The Shift by Nika Talbot

"Don't get too hung up on your 'niche' and fitting into boxes as it will evolve as you do."

Author

Ciler Demiralp
October 27, 2024

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Happy Sunday, everyone!

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nika Talbot, the creator of The Shift.

I’m excited to share some key insights from our conversation here, but for the full interview, be sure to check out our website. Enjoy!

👋 MEET THE CREATOR

Today, our guest is Nika Talbot. She is a writer, journalist and a book author.

She has been running her own business where she offers different services such as copywriting and newsletter management for over 15 years.

In parallel, she has been writing her own newsletter The Shift, since 2020 which is a business and creativity newsletter with stories and strategies for entrepreneurial writers.

She is a jack of all trades and master of many!

In this interview, Nika shared valuable insights on:

  • her key strategies to grow over 1,000 subscribers

  • how she position her newsletter in her professional life while running her own business

  • her learnings about paid subscription strategies and what she's currently experimenting with

To read the full interview, click here.

🏷 NEWSLETTER IDENTITY CARD

TOOL STACK

KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM TODAY’S INTERVIEW

1. Don’t wait too long to start a paid subscription

Nika thinks that she was late to the game. The Shift was free for the first 2-3 years while Nika was figuring things out and building her list.

Usually, the message we hear is to get to 1k free subs and then turn on paid subscription or 10k subs before you do paid advertising, she says. But Nika disagrees with this statement.

In her opinion, you can turn on paid at the start if you want to build a newsletter business and set that intention. You have to treat it like a business and take it seriously.

“Generosity is one of my values but I realised I wasn’t doing myself justice and valuing my time, energy and experience by giving it all away for free. Just because I don’t like paywalls!

You have to nudge people to pay."

Nika Talbot, The Shift

2. Don’t underestimate the power of networking

Nika knows the power of networking. So here’s what she’s done to become more present and grow her network.

She joins paid communities and masterminds. She sees it as a “pay-to-win“ as you can learn from and support each other in these communities.

“To grow your network, start getting into smaller spaces with other people who are on the same journey with you.”

Nika Talbot, The Shift

She also uses newsletter directories to be more present in the newsletter world and for potential collaborations.

3. Improve the newsletter journey of your audience

Nika highlights several steps to improve the newsletter journey of her audience.

  • Curate good stuff. If you want to sell something, make people feel something about it. Then, they will buy what you sell to be part of it.

  • An interactive welcome email. For Nika, welcome email is the first touchpoint so she should make it memorable. She offers two free collaborative resources. She also ask people to introduce themselves in a thread.

  • Free tasters. Nika has free tasters on her home page before the paywall. It can be a workshop or a free book. As long as you let people know what it’s like inside, they will get to know and trust you easily.

  • Focus on the audience preferences. Nika always makes sure to ask what her audience wants and receives feedback from them. She also includes them in the operation process by asking what to put as a referral and recommendations.

BONUS: 5 Advice from Nika Talbot to Newsletter Operators!

  1. Write fast, edit later. Kill your darlings (especially that intro). Short and sweet.

  2. Have a full life, do interesting things, be interested in people and life and you’ll bring that energy and spark to it.

  3. Take time off Substack and socials to avoid comparison-itis and more-itis.

  4. Don’t worry about trying to sound clever or smart. Don’t be afraid of the mundane - it’s where most of us are, doing the same things daily, and it’s more real and relatable.

  5. Share your fails as well as your wins - you’ll be far more interesting and useful. As Arnie would say: “Be useful!” 🦾

👉 Do you want to reach 2,800 newsletter operators & enthusiasts?

Thanks for reading, and don’t hesitate to reply if you want to contact me.

Ciler

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