I write crime stories/detective books, so I wanted something that evoked the classic PI fiction period but was not as obvious as the iconic fedora (also a friend of mine already picked that and he wears the hat all the time, so he definitely had first dibs!). I called my newsletter The Roll Top Desk. It also fits what I'm talking about: the sometimes messy stuff that goes through a writer's mind, like the multiple drawers of a desk. It works for me....
Thank you for this, it came at just the right time. I just had a piece go viral, as the kids say, on HuffPost and it's the first time I've had an audience for my work outside of other writers. I'm trying to figure out how to continue engaging readers in an authentic way and since my essay is about my ex and I coming up with our own unique way out of our marriage, I'm thinking my newsletter would be focused on other ways I'm leaning into the world and figuring out my life off script. I have a Substack newsletter stashed away that I never started called "Strange Independence" which is from a quote I love in a feminist book. Reading this today, I'm wondering if I should name it something more concrete like "Off Script."
As soon as I read what your essay was about & then saw the words "Off Script" in your above post, I thought: "That's it. Off Script". It's perfect. As Courtney said, it yokes together the writing life & ideas about doing life differently. (I'm a former theatre director.)
Now, if only I could see my why / niche idea so clearly!
I see a comment above with something similar to what I have in mind.
Niche: writing >senior writer>craft, publishing and more
Title: Write On
Tagline: what it looks like to debut as a senior writer in your 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s.
Content would include interviews with senior writers, what constitutes publishing (traditional book to chapbooks to Christmas newsletter) craft considerations—always ending with a “try this.”
Hi Patricia! I love the senior angle. I think there's definitely an audience for that. I think it would be great if your title could hint at that. Maybe something like "Writing Beyond" or "Well-Edited" or "Writing Over"... spend a little time riffing on that. I like your "try this" button.
Thank you for this, it has me thinking about newsletter titles and summaries and how to optimize my own! I called my newsletter Writing Elizabeth because I couldn't think of anything clever, and it felt the most honest because it's really just about my life with my kids after my daughter's cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2020. It was trying for all of us, she was diagnosed two months into the pandemic, and though she finished treatment in November 2022, we're just starting to come out of the fog it left us in. My tagline is 'climbing out of the cancer hole,' which definitely gets more to the point. But the newsletter as a whole is about our lives now, how we've moved on (and haven't) along with reflections on the cancer days.
Hi Elizabeth! Your tagline is great. I like Writing Elizabeth, but it might help your target reader find you if the title nods to the main topic of your newsletter. What about something like "After Cancer" or "The After"?
Mar 5·edited Mar 5Liked by Courtney Kocak, Benjamin Davis
Great article! I started my newsletter almost a year ago to the day (LOVE Substack). I've been wasting my tagline on how many countries Authortunities has been read in (because I am that geek) but it makes much more sense to actually use that space. I'm off to change it right now. And I took a screenshot of my Substack right now.
Niche: empowered writers>getting published>changing the system
Title: Authortunities
Tag line: Exercise your writes. Get published. Make change.
I have been thinking, with two chapbooks and a collection in the works, it might be time to set up an author platform. And here is your newsletter lesson! I think my niche is two-fold: writers of a certain age (75) diving in their writing careers (how to, tips and experiences learned along the way) and the path of caregivers who write (my adult daughter is neurodivergent) -- with sprinklings of dog (I have a dog trail-hiking service). Too involved? "This Writing Life: an old(er) caregiver's journey" or something like that.
I like the main focus being writers of a certain age (75) diving in their writing careers — I think there's an eager audience for that — and then the caregiver and dog angles can be complementary. If so, then maybe it's something more like "This Older Writer's Life" for the title.
My newsletter is called A Crip Punk where I talk about disability-related topics, chronic illness and accessibility because I’m disabled and I like punk music, so Crip Punk :) the one-liner is: a weekly resource about all disability stuff with gritty humour, harsh truths and attitude.
