In one of his newsletters, legendary copywriter Gary Halbert tells a story about a reader who urged him to re-read a newsletter he’d written nearly a decade earlier. When he did, he found that the earlier newsletter was “almost word-for-word the same” as his latest.
Oops? Not at all. Halbert said, “. . .what I wrote almost ten years ago is as accurate and important today… as… it was back then.”
He added:
“It Is More Important To Be Reminded Of “Core Fundamentals” Than To Be Dazzled With Some New Piece Of Contemporary Creativity!”
For those of us who write newsletters and blogs and other content, the takeaway is clear. It’s okay to say things you’ve said before.
In fact, it’s a good thing. Here’s why:
- You continually have new subscribers and followers, reading you for the first time.
- Most people don’t read everything you write.
- Most people don’t remember what you said before.
- Some people may not have needed to hear your message before but very much need to hear it now.
- You may repeat the basic points but use a different headline, lead, examples, stories, or quotes. You may say it more persuasively or make it more memorable.
- Some people need to hear it again (and again) before they’re willing to do something about it.
If what you say is important, if you’re writing about “core fundamentals,” the best thing you can do for your readers is to write about it often.
So don’t worry about repeating yourself. Say what you want to say, as often as you want to say it. (Just don’t make it boring.)
And, on those days when you can’t think of anything to write about, find something you wrote about before and write about it again.
The core fundamentals of a lawyer’s newsletter
