The Sticky Issue of E-zine Schedules

While many new e-zine publishers are anxious about
developing good content for their e-zines, many of
them seem to have more trouble simply deciding on a
schedule and sticking to it!

It's smart to tame the schedule beast right from the
start. Here are a few tips to help you.

1. Realistically consider how much time you want to
spend on your e-zine.

For your beginning stages, plan on at least five hours
to develop each issue if you're developing your own
content. This includes time for researching, writing,
formatting, proofreading, and publishing. And this
estimate is for an e-zine featuring only one article. If
you're going to feature more than one article, plan on
making more time, or publish articles by guest authors.

2. Start with a conservative schedule.
When you're planning your e-zine, you'll probably be
so excited and brimming with ideas that you want to
publish as frequently as possible. Stop! Your enthusiasm
is admirable, but start off monthly for now. You can
always increase the frequency later, when you're sure
you can handle it.

I excitedly began my "AKB MarCom Tips" as a weekly gig,
then immediately dropped back to monthly once I caught
myself moaning and groaning whenever I was scheduled
to write it. Now that I have support staff, I've
increased my schedule to biweekly (every two weeks).

I publish my other e-zine "Tips from the E-zine Queen" on
the alternate week. This keeps it comfortable and enjoyable
for me!

3. Even if you can stand it, don't publish daily.
Yep, that's right. You want to be on your prospects'
minds, but not in their faces every day. We all get SO
much e-mail as it is! Even if you write a phenomenal
missive, it's best to leave your readers wanting a bit
more.

I was recently on the list of a very good daily
e-zine, but I just couldn't keep up with reading it
every day. I felt extremely guilty watching the issues
build up unread in my e-mail inbox, so I finally
canceled my subscription. If you want your e-zine to
be joyfully anticipated and well read, I recommend
publishing no more than once or twice a week.

4. Pick the best day for your readers ... and you
Many sales experts say that people are most receptive
to hearing from marketers on Tuesdays. So why not have your
e-zine arrive in your readers' e-mail inboxes then?

Other good days are Wednesdays and Thursdays, according
to other sales pros. However, I ignore all this and publish
on Fridays, simply because it's my favorite day. ; )

5. Once you've set your schedule, stick to it!
Setting a schedule suggests to your readers that you're
organized and can meet deadlines. No matter how busy you
are, sending out your e-zine at random looks flaky and
unprofessional.

Now, we're all human and take vacations, get sick, and
get plain busy. So what do you do when you just CAN'T get
that new issue out? Do a rerun. Choose a past issue from
more than six months ago that you got great feedback on.
Republish it with a little intro that says something like,
"Hey folks, right now I'm sipping drinks on the beach in
Bali, so by popular request, here's a rerun of one of our
best articles. We'll be back next week with fresh,
insightful content!" Of course, only say something like
that if you are actually on vacation -- people do
understand that you take time off.

Otherwise, never share that you're behind schedule or
too busy to write your next issue - that would tell
your readers that they come last on your list. If you
must, stretch the truth a bit, and say you're at a
conference, traveling, etc.

6. Try to have one or two issues completed in advance
that can be sent out at a moment's notice.
This is great for those times when an emergency strikes
or you're too swamped to write a new issue. The next
time you get a few ideas at once (and don't they seem
to come in multiples?), get psyched up and whip out a
few at once. You can always edit them later - just get
the ideas out of your head and onto your screen.

(E-zine Queen Secret Tip: Need a little extra inspiration?
Try whipping up a fresh margarita - works for me, every
time! Just be sure to do an extra proofread later on. ; ))

7. For a low-maintenance e-zine, tip well!
Who says you need to write in-depth articles? Everyone's
time is short, so readers LOVE quick tips. Tips are easy to
put together when you're close to deadline, also meaning
you'll be more likely to stay on schedule. So if you're tight
on time, publish simple monthly or weekly tips instead of
detailed articles.