The blank page problem is common in the newsletter world. It’s difficult to come up with something valuable to say on a consistent basis. And the more frequently you send, the more pressure you feel.

This is where content pillars are helpful.

We think of content pillars as categories for organizing pain points or “jobs-to-be-done” that your subscribers have.

Take our newsletter, for example. We have five content pillars:

We picked these pillars because they align with the key functions of any newsletter operation. Each week, I focus on one big idea under one pillar.

Having these pillars helps me get off the starting line faster: Rather than considering every idea under the newsletter sun, I’m looking for one within a defined boundary.

And I pull these ideas from a topic bank that we put together ahead of time. Each of the pillars above has 10-20 potential topics I can write about in a given week. This gives me the start I need to overcome the blank page problem.

Here’s a simple exercise to help you come up with your content pillars:

Pro tip: tag each newsletter in your email service platform with the pillar name. That way, you can compare subscriber engagement across different pillars and see what your readers are most interested in.

The number of pillars you choose depends on your sending cadence. You want to return to each pillar frequently enough that your subscribers recognize a rhythm.

Here’s a guideline to get you started:

Check out Every.to. Each newsletter falls under a different “column,” and each column has its own lead writer and logo. These logos appear at the top of newsletters and provide a quick visual cue of what category of content you're about to read. It's a small touch that enhances the reader experience.

We’re considering building a database of newsletters tagged by industry so you can see how others in your space are approaching their newsletters.

Before committing to the project, I’d love your feedback.

We had a blast trick-or-treating this past weekend. It took a few houses for my younger son (the fire chief) to get it, but once he had his first Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme candy bar, he was all in.

That’s it for this edition of Priority Mail. Next up, one simple fix under the Production & Operations category.

Until then, feel free to grab 30 minutes with me here to talk through your biggest newsletter pain point.

I’m happy to review a recent edition and your ESP setup so that we can discuss ideas tailored to your audience and process.

Chris

GM at Future Forest