|
Author: Priya Shah Article source: http://www.business-opportunity.biz/. Used with author's permission.
If you've been promoting your business on the internet you've probably heard how important it is to have a list. And that it's also important to publish an ezine.
So are you publishing and ezine? If not, why? Is it because you are too nervous or lack confidence?
I can understand how you feel. I've been there, even though I'm a journalist and published my own niche, non-profit newsletter for a year.
But when I started a home business and realized I needed to write about internet marketing - a subject I was still unfamiliar with - I froze up.
I simply could not think of anything to write about. I felt like I just did not have the experience and the knowledge I needed, because I was still learning.
I started my ezine only when things were really starting to take off and I had learned a good deal of what really worked for me in my business.
In retrospect, I don't think I'd have done it any differently, but I did learn a few things from my own experience that might make it less painful to start your new ezine.
1. Start With a Script
Writing the first few issues of your ezine is like starting a conversation with a new date.
You're nervous... you want to make a good impression. Most people will use a few tried and tested formulas to break the ice.
Similarly, when you want to start sending out your ezine, there are a lot of resources out there - tested formulas that experts have used with their own subscribers.
It could be a sales letter, an article, a tip, a template or anything else that you think could get you started with that first issue.
As on a first date, the conversation might be a bit awkward, your sentences may sound stilted. It could be a disaster as far as you're concerned. So what!
The first few articles I ever wrote make me cringe when I read them today. But I know I needed to write them to start building my own confidence.
Disastrous first dates leave much the same impression on people. But the similarity to dating ends there.
Because in writing an ezine you DO get a second (and third, and fourth...) chance to make an impression.
Your date may never call back, but with your subscribers, you can try again and again till you get it right.
If you do make a mistake (like sending out multiple copies by mistake), admit your mistake and apologize. You'll find that subscribers, unlike dates, can be quite forgiving.
When new network marketers approach a new prospect, they are always advised to use a script the first few times.
As they gain confidence, the words begin to flow more naturally and they are able to discard the scripts and become better at selling.
It takes time, and more importantly, practice, to get it right. But if you never start, how will you ever find out if you can do it?
2. Write Like You Speak
As you gain confidence in your ability to write and publish an ezine, you'll begin to get more comfortable with the process of publishing.
Now you might want to start writing your own editorials or tips, to make your ezine more personal and share your expertise in your subject.
To do this, imagine you're sitting in front of an old friend (or that your subscribers are your friends) and that you're bringing them up-to-date with what's been happening in your life.
If you had an experience, good or bad, while promoting your business, that taught you something new, share it with them in the most conversational tone.
Avoid rambling on interminably and leave out boring details that aren't crucial to what you learnt.
And always go back, read what you've written and edit it before you send it out to your list.
3. Keep Learning
There's no bigger turn off than an editor who knows less than her subscribers. So if you plan to write on a certain topic, make sure you do your homework.
If you're writing about eBook publishing, subscribe to all the ezines and article lists on that subject and read them to find out what's happening in that field. Then share the news with your readers.
You could also take some initiative and conduct a survey or two, find out something new about your field and write your own original articles or reports.
4. Speak Your Mind
Once you have established a publishing schedule and have developed a comfortable rapport with your subscribers, don't be afraid to share your opinion on new developments in your field.
If you have a strong opinion on something, its alright to say so. People feel more comfortable when they know where you're coming from, even if they don't always agree.
So what are you waiting for? Send out that first issue and take your business to a whole new level.
Make a date with your list now.
Get more tips, tools and resources on ezine publishing
Copyright © 2003 Priya Shah
_____________________________________________
Priya Shah is the editor of the newsletters Be a Whiz at eBiz! and The Glutathione Report. She shows you how to truly build multiple sources of income online with the Brilliant Team Home Business Opportunity
_____________________________________________
Career Planning: The Step Ahead
Career planning is an excellent way to prepare for what the world ahead has to offer you. While many people find that career planning is something that is done...
A Baby Shower Cake is the Highlight of the Baby Shower
When you're holding a baby shower one of the most important items that you'll serve is the baby shower cake. Cakes should be the highlight of the food lineup a...
Healing For Your Soul
Can God really heal your pain? Does every trial come to make you stronger? Read on to discover the secrets that will help you heal your soul.
Sedu Hair Styles -- Are They For Real?
Sedu hair styles has been growing in popularity as a search term on many search engines over the last year. Hair Resources editor gets the details on what Sedu...
Fleet Washing Expansion Considerations
Many times small businesses want to expand their businesses and are not sure when the best time to do that might be. The key of course is cash flow. Will your c...
Ezine Advertising Works: Top 10 Reasons To Advertise With Ezines
You've heard the buzz but still have some questions. Does Ezine Advertising really work? The short answer is "Yes! It works" and here's 10 reasons why:
3 Quick Tips on Plotting Your Book
Plotting can seem like an overwhelming task. Here are 3 quick tips that will help to get you started.
Legionnaire Success Lessons
The French Foreign Legion was founded in 1831. Their spiritual home and old training centres are in the former colonial French North Africa although they now tr...
Redeeming Unsaturated Fat
In one way, the impassioned hatred of fat is positive. It reflects a generally understood medical truth that overindulging in fat-rich foods often causes unwan...
What is True Freedom?
More than physical freedom human beings need psychological freedom. While physical freedom is not in our hands, psychological freedom is. This article discusses...
Speak Up!
Ever been in a meeting with something important to say and remained silent? You may have felt the flush of the good idea and the rising adrenalin. You may have...
Complete Your Own Fitness Assessment At Home!
Are you exercising and not sure whether your improving or not? Then try these basic tests!
Tales from the Emergency Room
Do you have a friend who works at a hospital, I think we all have friends who have such jobs as healthcare is an extremely labor intensive industry. Well if you...
Summertime Simplicity in Your Home Decorating
We can learn a few summer decorating tricks from our grandparents. In a time before air conditioning, decorating was kept to a minimum in the summer to provide...
Googles Secret Guidelines On Thin Affiliates
Google doesn't just have a team of humans evaluating its search results for accuracy.
Ease Bug Bites with Easy Herbs
Summertime means insect bites and stings. Ouch! Take a leaf from Susun S. Weed's storehouse of natural remedies: Soothe, heal, and prevent bites with safe herba...
Invasion of the Amazons
The last few months have witnessed a bloodbath in tech stocks coupled with a frantic re-definition of the web and of every player in it (as far as content is co...
How To Generate Targeted Traffic...and Cash In On It.
We all know that generating traffic to your site is creating a flow of visitors, but what is targeted traffic? Targeted traffic simply refers to visitors who ar...
3 Strategies to Profit When Click Prices Increase (Part 3 of 3 Series)
In my previous article, I explained how increasing your website's sales conversion (number of visitors who purchase your product) generates more revenue which e...
Build Your Credit with Caution
Building credit can be a very exciting thing. Avenues of great opportunities are available if you do it right. It is important to avoid scammers that claim to ...
The Fail-Safe Weight Loss Formula
Yes Virginia, the fail-safe weight loss formula exists.
Communication: Feeling Whole Again by Reaffirming What You are Truly Feeling
Are you having moments, hours, days, or even weeks where you and a loved one are torn; no communication present and tension flows like a troubled storm? Are yo...
Barriers to Healthy Diets -- Removing them is not as hard as you think
Remove the barriers to healthy diets and be in control of your weight. Removing the barriers is not as hard as you think.
Superman
There are many talented poets on my site who write acrostic or name poetry. I was deeply moved by the death of Christopher Reeve and thought I would take a stab...
|
Print this page