Putting the YOU in Your E-zine -

Home
>
Ezine Publishing
>
Putting the YOU in Your E-zine

Putting the YOU in Your E-zine

I get many e-zines in my inbox every week, and they all offer useful information. But there are some I enjoy more than others.

What do the ones I love have in common?

They feel like they come from a REAL person. These publishers put some heart-and-soul into their e-zines. They share information about themselves. And because I feel like I know them personally, I'm more likely to buy from them at some point.

I can also share with you that once I began sharing a bit about ME in my e-zine, my response rates increased dramatically. More readers wrote me back, more clicked on my links, and more bought my products and services.

So, how can YOU put more you in your e-zine? Very easily. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

What's Going on With YOU?

Quick: Think of three things going on in your life right now that you could share with your readers. Have you won an award? Were you mentioned in a national newspaper? Did you pull a hamstring doing Tae Bo? Are you teary-eyed because your daughter's wedding is right around the corner? These are all events your readers can relate to and will appreciate you sharing.

One e-zine I used to get a real chuckle out of was Dave Balch's "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe." (Unfortunately, his business has changed so he no longer publishes it.) In each issue, Dave not only shared useful information on running a profitable business, but also hysterical stories about "life on the ranch." Dave and his wife own many animals, including horses, dogs, and "the parrot that just won't die." Whenever I saw Dave's e-zine in my mailbox, I read it right away because I knew it would brighten my mood.

Reach Out for Help

Have a question you'd like answered? Why not ask your readers for help? Example: I recently began shopping around for a convertible, and I mentioned it in my e-zine a few weeks ago. To help me with my decision, I asked my readers who owned convertibles to share their experiences with me.

You wouldn't believe how many people wrote me back, telling me about their own cars, how much they love them, and what new convertibles they recommend! I was delighted with the response.

Readers also love quick polls that allow them to give you their opinion. For a fun survey mechanism, try www.SurveyMonkey.com.

Give Us the Picture

Photos help your visitors and your e-zine readers feel closer to you instantly -- it's as if they know you better than before.

In one issue I mentioned to my readers that I had a new headshot taken and would love their opinion of it. Hundreds of people clicked through to see the photo, and many of them wrote me to say they thought it was great!

Unless you're ugly as a toad, a decent photo will only help your business. If you publish an HTML e-zine, put your photo in your top banner if you have room.

Also don't be afraid of sharing photos of your family, pets, business associates, etc. You'll be surprised how often your readers will click-through to see them. Example: "Click here to see me in action at my first swing dancing competition!"

Don't Be Afraid to Have Opinions

Real people have real opinions. So voice yours, and people will perk up. I've found that my readers often respond best when they're provoked and encouraged to see things in a new light.

If some don't agree with you (and some won't), their response can lead to a brand new discussion or article topic. Remember, if someone takes the time to write you back to disagree with anything you've said, be happy. It means they're actually reading your e-zine!

Where, and How Much?

A great place to put this personal information is at the beginning of your e-zine in an "editor's note" or "welcome message." This welcomes the reader with a warm greeting from you and is the perfect spot to share these positive, personal tidbits.

Once you get the hang of giving more YOU to your readers, you'll come to enjoy the art of sharing and the increased reader-interaction it brings. Just make sure that it doesn't take over your e-zine. The bulk of your content should still be your main article, list of tips, etc. Think of your personal information as the introduction that leads up to the main event!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://comixtalk.com/webcomic_wire_10908cid=0ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNFV4i9A-zHLhHGXAwMUC7tBU3XsLAWebcomic Wire - 10/9/08/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fComixtalk,nbsp;AZnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The Floating Lightbulb posts about an opt-in reader email listing service called bEzine/b Directory. The Beat reports that Ambrosia bPublishing/b is going on b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.freepressreleases.co.uk/Press_Releases/Education/Long_Story_Short_School_of_Writing_Partners_with_Colorado_Free_University_2008091631307/cid=1246919292ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNHPPhoX2S8rn_P28U1eBcv3D6HeFwLong Story Short School of Writing Partners with Colorado Free b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fFree press releases (press release),nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrSep 16, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Known as the “nice” bpublishers/b in the highly competitive world of online bpublishing/b, they have 3000 subscribers to their bezine/b and publish its newsletter b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11581/new-media/online-marketing-on-the-risecid=1256072105ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNHArmLTK-5BnHyMKcIEIiprp9SWWwOnline marketing on the rise/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSiliconrepublic.com,nbsp;Irelandnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The party also uses email alerts and publishes a regular bezine/b to keep the public up-to-date with new policy documents and statements. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp%3FarticleID%3D77014cid=0ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNFGGi0731hUyTnQ1i0xKvjqVPGrCQTop 10 Webmaster Challenges/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAmerican Chronicle,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1You can publish an bezine/b on a weekly or monthly basis just to let your users be informed about the latest technology you´ve added to your site. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/10/01/ulamila-kurai-wragg-named-managing-editor-of-pacific-magazinecid=0ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNHTyRC1WCkbydQWyTQTels4pswMoQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=GzD9NaFc_h4Jimgurl=www.pacificmagazine.net/pm/news/2008/ulamilakuraiwragg.jpg width=60 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2pacific/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/10/01/ulamila-kurai-wragg-named-managing-editor-of-pacific-magazinecid=0ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNHTyRC1WCkbydQWyTQTels4pswMoQUlamila Kurai Wragg Named Managing Editor Of Pacific Magazine/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fpacific,nbsp;HInbsp;-/font nobrSep 30, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Earlier this year, it switched from being a bi-monthly print publication to an on-line only “beZine/b.” “Ulamila will play a key role in completing Pacific b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/10/02/054823.phpcid=0ei=nNrzSPHVL4yQ6wPKzdCcDQusg=AFQjCNEsquSqJWQcsv-kPN0jXQjDaOaa8gInterview with Gordon Clemmons, Editor of ShadeWorks/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBlogcritics.org,nbsp;OHnbsp;-/font nobrOct 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1I own a company focused on the online world of the bpublishing/b industry, so it wasn#39;t too big a step to start an online magazine for horror writers. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

ezine publishing - Google News

Putting the YOU in Your E-zine

Ezine Publishing