From Idea to Newsletter

So, the word is out and you want to start your own on-line newsletter. But where do you start? And with all those that are already out there, how will you compete?

The obvious place to start is with a good idea. Once you have a subject matter in mind, check out whats already out there. If there are a lot of other newsletters covering the same topic, you might want to start over with another idea. But, if you are willing to stick to your original idea, be ready for the work it takes to get your newsletter noticed. It may be easy to get one going, but if no one is reading it, then whats the point?

Setting up a newsletter is easy. One of the most important and wonderful tools you will need is a good e-mail program. I use Outlook Express which allows me to directly set up my newsletter and save it in my drafts folder as I work on it until its ready to be sent. Pegasus Mail is somewhat similar

Once you have determined what your e-mail program can do, get your newsletter all set up. Your first issue can contain everything written by you.

Next, unless you are capable of and want to maintain your own mailing list, you will want to set up an account with a list service, like Onelist or Listbot. This will allow you to send your newsletter to the address of your account to where it will then reach all those who have subscribed. Its a good idea to make sure no one else on your subscriber list can send messages to the list because this proves to be annoying to other subscribers and some will unsubscribe because of this.

The next and most important step of all, the one you will continually do everyday if you wish to be successful, is market your newsletter. The best way to do this is through other lists that allow this sort of thing. Never SPAM! You will be run out of the Internet world fast.

Set up a web site for free. Geocities and Homestead are only a few places that have free accounts where you can easily build a site. From there, you can advertise your newsletter and have subscribers sign on. Youll want to make sure your site pertains to your newsletter, of course. And you can always do vice-versa advertising in your newsletter to gain visitors to your site in the event that you have something you want to sell from there.

Thats pretty close to being it! Sounds simple? Give it a try. It is. And remember, every day you must market yourself and your newsletter. Avoid getting a bad name on-line for any reason. Just because your newsletter is great doesnt mean people will want it if you have an ill reputation.

About the author

Angela is the publisher/editor of several online and print newsletters, including The Writing Parent and Bright Ink News. To contact see details below

This article provided by the InfoZone Archives at: http://www.MakingProfit.com

agklocke@klockepresents.com
http://www.klockepresents.com