I launched a community site for writers, here are the signup figures and emails from our soft launch

I've been working in the self-publishing space for about fifteen years. Since 2008, I have been running a successful editing company (BubbleCow.com).

We have been working with writers at every stage of the writing process for years but wanted to formalize what we have learned into a community-based website.

https://proactivewriter.com/

We intend to operate on a freemium model, but there's still some learning to be done on our part before we put this model in place. As it stands, we are focusing on acquiring users on the site. Once we have 'attention' we can speak directly with the users to work out what that need to make their writing lives easier.

Soft Launch & Mailing List

Our intention was to carry out a soft launch, where we tested the concept (and site) with initial slow growth.

My first step was to prepare a mailing list. Luckily, BubbleCow has a loyal customer base. I decided to segment out a list from our repeat customers.

Writers tend to only write one book a year, so we don't have the biggest customer base. However, I was able to create a list of 3,351 people. It is worth noting that this list had customers from up to five years ago. We had also never 'sold' to the list, nor had we been particularly active is sending out emails. So it would be fair to consider this a 'stale' list.

Initial Goal

My initial aim was to 'convert' as many of the list into users on the new site (ProActive Writer). I worked with a 5% conversion rate. This figure was roughly what we had seen from similar lists on previous projects we had run at BubbleCow.

This meant from the list of 3,351 users we were hoping to convert around 167 to ProActive Writer.

We sent out five emails, one a day. The first went out on a Monday, the last on a Friday. We sent each email around 6 p.m GMT. We are based in the UK, but 75% of our customers are based in the US.

Email 1

Since we had not really communicated with this list the aim of the first email was to reintroduce ourselves and let people know what was coming.

This was the email we sent:

Subject: Quick announcement and a favor…

Hi.

Gary Smailes here. I’ve been quiet for the last few months, but there’s a good reason.

I’ve been working on a new way to provide free information that will help you to write, edit, publish and market your books.

We’re really close to wrapping up our new website, but there are still a few things we need to do first.

We'll be launching in the next few days (fingers crossed, we are building the site from scratch!). However, before we do, I have to ask you a couple of questions. Can you help me out?

I am trying to get a feel for how you are finding the right kind of support you need when writing your book.

In other words …

Are you part of a community?

If you are, how do you find these communities? Are they super helpful or do you find them overwhelmed with spammy ‘buy my book’ type of interactions?

Any feedback you can provide will be really helpful. If you can answer these questions just hit reply and you will come directly to my personal email.

It is worth noting I had already carried out a lot of research and knew that most writer's biggest problem with online communities was self-promotion.

List size: 3,351

Opens: 361 (10%)

Clicks: 0 (no link)

Unsubscribes: 22 (0.65%)

Email 2

The second email was an outline of what we were planning to do. Once again, there was intentionally no link to click.

Subject: Thanks for the help

I emailed yesterday asking for some help and the response has been amazing. I am truly overwhelmed by the support people are showing.

After I read through all the emails (I am still reading, if I am honest), two clear messages emerged.

The first was that people are struggling to find supportive writing communities. The second was that writers are finding it difficult to locate effective, targeted information that they can apply to themselves and their books.

I also got several requests for more information about the new project. I am desperate to talk about this, but it is still too soon since we have a few things to do behind the scenes. Hopefully, I should have better news tomorrow.

In the meantime, I can say a few things. The site will contain a range of resources including tools, courses and eBooks. We are also planning to try and build a supportive community, but we want to experiment with some new ideas, including regular free online events, such as book clubs, writing clinics and book marketing workshops.

We are building the whole thing from the ground up, so you might have to stick with us as we get things right. The site will launch in ‘beta’ meaning that not all of the features will be ready from the start, and we will be actively seeking feedback.

Hopefully, I can email tomorrow with at least one of the features live, accessible and, of course, free.

Once again, I already knew the problems faced by writers before I sent out this email. In addition, I knew that what we would be offering would change, so I wanted to 'frame' the idea that things would be changing.

List size: 3,249

Opens: 906 (27%)

Clicks: 0 (no link)

Unsubscribes: 56 (1.7%)

Email 3

Now the list was prepared, we sent out the first email with a call to action.

Subject: We are open and you can download your first FREE eBook

I am still not sure how we have managed it but ProActiveWriter.com is open for free sign-ups.

