Are You Killing Your Ezine?
The Article shows the 7 main points resulting from a test of over 300 email ezines. The information is vital for everyone interested in ezine publishing.
With all the spam filter craze around, I was also wondering how the spam filters handle my Ezine. I installed the spam software available, set it up the way I learned ISPs do and tested my Ezine.
It was fine, so I wasn't bothered BUT: Since I always do things to the maximum effect, I decided to test Ezines I receive. I subscribed to over 300 Ezines and sent them all through my filters.
You'd be surprised: only 5 passed! - out of over 300 Ezines. When I had so many ezines at my hands, I decided to look at their content, their offers, design etc. I analysed the results and suddenly I have so many data about various features that after summarizing it all, I am below presenting you with the main 7 features answering the recently popping up question why so many Ezines don't make money to their publishers.
Let's have a look at the 7 main points:
1) design
2) promises
3) advertising
4) content
5) personalization
6) software, scripts
7) form and reliability
ad 1) I sent the ezines to two different mail softwares and the results were awful. While most of the ezines look fine in IncrediMail, it was a disaster in Eudora. The more complicated the design, the worse - flashing banners, too big letters, two big spaces between lines, pop ups, complicated, multiple tables, heavy backgrounds, images..., less is more in most cases.
ad 2) I subscribed through several Ad Co-ops promissing me a FREE Ad and a couple of freebie bonuses.
The results:
Ads: only 8 really accepted and published my FREE Ad. Another 5 changed it to a contest, so actually I didn't get any. Some 80 offered me various discounts on my Ad, but none FREE. and the rest didn't mention advertising at all. Freebies: only 3 gave me freebies of some value over 20 gave me a real crap; old books with links not working, obsolete information etc over 100 pretended freebies to get me to click their link but the item was a paid low quality product the rest didn't mention freebies at all ad 3) Most of the ezines are just ad boards, ad pricelists, blatant self-promotions, or publishing articles all the others publish. One of the ezines requested my confirmation, and before I manage to confirm my subscription, they sent me 13! SOLOs. Do you think I confirmed? Only a couple of them offer valuable content.
ad 4) With most of the ezines it's very difficult to find their orientation, their focus, only 6 clearly state their goals and their content complies.
ad 5) I am against personalization with business publications, shouting my name all over the issue incl the subject line but there is one item even worse, and it is "Hi, [firstname]" or "oh, boy" and the like.
ad 6) I'd say that only 2 ezines test their issues before they send them out. I understand that it's difficult to find out the right software, to set it up properly if you are new but these ezines are not new, some of them publish for quite a long time. I remember some of them having 500, 3,500 or even over 5,000 subscribers when I started. I admired them wishing I could be there too. And they are still there. Guess why.
ad 7) Over 90 ezines start with "Unsubscribe at the bottom." or something to this effect. The urgency of the command nearly got me to do it. Many of the ezines repeat most of the text in every issue. Quite frequently I receive Fridays' issues on Mondays or not at all. Several promised
to publish my ad and never did. Some promised to send a download link and never did. Over 100 come completely messed up, unreadable. More than 20 came only once or twice and stopped. Several subscribed all my email addresses they could find within my site, so I receive their ezine 6-7 times plus all the solos they send out. I tried to contact 12 to see whether and how they reply and the addresses they claim is for subscribers' feedback returned as 'user unknown'.
The results would easily make up a pretty thick book but the above is enough to show you the picture.
Summary: So, How NOT To Kill Your Ezine:
If you want an ezine that will help you to build a loyal Subscriber base, your business, your brand, credibility, bring you a reliable income, start to do your Ezine the professional way:
To publish an ezine is a commitment requiring hard work, efforts, time and devotion long-term. If you are not sure you are willing to take up an obligation like that, don't do it. Decide on what you want to deliver, Check what you are able to deliver, How and when, and stick to it. Be careful about what you promise. Remember your promises and keep them. People feel cheated if you don't, If you are not familiar with scripts or the software you use, either learn it, test it and make sure that everything is OK or don't do it. Offer only quality items, check the links within. Start the easy way, improve, grow. Don't complicate things for yourself. Don't publish three poor quality ezines, publish one of high quality. Don't publish every day, not even once a week if you can't get quality content. Don't be afraid to stick to simpler forms; using flash and pop ups in your email ezine doesn't show your expertise. On the other hand, accept the fact that not everything you publish will be perfect, you will make mistakes, but take every issue as the only one chance you have. Try to do your best because if many subscribers leave you, they're gone and you can't do much. Don't think that Internet users, not even the newbies, are stupid. People are very advanced, and sooner or later they can see it through the hype. They compare and learn fast. Treat your Subscribers the way you want to be treated. However, even if this sample batch of ezines seems to be big, it's not. There are thousands of ezines, and hundreds of them are high-quality. Before you start your Ezine, subscribe to as many ezines as you can read, study and analyze them, prepare a plan, a strategy, incl dates, and start only after you are ready, technically and emotionally.
Hoping the above analysis helps you a bit, I wish you all the best.
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Irena Whitfield, the publisher of 'Pathway To Success' is the Internet Business Consultant you need if you want to build a successful home business. Subscribe to her Ezine and Start Now! http://www.thecassiopeia.com/PathwaySubscription.html *************************************************
About the Author
Irena Whitfield is the webmistress of http://www.thecassiopeia.com - Internet Business Consultants for 3rd Millennium helping people to succeed in their online home business, and the Publisher of the successful Ezine 'Pathway To Success'. To start doing business profitably, subscribe here: http://www.thecassiopeia.com/PathwaySubscription.html
Written by: Irena Whitfield
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