I'd like to write about finding purpose, and tapping into one's creativity in those spaces that sometimes come when we are between jobs, or in an inspiring place, or newly retired. Something that inspires folks who are looking for purpose, ways to find meaning, things to try when life is less structured and we can make choices about what we do and how we spend our time. ( A luxury for sure!) I always like to hear these ideas from others as well, so like the idea of connecting with like minded folks. I'm thinking of a title like "Be Well": adventuring, traveling and finding joy in the open spaces of life. Not sure the title is original enough, will have to keep pondering. This idea is in response to the great question: what do people ask your advice on ("what's retirement like? What do you do all day? do you miss work?") and what post has generated the most interest. (Instagram photos of travel, hashtag bucketlist, etc.). So thanks for those!
Hi Vivian! "Be Well" could work, but I think you can get a little more specific. When I read what you want to write about, "The Next Chapter" or "Writing Your Next Chapter" popped into my head. Do a little more brainstorming on titles that evoke that adventuring, traveling, finding joy vibe.
When I started my newsletter, the shoulder angel advised me, “Narrow your niche,” but I ignored her, because I didn’t trust myself to commit. Now with a few weeks under my belt, I know what I want to focus in on. I’m going to change that name and tagline. Thanks for the push :-)
I write two newsletters. I ended up dividing them because the topics were just so different. One is fiction, a serialized story, ‘The Tears of a Painter’ and the other is ‘Salat Auch Essen’ translated from German: eat the salad too. It’s a direct quote from my grandmother who used to remind us at every meal to eat our salad too. It centers around culinary adventures, mostly salads for now.
I titled my newsletter "Scribbled Milk," because it borders on the journalistic like crying over spilt milk. I am still writing to explore my voice/build a community, so I see the need to parse down my tagline/description but am not quite there yet. I will be revisiting this series as it and I grow. Thank you! <3
"Scribbled Milk" is super cute. I like the glass-half-full nod in your tagline, too. I would simplify the copy to read: "A newsletter glass-half-full of essays, cultural reflections, and a twenty-something's self-therapizing."
Scribbled Milk is a darling name. I’m excited to see where it goes! It’s lovely to see how open you are to evolution with your name and tagline as you feel out what you’d like this space to be. Can’t wait to read your work!
I have been working on my newsletter, Around Sol Homestead, for about five months. It's mostly about the alpacas, chickens, and bees on our hobby farm, but also about learning and writing about our ecosystem. It's tied to our Instagram/business, but I am starting to think I need to change the title to something that draws in more readers.
Just a thought, Kasey. Alpacas are such unique animals & a unique drawcard. I find them enchanting & quirky and damn I want their eyelashes. When I read your description, I immediately thought: "Tell me more about the alpacas!" Maybe get them into your title or tagline? ...
My problem is that I came up with 5 newsletter ideas in different niches and a podcast lol. And I want to do them all at once. And I can't decide which one would be better to start with....which is why I've been having such a hard time moving forward with this. Should I have one newsletter that has sub-themes that serve different audiences? My other problem is that I have a lot of interests and want to cater to all of them...so Idk what to do. The newsletter topics are: My faith journey, Book reviews and discussions, My writing journey, navigating the media production industry, and building a community around a book I want to write (this one can definitely wait though)
It is tough when you have so many interests. I can kind of relate - but at least most of mine fall under writing! Some of those ideas seem related, LaQuin ... why couldn't your writing journey encompass book reviews /discussions, TO build a community around the book in progress? What's your book about?
I actually have 3 book ides I'm actively trying to build out: one on the different ways fear manifest in my life, one on my childhood and displacement, and a romance novel about two high school sweethearts.. and to your point I do see how everyhting I mentioned can fall under my writing journey focus, I just need to make sure I'm always writing form that perspective.
I see I am in more of a beginner stage then most writers here... still, here's my pitch!
