Newsletter Publishing Tips

I can't think of a better way to sell your products and keep your readers coming back for more than publishing a newsletter.

It's worked for both online and offline businesses and it continues to rank high among sales promotional tools.

From real estate agents and health experts to financial wizards, newsletters are excellent tools to keep a business in business.

The concept is simple. Provide quality, original, useful information that builds trust. Once you've given someone data they can use or information that has helped them solve a problem you've just made it very easy to sell to them on what you offer.

It's also a great way to keep them coming back to your site.

Here are ten suggestions for delivering a newsletter that pulls in and keeps subscribers:

1. Post a newsletter form on every page of your website.

Don't miss out on subscriptions by posting your form only on your home page. Visitors often come to subsequent pages of your site. If your newsletter form is not there, you could miss out.

2. Make it easy to subscribe.

Unless you're doing extensive marketing research, all you need to request on your form is a first name and email address. If your subscribers have to fill in too much information, they're likely to skip the process.

3. Offer something free in return for their name and email.

Give away a free ebook or promotion from another site. This is an excellent incentive for your readers to sign-up.

4. Always submit a thank you email when receiving a new subscriber. If you like, construct your thank you in the form of your newsletter. After thanking your subscriber, inform them of how often your newsletter is published and include a taste of what they can expect in future issues. Include information that will get them excited about what they've just signed up for.

5. Use good structure and keep it consistent.

Start out with a table of contents. This lets your viewers decide what they want to read first. Keep your articles focused on your topic and keep your content relevant.

If you can, close your newsletter with a tease of what's in your next issue.

6. Always provide opt-out instructions.

Distributing your newsletter via the internet requires that each and every newsletter provides opt-out instructions. It's not only required, it's the law.

7. Publish Often

Try to publish your newsletter at least once a week. People read a lot on the web and they often sign up for many different things. If you wait too long between publications readers may forget they signed up for your newsletter and opt-out, or worse yet, scream 'spam'. Keep your viewers familiar with you and your publication by publishing often.

8. Write to your viewers as if they were your best friends.

Speak to them one on one. Use their name in the subject line and in your introduction. Tell a story they can relate to but don't get too wordy. The idea here is to make them feel that their best interest is at hand, that you can relate to their wants and needs and above all, you want to help.

9. Don't get carried away with advertisements Once your readers feel that you are selling them instead of informing them, they'll go elsewhere. Advertisements are ok but keep them in line with the topic of your newsletter.

10. Test, Test and Retest!

It's always good to email a test newsletter to yourself. Check for spelling and grammar errors and make sure all your links work correctly. Nothing turns off readers faster than poor spelling, grammar and formatting errors.

Elizabeth McGee has spent 20 years in the service and support industry. She has moved her expertise to the world wide web helping businesses find trusted tools, enhance customer service, build confidence and increase sales. You can visit Elizabeth's sites at: http://www.homenotion.com http://www.pro-marketing-online.com