Your eZine is your child. You conceived the idea. You nurtured the concept. You developed the content and layout. You invested your time and energy into its growth. Now it's payback time. Literally.
Although raising a child and developing an eZine are both rewarding experiences, your eZine gets to the point where it should be making you money. If you are still struggling to make a buck online with your publication, make sure you absorb and use each money-making tip in this series of articles.
Affiliate programs and products
You probably began your eZine to promote your own affiliate programs and products, so this isn't exactly a new idea. But how are you promoting your programs and products?
Here is a quick, 7 point list of ideas that you can use in your eZine to increase your affiliate sign ups and product sales.
1. Classified ads - This one is an obvious idea, but is not as simple as it seems. Writing an effective, lead generating, classified ad is an art and takes practice. Notice I said lead generating.
The sole purpose of a classified ad is to generate leads. It's highly unlikely that you're going to make a sale with 5 lines of text. Instead, use your 5 lines to motivate your prospects into visiting your site, where you can present an entire sales presentation and make your sale.
An excellent resource for learning to write effective classified ads is Tom Hua's, Classified Ad Secrets 2002. http://www.bpcpublishing.com/classifiedsecrets.htm
2. Sponsor ads - These ads are larger than classified ads, strategically placed at the top, middle or bottom of your ezine and generally 'framed' with interesting characters. You can make these sponsorship ads any size you want, but a comfortable size is about 12 lines
Because you make these ads larger than normal and place them in strategic places, top, middle and bottom of your eZine, they attract more attention.
3. Articles - Write your own articles. If you use articles in your eZine, why not write your own? You don't have to write every article in every issue of your publication, but make an effort to write at least one a month.
Your articles show your subscribers that you are an 'expert' in your field and gives you added credibility. But this is only the spin off benefit.
Write your article about your products and affiliate programs. One word of warning here, don't write an ad, it most likely won't get published. Give the readers thick and juicy information to chew on and subtly place your product or affiliate link into the article where it is appropriate.
But don't stop there. You've put a lot of time and effort into writing a quality article. Now let other eZine publishers use your work. Get your article listed at article submission sites. Here's a short list of quality sites to submit to.
http://www.netterweb.com http://www.ezinearticles.com http://www.makingprofit.com http://www.ideamarketers.com
By allowing other eZine publishers to use your work, you gain unlimited exposure for your products and affiliate programs.
Make sure you include a tag line at the end of your article. This is your mini ad. Write it as if you were writing a classified ad.
4. Product Reviews - Set up a section in your eZine to review products and services that you represent. Make your review honest and unbiased (as unbiased as possible).
Include information such as why you like the product, what makes it superior to other products in the same category, the cost and how you are using it. You may even want to include a rating code using stars or a 1- 10 scale.
5. Recommended sites to visit - Here you can give a list of sites that you use on a regular basis. These can be your affiliate sites that you are generating an income from. You don't even have to use much commentary here, you can simply list the name of the site, the purpose and the URL.
6. Signature file - This one is a must. Make sure you include a signature file with all of your ezines. You can use the same one that you include with your email, or a totally new one. Here is the signature file that I use with everything I send out.
Terry Telford
Senior Partner
bpc Publishing
http://www.bpcpublishing.com ------------------------------------------------- Grab 1000's of FREE hits for your site every day http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R57540_003 ------------------------------------------------- FREE interactive manual reveals How to make money sensibly on the internet. http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R57540_004 ------------------------------------------------- Grow your downline at lightning speed http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R57540_005 -------------------------------------------------
7. Editorial comment - This one is quite possibly your biggest asset. Your readers trust you and value your opinion. If they didn't they would have unsubscribed. Recommend the products and programs that you use. Don't be shy, let them know what is working and how you maximize the results. And make sure you tell them where to go :) I'm talking about the URL ;)
Publishing an eZine is a challenging and rewarding experience. It can also be a profitable one. The tips in these articles are designed to help you generate an income with your FREE eZine, but don't stop here. Use your imagination and go wild. Your income is only limited by your creativity. I heard an expression the other day that sums it all up. Whatever you believe, you can achieve.
Good luck and God bless.
Terry Telford is the founder of bpc publishing and Editor of The Marketing Pack Journal. Discover how you can increase your sales by 1200% when you subscribe to The Marketing Pack Journal. Visit http://www.bpcpublishing.com/newsletter.htm