You've decided. You know it is critical to your
online success, and you are ready to jump in and become
an Ezine Publisher. Good for you! You are headed in
the right direction.
No doubt, the biggest hurdle you'll find along this
road is simple getting started. The easy part is actually
developing your idea, setting up your format, deciding on
your content, how to mail it out, etc. That's a breeze.
No problem.
The challenge comes after that is all finished. Now you
need to start enlisting subscribers.
Get ready to work!
First of all, you MUST face the facts. Some recent statistics
tell us that there are AT LEAST 300,000 ezines out there.
And every one of those ezine are competing for the same
subscribers!!
So, are you one of those that, when faced with those kinds
of facts, promptly gets discouraged? Then, maybe you need to
face another fact: You may be in the wrong business! But
if you're one of those who is motivated by a challenge,
then read on.
First of all, building a successful subscriber list IS a
challenge. But it is NOT impossible, if you know what you're
doing, and also what everyone else is doing.
If you're willing to work harder than most ezine publishers,
you will get your share of the subscriber market. One reason?
A large majority of new ezine publisher, create their ezine,
place a subscribe form on their site, submit it to a handful
of ezine directories, and proceed to sit back and wait for
the onslaught of sign-ups. NOT!
Building a subscriber list is a multi-tasker's dream!
The secret is in the numbers. Number of places you get your
information, number of different methods you use, numbers,
numbers, numbers! ( Work, work, work.)
But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's get back to
just getting started. That was the hurdle we were talking
about. If you are stuck in that overwhelming land of "I don't
know where to start", then here are 4 ways you can jump start
your subscriber list. Start here, and I promise, the ball
will start rolling.
1. Submit to Ezine Directories and Announcement Lists.
EVERY ONE YOU CAN FIND! Remember, numbers. Here are a list
of some of the best ones to get you started. Do a search for
Ezine Directories.
http://www.bestezines.com
http://www.ezineaction.com
http://www.ezineadvertising.com
http://www.ezine-dir.com
http://www.ezinelibrary.com
http://www.ezinelocater.com
http://www.ezine-marketing.com
http://www.ezinesearch.com
http://www.ezinesplus.com
http://www.ezinestoday.com
http://www.ezine-swap.com
http://www.ezine-universe.com
Most will ask for a description of your ezine. A well-
written description can make all the difference in whether folks
choose to subscribe. As you're looking at these directories,
make note of the descriptions that catch your eye.
You might want to check out a great piece of software called
Ezine Announcer. Takes most of the pain and tedious-ness out
of this submission process. http://wetrack.it/eza/af.cgi?47
2. Join an Ad Co-op.
An Ad Co-op is a service (free to publishers) that sends you
subscribers, in return for you running their classified ad.
These folks have agreed to subscribe to your ezine. You have
agreed to run their classified ad.
Two of the best of these are:
2Bucks An Ad
http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?webworks/paaads
10Dollars20ads.com
http://hop.clickbank.net/?webworks/cashgalore
Note: The subscribers you get from these programs are
not quite as valuable, percentage-wise as the ones that
choose to sign up from your site, or from an ezine directory.
Many use yahoo and hotmail addresses to collect the ezines,
and may never see your issue. BUT, once again, it is all
in the numbers. You WILL gain some loyal subscribers
from these.
3. Install a Popup.
Yes, we know, there is a lot of muttering about popups
around the internet. BUT, facts are, we, and many others
have seen the largest increase in subscriber sign-ups after
installing one. They don't have to be intrusive. A well-
done popup can get some amazing results. (Especially when
combined with #4 below!)
Installing a popup is somewhat of an advanced technique for
your site. But we do have an article with instructions. If
you would like a copy, just send an email to:
mailto:gailh@cmymtc.com'subjectpopup
4. Give away a gift for Subscribing.
Giving away a gift to your new subscribers can work for you
in more than one way. First of all, it can obviously work
as an incentive to subscribe, if you are providing a gift
that has value and usefulness. Secondly, if you are giving
away a gift (ebook or software) that contains information
about you and your site, then you are doubling its marketing
value.
Ultimately, you want to work toward the goal of creating your
own unique give-a-way product. One you can give away, AND
provide to others to give away. (This is called Viral marketing.)
But, realistically, if you are just getting started as a
publisher, you may not be ready for this. So, give away
someone else's product! There are many available that allow
you to insert your site information in a prominent spot on
the front page, or screen. (Called Co-Branding.)
Here at CMYMTC we offer our subscribers a series of Ebusiness
Easy Guides, which are also co-brandable.
(http://makemoneyhowto.com/brandform.htm)
There are many other ways that you can add to the numbers
game of ezine promotion. These few mentioned here will give
you a jump-start on the whole process. Take things a step at
a time. Learn the ropes as you go, and keep adding more to
your numbers!!
An ezine publisher's job is never finished. If you can accept
that challenge, then you will be successful!
About the Author
Gail Hornback is owner of WebWorksAtHome.com ,
http://webworksathome.com and partners with Michael Smith in
Coyote Marketing, (CM/YMTC), where you can get Your Own 4-page
customizable E-Business Website For Pocket Change. Learn HOW
to Launch Your Own E-Business, NOT someone else's mirror site!
http://cmymtc.com/index1.htm