Let's Talk Newsletters! for Bloggers and Authors

Surprise, surprise! I don't have a newsletter that I send out biweekly or monthly. I do, however, receive such emails and on a regular basis. Most of them are from indie authors. Emails are an effective marketing tool! If you need some persuading about the value of emails, just check out this article: Is email marketing still relevant? I have to be totally honest with you, not all of the emails that I'm subscribed to are as well received as others.

Main reason why I unsubscribe from a newsletter: Emails are Too Frequent

Main reason why I don't open a newsletter: Boring Subject Line

3 examples of October newsletter subject lines that caught my interest:

1. On pumpkins, coffee, and other ways to celebrate October - by Author Ron C. Nieto

2. 👑 Pre-Order Highland Queen 👑, Freebies, and a 👻 Halloween Giveaway! 🎃 - by Author Melanie Karsak

3. [New post] IMAGINATION is Powering a BIG “Quiet Ship” Book/Prize GIVEAWAY! :D - by Blogger Donna at Writer Side Up!

Email Marketing Resources

My Emma

5 ideas for creating good subject lines from

8 newsletter subject lines that aren't just "October Newsletter"

The hallmark of a great subject line
Great subject lines have certain attributes that help pique a recipient’s interest enough to get them to open the email — and that’s the goal.
Let’s look at some of the characteristics of phenomenal subject lines.

1. They’re personal.
Personalization in emails is key. In fact, personalization is shown to increase conversions by 10% and click-through rates by a whopping 14%.

2. They’re urgent.
Urgency is powerful, but you have to exercise restraint so your subject lines don’t come across like a ShamWOW infomercial (“Act now, before they’re gone!”).
That being said, urgency can encourage those opening clicks, as long as you’ve taken the time to tone down your language and phrase things creatively—like these do.

3. They’re mysterious.
Subject lines that are mysterious can pique curiosity, and that’s a good thing — as long as what you’re delivering is in line with your brand.

4. They’re relevant.
Normally, if you’ve subscribed to a list, you’re interested in timely, relevant news pertaining to that company or industry.

5. They contain an offer.
Who doesn’t love an offer? You can craft email subject lines that include this tempting morsel but be careful to deliver what you promise.
Also, don’t use the words, “free” or “rich” in your subject lines—those may land you in the spam folder.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored Guest Post in collaboration with My Emma and Campaign Monitor. I created the images for free and effortlessly with FotoJet. I have included my own thoughts and opinions. The rest of the content is from My Emma.

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Paperless Post Birthday Cards Review

Do you ever struggle to shop for the perfect birthday card and mail it in time to your loved ones? Finding the perfect card and having it sent immediately is made easy with Paperless Post. It's also good for the environment! Paperless Post has hundreds of free card designs, but there is a nominal cost for premium cards and premium upgrades. Virtual coins are used to purchase online cards and add premium options like envelope liners and logos. The online cards with envelopes look like the real thing! If you want real paper cards and invitations, then those can also be purchased through them.

Many of our loved ones live far away and sending cards is always a mission. I will definitely use Paperless Post this year. When I signed up a couple of days ago, I received 25 virtual coins for free. This is automatic for everyone, but I'm not sure for how long.

The cards below are some of my favorites. I don't know if any of them are for free. I was browsing through all of the birthday cards when I chose them.

2 Birthday Card Ideas for Kids

2 Birthday Card Ideas for Her

2 Birthday Card Ideas for Him

Paperless Post Website

Disclosure: I received extra free virtual coins in exchange for an honest review.

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Oxygen Inc. Swimwear Review with Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #216!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

My Review:

The first time I saw swimwear from Oxygen Inc., I knew that the designs would be flattering on a curvy figure like mine. In fact, they have a gorgeous selection of swimwear that looks good on all body types. Have a peek at their swimwear slide-show from featured clients to see for yourself!

I was impressed with the high quality of the two swimsuits that Amanda and I both received. Hers is a girl's size 10. She and I adore the cherry pattern on her swimsuit! It's super cute! Her swimsuit has extra lining in the front top section, which is really important for modesty's sake. She won't have to worry about what others can or can't see.

My playful red swimsuit with white polka-dots is a lady's size 12. I like mine because I can feel feminine and confident without revealing too much. When you put on a swimsuit you want to feel and look beautiful!

Website |  Swimwear

Disclosure: Amanda and I each received a beautiful swimsuit from Oxygen Inc. for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

*********************

My Latest Book Reviews:


Yumi's Extraordinary Collection

Green Kids Club

The Forsaken Crown

*********************

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link-ups I take part in.

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FotoJet Review with Weekend Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #215!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that I like taking pictures. When it comes to online photo editing, I always look for the free options. Recently I heard about FotoJet and thought to see what it has to offer.

FotoJet is an all-in-one free online tool for graphic design, photo collage, and photo editing. It has an easy Home Page lay-out. The options available are clearly displayed. Make sure to scroll down the page to see them all. I tried the free version with plenty of editing tools and graphic designs to choose from. There is also a paid version called FotoJet Plus that gives you more options with no ads. 

FotoJet makes photo editing easy and enjoyable. I found the overlays to be fun, the clip art whimsical, and the text options cool. I used FotoJet for my blog post header above. I went with the Thank You Card template under Graphic Design. I chose a blue background and added floral clip art with text. I also tried FotoJet for my latest book review post. I used two of the Featured Effects under Edit Photo and I'm sharing my before and after pics below.

