by Elizabeth A. Marion

Created on: August 23, 2010

An email newsletter is an excellent idea for anyone who wants to gain a following or get the attention of customers, clients, etc. However, just creating an email newsletter and getting people to subscribe will not necessarily make it a success. You have to convince people to subscribe and then try not to do anything that will make them want to unsubscribe.

Your newsletter should have a specific theme or topic. Make that theme clear to people when you ask them subscribe. Also let them know what the newsletter will include. For example, a newsletter that I use to promote my writing has four sections: Notes from Me, Updates, Featured, and New Stuff. Notes from Me is a personal message to subscribers, Updates gives subscribers the latest news on upcoming projects, Featured will promote a website or artist that I like, and New Stuff has links to all new material that has been posted since the last newsletter was sent out. A newsletter does not need to have a certain number of segments, but subscribers should at least have an idea of what elements will be included in the newsletter they're signing up for.

Decide how often the newsletter will be sent out. Factors to consider can be how often you want to communicate with your subscribers, what kind of information you are sharing with your subscribers, and how often new information is available to share with your subscribers. Time may also be a factor to consider if you don't have much time to devote to the newsletter.

Promote your newsletter as soon as you are ready to start sending out your newsletter. Don't just put up a blog post, collect a couple of emails, and forget about promoting after that. Remind people who are connected with you on social networks regularly that they can sign up for your newsletter. They may never have seen your status update. Or maybe they haven't checked your blog recently. To get more subscribers you need to keep promoting your blog.

Once you have subscribers, show them the respect they deserve. Send out the newsletters as often as you said you would. Notify subscribers ahead of time of any major changes you will be making to your newsletter. Respond to any comments and feedback about your newsletter as quickly as you can. Always give people a clear option to unsubscribe at any time. And don't take advantage of the people who gave you their emails by spamming their inboxes with messages they didn't sign up for.

Always be open to new ideas that can improve your newsletter and look for new ways to promote your newsletter. By doing these things you newsletter will be a success and you will reach a wider audience.

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