A good newsletter is hard to beat when it comes to driving traffic to your website, building cult loyalty with your audience, and driving revenue. The most important part of creating a successful newsletter that manages to accomplish all that? People want quality content they can count on.
With a well-written newsletter, marketers can engage subscribers and organically grow their lists.
In our quest to shed light on some of our favorite newsletters, we’ll be sharing a different recommendation every month.
Today in the series, we’ll be talking about Girls’ Night In.
Be sure to check out our last post about Urban List if you missed it.
Introducing Girls’ Night In:
Girl’s Night In is a weekly newsletter by women, for women. This Friday email embraces pop culture, self-care, mental health, reading, and, of course, having a night in. Unlike our past two features in this series, GNI pivots away from connecting to cities, clubs, and new destinations, and focuses more closely on the value of staying home and fostering close relationships.
These newsletters (and the affiliated blog) seek to empower women, providing necessary information to combat symptomatic issues facing busy professionals today.
The newsletter covers a number of different topics but focuses exclusively on positive content, looking to give women a safe space where they can recharge and refocus on themselves.
This means you won’t find polarizing news or stressful hot takes. Once described as “a warm hug” at the end of each week, this newsletter is anything but controversial.
How it started:
GNI is gaining traction fast, which is no small feat, considering how new it is. The newsletter series only began in 2017 as a side-hustle for founder, Alisha Ramos. Now, two years later, the once personal project boasts 150k+ subscribers and is a full-time business.
Twenty-something Ramos may be a young entrepreneur, but that hasn’t stopped her from excelling and propelling other women forward. Formerly a Vox media director of product design, she’s no stranger to success. But she did feel like something was missing: a self-care-focused community for busy women like herself.
Who it targets:
And that’s exactly the audience Ramos targeted with Girls’ Night In. The newsletter simulates and encourages friendly hangouts. The GNI brand has even created book clubs throughout the country to practice what it preaches. Can’t join in person? No problem. Tune into the discussions with the hashtag #GNIreads.
The brand is based out of D.C., though the book discussions are held in several US cities. Still, this newsletter isn’t necessarily regionally specific or even American-centric. In fact, Girls’ Night In seeks to be accessible to a wide-ranging audience: anyone who’s passionate about self-care.
What you can learn from it:
Girls’ Night In has a wide variety of lessons to teach, both for readers and email marketers.
As a reader
As a reader, Girls’ Night In has tons to offer. You can read this regular email for a number of relaxation-friendly recommendations, such as podcasts, meditation tips, home care, blog posts, and much more.
If social media’s round-the-clock accessibility is negatively impacting your ability to unwind, this newsletter can empower you to take time for yourself. GNI makes self-care a guilt-free pursuit.
As a marketer
Most marketers are aware of the perks of using email over other forms of marketing, but it may surprise some to know that Girls’ Night In was originally meant to be a website. However, after realizing an email newsletter had a lower barrier to entry, Ramos chose to pursue a (self-funded) newsletter and grow her business that way, until she could raise funding elsewhere to further build her brand.
If you’re considering building your brand, there are a few tips you can take from GNI. Not only does a newsletter have a lower barrier to entry, but it’s a largely inexpensive way to educate people about your business.
What’s more, people are drawn to Girls’ Night In because of its positive nature, as well as its ability to cater to a specific niche. Consider the niches you could be serving and how your brand can “bring the happy” to that audience.
Furthermore, Girls’ Night In does a great job integrating their digital marketing platforms. For instance, their Instagram bio includes a link to subscribe to the Girls’ Night In newsletter.
In addition to making this sign up simple and straightforward, they also save themselves work by cross-promoting their content from other platforms, like this tweet they shared.
Wrap up
The Girls’ Night In newsletter is a refreshing dose of positivity for fast-paced females and any other professionals looking to re-evaluate their self-love routine. Whether you’re a busy socialite looking to take a breather or you’re a professional wanting more positive messaging, this weekly email can help you achieve your goals.
With that said, it’s probably time to sign up and start receiving Girls’ Night In newsletters today.
Are you thinking about building a newsletter? Already have one? If so, consider how you can incorporate the tactics used by Girls’ Night In into your own work.
Want to see your favorite newsletter listed here? Tell us in the comments below. Or start your own newsletter by signing up with Campaign Monitor today.