Building Your Ezine Subscriber Base and Selling Ad Space

In this the last in a 3 part series on ezine publishing we
turn to the nitty gritty of finding subscribers and selling
your valuable ad space.

So now you have a terrific looking ezine and interesting content
but where do you find subscribers? I was hoping you'd ask. In
order to grow your subscriber base you'll need to promote your
ezine every chance you get.

The first thing you need to do is include
a sign up box on each and every page of your website and if you
can, offer a free sample copy by autoresponder. To set up a free
autoresponder check out http://www.GetResponse.com

Some publishers swear by pop up boxes to increase their
subscriber sign ups. If you go this route I encourage you to
opt for the kind that pop up upon exit not upon entering,
less annoying. You'll find some software to help you with
this here....http://www.codelifter.com/pop5index.html
or look at http://www.DynamicDrive.com for some free
scripts.

The next step is to get your ezine listed in as many online
newsletter directories as possible. You'll have to do your
homework by searching the engines for directories where you
can add your listing for free.This is an important step as many
people look to these directories when looking for newsletters
to subscribe to. Some of them are:

http://www.Lifestylespub.com/mcp/
http://www.E-zinedirectory.com/
http://www.Webscoutlists.com/signup.epl
http://www.Ezineadsource.com/
http://www.Zineconnection.com/
http://www.Ezine-Universe.com
http://www.EzineLocater.com/
http://www.EzinesPlus.com/

Remember many of these online directories will allow you
to post your ad rates as well. A double bonus which
allows you to pick up new subscribers as well as
advertisers.

Announcement lists are also good for promoting your ezine.
Search at http://groups.yahoo.com for lists that exist for
the sole purpose of announcing new lists. You'll also want to
participate in online discussion boards with a good signature
line that mentions your ezine. You'll find some great boards to
post to at http://www.DiscussMarketing.com

Other great ways to grow your subscriber base include swapping ads
with other publishers and writing articles to submit
to other publishers for possible publication in their
ezines. Again, a strong signature line is imperative. Try some
of these sites for swaps.

http://www.BizPromo.com/EzineTrades.htm
http://www.Ezine-Swap.com

Free Software to keep track of your swaps
http://www.nowsell.com/pages/ad-tracker.html

Other Ezine Publishers you can swap ads with
http://www.alacarim.com/adex/

Free Directory of Ezines and other helpful resources for
today's ezine publisher
http://www.FreeZineWeb.com/

The Handbook of Ezine Publishing
http://www.e-zinez.com/

EP Digest offers many helpful resources
http://www.EpDigest.com

After writing your own articles syndicate them
http://www.linkcounter.com/go.php?linkid=184827

Then submit your articles to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce

If you don't mind paying for opt in subscribers you can pay
a small fee for them at....World Wide Lists
http://www.linkcounter.com/go.php?linkid=184828
or try Marty Foley's List Builder Service at
http://www.linkcounter.com/go.php?linkid=184830 I've used
both of the above services extensively and they're truly
remarkable for growing your list quickly. These are opt in
list builders, not Spam techniques. Make sure you know the
difference.

If you're interested in a great free e-book that will teach
you how to grow your list download "Ezine List Builder"
http://www.netwoozy.com/freeebooks/ it's in PDF format.

or try this one...not free but worth the money:

"WebSite and Ezine Promotion Made Easy"
http://www.linkcounter.com/go.php?linkid=184831

Once you reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers you'll be
able to start selling text ads. Do not include too many
ads in your newsletter or you'll lose a lot of subscribers
before you even get started. You need to make sure you're
including useful content and not just a billboard of ads,
or your subscribers will be reaching for that unsubscribe
button in a hurry.It's really a balancing act, good content
with a few ads mixed in.

If you can it's a smart move to start collecting demographics
from the very beginning. This will give you an idea as to
the types of people that subscribe to your ezine and
will be helpful to ad buyers who will want to know
what "target market" your ezine hits. If you set up a
short form asking the basics like "sex", "age", and
"occupation" and ask new subscribers to fill it in
upon subscribing you'll be amazed at how easy it is
to actually collect this type of information.

A few sites that will help you to sell your available space:

http://www.Ezines-Ads.com
http://www.Opt-Influence.com (must have 5,000 subscribers)
http://www.linkcounter.com/go.php?linkid=189476

Publishing an ezine is the most important tool you can
have when it comes to promoting your website. An opt in
list of people who want to hear from you on a regular basis
is priceless and the actual process of writing your own
ezine and connecting with people is an inspiring experience
in itself. It's a genuine way of building a sense of
community around your site and opening the lines of communication
between yourself and potential clients.

Don't let this marketing tool pass you by....by following the
steps in this three part series you'll be well on your way
to publishing an ezine that will pay you back in more ways
than you can imagine- and that's an online marketing tool fact.

So what are you waiting for? Get busy!