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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 newsleter? 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.

About the Author

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

Written by: Angela Wu

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