Three Forgotten Tactics
By Peter Murphy
10th September 2002
Some great ideas from Peter Murphy for energising your ezine !
If you are like most ezine publishers you want more ideas that work. But hold on a minute what about all the key strategies that you have overlooked?
1. Teamwork:
Hook up with a fellow publisher who does not compete directly with you. I do this to find out what really works. Share ideas and results. Brainstorm even by email and you will discover new ways to promote your newsletter that you will not have spotted before.
You could save yourself weeks or months of wasted effort if you know which strategy people are responding to today. And not what used to work last year when that guru wrote his expensive ebook with all the answers that were true back then.
For example, last week I learned from a fellow ezine writer that his new ecourse was taking off like a rocket. So, I have cancelled my plans to write another ebook and instead I am working on developing an ecourse. And when it comes to promoting my new ecourse I already know an expert I can check in with instead of spending weeks to learn what works best.
2. Help other ezine publishers to get what they want:
Spend time solving the problems that other ezine publishers face. For example, read their back issues and point out ways they can offer an even better product. If you can help them to get more subscribers you will be rewarded with your articles getting priority treatment and appearing in their upcoming issues.
Do these other publishers offer a free report to new subscribers? Ask if they would like one suitable for their audience and then produce one that focuses on your area of expertise. They get more subscribers by offering a truly useful report and you benefit by getting your byline in front of even more people.
Give first and you will be amazed at how receptive people are to working with you for mutual gain. You will immediately stand out from the crowd in a world where so many people always wants something without any consideration for the needs of the other person.
3. Use information as a bonus:
Write an ebook or ecourse with genuinely useful information and offer it to other ezine publishers. Let them use it as a special bonus to keep their existing subscribers coming back for more. They will also benefit from referrals when their readers pass on the newsletter to friends so that they too can read your ebook or ecourse.
Too many ezines are short on great articles they can use. There are plenty of articles available out there but very few high quality ones that you will use in your own ezine.
The same applies when ezine authors want to offer incentives to encourage their readers to buy their own information products. If you give publishers a high quality ebook or ecourse that they can bundle with their information product you will get your message out to a lot of people and very quickly.
These tactics could help you to build your ezine in ways you never considered before now. Test them for yourself and enjoy new success with your ezine.
Copyright © 2002 Peter Murphy, All Rights Reserved.
Author Information:
Peter Murphy
[AUTHORWEBADDRESS]
Peter Murphy is a writer and ezine publisher. He has a number of information products that you are welcome to use to promote your ezine. For details send mailto:3infoproducts@sendfree.com
Showing posts with label Ezine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ezine. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, May 27, 2001
Ezine Publishing Primer
8 Essential Questions For Aspiring Ezine Editors
Online business 'newbies' have no doubt heard that offering a free newsletter is one of the best ways available to build their business and their profits. Some of the benefits include:
· Increased credibility
· Leverage for profitable Joint Ventures
· More exposure through article reprints, for example
· An additional source of income through advertising sales
While publishing a newsletter can be a very profitable venture, the fact of the matter is, they're also a lot of work. Here are a few things to think about before you get started.
1. What Type of Newsletter Do You Want to Write?
The type of material you include in your newsletter is as endless as your imagination. Some suggestions include:
· Featured Article
· Useful Website Pick
· Reader Q&A
· Letter to the Editor
· Surveys or Polls
· Product Reviews
· Suggestion/Help Column for Subscriber Websites or
Products
· Tip of the Day
· Inspirational Quote
2. Where Will You Get Your Content?
Will you write all the content yourself, get others to write it for you (ghost-writers), or use 'recycled' articles from other writers?
Fresh, original content is best. It gets tiresome when you see the same article in 7 different newsletters! If you don't think you can manage writing all of your content, perhaps you can compromise: mostly your own writing, with the occasional third-party article thrown in.
3. How Often Do You Plan to Publish?
One of the advantages of offering a free ezine is the opportunity to build a relationship with your readers. They come to know you and trust you, and you, in turn, learn what types of products or services they're interested in.
A newsletter that's published too infrequently runs the risk of being forgotten by its readers. On the other hand, one that's published too often may annoy its readers and cause them to unsubscribe or delete the message.
Many popular ezines are published once a week or once every two weeks. Use that as a guideline for determining your own publishing schedule.
4. Can You Afford a Professional List Manager?
A list manager automates the tedious task of subscription management. In other words, it automatically handles subscribe and unsubscribe requests from your readers.
There are many good list managers available. Some are 'free'; that is, you may use them for free if you accept third-party advertising in your message or, alternatively, delivered to your mailbox.
Professional list managers will require an investment. They will allow you to send out ad-free messages (and keep your mailbox free of more advertising!) and typically offer a number of features not available in the 'free' version.
5. Will You Accept Advertising?
New editors often choose to offer free ads to new subscribers. This is supposed to help them build their lists more quickly. On the other hand, you could end up with subscribers who join just to get a free ad, and who never bother to read your newsletter.
Most newsletters start to charge for advertising around the 1000 subscribers mark. If you choose to do so, take a look at similar ezines within your niche market to see what types of rates they charge.
