Ezine Article Writing Tips for Beginners

Deciding what to write about in your very first ezine article can be one of the most difficult hurdles for the novice writer. The thought of filling a blank page with words that might be of interest to other people can seem like an impossible task to many of us but in fact it's not that difficult to find a subject to write about. If you think of something that you are really passionate about, or use some of your own life experiences as a subject then the words should soon start to flow easily. After all we are all experts in something, most of us will have knowledge of a hobby or a leisure activity. There are also work or family topics that are great subjects to write about and we all see the world in a different way, so a good idea is to look at your own life, your daily activities and share this information with others or just write for your own pleasure.

I would recommend starting off by writing an article of about 300-400 words, this is long enough to inform the reader without them losing interest. If you find you have written an article that is too long then you might want to consider splitting it into two parts,so you now have two articles to publish instead of one. Trying to make your article too perfect can be a problem for the new writer, of course you should read over it several times to make sure it all makes sense and there are no obvious mistakes, but being over critical or re writing the article too many times can sometimes spoil the natural flow of your first attempt.

The next step is to get your article approved and then published, if for any reason the article is rejected go over the reasons why, make any changes and then re submit it. If you have made the necessary changes your article should now be accepted and when you see your first published article it will be a great incentive for you to go on and write many more. Article writing can be very rewarding as well as a great way to share your life experiences with others. As well as the personal satisfaction, articles are also a great online marketing tool that can be used to promote your business opportunity.

The more you write the easier it will become,as well as this it is very satisfying to be acknowledged by the Ezine publisher you are using, they will upgrade your status each time you reach a certain level of published articles.

Getting Started With Your Newsletter - Checklist

Getting started with your newsletter might seem like a daunting task, but if taken step by step, it is well worth the time and effort. Initially the creation process is the most time consuming. However, once you decide on a format, a publication schedule and you have a template in place it's just a matter of creating new content for each issue.

Here's a checklist that will help you put the pieces together that will become your unique newsletter.

On the technical side of things you'll need to:

- Decide what email delivery system you will use to send your newsletter and set up an account. The two I use most and recommend are either ConstantContact or a shopping cart such as Practice Pay Solutions. Do your research to determine what best suits your needs. ConstantContact is a good place to start if you prefer working with templates. If you know that you will be selling products from your website and creating e-products such as e-courses in the near future, then go with a shopping cart that has ecommerce capabilities you can activate when needed.

- Get the electronic files of the headshot you would like to use and your company logo. You may have to ask your photographer and graphic designer to send these images to you.

- Compile your lists. Start working on getting your lists of contacts organized (or send them to your assistant to do so). For importing purposes simply set up a spreadsheet in excel with 3 headings; First Name, Last Name and Email and sort your contacts accordingly ready to be uploaded into the email delivery system you have chosen.

Practical considerations:

- The type of content to include. For example, Welcome Message, Article, Tip etc.

- The name of your newsletter. An important consideration when choosing a name is to imply what benefits your readers will get from your newsletter. Google "newsletter titles" for ideas and inspiration.

- Develop a publishing schedule. Decide on frequency (monthly is good to start), day of week and time of day.

The creative process is the fun part. First start by gathering samples of online newsletters that you like various aspects of. Here are some things to consider:

- The overall look and feel.

- Colour theme. Remember to carry your branding through to your newsletter design.

- Layout.

Remember:

*Permission based marketing is essential. Whenever possible invite contacts to sign up to your newsletter. Within the welcome note advise your readers what they can expect from you each month, what's in it for them as a subscriber and clearly indicate how they can easily unsubscribe from your mailing list. That option must always be available.

*Be consistent. Once you have your publishing schedule in place you must be committed to sending out your newsletter as planned. People will come to expect to hear from you on a regular basis and if there is a lapse in your mailings it may reflect poorly on your reliability in all aspects of your business.

Your website alone cannot help you develop the type of ongoing relationship with your contacts that your newsletter will. Newsletters have a personal feel to them because they arrive in your prospects' inbox. This type of communication is one of the best ways to position yourself as an expert and sell your services and products. Over time, newsletter publishing can change the way you do business for the better!

Creating Content For Your Ezine

Creating content for your ezine can be difficult if you're in a small niche. You see with a small niche, there's just content that you can use to sell your prospects on buying your product. But the good news about this is that, if you're in a small niche, you will more than likely get a sale for almost every 7 emails that you send out.

If you need content, there are a number of ways to get content. One way to do it is by creating the content yourself. If you're truly an expert in a small niche, then creating 200-250 word emails should be a breeze. You should be able to generate content off the top of your head.

When you create your own content, you don't have to pay for anything, you don't have to wander around for help, and you can be 100% original. This is the best option for you in my opinion. You can get straight to the point, and you don't have to worry about claiming ownership on content that you didn't write.

Another way to get content is by interviewing an expert. This is content that you can take and turn it into MP3 form, and share it with your list via a download. They will love you for this. This will also boost your credibility also because it shows that you only hang out with people who are successful.

