An excellent way to keep journalists up to date is by writing a quarterly newsletter. You can wait until you have enough to talk about and then put everything together. It will look like you have a lot going on. You don't need to exaggerate. Just pick out three to five newsworthy items to talk about. You can also send this letter to promoters. It may get you a few extra bookings as well.
To figure out what you need to do, first, do some research. Are there successful email newsletters that people like to subscribe to in your industry? What's in them? What could you do with your newsletter with the resources you have available to you—budget, time, and internal support?
Choose Your Frequency Wisely
You could send out a monthly newsletter, but chances are you won't have enough newsworthy things to mention in every letter. And if you don't have newsworthy enough to report on, journalists are more likely to mark your newsletter as spam. A better frequency is every two months or every quarter of a year.
Stick to One Tone of Voice
There are several possibilities for your newsletter. You can make it personal by addressing your fans casually. But you can also make it more formal, like someone is writing the newsletter for or about you. This depends on what you feel comfortable with and what you want your image to be as an artist. Whatever you choose, you should stick with the same tone of voice.
Keep It Short, Comprehensible & Straightforward
Your newsletter needs to be understandable and easy to scan. Also, you don't want more than 4 or 5 news stories. Otherwise, there will be too much info, and it will become too much to digest for the readers. You also don't want less than approximately four news stories. Otherwise, it will look like there's not enough news to report on.
Give It Your Look & Feel
Give the newsletter your look and feel. If you don't have a designer yet, try to give it a few twists that convey your look and feel. If you can arrange a designer to create a house style for you, do it. It's good if the newsletter is recognizable. And also if people can see you or your team have put some effort into it. Don't get too carried away, however. A minimal but recognizable design is good enough and saves you time and money.
Make It Easy to Unsubscribe
You will probably be targeting a few people who don't like the idea of getting new newsletters. Please allow them to unsubscribe easily (usually at the bottom of the newsletter). This is also a valuable way to monitor how people react to different newsletters. Suppose many people are unsubscribing after you've sent out a particular newsletter. In that case, you know the content is considered more annoying than with other newsletters, and maybe it can help you write more engaging newsletters in the future.
Be Creative with Subject Lines
If you're not using a program like Mailchimp, you're going to end up in people's spam folders. In this case, it can help to send out small batches with different subject lines. The more creative you get, the bigger the chance you will reach all the people you need. But it's wiser and worth the investment to use a newsletter program instead.
Key Takeaways
Your newsletter should be quarterly or bi-monthly, maintain a consistent tone, include 4-5 newsworthy items, reflect your brand's look and feel, and always include an easy unsubscribe option. Consider investing in a professional newsletter service like Mailchimp to avoid spam folders and manage your list effectively.