank You’ page.

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter.

If you have a minute, I’d love for you to respond to this email to let me know:

• Your biggest takeaway

• Your biggest challenge

• Your biggest struggle right now

It helps me understand what you’re interested in learning more about so I can write content that’s helpful and relevant for you!

Thank you so much for that!

I’ll see you next Sunday,

Irene