The 5-Point Checklist for Getting Advertisers to Your Ezine

These points shouldn't even need to be discussed, but it never ceases to amaze me how many ezine publishers give no thought to the content of their advertising page. There are no "secrets" to be told here. Just good, old-fashioned common sense is all it takes to get more advertisers to your ezine on a regular basis.

It doesn't take much to make me give up my advertising dollars for a quality ezine, and I'm more than ready -- IF I can find one, that is. So, here are five easy steps for getting us advertising "tight wads" to spend our money on advertising in YOUR ezine:

1. Tell us how many subscribers you have!
 
Wouldn't you know I was out looking for ezines to advertise in recently, and only about 1 out of every 15 ezines had their current circulation listed on the site? Most times, even that one STILL didn't have it ON the actual advertising page, but buried somewhere else on the site.

I had to go hunting around on the home page, on the contact page, on the subscribe page ... and why? What the heck do potential subscribers care how many subscribers you ALREADY have to your ezine? DUH! But, surprisingly enough (sarcasm), these publishers were sure to have all the payment methods outlined nicely on the order page. So eager for our hard-earned advertising dollars, but not in the least bit interested in giving us the information we need to make an informed buying decision.

2. Give us the option of paying for our ads NOW!
 
Again, only about 3 out of every 15 publishers offered the option of paying for advertising by credit card or online check. Can you guess the most popular method of payment offered?? You got it -- U.S. SNAIL MAIL! Now I don't know about you, but when I'm ready to start making money, I'm ready to start making money! I don't want to have to go through the trouble of writing you out a check and wasting stamps to send you a check with my ad enclosed.

Why don't these people have online payment options? I mean, Clickbank processes orders for advertising services, and even accommodates International clients. So what's the deal? Although they recently started charging a $40 set up fee, I think it's a smart investment to help you guilty publishers secure the other 85% of your sales that you're letting slip away by NOT accepting credit cards online.

I'm not even about to consider buying any ads that I can't pay for and submit online. One of the main benefits of ezine advertising is getting your ad run as soon as humanly possible. Why should I have to wait a week or more for you to get my money by postal mail, then *possibly* approve my ad? I wouldn't. And, neither would half of the other potential advertisers out there.

In short? You're definitely losing money.

3. Supply us with a recent issue of your ezine!

"What's this now? A sample issue? My, you're demanding..."

These are all things that advertisers need to take into account when choosing ezines, which is why a sample issue is necessary. At least 75% of the sites I went to made me subscribe to get an issue. They could have put one on an autoresponder, in archives online, or something else immediate. But I suppose the concept of using autoresponders to supply immediate information is still too new (again, sarcasm).

Anyway, when I gave in and subscribed for the sample issue I was promised, I found out that it wasn't really a sample at all. I'd have to wait for the next issue to come before I could even hope to evaluate that ezine as an advertising choice. And by the time I get that first issue, I'll probably have forgotten that it's to be evaluated for advertising, not just to be read.

In short? No good.

4. Tell me when my ad is going to run!
 
Okay. So after weeks of searching, I FINALLY found one or two quality ezines to advertise in, and I paid for my ads online ... and I waited. And waited some more. Then, after a few more days of waiting, I had to e-mail the publisher.

"What's up with my ads," I ask? "When will they be run?"

We haven't heard from them before the transaction, unless we've contacted them for info, (or that elusive sample issue!), and we likely won't hear from them again UNLESS we contact them AGAIN. What's up with that?

I really couldn't care less if you don't write me to say "hi," but can't you at least tell me when the ads that I BOUGHT from you will run? Sheesh ... I know that's a lot to ask and all.

5. Create a prime ad spot for advertisers that actually care about quality results!
 
Most ezines have classified ads thrown at the very bottom of the issue, branded with the dreaded word "Classifieds" in big, hairy, uninviting letters. I like to advertise in ezines that just kind of throw an ad or two at the reader unexpectedly, so they're "surprised" into reading the headline of the ad. So many ezines cast them all down at the very bottom without giving them a second thought.

"Hey! Those are our advertising dollars you're shoving down there!"

To sum it all up...
 
So, you're still thinking of offering advertising in your ezine? Well beware, my friend. There are more potholes than you know. The very things that you might dismiss as unimportant are the same things that are driving potential advertisers away. So wise up and get YOUR ezine right so you can start pulling in some real money.