Why Too Many Solos Spoil Your Ezine

Don`t you just hate that? Being bombarded with solo ads, ad after ad, day after day? I`m not talking spam here. Ezines. The same ezines you subscribed to because you thought they were worth reading.

Now don`t get me wrong. There`s nothing wrong with solo ads. Solo ads are effective for the advertiser, profit for the publisher, and can be a good offer for the reader. The perfect win win situation. But....

It`s being overdone. One solo ad a day is tolerable. But three or four from the same ezine? Every day? That`s enough to cause even the most enthusiastic reader to have a sore index finger.

It` easy to understand why this is happening. Change. Life on the Internet is always changing. Solo ads are becoming "the"way to advertise. Solo ads aren`t new but the power of a good one is really catching on.

It all boils down to one thing. The ever elusive ($) dollar sign. The green stuff. Money.

With more and more advertisers willing to shell out the bucks, more and more publishers are willing to take it.

And who can blame them? Advertisers want to make a profit. Publishers want to make a profit. Heck, you and I want to make a profit. So what`s the problem?

Overkill. And it`s a killer, for everyone.

An ezine is not a quick, profit making machine. It`s a long term investment. It`s effective because it builds trust and reader loyalty. Solo ads don`t do much to help that. Too many can ruin it.

An advertiser willing to pay for a solo ad hopes for a Return On Investment (ROI). You can`t guarantee that. No one can. But you sure can help by giving them every chance possible.

One of the major advantages of a solo ad is there is no competing ads. Running three or four at the same time
eliminates that. The value of the solo ad is reduced and the advertiser probably does not get what they expected. Since they probably won`t order again, you lose a repeat customer.

Sound like a long term investment?

Your readers are the ones who really suffer. Instead of an interesting issue to read they get an inbox full of offers after offers. Oh, I can hear it now. " But they`re just readers, they don`t buy anything.".

A small percentage will buy something. How many depends on the audience, the offers, and how you present it. Though not the scope of this article, your readers will earn you money.

But by blasting them with solo after solo, and burying your issue in between all those solos, they won`t read. They will click, deleting your hard work with all the rest.

You run an ezine. That means you wear two hats. You wear the publisher hat. and you wear the editor hat. Two jobs that don`t always mix. As a publisher you have deadlines to meet. Ads to run. And advertisers to please. On top of that you have to advertise yourself.

As an editor, you`ve got the easy part. All you have to do is please your readers. Give them something to keep opening your ezine. Something good to read.

As both a publisher and the editor, you`ve got your work cut out for you. You have to try to please everyone. The advertiser, the reader, and your bank account. No one said it was easy. Only profitable.

Be in business for the long haul. Please you readers. They will please you. Don`t let the easy, solo ad income distract you.

That`s your mission if you choose to accept it.

© 2001, Jeff Neil, All Rights Reserved.

You may publish this article in your ezine and/or web site as long as this resource box is left intact.

About the author.

Jeff Neil, your Sunday Morning columnist. Editor`s Column is for the Ezine Editor. Helping you get more subscribers, more readers, and more profit. Visit at: editorscolumn.com
Subscribe at: EditorsColumn@infogeneratorpro.com

jeff@editorscolumn.com
http://www.editorscolumn.com