Happy 300th issue of #jesspicks! 🎉🥂When I started this newsletter six years ago, I had no idea what it would become. It has become the most consistent and rewarding thing I’ve done in my business.Thank you for reading this newsletter every week. 🤝🏾Thank you for the replies, the sharing, the support, all of it. What a fantastic journey so far! 💖In honor of this special occasion, I wanted to share some behind-the-scenes of this newsletter with you.But first, numbers.The first issue of #jesspicks was sent on July 23, 2016.There are 1519 subscribers (at the time of writing this) - most of those coming in the last two years.#jesspicks has an average 46% open rate and 11% click rate.It has generated over $4,500 in sponsorships, tips, and affiliate marketing.Why do I publish #jesspicks?I created #jesspicks when I wasn’t sure what to do with my business, but I knew I wanted to create something valuable for my audience. That was when I first started hearing the word ‘curation’ and realized it was something I was already doing on social media.It has evolved over the years and has become a place where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creators get tips, advice, and resources for juggling their businesses and other commitments.It is a place to share lessons I’m learning, experiments I’m trying, and how I’m managing (or not managing) all the things. I hope you get a nudge, a tip, or a spark for taking action while having grace with yourself through it all.How has #jesspicks changed over time?Curated newsletters were still a new concept when I started #jesspicks, but I liked the idea of sharing five helpful things I saw that week with my audience.After a few years of working in the startup space, I realized the power of the side hustle as a way to start a business in a low-risk way, and then I niched it down a bit to focus on “tips and resources for side hustlers.”It used to include a quick intro and then 3-5 links.I’ve slowly added other sections like #loves highlighting what I’m reading, watching, or listening to that week, along with fun tech tools and resources. Finally, the #supporters section highlights folks supporting me on Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee. Right now, I love this format as most people can walk away from each issue with one nugget they can use in their day.What does my process for creating an issue look like?#jesspicks has this structure:Subject line Intro note#sponsor#loves#reads#icymi#lifevibes#supportersThe intro section is often the one that takes the longest to write. It usually includes behind-the-scenes updates and lessons learned based on something that happened that week, so I don’t plan much in advance. However, I realize that I may have to rethink this strategy as sometimes Friday comes, and I have no idea how to start this section. The rest of the newsletter is more curated, meaning I share helpful articles or things I’ve used/seen and try to summarize or pull a lesson out of it for my audience.I get content from various sources, including newsletters, blogs, and podcasts. Whenever I find something worthy of the newsletter, I bookmark it or save it to read later.Other sections that sometimes take a bit are the #lifevibes and the subject line. I do something untraditional in the newsletter/email marketing space, as my subject line is usually a quote or song lyrics. But I had seen it before and loved the idea, so I stole it, as one does. 😉 And readers have shared that they love seeing the quote in their inbox before reading the newsletter.While often, I don’t go into an issue in a particular way, it usually has a theme or an overall feeling that I try to keep consistent throughout.Each issue takes about 3-5 hours to be ready. I work on the newsletter in small sessions throughout the week, spending more time pulling everything together on Fridays.--Next week I’ll share more about tools, how I’ve made money, and gotten subscribers.Hit reply with any questions.On to the picks!