I live with OCD and wanted to channel that into a newsletter, where I mostly try to explain how it is to live with this mental health issue. I have two ideas on how to go about this plan:
Either keep it realistic and just describe my own live/that of my friends, what we struggle with and how that is visible on both small and large scale, or-
I have also thought about making it an episodic horror-esque story, with which I aim to explain what it feels like to people who do not have these struggles in a more blatant, terrifying way. The second newsletter would follow a young woman just going about her day, with a strange condition: there is a creature made of black slime, which follows her and doesn't allow her to do certain things. Some episodes would be more fantastical then others.
Both of these would be called 'This is about my Annoying roommate O.C. Dee.'
I would use my Substack more to up my writing skills and get myself used to a set writing schedule then sell myself/my work. Still, I feel it is important to learn how to find a correct market.
If I would have to pin it, I'd say my niche is Mental health writing --) OCD --) Fictionalised story about OCD.
My one sentence would be 'My newsletter is about the daily, slightly difficult life of a woman who lives with a roommate called O.C. Dee.'
Hi Roos! I think you could do both ideas under the same newsletter. Maybe the title is something straightforward like "Living with OCD" so your audience can find you. And then your tagline could be "a newsletter about the struggles of living with a roommate called O.C. Dee," which is a unique approach to the topic.
I write crime stories/detective books, so I wanted something that evoked the classic PI fiction period but was not as obvious as the iconic fedora (also a friend of mine already picked that and he wears the hat all the time, so he definitely had first dibs!). I called my newsletter The Roll Top Desk. It also fits what I'm talking about: the sometimes messy stuff that goes through a writer's mind, like the multiple drawers of a desk. It works for me....
The Roll Top Desk is great! I like the image and writerly connotations.
Thanks Courtney!
I absolutely love your title for your newsletter!
Thanks Elizabeth!
I love this!!
Thank you for this, it came at just the right time. I just had a piece go viral, as the kids say, on HuffPost and it's the first time I've had an audience for my work outside of other writers. I'm trying to figure out how to continue engaging readers in an authentic way and since my essay is about my ex and I coming up with our own unique way out of our marriage, I'm thinking my newsletter would be focused on other ways I'm leaning into the world and figuring out my life off script. I have a Substack newsletter stashed away that I never started called "Strange Independence" which is from a quote I love in a feminist book. Reading this today, I'm wondering if I should name it something more concrete like "Off Script."
I like Off Script and its nod to the writing life while still giving you a lot of leeway to play.
I do too! It came to me AS I read what you shared today so THANK YOU!!
As soon as I read what your essay was about & then saw the words "Off Script" in your above post, I thought: "That's it. Off Script". It's perfect. As Courtney said, it yokes together the writing life & ideas about doing life differently. (I'm a former theatre director.)
Now, if only I could see my why / niche idea so clearly!
I see a comment above with something similar to what I have in mind.
Niche: writing >senior writer>craft, publishing and more
Title: Write On
Tagline: what it looks like to debut as a senior writer in your 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s.
Content would include interviews with senior writers, what constitutes publishing (traditional book to chapbooks to Christmas newsletter) craft considerations—always ending with a “try this.”
Hi Patricia! I love the senior angle. I think there's definitely an audience for that. I think it would be great if your title could hint at that. Maybe something like "Writing Beyond" or "Well-Edited" or "Writing Over"... spend a little time riffing on that. I like your "try this" button.
I'd read it!
Thank you for this, it has me thinking about newsletter titles and summaries and how to optimize my own! I called my newsletter Writing Elizabeth because I couldn't think of anything clever, and it felt the most honest because it's really just about my life with my kids after my daughter's cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2020. It was trying for all of us, she was diagnosed two months into the pandemic, and though she finished treatment in November 2022, we're just starting to come out of the fog it left us in. My tagline is 'climbing out of the cancer hole,' which definitely gets more to the point. But the newsletter as a whole is about our lives now, how we've moved on (and haven't) along with reflections on the cancer days.
Hi Elizabeth! Your tagline is great. I like Writing Elizabeth, but it might help your target reader find you if the title nods to the main topic of your newsletter. What about something like "After Cancer" or "The After"?
