>>> This article from The Ezine Marketing Center is one of
>>> a tutorial series about ezine publishing. To read more
>>> on this topic, go to http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com
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DONÕT GET GRIEF FROM EZINE READERS : Ten Reasons To Always
Use A "Double Opt-In" Sign-up Policy For Your Ezine
By Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian
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My friend Joe was very angry. He has just launched his ezine.
Last week, he called me in a panic.
"My ISP is threatening to shut me down" he cried.
"Why, what happened?" I asked.
Slowly, working through his agitation and angst, I gathered
that one of his ezine ÔsubscribersÕ had accused Joe of
ÔspammingÕ - sending email (or in this case, an ezine) to
someone who had NOT requested it. It took a week of repeated
phone calls and emails to his ISP before he could get back to
his ezine publishing tasks.
It could happen to anyone. Even you.
And this made me wonder - Why would any ezine publisher ÔspamÕ
readers? Or even open him/herself to such accusations?
The simple answer - Many just donÕt know how easy it is to
avoid.
In my book "Ezine Launch - Creating ÔKillerÕ Ezines", I
strongly emphasize the importance of the subscribing process.
And thatÕs what this article will do too - give you TEN reasons
to keep your ezine subscribers happy, enthusiastic about your
writing, and ultimately make them your most valued customers.
Do it right and you can play them like a musical instrument,
get them to sway to your tune, listen to what youÕre saying,
believe you, respect you. And presto, you have yourself a
new customer. Once this trusting relationship is established,
you can name your own price and your readers will order from
you. Your sales will explode, profits will skyrocket.
But only if you do it right !
Today unforgiving subscribers are less tolerant of poor ezine
design and administration. They vote for bad ezines by
hitting the "Unsubscribe" button. The margin of error in
ezine publishing is small. That is why a tutorial like
Ezine Launch is an invaluable tool, a hand-holding guide to
your initial ventures into publishing email newsletters,
leading you step-by-step through the difficult first steps
to e-publishing success.
And well begun is half-done. ThatÕs where Double Opt-In
comes in.
What does this mean? With double opt-in, you donÕt send out
your ezine to everyone who asks for it - until they have
confirmed their request by either visiting a website or
responding to an email message. This not only verifies that
the ezine request is genuine, it also provides you - the ezine
publisher - with proof of this request.
Detractors claim that with double opt-in you lose readers.
True, some people who ask for your ezine may not re-confirm.
But think about it - how many of them are likely to become
loyal customers or long-term readers? What youÕre losing
are the tire-kickers, the freebie seekers who transiently
flit from one thing to another.
And that is a good thing. Because those that remain are the
serious prospects, people who are really interested in you,
your product, your service. They are potential customers.
So here are ten reasons to go down a double opt-in route.
With double opt-in, you can
1. Attract the most interested, responsive target audience
as subscribers
2. Gain respectability and professionalism for your ezine
by behaving responsibly
3. Quickly establish a trusting relationship with readers
4. Ensure most subscribers will actually read your ezine,
since they asked for it - twice
5. Enhance the value of your ezine to advertisers who can
now reach receptive opt-in audiences
6. Improve the effectiveness of your ezine as a marketing
vehicle for your own product and services
7. Have documented proof that subscribers asked to be
included on your mailing list
8. Avoid mischievous people signing up someone elseÕs email
addresses for your ezine
9. Save yourself time and money otherwise spent handling
complaints from angry ÔsubscribersÕ
10. Spare yourself the anxiety and anguish of being shut
down by your ISP, or worse, legal action
For all these reasons and more, a double opt-in subscribing
process is todayÕs Ôgold standardÕ for ethical and responsible
ezine publishing. Short cuts work in the short term. In
the long run, however, quality and professionalism in your
ezine publishing efforts will reap the greatest rewards.
Good luck and happy e-publishing
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Would your friends find this article helpful? Send them a
copy now - or tell them they can by sending any email to
mailto:double-opt-in@ezinemarketingcenter.com
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Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian
Ezine Marketing Center
http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com
If you find the information you have just read valuable, you
may be interested in a new book called "Ezine Launch - Tips,
Tricks and Secrets to Publishing a Killer Ezine". It is
written by Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian and can be seen at
http://www.EzineLaunch.com
You'll discover hundreds of 'insider' secrets about all aspects
of ezine publishing and marketing. It covers many topics
including how to save money creating your ezine, how to save
time by putting it on autopilot, how to find valuable content
or get people to write for you for free, how to attract
thousands of subscribers and market to them through your ezine.
It is a "must read" if you own an Internet business, or plan
to soon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian is author of
an ezine creating course ranked #1 on the Net by experts
Get Dr.Mani's step-by-step course on creating ezines from
==> http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/ezinelaunch/
In JUST TWO WEEKS you'll be creating 'killer' ezines
GUARANTEED to sell your product or service.
I highly recommend subscribing to his FREE Ezine Launch
Monthly newsletter. Simply send a blank email to
mailto:freezine@ezinemarketingcenter.com
You'll get more GREAT surefire ezine creating secrets!
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