An ezine is simply an electronic newsletter that you send to people who have signed up for it. Here is how to make money with one.

Tip #1: Develop a one-page web site

You won't need an elaborate web site because your only objective is to get visitors to sign up for your ezine. This means you can get by with a one-page site. Keep in mind that this is your only sales tool. So you need to fill your one-page site with tons of useful information, then close with a strong call to action to get visitors to sign up.

Tip #2: Get subscribers

Once you have your site up and running, you need to get subscribers. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One good way is to advertise you web site in existing ezines. A good source for ezines in which you might advertise is ezineadvertising.com. Just make sure you pick ezines with the kind of readers that might be interested in your ezine, but are not competitive with your subject matter. A second way to buy a list of people you can send offers of your ezine to. One site who offers such lists is www.vertexera.com.

Tip #3: Use an autoresponder

As you start attracting visitors to your site, you will need some way for them to register, along with a mechanism for sending them the ezrine on a regular basis. The best tool I know for this is an autoresponder. There are some free autoresponders available and this might be a good way for you to start. One I have used is called GetResponse (www.getresponse.com).

Tip #4: Find affiliates with products that match you audience

An affiliate program is one that rewards you for sending your subscribers to their web site. Some offer payment for every click-through to their site. Others reward you only if your subscriber makes a purchase. There are numerous websites for affiliate programs. Two I like are Clickbank (www.clickbank.com) and Affiliate Guide (www.affiliateguide.com.)

Tip #5: Includelow key sales messages

Your subscribers will keep reading your ezine only if you always provide helpful content. However, within, this content, you can include low-key sales messages. You see, after a few issues, your subscribers will look to you as an authority on your subject. This gives you a powerful advantage. You can bury sales messages within your ezines as your recommendations and with Hyperlinks to your affiliates. For example, if you were doing an ezine on beekeeping, you could have a sentence: When it comes to gearing up to remove the honey, I always use Bob's Bee Keep-Out netting, with a hyperlink to an affiliate that sells Bob's products.

You definitely can make money on the Internet with an ezine. It just takes time and patience.

Douglas Hanna

Douglas Hanna is a retired advertising and marketing executive. Over the course of his 30-plus year career, he created sales-winning advertising and marketing plans for a wide variety of clients. Hanna writes extensively about family finances, old time radio and the Internet. He is also the webmaster of a site devoted to a new technology called HD Radio.