Great article! I started my newsletter almost a year ago to the day (LOVE Substack). I've been wasting my tagline on how many countries Authortunities has been read in (because I am that geek) but it makes much more sense to actually use that space. I'm off to change it right now. And I took a screenshot of my Substack right now.
Niche: empowered writers>getting published>changing the system
Title: Authortunities
Tag line: Exercise your writes. Get published. Make change.
I love your title. Clever and meaningful
Thank you!
I love the link between your newsletter name and the CTA "Exercise your Writes", Angela. It's clear & clever.
Thank you!
Love the new tagline! Your welcome page looks awesome.
I have been thinking, with two chapbooks and a collection in the works, it might be time to set up an author platform. And here is your newsletter lesson! I think my niche is two-fold: writers of a certain age (75) diving in their writing careers (how to, tips and experiences learned along the way) and the path of caregivers who write (my adult daughter is neurodivergent) -- with sprinklings of dog (I have a dog trail-hiking service). Too involved? "This Writing Life: an old(er) caregiver's journey" or something like that.
I have a similar idea (see below) though we diverge as well. Makes me believe in the concept more.
I like the main focus being writers of a certain age (75) diving in their writing careers — I think there's an eager audience for that — and then the caregiver and dog angles can be complementary. If so, then maybe it's something more like "This Older Writer's Life" for the title.
My newsletter is called A Crip Punk where I talk about disability-related topics, chronic illness and accessibility because I’m disabled and I like punk music, so Crip Punk :) the one-liner is: a weekly resource about all disability stuff with gritty humour, harsh truths and attitude.
I love Crip Punk as your newsletter title and your writer brand more broadly. It's giving a ton of personality and your main topics are clear.
Thank you ✨
The Radioactive Patient: On Music, Art and Mental Health.
Hi Allison! I'm not totally understanding your use of the word radioactive here. Can you explain?
I'd like to write about finding purpose, and tapping into one's creativity in those spaces that sometimes come when we are between jobs, or in an inspiring place, or newly retired. Something that inspires folks who are looking for purpose, ways to find meaning, things to try when life is less structured and we can make choices about what we do and how we spend our time. ( A luxury for sure!) I always like to hear these ideas from others as well, so like the idea of connecting with like minded folks. I'm thinking of a title like "Be Well": adventuring, traveling and finding joy in the open spaces of life. Not sure the title is original enough, will have to keep pondering. This idea is in response to the great question: what do people ask your advice on ("what's retirement like? What do you do all day? do you miss work?") and what post has generated the most interest. (Instagram photos of travel, hashtag bucketlist, etc.). So thanks for those!
Hi Vivian! "Be Well" could work, but I think you can get a little more specific. When I read what you want to write about, "The Next Chapter" or "Writing Your Next Chapter" popped into my head. Do a little more brainstorming on titles that evoke that adventuring, traveling, finding joy vibe.
Thank you! Like your suggestion!
When I started my newsletter, the shoulder angel advised me, “Narrow your niche,” but I ignored her, because I didn’t trust myself to commit. Now with a few weeks under my belt, I know what I want to focus in on. I’m going to change that name and tagline. Thanks for the push :-)
I like your new title, Ally!
I love your title ‘Journeys of a Fruitcake’. It’s catchy!
Thank you so much, Ingrid. That’s very kind!
LOVE THIS!!!
Thanks Lindy! :-)
I write two newsletters. I ended up dividing them because the topics were just so different. One is fiction, a serialized story, ‘The Tears of a Painter’ and the other is ‘Salat Auch Essen’ translated from German: eat the salad too. It’s a direct quote from my grandmother who used to remind us at every meal to eat our salad too. It centers around culinary adventures, mostly salads for now.
Makes sense to separate your serialized fiction. I love eat the salad too — are you going to use the English or German phrase?
I titled my newsletter "Scribbled Milk," because it borders on the journalistic like crying over spilt milk. I am still writing to explore my voice/build a community, so I see the need to parse down my tagline/description but am not quite there yet. I will be revisiting this series as it and I grow. Thank you! <3
"Scribbled Milk" is super cute. I like the glass-half-full nod in your tagline, too. I would simplify the copy to read: "A newsletter glass-half-full of essays, cultural reflections, and a twenty-something's self-therapizing."
