7 ways to find great newsletter content

One thing that holds a lot of my clients back from writing their newsletter is that they "don't have any ideas." I hear this all the time, but I have 7 ways to find compelling and interesting newsletter content so you won't get stuck staring at a blank page.

1) Amazon books

Go to amazon.com, look up the latest book on nutrition (or better yet, the specific focus of your health coaching practice) and skim the chapter titles to find something that interests you. Write your own perspective on the topic. Whether you mention the book title or not is up to you.You'll be inspired in no time! And you don't even have to buy the book.This is a great strategy to get un-stuck if you have writer's block.

2) Your own inbox

I've signed up for email newsletters from other health coaches, and whenever they write something that I absolutely adore, I file it in my "inspiration" folder. Whenever I'm feeling stuck, I peek at the folder and see which topic intrigues me.I certainly don't copy their newsletter, but I definitely take inspiration from their ideas.One of my favorite topics was "the kitchen is closed," a newsletter about snacking after dinner. Brilliant! This is something my clients struggle with, so it will be very timely when I write it.

3) Be trendy

A few blogging or newsletter trends include

• Things I'm Loving Lately (I've got one of these coming up!)
• What I Ate Wednesday
• Thankful Thursday

You get the picture. Skim the blogosphere and you'll find some fun trends to piggyback on your newsletter.Choosing a weekly topic like this is a good way to stick to a schedule and be consistent with your blog. You can link to it from your newsletter so your followers will always know what to anticipate.

4) Write a product or book review

Our followers look to us for advice on the "best" supplements, food, sunscreen, you name it. Why not write a review about it?Now that summer is finally here, I'm planning to write a post about sunscreen. It shows my clients that I'm researching the best in health, and that health coaching is about more than just food.

5) Recycle

Think back to a newsletter or blog you wrote a few months (or years) ago and re-purpose it for today's audience."Summer Salads" are summer salads, and people won't say "oh, she already wrote about that. I'm going to unsubscribe." lol It just doesn't happen because we want to know what are the best summer salads this year. (Oprah's magazine runs a "declutter your life" article at least once a year and people read it every time.)There's no shame in recycling old posts. The trick is to jazz it up and make it current this year. I know you can do it.

6) Listen

Listen to your clients and potential clients. They'll tell you their top concerns and you can turn that precious information into a winning newsletter.If you find that all of your health history consultations focus around breakfast, or around making quick but healthy dinners, you can write a newsletter that specifically touches on what your tribe is struggling to overcome. You'll be a hero, and you'll show that you listen to people... you're in touch with their challenges and you know how to support them.

7) Testimonials

Give your own testimonial or tell your story about how you overcame a struggle. Maybe you identified a food allergy after doing a cleanse or detox. People love to hear success stories, especially about their coach!Even better... write a testimonial about how a client has benefited from working with you. Perhaps she lost weight or improved her marriage and she just can't wait to tell people about it. Harness her excitement and share the love in a newsletter to your clients. To make it sound less "salesy," offer specific and concrete tips or action steps people can take to get results. You'll add value to their life, and be seen as an expert.Are you inspired yet? I hope so! There's so much great content out there, and I want you to get started.Take action now. Choose one of these topics and write the first draft of a newsletter. Tell me in the comments below which one you've chosen and what you're going to write about. Then, polish it and send it to your list!Like these tips? We'll cover so much more in my upcoming Be a Blog Superstar workshop!