Create Your Own Marketing Ezine - The Basics

Ezines: What They Are, What They Do

Ezines are electronically generated magazines circulated via email; or to subscribers of opt-in website promotions.

Generally published weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, the purpose of an ezine is to inform, in as factual and entertaining a way as possible; much as you would expect from a printed magazine.

Ezines should only be sent to opt-in subscribers. That is, individuals who have purposefully signed up to receive your ezine via a form on your website, sales page or blog. An ezine not requested is Spam. Don't become a nuisance!

Ezine Content

Whatever the subject or theme of your ezine - and it should only cover one subject or theme - the one thing you must do is provide fresh, unique, original content.

Don't let this point bother you. If you lack confidence in your own ability to write, I'll explain later in this article how easy and painless this step can be. For now, though, trust me: original content is an absolute must!

Ezine Elements

As printed copy, your ezine content should occupy two to three pages. Too much information and your words will go unread - insufficient time. Less is more.

So what goes into an ezine? A section based on your own activities since last publication, both from a social networking and professional viewpoint, is a great starting point.

Why social? One thing you really, really, want to do is build relationships via your ezine. If you want to achieve longevity and the chance to build wealth through product sales, first you must become real to your prospective customer.

By sharing 'a little piece of you' with your readers - inserting a photo of yourself will also help - you will become a trusted friend, removing the main impediment to online success - anonymity.

A featured article should convey the central thematic content of your ezine. What you should aim for is to write one feature article for each publication, which should tie in with the product or service you are promoting that issue.

For example, suppose your product promotion is software concerned with Search Engine Optimization. Write your article to reflect the many benefits of Search Engine Optimization.

Product Promotion

You can promote your own or an affiliate product within your ezine feature article. Do not, however, include affiliate links in the main body of your ezine article. An article is meant to inform, not sell.

Instead, your product and download links should be located on your website, sales or blog page. Your product's promotional text should then be subtly woven into the body text of your ezine article which, whilst as informative and entertaining a read as possible, should compel the reader to click on your link in the Signature/Resource Box at article's end.

Note: Signature Box; also Resource Box. This is a brief description of your online experience, current activities and website address. A brief profile.

Article length - considering syndication with article directories - should be between 300 and 700 words.

Using Pre-Written Articles

As alluded to earlier; if the thought of writing your own articles paralyzes you with fear, there are ways around this knotty problem. Other authors will let you use their articles free of charge, provided you leave their signature/resource box intact when publishing.

That's only fair. They are helping you with free content, your helping them get free publicity: a win-win.

These articles can be obtained from any article directory. You can use Private Label Rights (PLR) articles too. Type either emboldened term into the Google Search box for lists.

You may use any articles from my own site if you wish. Just click my link below.

Tip: Check article for spelling and grammatical errors before use, especially if using 'as is'. Should articles require extensive modification, copy them to a word processor, work through the text, rewriting as you go, to transform them into new, unique, articles that you can then call your own original pieces.

This exercise will train you in the craft of article writing. Do this a few times and you will soon be writing ezine articles from scratch.

To your ezine success!

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