6. Should You Publish an Email or Web-Based Newsletter?
There are advantages and disadvantages to both. You could choose to do both: send an email newsletter and archive each issue on the web. Another alternative is to publish on the web, but send out an email notification with a brief blurb about each article. Include a tracking URL for each article and you'll be able to see which topics interest your visitors the most!
7. How and Where Will You Promote?
There are many free ways to promote your ezine. The question is, Do you have time to do it? Free methods include:
· Ezine directories
· Message boards, where appropriate
· Article submissions to websites and other editors
· Ad swaps
· Signature files
· eBooks
· ... and more.
Ezine promotion requires ongoing effort. If you don't have the time, desire, 'know-how' or traffic to build your subscription base on your own, you may have to consider using one or more of the 'pay-per-subscriber' services available online.
8. How Much Time Do You Have to Devote to Your Newsletter?
This is the bottom line. How much time can you spare to produce a quality newsletter? Write a couple of sample issues to get a feel for how much time it takes. You may need to make adjustments; for example, you might decide to cut down on the number of articles you offer in each issue, but publish more frequently.
Author Information:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a newsletter for eBusiness beginners. OBB features ongoing tutorials on how to build a profitable Internet business on a shoestring budget. You don't need a million-dollar budget to be successful! Find out how you too can join the thousands quietly earning a living online:
http://www.onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
(c) Copyright 2001 by Angela Wu
All Rights Reserved
Online business 'newbies' have no doubt heard that offering a free newsletter is one of the best ways available to build their business and their profits. Some of the benefits include:
· Increased credibility
· Leverage for profitable Joint Ventures
· More exposure through article reprints, for example
· An additional source of income through advertising sales
While publishing a newsletter can be a very profitable venture, the fact of the matter is, they're also a lot of work. Here are a few things to think about before you get started.
1. What Type of Newsletter Do You Want to Write?
The type of material you include in your newsletter is as endless as your imagination. Some suggestions include:
· Featured Article
· Useful Website Pick
· Reader Q&A
· Letter to the Editor
· Surveys or Polls
· Product Reviews
· Suggestion/Help Column for Subscriber Websites or
Products
· Tip of the Day
· Inspirational Quote
2. Where Will You Get Your Content?
Will you write all the content yourself, get others to write it for you (ghost-writers), or use 'recycled' articles from other writers?
Fresh, original content is best. It gets tiresome when you see the same article in 7 different newsletters! If you don't think you can manage writing all of your content, perhaps you can compromise: mostly your own writing, with the occasional third-party article thrown in.
3. How Often Do You Plan to Publish?
One of the advantages of offering a free ezine is the opportunity to build a relationship with your readers. They come to know you and trust you, and you, in turn, learn what types of products or services they're interested in.
A newsletter that's published too infrequently runs the risk of being forgotten by its readers. On the other hand, one that's published too often may annoy its readers and cause them to unsubscribe or delete the message.
Many popular ezines are published once a week or once every two weeks. Use that as a guideline for determining your own publishing schedule.
4. Can You Afford a Professional List Manager?
A list manager automates the tedious task of subscription management. In other words, it automatically handles subscribe and unsubscribe requests from your readers.
There are many good list managers available. Some are 'free'; that is, you may use them for free if you accept third-party advertising in your message or, alternatively, delivered to your mailbox.
Professional list managers will require an investment. They will allow you to send out ad-free messages (and keep your mailbox free of more advertising!) and typically offer a number of features not available in the 'free' version.
5. Will You Accept Advertising?
New editors often choose to offer free ads to new subscribers. This is supposed to help them build their lists more quickly. On the other hand, you could end up with subscribers who join just to get a free ad, and who never bother to read your newsletter.
Most newsletters start to charge for advertising around the 1000 subscribers mark. If you choose to do so, take a look at similar ezines within your niche market to see what types of rates they charge.
6. Should You Publish an Email or Web-Based Newsletter?
There are advantages and disadvantages to both. You could choose to do both: send an email newsletter and archive each issue on the web. Another alternative is to publish on the web, but send out an email notification with a brief blurb about each article. Include a tracking URL for each article and you'll be able to see which topics interest your visitors the most!
7. How and Where Will You Promote?
There are many free ways to promote your ezine. The question is, Do you have time to do it? Free methods include:
· Ezine directories
· Message boards, where appropriate
· Article submissions to websites and other editors
· Ad swaps
· Signature files
· eBooks
· ... and more.
Ezine promotion requires ongoing effort. If you don't have the time, desire, 'know-how' or traffic to build your subscription base on your own, you may have to consider using one or more of the 'pay-per-subscriber' services available online.
8. How Much Time Do You Have to Devote to Your Newsletter?
This is the bottom line. How much time can you spare to produce a quality newsletter? Write a couple of sample issues to get a feel for how much time it takes. You may need to make adjustments; for example, you might decide to cut down on the number of articles you offer in each issue, but publish more frequently.
Author Information:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a newsletter for eBusiness beginners. OBB features ongoing tutorials on how to build a profitable Internet business on a shoestring budget. You don't need a million-dollar budget to be successful! Find out how you too can join the thousands quietly earning a living online:
http://www.onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
(c) Copyright 2001 by Angela Wu
All Rights Reserved
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