| It seems as though everyone is telling you that | | | | is to showcase your knowledge (Or humor, or |
| you should have an ezine for your web site, heck | | | | artistic ability, whatever your "thing" is) and as |
| even if you don't even have a web site! But why? | | | | you provide valuable information, tutorials, articles, |
| There are several good reasons to publish your | | | | resources, etc., every week you gain the trust of |
| own ezine, the not the least of which is to keep | | | | your subscribers. |
| in touch with visitors to your web site. Here are | | | | Then, when you mention that you use "X |
| several more reasons: | | | | product" to achieve "Y results", your subscribers |
| (1) Staying in contact with customers on a regular | | | | will listen to you and if you provide a link, they |
| basis so they remember your site amongst the | | | | may even reward you by buying your product! |
| billions of web sites on the Internet today. | | | | Some of the Less Obvious Reasons to Publish an |
| (2) Site announcements | | | | Ezine: |
| (3) Staying in contact with potential customers | | | | Another great reason to write an ezine is to |
| (Maybe one of the most important reasons) | | | | boost your search engine ranking by archiving |
| (4) Updating your affiliates | | | | your past issues online. Later in this series we will |
| (5) Sending information in the form of articles and | | | | be discussing exactly how to do that |
| editorials | | | | step-by-step, but for now, let's just assume you |
| (6) A mechanism to deliver results of a survey or | | | | know how to add your issues to your web site. |
| contest | | | | Search engines just love content. Instead of filling |
| (7) Establish yourself as knowledgeable in a field | | | | your web with other people's articles use your |
| (8) Increase your Search Engine ranking | | | | past issue to boost your sites value. I'm not |
| (9) Add content to your web site | | | | saying their articles are bad or even that having |
| (10) As an advertising vehicle | | | | them is bad, but don't you think your visitors will |
| (11) Earn revenue through selling ads | | | | be more impressed with more content written by |
| (12) Gain writing experience | | | | you in your site than by others? Plus, you have |
| Those are a few of the main reasons that I can | | | | the added bonus of looking smarter! |
| think of off the top of my head. So let's discuss a | | | | Your past ezines are definitely on the same topic |
| couple of them, shall we? | | | | as your web site which will make a search engine |
| It is very important to stay in contact with both | | | | like Google very happy when its spider finds that |
| visitors (Potential customers) and current | | | | large group of web pages all on the same general |
| customers. The trick is finding that perfect | | | | topic. Be sure they are all interlinked, to each |
| balance between being helpful and delivering value | | | | other and to the home page. Here's a couple of |
| and information with your ezine and being a pest | | | | ways to link them: |
| by sending too many issues, notices, ad sheets, | | | | 1. List the "Articles by Title" down the left side of |
| and classifieds. | | | | the page. Link them using the title as the link. This |
| On a side note: | | | | is a much bigger boost in page rating than the |
| Don't be a baby bird! | | | | "next article" link. Keywords used as the text of |
| One of my pet peeves (And probably a lot of | | | | the link itself - it doesn't get better than that - |
| other people's as well!) is the "You gotta try this!" | | | | baby! |
| email every single week from some publishers. | | | | 2. Have a navigation bar across the bottom of |
| Every week, sometimes several times a week, I | | | | the page |
| get this breathless email from some publisher that | | | | 3. Have "Next" and "Back" links, plus a little arrow |
| is extolling the virtues of yet another "Joint | | | | icon pointing left and right respectively. Use the |
| Venture Letter Writer", "Make Super Money as a | | | | "Alt" description for the picture to stick a |
| Super Affiliate" ebook, or pop-up generating | | | | keyword in the page. Not a bunch, one per is ok... |
| software. | | | | If you use FrontPage or other WYSIWYG editor, |
| Enough already! | | | | right click on the picture, click on properties, then |
| Just because the different affiliate programs you | | | | type in your keyword where the space for the |
| are a member of all send you a new "Solo Ad", | | | | "alternate text" goes. |
| "Classified Ad", etc. doesn't mean that it is the | | | | Include the word "arrow" too, in case your picture |
| greatest thing since sliced white bread! There is | | | | pulls a no show or someone has their graphics |
| nothing that will make me unsubscribe faster than | | | | turned off the text makes sense. Like for our |
| a publisher that claims I "Absolutely can't live (Or | | | | fishing magazine example (Article #2 in the Series) |
| do business) without X, Y, or Z product every | | | | you could use "click arrow for next fishing article" |
| other day. | | | | as your alternate text. |
| Especially when all of the products are just | | | | We will cover this topic more deeply in the "How |
| variations on a theme and I see the same ad | | | | to Archive Your Past Issues" Article further along |
| from 4 different people (Each "customized" to | | | | in this series. But for now,just keep it in mind. |
| make it look like it came from them!). Don't you | | | | And the final reason we will discuss in this section |
| think your subscribers read more than one ezine? | | | | is writing experience. What better way to gain |
| Don't get caught up in this advertising frenzy or | | | | experience and find your writing "Voice" than to |
| you will lose that list of subscribers you worked | | | | write an ezine every week? If you have ever |
| so hard to gain the trust of. Just because you | | | | contemplated writing your own ebook, special |
| reach that magic subscriber base # of 5,000 or | | | | report, short story or novel, an ezine is great |
| 10,000 people doesn't mean that the focus of | | | | writing practice. |
| your ezine should suddenly switch from providing | | | | You have to do research, proofread, type, |
| information to being your private cash box. | | | | (Unless you have "you talk it records" software |
| So, don't sit in your "nest" with your mouth | | | | that is!) and keep a schedule. All great warm-ups |
| continuously open waiting to be fed like a baby | | | | for you true project, whatever that is. |
| bird chirp, chirp, chirping away all day! | | | | So there you have it, a nice even dozen reasons |
| End of Rant :) | | | | you should get up off your rear - or sit down on |
| The main reason you are sending out your ezine | | | | it as it were - and start writing your own ezine. |