The Sticky Issue of E-zine Schedules

While many new e-zine publishers are anxious about developing good content for their e-zines, many of them seem to have more trouble simply deciding on a schedule and sticking to it!

It's smart to tame the schedule beast right from the start. Here are a few tips to help you.

Realistically consider how much time you want to spend on your e-zine.

For your beginning stages, plan on at least five hours to develop each issue if you're developing your own content. This includes time for researching, writing, formatting, proofreading, and publishing. And this estimate is for an e-zine featuring only one article. If you're going to feature more than one article, plan on making more time, or publish articles by guest authors.

Start with a conservative schedule.

When you're planning your e-zine, you'll probably be so excited and brimming with ideas that you want to publish as frequently as possible. Stop! Your enthusiasm is admirable, but start off monthly for now. You can always increase the frequency later, when you're sure you can handle it.

I excitedly began my first e-zine several years ago as a weekly gig, then immediately dropped back to monthly once I caught myself moaning and groaning whenever I was scheduled to write it. Now that I have support staff, I've increased my schedule to biweekly (every two weeks).

Even if you can stand it, don't publish daily.

Yep, that's right. You want to be on your prospects' minds, but not in their faces every day. We all get SO much e-mail as it is! Even if you write a phenomenal missive, it's best to leave your readers wanting a bit more.

I was recently on the list of a very good daily e-zine, but I just couldn't keep up with reading it every day. I felt extremely guilty watching the issues build up unread in my e-mail inbox, so I finally canceled my subscription. If you want your e-zine to be joyfully anticipated and well read, I recommend publishing no more than once or twice a week.

Pick the best day for your readers ... and you

Many sales experts say that people are most receptive to hearing from marketers on Tuesdays. So why not have your e-zine arrive in your readers' e-mail inboxes then? Other good days are Wednesdays and Thursdays, according to other sales pros. However, I ignore all this and publish on Fridays, simply because it's my favorite day. ; )

Once you've set your schedule, stick to it!

Setting a schedule suggests to your readers that you're organized and can meet deadlines. No matter how busy you are, sending out your e-zine at random looks flaky and unprofessional.

Now, we're all human and take vacations, get sick, and get plain busy. So what do you do when you just CAN'T get that new issue out? Do a rerun. Choose a past issue from more than six months ago that you got great feedback on. Republish it with a little intro that says something like, "Hey folks, right now I'm sipping drinks on the beach in Bali, so by popular request, here's a rerun of one of our best articles. We'll be back next week with fresh, insightful content!" Of course, only say something like that if you are actually on vacation - people do understand that you take time off.

Otherwise, never share that you're behind schedule or too busy to write your next issue - that would tell your readers that they come last on your list. If you must, stretch the truth a bit, and say you're at a conference, traveling, etc.

Try to have one or two issues completed in advance that can be sent out at a moment's notice.

This is great for those times when an emergency strikes or you're too swamped to write a new issue. The next time you get a few ideas at once (and don't they seem to come in multiples?), get psyched up and whip out a few at once. You can always edit them later - just get the ideas out of your head and onto your screen.

(E-zine Queen Secret Tip: Need a little extra inspiration? Try whipping up a fresh margarita - works for me, every time! Just be sure to do an extra proofread later on. ; ))

For a low-maintenance e-zine, tip well!

Who says you need to write in-depth articles? Everyone's time is short, so readers LOVE quick tips. Tips are easy to put together when you're close to deadline, also meaning you'll be more likely to stay on schedule. So if you're tight on time, publish simple monthly or weekly tips instead of detailed articles.

(c) 2000-2003 Alexandria K. Brown. All rights reserved.

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/

---

Why Do We Publish?

WHY DO WE DO THIS?A major "character" in Mark Salzman's... Read More

The Quick Ways To Increase Your E-zines Subscriber Base

1. Give Incentives Give people an incentive to subscribe to... Read More

Secrets To Successful Publishing

Have you ever wondered what would it take to compete... Read More

6 Important Tips For Choosing Ezine To Advertise In

Did you ever wonder why some business owners seem to... Read More

The Sticky Issue of E-zine Schedules

While many new e-zine publishers are anxious about developing good... Read More

7 Benefits Of Using Newsletter Templates

1. Time saver. To get going make a quick visit... Read More

Email Newsletter Format: HTML or Text

An email newsletter is probably the most effective way to... Read More

Who Should Offer an Ezine?

If you are a professional, consultant, coach, speaker, seminar leader,... Read More

Convert Your Newsletters into Immediate Cash

One-Page Newsletters can do more than help you keep in... Read More

10 Winning Ezine Publishing Tips

1. Share your personality with your subscribers. Your subscribers are... Read More

Ezines and Newsletter Software - How to Drive Traffic and Improve Your Business Cashflow

So how do smaller businesses use the internet to drive... Read More

How To Write Powerful Newsletters, Offline And Online

The theory of writing for newsletters is very similar to... Read More

Employee Newsletter Ideas - 7 Creative Ideas for Your Employee Newsletter

Employee newsletters are an effective tool to communicate with your... Read More

How To Write Effective Ezine Ads... And Then Some

When writing an ezine ad, there is a big mistake... Read More

Internet Marketing Strategy: 9 Pragmatic Ways Increase Your E-zines Subscription

It is possible to increase the subscription to your e-zine... Read More

7 Ways You Can Make a Huge Impression With Your Ezine Welcome Message

Many times I receive a Welcome Message from someone after... Read More

Newsletter Formatting

Formatting your text newsletter correctly can make a failure into... Read More

Talking Pictures Are the Go!

A Tokyo day care company has begun marketing a "talking... Read More

OK People - Lets Get Real!

It's all about numbers - or so some ezine publishers... Read More

Search Engines Can Be The Online Writers Best Friend

It's an exciting time for online writers, with a wide... Read More

Ezines, Ezines Everywhere!

There are literally thousands of ezines being published online these... Read More

10 Tips For Ezine Publishers

1. Many Ezine Publishers use too many styles of separatorin... Read More

Your E-zine 13 - A Formatting Checklist

While sending out a text e-zine may seem like a... Read More

8 Effective Ezine Publishing Tips To Put You Ahead Of The Game

1. Swap sponsor, feature, or solo ads with other ezine... Read More

7 Useful Free Services For E-publishers

If you want to have an online business, without doubt,... Read More

Coping With Those Dreaded Ezine Publishing Deadlines

Time, of course, doesn't stand still and never did, and... Read More

Publishing Your Own Newsletter - Is It Worth Your Time?

Is publishing your own newsletter worth your time and effort?... Read More

Self Publishing At The Speed Of Thought

Publishing, both electronic and hard copy, from articles to books,... Read More

8 Killer Mistakes For Ezine Failure You Must Avoid

It is true that sometimes in life there is a... Read More

Newsletter Design Ideas - How to Get Creative Ideas for Your Newsletter Template

If you want to have a successful newsletter, you need... Read More

Should You Upgrade Your E-zine From Text to HTML?

A few years ago, when I first started seeing HTML... Read More

Publish Anything: The Saga of a PublishAmerica Author

My story is that an author who'd done online writing... Read More

5 Ways to Make More Money With Your E-zine

Have you been publishing an e-mail newsletter for at least... Read More