There's not really a downside to this strategy, but just know that the person you're interviewing will probably want to plug his product or service, so let them do that in exchange for their information. This is nothing to sweat. It's a give or take strategy, so don't be stingy with this aspect of the interview.

Another way to get content for your ezine is to hire someone to create it for you. Unless you own a million dollar company and don't mind hiring employees to market your business for you, I don't advise this strategy. But if you run an online business in your garage and don't have time to create content yourself... simply hire someone to do it for you.

There are tons of freelance writers who would love to write content for you, and for a small price also. In fact, you could probably get a 500 word article written for you for $5 if you go to a site called "fiverr.com". This is a site where people put up service gigs that only cost $5.

I'm sure you can find someone who can write you a 500 word essay for $5, but you have to make sure that the quality is good, and that your writer is someone that you will want to stick with for a long time.

There are all sorts of ways to get content for your ezine - you just have to find the best way to get it all for a low flat cost. And preferably, I think you should come up with your ezine content all by yourself. I know I mentioned that already, but it's the truth. This is something that you will want to take seriously if you want to increase your sales and profits.

Utilize these tips to make the most money in your business is possible. Starting an ezine is easy, and if you have the content for it, you'll be good to go.

Good luck with using these tips to make more money in your business today.

The Mompreneurs Guide to Writing, Publishing and Managing an E-Newsletter

In 2012 where so many people are trying to get your attention, I'm still surprised at the number of Mompreneurs who either aren't publishing an e-newsletter or do so infrequently. I've heard a number of reasons why they don't publish one, here are a few...have you said any of these yourself?

I'm not ready I don't have a list My list isn't big enough I don't know what to write I don't have time I'm too busy with my blog

Sound familiar? Maybe you've something else but my point is, they're all excuses and not good ones at that. Here's some truth...if you have an online presence, either through your website or some other social media platform and you are building an in house list then you should be regularly publishing an e-newsletter.

I've shared what you should include in your newsletter and in case you missed it, sorry, you'll need to find it on my blog. In it I talked about some of the different sections you should include in your newsletter. Now,let's talk about what to actually write. There is a really big misconception that if you blog you also have to create totally fresh content for your e-newsletter and that prevents many Mompreneurs from starting and or maintaining one.

They get burned out! Ah...no kidding.

Check this out; if you look closely, you'll notice that my latest blog post is also the main article in my current e-newsletter. I can see some of you sitting there with your mouth open. Why would I do that and expect to be taken seriously?

Great question! Remember that some readers will NEVER go to your blog and some of your blog readers may NEVER read your newsletter. Here's something else, there are sections to my e-newsletter that NEVER appear on my blog and you can do the same.

Here are some fun sections you can add to your newsletter:

Product promotions Contents Client testimonials Student of the month Remember when? Birthday/Anniversary corner Photo of the week/month Coupons for newsletter subscribers only

Got you thinking now right? I'm sure you can come up with a dozen more.

Ready to Publish

I've been publishing my e-newsletter for more than a year now. It's gone through changes but it goes out consistently and since last April, it's gone out twice per week. Some people may barf at the idea of publishing so frequently but if some of the TOP marketers have studied the market, done the research and recommend that schedule then who am I to question it.

To be perfectly honest, when I receive a newsletter from someone who publishes once a month, I almost have to remind myself who this is. I've also seen people who publish sporadically...NOT at all professional.

Again, market research shows that the best times to publish and have your content read are Monday and Thursday morning before 7am EST. I don't ask why, I just do it. "But what about your open rate?", I wouldn't worry about it but here's a suggestion.

There are a number of services that you can us but hands down I recommend Aweber. Yes, there are free services but let's not be cheap. We're business owners and while we can cut corners with some things, when it comes to building and managing my list, I'm not cheap. Their service isn't expensive. It's a small investment that will deliver tremendous benefits.

Time to Outsource

If you've start consistently publishing great content one day you'll notice that you're just so busy. Clients are demanding your products and or services, your list is growing like gangbusters and you realize that you need help and you need it pronto. That's a great sign that you may need to outsource...by the way, that's a great thing.

You write your content and have your assistant edit, format and schedule publication. The work still gets done but you don't have to do it all, what fun! Now that you see how ridiculously simple the process is, ask yourself if you can afford not to start publishing your newsletter right now.

Top 5 Tips on Writing A Profit-Pulling Email Newsletter [Oh Yes You Can!]

One of the best marketing strategies for list building is to send a weekly email to your online mailing list.

Here are five tips you can use to get the most from your opt in email lists...

Tip #1: Create content containing words (and images) that trigger motivating pictures in your prospect's mind

One of the biggest mistakes beginning marketers make is to write a beautiful newsletter (or not... ) that is product, not client centric.

They invest in beautiful graphics and layout and go on and on talking about their product instead of directly addressing what's on the reader's mind.

The key is to capture your reader's interest by touching "... what's really going on below", to paraphrase Leonard Cohen; In other words, get past "product logic" and don't be afraid to tap into emotions.

There are multiple ways to do this, including storytelling, describing benefits in terms of what it allows the client to experience.

