Want a Stronger Newsletter? Start By Knowing Your Readers.

This month, learn how to use polls to understand your readers better

A great newsletter is more than words on a screen — it’s a living connection between your ideas and your audience’s attention.

When done right, newsletters go beyond communication. They are more than a linear, monotonous, publishing queue of words dropped into someone’s inbox. They grow into dynamic ecosystems that improve in value over time and create memorable experiences for readers. They give readers a tangible takeaway and connection.

To build a newsletter that resonates, eventually you will have to think beyond the writing. At the heart of every successful newsletter is a deep understanding of your audience — their needs, motivations and what keeps them coming back.

This year, we’re diving into the six core elements of great newsletters — starting with the most essential: reader knowledge. Why? Because no matter how strong your writing is, a newsletter without audience insight risks becoming a one-sided monologue in a world that craves connection. Reader knowledge is the foundation of a newsletter that grows, evolves and lasts.

Whether you’re just starting out or refining your approach, this month is about taking a closer look at the humans on the other side of your work. Because when you truly know your readers, you stop guessing — and start creating with clarity and purpose. And I know from experience that when I take big risks with creativity and relationship at the heart of my motivation, it becomes so much easier to accept how the experiment pans out in the end.

How Do We Learn About Readers?

In the context of publishing a newsletter, there are both direct and indirect ways to start learning about your readers. You can begin by observing their behavior and paying attention to what moves them to action.

For example:

• What topics or themes spark engagement?

• What formats resonate most — essays, Chat threads or community events?

• What questions or calls to action lead to replies or clicks?

Every interaction inside your newsletter is an opportunity to learn. Readers are always giving you clues about who they are, what they care about and how they experience your work. Your job is to observe, listen and take note.

You can also go a step further with more traditional methods of gathering audience insights:

• Send out a survey to ask intentional, targeted questions.

• Create a fun series of polls to spark engagement and gain insight.

• Observe buying behavior if you offer digital guides, workshops or paid posts.

However, it’s important to note that not all poll and survey questions are created equal — and some can backfire, providing little meaningful insight or even causing disengagement. To make the most of your reader’s attention and to nurture connection, here are a few common question-writing pitfalls to steer clear of:

• Don’t ask readers how often to post. (There’s already data for that.)

• Don’t ask readers what topics they like. (Your dashboard reveals this.)

• Don’t ask generic open-ended questions like “How are you doing?” (This can feel vague and overwhelming to readers.)

• Don’t ask what time they’d like posts delivered. (This is mostly irrelevant in a quality newsletter experience.)

In poll and survey writing, it’s easy to fall into the habit of asking readers to define your newsletter for you. When a great poll or survey is actually an incredible opportunity to take a strong vision (set by you) and collaborate with feedback from an engaged community.

With that in mind, we always want to be asking context- and audience-specific questions that offer unique insights about the people reading your specific newsletter. We want to ask questions that can reveal something we don’t already know. For example:

• What’s one thing they wish they had more of in their life right now?

• Where do their values intersect with the work we’re publishing?

• What’s a day in their life look like?

This month, I’ll be sharing resources with my paid members about how to craft surveys and polls that readers will love answering — and that will help you nurture your own understanding of reader knowledge. You’ll learn how to ask the kinds of questions that lead to deeper insights and create stronger connections with your readers.

This Month’s Challenge

Paid members: Take out your editorial calendars and make a note! This month, you’ll be learning something meaningful about your readers. We’ll be focusing on polls specifically because they will be the best fit for 95% of The Editing Spectrum readers — folks who are publishing newsletters on Substack! This month you’ll be taking one intentional step toward understanding who’s on the other side of your newsletter.

For members of The Newsletter Collective (my founding tier), I’ll also be sharing The Reader Connection Blueprint — my digital guide for building a reader persona template. This tool will help you track what you know (and make you aware of what you don’t yet know) about your readers in a way that’s actionable and practical. I’ll also be sharing 12 months of poll questions to build out this reader persona.

I hope you’re as excited about learning about readers as I am. Because when you prioritize reader knowledge, you are giving yourself permission to be more than a robot publishing a newsletter. You get to be human. Your readers get to be human. And you get to evolve together. Your newsletter grows in tandem with your readers, shifting with intention and clarity. And nothing nurtures longevity better than the space to become something new and more meaningful over time.

So what do you say? Let’s make this the year your newsletter isn’t just something you write — let’s make it something that truly connects.

Today’s essay is for every newsletter creator who’s ever wondered, “What do my readers really care about?”

If you know someone on that journey, share this with them. Reader knowledge is the best momentum builder I’ve found in all my years of publishing. I can’t wait to keep exploring with you!

New to Amanda and the Editing Spectrum?

I’m Amanda, an editorial strategist and advisor who’s passionate about helping creators move from chaos to clarity. This month, I’m especially excited to share a new offering: Editorial Centering Sessions. These group workshops are designed to help writers like you navigate creative chaos, build focus and find a path forward in your work. I also work with creators in 1:1 Editorial Centering Sessions, which you can learn more about here.