You might have already downloaded and read the first free eBook, since it is the super popular Writing Manual from BubbleCow. However, I have added a new chapter about emotion in writing, so it’s still worth your time to get the latest version.

It might also be worth revisiting this book, since the information is the foundation of the approach we take to editing at BubbleCow.

To download, click this LINK.

If you’ve never read The Writing Manual, then now is your chance.

Here’s what writer Miz Bent said about the book:

“Hemingway versus EL James?. If you aspire to the former and not the latter, then this book is for you; but be warned this is no foray into easy territory; you will be called upon to jettison every lazy mindless habit of poor technique you've ever assimilated or learned. Simultaneously you will be asked to dig deep into the all of everything that you think you do not know. In that respect this book is quite confronting, but for those that want to improve, then it is definitely a call to rise and meet the challenge and grow within the craft; other than Mckee and Egri, it is probably one of the best books on writing I've read so far. Thank you Mr Smailes. Simple, invaluable and most impressively - free.”

The book is all about how using the show, don’t tell methodology will make you a better writer and allow you to create more engaging novels.

To download the book is simple. You just have to click the link below. You’ll need to create a FREE account, but this account will give you access to all the free stuff we are adding in the coming days and weeks. This will include other eBooks but also tools and even a forum.

LINK

There’s another free eBook coming tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled.

List size: 3,161

Opens: 575 (18%)

Clicks: 139 (4%)

Unsubscribes: 23 (0.7%)

Email 4

We followed up the first free eBook, with a second.

Subject: Today you can download your second free eBook

This is becoming a bit of a habit, but I wanted to start by saying a huge thanks to everyone that signed up yesterday. The response has been overwhelming and I am touched by all the kind words.

The influx of sign-ups has given us a chance to ‘stress test’ the site. There were a few small teething problems, but these have now been fixed.

One thing I wanted to say is that ProActive Writer is a safe place for writers, and this is a two-way street. So, if you see any problems with the site or have ANY feedback, then please drop us a line and let me know.

Today, I want to introduce your second free eBook.

This is called ‘How to Punctuate Dialogue’ and is a no-nonsense guide to correctly formatting and punctuating your character’s speech.

I wanted to create a book that addressed all those simple questions that writers want to ask but can never find the right time or place.

The book starts with really basic stuff (new speaker, new line, etc.), but the later sections address some much more advanced issues (showing not telling). This means the book is ideal for both new and experienced writers.

To get the book, just click the link below:

LINK

If you created a free account yesterday, you just need to log in. If you didn’t, then create a free account and you will be taken to the dashboard. From there, you will see both eBooks.

So, that’s two free eBooks on the site.

There’s another one coming tomorrow. This one will be ideal for anyone thinking about submitting to a publisher in the near future.

List size: 3,143

Opens: 545 (17%)

Clicks: 118 (3.75%)

Unsubscribes: 26 (0.8%)

Email 5

This was the final email of the initial sequence.

Subject: How to write a book proposal - free ebook

It has been both a hectic and amazing week. The feedback and support has been stunning, so once again, I want to say a big thanks to everyone for helping us to create something of real value.

Today is the last free eBook of the week and we've created something a little different. This eBook is one for writers thinking about trying to secure an agent or book deal.

It's called How to Write a Book Proposal.

Before I set up BubbleCow in 2008, I spent about eighteen months as a full-time writer. During this time I found that having to create effective book proposals was key to my success. In the end, I had more than twenty books published and secured two agents in the process.

This eBook sets out the blueprint I developed for writing book proposals that agents and publishers love. If you follow the guidelines I set out, you'll end up with a proposal that paints your novel in the best possible light.

Of course, it's all free.

All you need to do to access the eBook is either login or create a FREE account at ProActive Writer. Just hit the link below.

https://proactivewriter.com/books/how-to-write-a-book-proposal

Anyway, that's it for this week. Its time to take a well-earned breather before we come back on Monday with even more free stuff.

Have a great weekend.

List size: 3,119

Opens: 462 (14%)

Clicks: 95 (3%)

Unsubscribes: 18 (0.5%)

Summary

Overall, the soft launch went as we had hoped.

We had a total of 153 sign-ups, which is 4.56% of the initial list size.

The average open rate was 17.2%.

The average click rate was 3.58%.

The average unsubscribe rate was 0.87%.