How to Build Your Ezine List from Zero
BY SUZANNE FALTER-BARNS
Yesterday I was coaching a client who
presented me with a not-very-unique problem. We'd just put the finishing
touches on her website and blog, and were about to embark on promoting
her new workshop series.
"Just one problem," she said.
"I have absolutely no one to promote them to." "Well, surely
you have someone - like maybe a thousand? Or 500?" I asked
hopefully. "Nope," she replied. "I have... like, zero." Wow.
OK, I thought, let's just put together some speedy and highly
visible ways to get folks on your list. And as I thought about
it, a number of excellent ways leapt to mind.
Here's my foolproof way to
build your list to thousands in a relatively short time. (But
you do have to do these steps... like, REALLY, honestly do
them... or it won't work.)
1. Get a kick-ass bonus.
There's just no other way to put it. Your bonus has to be
something everybody wants and simply can't resist. Mine for
this newsletter used to be a list of '25 Top Self Help
Literary Agents'. Which worked pretty well, except that this
limited my market to self help authors. Then I changed it to
the more general 'Suzanne's Top 50 Media & Publishing
Contacts' and that works MUCH better. If folks want your
bonus, they'll also get your ezine - because you'll be adding
them to your list.
2. Hold a contest. Last
spring I doubled my list and my Web visitors by inviting 12
partners to help me put a $4,500 Marketing Makeover
contest. They all got lots of exposure, and I got lots of
entries - almost 1,500. And you can bet every one of those
entrants got on my ezine list as well. I let them know that
joining was the 'price' of entering the contest. And they were
happy to do so!
3. Announce your contest or
other ezine give-away event on prweb.com or any other press
release submission service on the Web. But be sure to only
plant press releases that are truly newsworthy, and thus
likely to get press attention. Even if the media don't use
your words this time, they'll hopefully file you as an expert
for future use.
4. Give away a bonus for
other sites to use based on your ezine. A popular Web
marketing technique is the special one or two-day promo that
offers big bonus lists when you buy a certain product on those
particular days. So collect some of your best ezine essays,
pack 'em up in a downloadable PDF-based eBook, and offer it as
a bonus these sites can use in their special promos. Don't
forget juicy descriptive copy about your ezine, and a
subscribe link at the end of your eBook. I've gotten hundreds
of new readers this way, and plenty of hits on my sites.
5. Sponsor other people's
contests. Give away copies of your bonus (and ezine) to
pertinent groups, contests, and conferences that request it,
regardless of size. (Make sure their target market matches
yours.) Simply run an announcement in your ezine that you'd be
happy to sponsor comparable events. Ask them to provide a URL
for an event description so you know it's legit. Then offer up
your gifts, and ask for a plug for your ezine on their site
and in their materials (i.e. handouts, goodie bags, etc.) and
for them to talk up your dazzling freebie, as well.
6. Give away something
totally unique in your content. Who's not covering
something important in your world? (And remember, your ezine
can be really short.) One of my favorites - at tut.com
(Totally Unique Thoughts) - is only a few sentences long. But
it's got GREAT pass-along value, and has a huge list of 40,000
because of it. Think about what info you could offer that
would REALLY motivate folks to forward the email to friends.
And make sure your 'Join Here' info is really prominent in
each email.
7. Brevity is key. As
Tut.com proves, brevity is key. Make sure your ezine doesn't
blab on forever but is so pungent, and boiled down to the
essence that in our time-pressed era, anyone can make time for
it.
8. Feature the bonus
attached to your ezine in all of your email signatures.
Again and again and again. And be sure to make it sound
tantalizing AND hyperlink it. And while you're at it, load the
graphic of that bonus up high on the typelist (margins) of
your blog with a direct link to sign up.
9. Consider Google Adwords
or other pay-per-click search engine listings. Google's
got the biggest, and for many categories, the most expensive
ads but you can't beat the traffic. (There's some great
information on how to manage this business at
Perry Marshall's Definitive Guide to Google Adwords for
free pointers on how to use Google Adwords effectively.)
Copyright © 2005 Suzanne
Falter-Barns LLC.
Download Suzanne's free
list of 50 Top Publishing & Media contacts. Drop by her
blog,
Painless Self Promotion, for almost daily tips on how to
get known now... the easy way!
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