Getting a newsletter off the ground - how to grow a subscriber list

Article from February, 18th, 2004

OK, so you decided to join the swelling ranks of newsletter owners. And your most important concern, of course, is the following - if my newsletter is new and nobody knows about it, what is the best way to grow a subscriber list as quickly as possible. Here is what newsletter professionals say are the most important components to newsletter success:

1. Content quality. Newsletter content quality is the number one reason why some newsletters become extremely popular, while others attract little or no attention. Quality content means fresh, relevant and interesting content and its presentation.

2. Targeting. Audience profiling is becoming extremely important. In is no longer reasonable to create a newsletter for "health professionals" or even "doctors" - there are already dozens or even hundreds of existing newsletters with established subscriber base. Northern California Pediatrician Newsletter or Bay Area Chiropractic News makes more sense.

3. Place it on the web. Why is placing newsletter on the web becoming increasingly important? Because, traditionally, newsletter articles get good search engine rankings. To get good results, optimize each of your articles for search engines. And make sure you place a subscription box on your website, too.

4. Incentives. Create incentives for your future subscribers to join. Some newsletters offer coupons and discounts, others provide "insider" information before it appears anywhere else. If you are creative enough, there are plenty of ways to get attention of your prospects. Free e-books (investing, relationship advice, home business, etc) are a very popular incentive format right now.

5. Cross-promotion. Cross-promote your newsletter with other e-zines and websites. Ad-swapping, list rentals, link exchanges, article placement, mutual invitations and other forms of cross-promotion deliver great results. Create a coregistration using a coregistration network or similar complementary publication.

6. Word-of-mouth - don't just wait for it to happen. Ask your current subscribers to refer friends or colleagues. Get them to forward your newsletter to colleagues and people with similar interests.

7. Keep building your newsletter and subscriber base. Continue improving your newsletter even when you think everything is just fine or when you think your membership can't grow any more for obvious reason (as in small trade associations).

 

Relevant links:

    • Gather e-mail addresse from Outlook
    • Then verify your mailing list
    • And send out the newsletter

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