Before...

and after with
FotoJet Portrait.

Before...

and after with
FotoJet Scenery.

Disclosure: I will receive a 30 day free trial of FotoJet Plus for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This offer can be found on the FotoJet website and is available to anyone who wants to post a review.

*********************

My Latest Book Reviews:


Changes of the Heart

Green Kids Club

YooHoo and Friends
from the Green Kids Club

Non-Heir (Prequel Novella)
is for FREE on Amazon Kindle

First Year is only
$0.99 on Amazon Kindle

*********************

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Pinterest 

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link-ups I take part in.

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Hickies #LifeWithoutLaces Review

Hickies -

No Tie Elastic Shoelaces

Life Without Laces

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

As a mother of four, I found it so frustrating having to tie my kids' shoelaces all the time. I usually did a double knot so that I wouldn't have to tie them a second or third time in the day, but then the double knot was always so hard to undo afterwards! Amanda, my youngest, can tie her own shoes now, but at the end of the day she asks me to take out her double knot!

We live in modern times, but shoelaces go back to the Dark Ages (or thereabouts). Why haven't shoelaces caught up to modern times? Why do we still have them?

Introducing Hickies -

the no tie elastic shoelaces.

Their motto: Life without laces.

Their Story:

The only thing we love more than a good pair of sneakers is a good story – and this one is a tale of two lovers who left home in Argentina on a wing and a prayer, with an idea that would change the world of sneakers forever.

Mariquel Waingarten and Gastón Frydlewski love sneakers but hate shoelaces. Those pieces of string just get in the way. So when Gastón told Mariquel his idea for HICKIES lacing system, she recognized the touch of genius. They developed the concept further and set up a Kickstarter campaign to see if the rest of the world was ready for HICKIES lacing system. Their Kickstarter campaign surpassed their wildest dreams and raising 600% more than their original goal. Life started moving fast for Gastón and Mariquel: in less than a year they quit their day jobs, got married, and moved to New York City to set up the company HICKIES. You could say they lived happily ever after – HICKIES lacing system is the next level for the sneaker game, but just the beginning of what this pair will achieve.

Amanda's Latest Pair of Sneakers:

Before (with antiquated shoelaces)...

And After (with hassle-free Hickies)...

How it Works:

The Hickies no tie elastic shoelaces can be adjusted all the way from extra tight to loose. You can also mix the fit if you need a spot looser or tighter on your shoes. Samantha has done a mix on her Keds canvas shoes in the photos below. The end results are stylish slip-on shoes. Hickies give you hassle-free shoes and one size fits all, so there's nothing to worry about! Visit the Hickies website to see how it's done!

I like the Hickies Lacing System so much that I would be happy to get more for the rest of the family. It's liberated us from antiquated shoelaces and now we can enjoy our footwear more!

Samantha's Canvas Shoes

with Hickies:

Hickies:

USA Website

USA Online Shop:

Adults | Kids

Hickies:

EU Website | EU Online Shop

Disclosure: I received free ladies and kids Hickies for an honest review.

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CafePress - A One-of-a-Kind Online Shop

I have been offered a great opportunity and I'm not letting it go to waste, because I've made sure that my readers will benefit too. I have secured an international $20 gift voucher from CafePress for one lucky winner. Once I receive the voucher, there will be a draw for it on my blog. I'll let everyone know, but if you don't want to miss a thing, then consider getting updates via email. That option is available on my right-hand sidebar.

What is CafePress and what can you purchase with your $20 if you win?

Custom T-shirts, Personalized Gifts, Unique Mugs, Posters & More

CafePress is where the world shops for custom t-shirts and other unique gifts that express people's unique personalities. You'll find millions of one-of-a-kind designs on every topic you can imagine (and some you can't) - from political expressions, funny T-shirts & stickers, to all sorts of merchandise with cool personalized designs. Plus find themed gear from major brands such as the Twilight Saga, American Idol, Star Trek, & more. You can also make your own personalized gifts with their easy design tool.

Personalized Photo Gifts - Here are some great ideas for Mother's Day and Father's Day! It's so easy to make it personal. Just add your own photo of your family or kids or anyone else you want to have remembered on a framed tile, mug, pillow, or any of the many other products to choose from.

Writers and Bloggers Mugs - If you are a writer or a blogger, you will want one of these! Sayings include, "I Love My Blog" and "I am SO gonna blog about this."

Travel Mugs - A variety of mugs in different themes, such as Vintage, Retro, Art, Cute, and Animals. Some are quite funny.

Flip Flops - These are perfect for the summer and you can find your own unique style from beach themes to photography, music, animals and more! So, go on and express yourself this holiday.

Cool Shirts - Find a cool T-shirt for Men and Women to Kids and Infants... even Dogs! There's something for everyone.

Custom Shirts - Design your own T-shirt! The online Design Tool makes the whole process quick and easy. You can create almost anything you envision. Type a message in the text box, then choose from font selections to make it your very own. Even add a graphic or photo. You can design one side only, or both front and back.

CafePress also has a new partnership with Marvel. And, with the new release of Iron Man 3, there's a variety of merchandise to choose from. Make sure you don't miss out!

Iron Man 3 merchandise - Check out the wide variety, including cool T-shirts, caps and bags.

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