For example, rather than talking about features of their service, a Pest Control service might describe the advantages of sleeping soundly knowing your family's home isn't infested and that your children are safe.

Of course, this leads to the question many of my clients ask, "What do we want our readers to DO as a result of this "experience" they have reading the email?"

If you think this through in the beginning it's easier to make your Call-To-Action (CTA) seem like a natural fit, a logical extension of your desire for them to avoid bad stuff and enjoy the good experiences you can help them achieve.

Tip #2: Get Real - write conversationally.

Big Mistake to Avoid: Writing as if you are speaking from a podium to thousands of people...

Big companies may be guilty of this, but you don't have to be.

Email is a very intimate form of conversation. It's just you and your reader engaged in a two-way conversation. Allow them to feel a connection, a relationship with you.

Imagine you are sitting down for dinner, or a glass of wine with one (very special) person. That's how you want your writing to sound.

Extra tip: Before hitting the send button, read it out loud. If it sounds natural, cool. If not, back to the keyboard. Remember, it's not about the list... It's about your relationship with that list.

Tip #3: "Tell a story... " Nothing builds relationship - and sells - like a great story.

Especially with email. You need to grab your reader's attention with the subject line and from there pull them in to the first line of your email.

And by the way, that first line is really like a headline in itself, right? Think about it - With Gmail and other email clients, it's part of what your recipient reads before they decide whether to open it or hit delete.

Make it relevant, but don't make the mistake of being boring and business-like all the time. We all get hooked in by drama. Read and think fiction, especially serial fiction, soap opera. You can also get ideas from news headlines, and tabloids provide great material to draw inspiration from.

Yes, we know that Mars isn't about to explode, or that Elvis really has returned, but when it comes to getting your email read, you must get creative to stand out and make your reader hit "Open".

Tip #4: Make it relevant - What is the conversation going on in your reader's mind right now?

This is where a little research pays off. Write not from your point of view, but from your reader's... What do they want right now? What are they interested in? What will cause them to take a slice out of their busy day to read your message or watch your video?

Do a little keyword research in the Google Keyword tool. Check the forums in your field. Do surveys, ask for feedback, Picture your customers - what are they going through in their day?

I like to keep a keyword list handy when I'm writing. It helps you get out of your own head and into the conversation already going on in your reader's mind, where you will seem more like a "welcome guest than an unwelcome pest" - always a danger in email marketing.

Tip #5: Be a bloodhound - track your results doggedly, every time and all the time.

Use an email services provider that has the right tools and track your open rates and click through rates for each email. You can learn so much from your list this way!

Watch your results and your list grow, and get more responsive. They will teach you how to write so they respond!

One simple way to do this is set up a weekly dashboard showing date sent, subject line, open rate and click through rate. Before writing your next email, review past results. What kind of subject lines get opened? What messages get the best click ratios?

Then write more like that and make it a game - see how far you can increase your response rates. Your reward will be higher profits, better customer relationships.

Free HTML Email Newsletter Templates

So when you are searching for free HTML email newsletter templates for your ezine, you may have noticed you come across various tips and resources online. The only challenge is, some of these resources are not helpful at all, and some others are like a goldmine.

So how can you sort out through so many websites and resources, and find out the best quality HTML newsletter designs - for free?

The good news is, this helpful guide is going to help you discover top 3 easy techniques to choose the best design for your newsletter - in little or no time. Depending on the topic your newsletter is about, how familiar you are with HTML and online publishing, and a few other factors, you can easily choose the method that suits your interests the best.

Idea #1: Download Ready Free Newsletter Layouts Online

When you do a simple search online in Google, you will find many websites that provide you with ready-made printable or downloadable email newsletter templates that you can download and start using instantly.

The great part is, most of these resources are free. So you can save a lot of time and money by simply using the designs they have available for you.

But in many cases, you can notice those designs are too simple, outdated, or commonly used by hundreds of other newsletter publishers. So then you can use this next idea to get a more unique and professional design...

Idea #2: Convert Your Own Template from an Interesting Website Design

Now this is a little secret that you see no one telling you these days. Did you know that you can simply create an easy newsletter templates... from any website design that interests you?

That's right. Next time you come across a website that you like the design, you can simply save it as an HTML file, and then use it as the basic template for your email newsletter.

It is that easy. And if you'd like to follow the copyright rules religiously and protect yourself, you can simply do a little bit editing on the website layout and add your own header, footer, logo, and a few other simple changes to make it look unique.

Idea #3: Hire a Professional to Design Your Own Template

If your brand is highly important to you, it is always a good possible idea to hire a professional designer to create your own unique newsletter layout.

Although this will cost you a few hundred dollars at least, but if having a perfectly unique design is very important to you and you don't have any HTML skills to work on a previous available template, this might be the way to go.

One final note is, HTML newsletters are a bit tricky to publish, so that your content and design will look exactly how you intend - on your subscribers' various computer systems, email clients, and web browsers.

So if you would like to make things simpler and save yourself the hassle, you can always choose one of the other popular easy newsletter formats - like PDF or plain text. This will save you a lot of time in the long term.