How to Send a Weekly Email Even When You Don’t Know What to Say

I recently had a conversation with a business owner who thought she only needed a quarterly email. That’s four times a year that people will hear from you. Four. With so many emails sent to your inbox daily, I’m sorry to say it, but people will forget you.

I’ve signed up for content I knew I’d absolutely adore, only for them to email me weeks later, and I’d forgotten who they were. Worse, I’d lost my interest in what they were doing.

I wouldn’t recommend monthly emails for most businesses for the same reasons.

But how do you create a weekly email newsletter that actually has substance? What if you don’t know what you’d say?

Mine Your Everyday Interactions

As you go about your day, in business and personal life, keep your brain alert for ideas. If your brain knows to look for them, you’ll find them in interactions with other businesses (personally and professionally), doctors’ visits, hobbies, clients, and even what your partner or children are going through.

For example, your child may be struggling, and you’re teaching them resilience. You can tie that resilience back to your business in various ways, depending on your work. It’s a nugget of inspiration and a glimpse into your personal life.

Note: Be sure to write these stories down. Some weeks you’ll have a couple of stories, others you’ll have none.

Turn FAQ Into Content

Your ideal client has questions and struggles that your content needs to help with. The most valuable content is that which helps your ideal client solve their problem.

What questions are they asking? What do they struggle with daily? What is keeping them from their goals? What do they typically search for answers to, or what are they talking about online?

Consider Seasonal Content

Sometimes I just simply don’t know what to write about. But one trick that never fails is talking about the upcoming season and how it can tie into business or client needs.

For example, back-to-school season is a busy time for many. If I were a VA, I could write about how I help lessen the load by taking things off a business owner’s plate, giving them less overwhelm and more ease.

There’s something for almost every month and season, and with a bit of creativity, you’ll get a piece of content or two out of it.

Show Behind-the-Scenes

People love transparency, and they’ll love seeing how you work. It helps build a connection with your audience and helps you earn their trust. It doesn’t need to be a big “story,” just a glimpse of process.

For example, detail a “day in the life” (DIL) of your business, or how you structure your schedule. I think we often think others will find it boring, but it’s actually fascinating to see the human behind the brand. Just think about creators you’ve enjoyed getting behind-the-scenes glimpses of.

Repurpose What You Already Create

If you create any content, you have stuff for a weekly newsletter. You can repurpose blog posts, social posts, presentations, or even conversations you’ve had, and reshape them into email content.

This is especially helpful if you don’t think you can write. That video, even a “short,” you created is an excellent place to start. Did you talk about how you lost your earring and a stranger's kindness helped you find it? Write about it.

Curate, Don’t Just Create

You don’t have to tell only stories. You can share processes, tools, articles, creators, etc., that you found helpful. Add your perspective on exactly how they helped you and how they might help your reader, too.

For example, maybe you recently started using a project management software, and they added AI to its functionality. Talk about how that’s increasing your efficiency and helping your business.

Remember, People Want to Hear From You

Have you ever signed up for an email newsletter and stayed on it because you knew they would talk about things that don’t interest you? Of course not.

So, the people on your list WANT to hear from you. If they don’t, they’ll unsubscribe, and you’ve weeded out someone who wasn’t a good fit for you anyway.

And if your list doesn’t have many people on it (or only your mom), that’s OK. You’ll only get better and more comfortable with writing the more you do it.

Share and Connect

Writing a newsletter doesn’t have to be perfect, and hopefully, the tips above help you no longer cringe when you see “write newsletter” on your to-do list.

You don’t need a huge audience. What you need is consistency and authenticity. Your readers want to hear from you, and the more you show up, the more they’ll remember, trust, and engage with your business.

Start small, pick one of these strategies this week, and write that first email. You know, the first of the consistent, confident you. You got this.