So, you’ve decided to start a newsletter? I’m glad to hear it. You are about to embark on a very exciting and rewarding venture – watching your online publication grow, trying out new tactics to attract subscribers, even making some money. It becomes addictive. You’ll see why as you progress ...
The Goals All Newsletter Publishers Strive To Achieve
Driving subscriptions and enhancing the profile of your newsletter are the core activities for success. There are 300,000+ other newsletters competing for the same subscribers, so the better you become at chasing your goals, the faster you will succeed. Gaining momentum is the hardest part. Where do you begin in your quest for say, 10,000 subscribers and maximum exposure?
Key No. 1: Submit To Newsletter Directories
Before you jump in though: have another look at the description you have created for your newsletter. With so many ezines already out there, what is going to make yours stand out from the rest?
- If I were glancing over 100+ ezines in your category, why would I choose yours?
- Your description is a key element to attracting new subscribers and so it’s a good practice to study other ezine descriptions before creating your own. Visit a few of the top directories and search through various newsletters in the same category as your own.
Here are a few websites to get you started:
www.ezineaction.com
www.ezineadvertising.com
www.ezine-dir.com
www.ezinelocater.com
www.ezine-marketing.com
www.ezinesearch.com
www.ezinesplus.com
www.ezinestoday.com
http://ezinearticles.com
http://new-list.com
Take note of which descriptions catch your eye. Which jump out at you? Which are as dull as ditch water? www.e-zines.com is a great site to get up to speed on writing good descriptions.
Here’s an example of a good description ...
Here’s an example of a poor description...
See the difference? They’re both internet marketing newsletters. Which one would you subscribe to?
Once you have studied competitive descriptions, develop a few of your own. Then pick the best one.
Core Incentive To Submit Your Newsletter To The Directories
In a concerted effort to increase search engine ranking most of these directories submit their website on a regular basis. And guess what? Your newsletter title will also start showing up in the major engines – increasing exposure even further.
Key No. 2: Announce Your Ezine Through Announcement Lists
Announcement Lists are extremely powerful. When used correctly they have the potential to bring in 500–700 subscribers in a single week. What are Announcement Lists? They are mailing lists that are dedicated to announcing new newsletters on a daily or weekly basis. Most of them will allow you to announce your ezine including your description and subscription information.
Here’s a short list to get you started:
Key No. 3: Use The Power Of Free Ads
Using free ads is nothing new but don’t underestimate them; they
constitute a powerful tool to have in your marketing arsenal. There are two basic types: free and swaps. How do swaps work? It’s pretty obvious. You contact ezine publishers and approach them about exchanging ads. There’s a catch with free ads – most of them include other people’s ads and as a result are not as potent as swaps. You’ll need an auto-responder for both types and here are some suggestions:
www.aweber.comwww.getresponse.comwww.autobots.netwww.autoresponders.comwww.freeautobot.comwww.ultimateresponse.comYou don’t need to waste time submitting your ads manually. Here’s a piece of software that lets you blast out hundreds of free ads and ad swap requests with a few clicks of your mouse. It also includes over 275 ad swap sources and 100+ free ad sources with tracking capabilities built into the software. To download a trial version, click on the following link:
www.articleannouncer.com