STEP 1: PREPARATION

During the course of your E-Zine promotion, you will be registering your E-Zine in directories, search engines, classified ads and announcement services. This registration process will require you to complete a a variety of forms.

By taking the time to write these descriptions before you start promoting, you will present your newsletter in a consistent and well written manner.

Most submission forms will ask for a description of your E-Zine. This description will be used over and over so spend a little time to make it concise and precise.

Example:

ACME NEWS is a monthly newsletter serving ambitious coyotes in the desert. We strive to provide valuable and practical information about our new gadgets for catching roadrunners.

To subscribe to ACME NEWS put BEEPBEEP in the SUBJECT line of an e-mail to wileycoyote@acme.com.

=======================================================
Wiley Coyote, Editor, ACME NEWS
Stay up-to-date on the latest gadgets. Read our E-Zine.
To subscribe to ACME NEWS put BEEPBEEP in the SUBJECT
of an e-mail to wileycoyote@acme.com.
=======================================================

STEP 2: ACTION

Action Item 1. LIST OF DIRECTORIES

Submit your E-Zine to these directories. Read the submission instructions at each site to ensure compliance.

The E-ZineZ Search Engine: The search engine exclusively for sites publishing E-Zines.

InfoBot: E-mail Publishers Resource Center - New Site!

The John Labovits E-Zine List.

The Directory of Ezines from Lifestyles Publishing

Ezines Today. Click on the Free Subscriptions link for instructions to submit your ezine. .

eZINESearch.

Zine-World

The Etext Archive provides content hosting services for E-zines.

Low Bandwidth: E-Zines, newsletters and journals

The List

Action Item 2. NEW LIST ANNOUNCEMENTS

You will announce your new E-Zine at the two sites listed below. Review the submission samples at each site before submitting your announcement. Look at other submissions and follow their example.

The New List

NewJour List

Action Item 3. PROMOTE YOUR E-ZINE ON YOUR WEB SITE

Remember to include a link to subscribe to your E-Zine on every page of your web site.

Action Item 4. CURRENT SUBSCRIBER REFERRALS

An often overlooked method of adding subscribers is the use of on-line referrals from your current readers. Here's one easy way to put this idea in action.

In every issue of your E-Zine, ask your readers to forward the E-Zine to one other person. A personal recommendation from one of your readers will often result in a visit to your web site or a subscription from the person receiving the forwarded copy. This is another reason to put subscribe information in your newsletter.

Action Item 5. GO GET THEM

Don't wait for your subscribers to find you in a directory or on a list. Go to them. Do you know where your readers hang-out on-line? Are you participating in e-mail discussions and forums about your topic?

By following these three simple steps, you can establish yourself as professional, knowledgeable and approachable. Put your new signature file to work for you when responding to mailing lists. And don't forget to put a link to your site in your forum postings.

Action Item 6. LET OTHER E-ZINES HELP YOU

Do you know what other E-Zines your target market reads? Subscribe to E-Zines with topics similar to yours and discover what the competition is doing. Identify what is and what isn't working, and then use that information to improve your newsletter.

1. E-ZineZ Excellence Award Send an e-mail and sample of your E-Zine to mailto:kate@e-zinez.com 2. Internet Marketing Ezine Spotlight Award Apply at https://www.intersuccess.com/imi/award.htm 3. Infobot Choice E-Zine Award Apply at https://www.infobot.net

Many E-Zine publishers offer to swap ad space with other publishers. You can post your E-Zine Ad Swaps at E-ZineZ new Classified Ad Exchange. https://www.e-zinez.com/classpro/viewads.html.

If you are going to develop any type of E-Zine advertising plan, you need to run, not walk, to the Directory of E-Zines. Using this database, you can search for E-Zines that fit your advertising criteria. https://www.lifestylespub.com

Action Item 7. GET OFF THE NET AND NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK

There is a great big world out there that is still off-line most of the time!

Do you talk about your on-line presence in the off-line world? Are you telling customers, clients, friends, and associates about your Internet newsletter?

Here's what I do.... When I am meeting with someone who is a potential customer. I ask them if they would like to receive my FREE Internet newsletter. Then I watch that person's face to gauge their reaction.

If this happens...first, one eyebrow goes up, then the furrow between the eyes visibly deepens and they respond, "um.....". That is my cue that the "Internet" comfort zone has been breached.

So I jump right in and ask if they have an e-mail address on the Internet. If the answer is yes (and it usually is!), I just tell them that's all I need to put them on the newsletter list. Usually they have their e-mail address on their business card or can write it down for me. Remember, new Internet users find this very exciting.

So maybe you're thinking that is a lot of work for one subscriber. Well, not if that new subscriber, the one who is also new to the Internet, is also the President of the company! You know the one who decides who to buy stuff from and then signs the check!

But remember that the real beauty of networking happens when you get contacts from your contacts. New Internet users are natural born networkers without even knowing it. What do I mean? Have you ever listened to new Internet users? Remember when it was exciting to get e-mail? (Before you had to filter 500 a day!) New Internet users can hardly wait to call up somebody and tell them they are on the Net. They'll be talking about your Internet newsletter and telling others to subscribe. Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth referrals. It is the best advertising you can get!

Action Item 8. THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Gifts, pens, mousepads, coffee cups, business cards, etc. Have instructions for subscribing to your newsletter printed on everything!

Action Item 9. WEB CARDS

Have you seen these yet? They are so fun and effective! Web Cards are postcards with a picture of your web site. Visit them at https://www.printing.com.

On the back of the card, write a headline and announce your web site's address. Write another headline to promote your FREE on-line newsletter and include subscribe instructions.

Do you send out invoices? Great, that means you have customers. Send a Web Card with information about your E-Zine and how to subscribe to it in each envelope with the invoice.

Web Cards are also perfect for handing out as business cards or just sending out in a direct mail campaign - with a postcard, you don't have to worry about the envelope getting opened.

Action Item 10. HOLIDAYS - SPREAD GOOD CHEER and URLs

Are you sending out any holiday cards this year? Do you have any holiday mailings? Put your E-Zine info in your holiday announcements and greetings.

Sending out one of those annual holiday letters to friends and family? Get your URL and E-Zine info on them too!

STEP 3: FOLLOW UP

Keep track of what kind of results you get after you post ads or write articles. Adopt, Adapt and Improve on any ideas that work best for you!

The real secret to building your subscriber base is KEEPING all of your subscribers. The single most important thing you can do to follow-up with your subscribers is to consistently produce a quality E-Zine.

Kate Schultz publishes E-ZineZ: the Search Engine for E-Zines and E-ZineZ: the E-Zine for E-Zines