BUILDING BLOCK #5

5. Lets market your newsletter and get it sent around the world.

a. Where to start?
b. Do I use paid classifieds or how do I advertise?
c. Do I swap ads in other e-zines?
d. What do I do if their subscriber base is larger than mine.
e. How do I keep track of the ads?

a. Where to Start?

So you've got your newsletter all ready to go - congratulations - that is really something to be proud of. Wasn't so bad was it

Do you have your list set up to take care of subscribers. You will be able to handle them for awhile on your own, but it is best to get started off right so you don't have to change e-mail accounts. It takes awhile for that e-mail account to get up and running, so you don't want to change in mid-stream if you don't have to.

Again, my recommendation is http://www.mail-list.com - Run very professionally and excellent service. It is only $9.95 per month - payable by quarter. You will be given an e-mail account for subscribers to sign up or unsubscribe without you even doing anything.

If you can afford it, it would be better to start off owning your own list server. For a one time investment of $89.95 you can take charge of your own list.

I use Optin Lightning and am very pleased with it. Your list will grow much faster with a single opt-in list. They click to subscribe to your newsletter and you sent them a welcome to your newsletter and they are subscribed.

The double opt-in list is one that they click to subscribe to, they are sent a welcome letter via an autoresponder and they must return it back to you to confirm their subscription. Many people will not click on this double confirmation letter - thus losing at lest 80% of your subscribers.

Check out the Optin Lightning site and if you possible can - get started off on the right foot - changing your mailing list after you have numerous subscribers is not a fun job to do.

My newsletter is a few years old and I am still trying to get some of the e-mail address straightened out from not being set up right to start with.

O.K. We've got that out of the way.

Now, send your newsletter to all the people you have in your e-mail. Explain to them that this is a one-time mailing to introduce your newsletter. Ask them each to send it to two people or as many as they can. Let that be a one time mailling and then never send to people that do not request - spamming is really frowned upon and you will get flamed, even your site shut down.

When you are beginning - it seems overwhelming to get subscribers, but remember I started off with 12.

It will grow slowly, just be patient.

Start listing your newsletter in all the e-zine lists. They are listed on my Links, Links and more Links pages.

Set up your signature file and put it on every e-mail you send out. Just remember every e-mail you send out is an advertisement for your product.

Just get into your thinking mind that every place you go to - list if you can - every e-mail - mention your site. Just constantly list, list, list. You will be in the habit of it.

b. Do you use paid classifieds or how do you advertise.

If you have a product to market, you will need to build your newsletter subscriber base before you worry about your product.

I have spent very little on paid classifieds and when I did, I did not notice any upswing of sales, so until you get established a little, I would just use the free classifieds and make sure you get listed at all the e-zine sites that list newsletters. Taken from my Links, Links and more Links pages.

Also enter into the search engines 'e-zine+lists' without the quotes. Just start listing, surfing, using all the marketing information throughout the Resource Center - is is laid out step by step all over the Resource Center.

Once you get your subscriber base built up you can barter with other newsletter publishers - you run their ad and they will run yours. As outlined below.

c. Do you swap ads with other newsletters?

Yes, this will be your main way of promoting your newsletter. If you have purchased The e-zine directory you will have access to the best way of promoting your newsletter on the web. It is sorted out to every kind of market there is. Just go to Block 4 and click on the eyeballs and it will take you to the Directory. It is very reasonable.

Just pick the market you want to cover and start sending your ad off and requesting an ad swap.

I just write:

'Interested in doing an ad swap? My subscriber base is ____ and my newsletter goes out every Friday. My market is geared toward the beginning marketer or the burned out marketer.'

Then just list your ad and ask them if they are interested to forward you their ad and let you know when your ad will be run. Simple as that.

Then just keep a calander as to when your ads are to run. Later you can check into some of the CGI scripts on ad tracking. We'll cover that later.

d. What do you do if their subscriber base is larger than yours.

Some newsletters will take your ad no matter the difference in the subscriber base, but some will want equal exposure. All you do in that case is run your ad as many times as it takes to make you equal with their base of subscribers.

Don't let the size of their newsletter scare you off from asking for an ad swap - I just send off and ask, never even look at the subscriber base.

e. How do you keep track of your ads?

Until you really get rolling, just keeping track on a large calander will be fine. Once you get pretty busy and need to keep better records then you can just purchase one of the ad trackers on the web. Just enter 'ad+tracker' into the search engines. Check them out, use the demonstrations. Don't purchase the first one you see. Try them out first.

If you host your site with Host4Profit - you will be given one of the best ad trackers there are.

Ok - lets move on to Building Block #6

Getting some streams of income coming in. GO HERE