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Confessions of an Email Newsletter Publisher

I've been publishing Web Digest For Marketers since April 1995. I learn something every time an issue goes out. The truth is, I learn many things. Some lessons are predictable, but many are counterintuitive.

Below are my Top 10 confessions, practices and tactics I have picked up over the years:

1. Ads Pull: Ads often get more clickthroughs than editorial. Don't tell my editors, but it's absolutely true. In a B2B publication, ads are often as popular or more so than what comes between them. This is assuming the ads really have something valuable to offer readers.

2. Quality Source of Subscribers: It's absolutely critical to the success of your email newsletter to figure out where your new subscribers will come from. Many subscribers to Web Digest For Marketers come from the thousands of inbound links to its home page, some arrive from the search engines and others are acquired through syndicated articles and mentions in the press.

3. Be Reader Centric: People care less about you and more about themselves. When I moved my Publisher's Note feature to the bottom of Web Digest from the top where it originally appeared, the unsub rate went down by 50%... sniff.

4. What Have I Done for You Lately? Each year, one new big thing seems to be necessary to keep the publication fresh. A couple years back I launched SearchEngineForMarketers.com, which is where the reviews first seen in Web Digest For Marketers are available on a complimentary basis. They used to be available only by paid access. As a result of this change, I radically increased traffic to one of my sites, which means more subscribers and higher ad revenue. Soon I'll launch an RSS feed and blog. Stay tuned.

5. Keep It Simple, Very Simple: That goes for layout, sentence structure, copy style and editorial guidelines. Readers in this medium need to "get it" fast. If you try to get them overly involved with complex schemes or hard-to-understand copy, you'll lose them. It's like radio, in a way. It's very easy to lose someone's attention in radio because there are no visuals. Online is a lean-in, rush-to-read-it medium. People lean forward into their computer monitors, usually with a very specific intention. Serve that intention or something very close to that intention - with alacrity.

6. Nourish Relationships: Long-term relationships with advertisers is what it's all about when it comes to the health of an online publication, or an offline publication, for that matter. I always offer companies that sponsor Web Digest For Marketers more than what is on the contract. I also put more value in that contract than what was originally negotiated for, so they are pleasantly surprised when reviewing it. Then those sponsors get their message delivered to more subscribers than they expected (which often results in higher response rates). This all helps to keep relationships in place for years and years.

7. Pick Your Email Service Provider Carefully: Read their thought leadership white papers. See which companies similar to yours use a given provider. Call them up, see what they have to say about that provider. Look into the financial health of your prospective provider. In short, do your homework before you leap. I've jumped from one provider to another a few times since 1995. Let's just say it isn't something you want to do very often.

8. Show Your Face: The Internet is a pretty spooky place. Showing your face, rather than some slick graphic, is a good bet. People like to know there's a human at the other end of the line.

9. Put the Subscriber First: Even if your email newsletter is complimentary, first serve the subscriber as though he/she was paying for your product. If you don't, your readership will sense you have other agendas and lose their loyalty.

10. Make your Newsletter Indispensable: If your newsletter becomes a must-read, other sites will point to you, which will increase your standing in search engine results and bring you even more traffic and subscribers... but you must first be such a solid resource that other sites can justify pointing to you as that industry resource.

11. Bonus Tip - Subject Headers Rule: No matter who is in the From field, you know you need a compelling subject header. Keep it short, sweet and direct. No hyperbole or overly-muscular bombast. I've seen the very same solo email campaign draw 20% better response rates (and more) using a different subject header. BTW, I notice my subscribers love "How To" subject headers. It makes sense. After all, people who read Web Digest For Marketers are always interested in knowing how to do things or how to do things better.

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