I love Scribbled Milk:)
Scribbled Milk is a darling name. I’m excited to see where it goes! It’s lovely to see how open you are to evolution with your name and tagline as you feel out what you’d like this space to be. Can’t wait to read your work!
I have been working on my newsletter, Around Sol Homestead, for about five months. It's mostly about the alpacas, chickens, and bees on our hobby farm, but also about learning and writing about our ecosystem. It's tied to our Instagram/business, but I am starting to think I need to change the title to something that draws in more readers.
Just a thought, Kasey. Alpacas are such unique animals & a unique drawcard. I find them enchanting & quirky and damn I want their eyelashes. When I read your description, I immediately thought: "Tell me more about the alpacas!" Maybe get them into your title or tagline? ...
Thank you! I think that's a great idea. I will think it over for sure.
I love "Life Among the Alpacas." Great adjustment. It still conjures the same homestead connotations, but it's more fun.
Thank you! It popped into my head, inspired by Shirley Jackson's Life Among the Savages (about her children).
Wondering: Substack or Webpage or both?
Maybe both! I'm starting to see how Substack is a nice place to find/build a community and the website functions more like a name card?
Yes, I'm thinking both for most folks. But your website can be a simple one-page site.
My problem is that I came up with 5 newsletter ideas in different niches and a podcast lol. And I want to do them all at once. And I can't decide which one would be better to start with....which is why I've been having such a hard time moving forward with this. Should I have one newsletter that has sub-themes that serve different audiences? My other problem is that I have a lot of interests and want to cater to all of them...so Idk what to do. The newsletter topics are: My faith journey, Book reviews and discussions, My writing journey, navigating the media production industry, and building a community around a book I want to write (this one can definitely wait though)
Hi LaQuin! To me, those topics all seem to be related, or at least they could be. Maybe your title is something like "Writing Faithfully."
It is tough when you have so many interests. I can kind of relate - but at least most of mine fall under writing! Some of those ideas seem related, LaQuin ... why couldn't your writing journey encompass book reviews /discussions, TO build a community around the book in progress? What's your book about?
I actually have 3 book ides I'm actively trying to build out: one on the different ways fear manifest in my life, one on my childhood and displacement, and a romance novel about two high school sweethearts.. and to your point I do see how everyhting I mentioned can fall under my writing journey focus, I just need to make sure I'm always writing form that perspective.
I see I am in more of a beginner stage then most writers here... still, here's my pitch!
I live with OCD and wanted to channel that into a newsletter, where I mostly try to explain how it is to live with this mental health issue. I have two ideas on how to go about this plan:
Either keep it realistic and just describe my own live/that of my friends, what we struggle with and how that is visible on both small and large scale, or-
I have also thought about making it an episodic horror-esque story, with which I aim to explain what it feels like to people who do not have these struggles in a more blatant, terrifying way. The second newsletter would follow a young woman just going about her day, with a strange condition: there is a creature made of black slime, which follows her and doesn't allow her to do certain things. Some episodes would be more fantastical then others.
Both of these would be called 'This is about my Annoying roommate O.C. Dee.'
I would use my Substack more to up my writing skills and get myself used to a set writing schedule then sell myself/my work. Still, I feel it is important to learn how to find a correct market.
If I would have to pin it, I'd say my niche is Mental health writing --) OCD --) Fictionalised story about OCD.
My one sentence would be 'My newsletter is about the daily, slightly difficult life of a woman who lives with a roommate called O.C. Dee.'
Hi Roos! I think you could do both ideas under the same newsletter. Maybe the title is something straightforward like "Living with OCD" so your audience can find you. And then your tagline could be "a newsletter about the struggles of living with a roommate called O.C. Dee," which is a unique approach to the topic.
Heya! thanks for the comment, I think that is a helpful point!