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Mailing List Do's & Don'ts

Do's

• Make it easy to find the subscription information for your newsletter on your Web site. Your e-mail publication takes time and effort so promote it! Publicize it as a prominent feature item on your site.

• Use cross-promotion techniques that stimulate interest in your Web site. If you advertise in any print media, be sure to direct readers to your Web site to sign up for your FREE newsletter.

• Sell the viewer on the value of the e-mail publication. Stress the benefits to the reader. If you make it sound like the company is the only one who benefits, no one will sign up.

• Send a press release announcing your newsletter.

• Make it easy for the reader to find information about:
  • Subscribing & Unsubscribing
  • Where to send a post
  • Where archive files are kept

• When referring to Websites, type in the full URL so readers using Netscape Mail or Eudora can link to the site from the hot link in the e-mail message. (Don't add parentheses, punctuation or extra spacing.)

• Create a mission statement complete with frequency statement and stick to it.

• Remind the recipient that he or she requested your mailing. Make it easy for a reader to unsubscribe.

• Make your e-mail publication easy to scan. Use distinctive headings and subheadings to draw the reader's attention.

• Incorporate traditional marketing techniques into your mailing. For example, PC World Watch extends readers a special price (with it's own code number) for a subscription to it's printed magazine.

• Survey your readership. Solicit their likes and dislikes and incorporate their feedback into your newsletter.

• Experiment with several versions before you send your first issue. Remember that line length is a critical factor in e-mail.

• PROOF you newsletter for spelling and grammar errors!

Don'ts

• If your goal is to generate traffic to your web site, don't provide the reader a stand-alone publication. Require that the reader visit your Web site for complete information.

• Don't broadcast with a CC: list of all subscribers. Not only do you look unprofessional, but others can capture the names and spam your readers.

• Don't address your mailing list to a particular person. Recipients who aren't paying attention will think that it is misdirected mail.

• Don't make your newsletter a weekly, biweekly or monthly ad for your services. If your unsubscribe rate increases, evaluate your newsletter's actual content against your mission statement.

• Don't send too frequently. You will innundate your readers with information and they will feel burdened.

• Don't make the mailing too long. Experiment with the length to find what works for your readers.

• Don't cut and paste your newsletter from a word processing document. While it may look fine on the screen before it is sent, the product that arrives may be full of strange codes and line breaks.

If you have additional "Do's and Don'ts" for e-mail newsletters, please e-mail them to Comments@TechDirect.Com

Tech Direct, Inc.
1921 Pine Bluff
Marietta, GA 30062-3806
Telephone:   770-509-7020
E-mail: Sales@TechDirect.com