Revenue benefits from your ezine
One of the main reasons publishers start their own ezine is to profit from their publications. This is normally in the form of paid advertisements. Paid ads are a great way to generate income for your ezine, but there are a few things you need to know first before taking the plunge.
Generally, once your subscriber list reaches around 1,000 readers, you can start charging for your ad space. Can you start charging at an earlier stage?
Yes, but you may not get the same response as if your list were bigger. Unless you have a very specific list, for example, if all subscribers have been approved first and all readers have a common area of expertise.
For example, the list may consist only of publishers or only entrepreneurs of the same type of business. Any type of highly targeted list will offer paid ads at an early stage.
No need to get greedy and start getting paid when you have 50 subscribers. Patience is something you have to learn with ezine publishing so that you can reap the benefits later.
WHAT KIND OF ADS CAN READERS AFFORD?
It usually has classified ads and sponsorship ads.
Classified ads are generally free or very low cost due to the fact that most of these ads are at the bottom and usually have 5-15 classified ads in each post. Classified ads are generally 2-6 lines long. Since your ad exposure is very small, the price, if any, is very cheap.
Publishers often offer massive deals on classified ads, since repeat exposure is what works in ezines.
Most people who don’t like to see a lot of these types of ads grouped together, as it doesn’t distinguish your ad from the others, so they skip that section. Better exposure for your ads are known as sponsored ads.
Sponsorship Ads are longer than Classified Ads, usually up to 8-10 lines long and rank better in your ezine. These types of ads are placed on the top position as they are the most expensive because readers see these ads first with lots of white space around them, so you get more for your ad spend.
Solo Ads are even more specialized as these ads are the only thing your reader sees. You can make your point more with a solo ad than with a regular sponsorship, but it depends on how often the publisher sends solo ads. Three or four solo ads a day don’t have the same advertising power as sending a solo ad several times a week. So publishers should take note, as most of their unsubscribes happen as a result of too many individual emails.
One of the most common problems with charging for your paid ads is not knowing how much to charge for your ad space.
WHAT TO CHARGE?
This can be a difficult question to ask at first without looking at other posts of your size. Typically, you’ll see lists 1,000 in size charging $4-$8 for a top sponsor ad, and maybe $3-5 for a medium sponsor ad.
Lower Sponsor Ads and Classified Ads are cheaper because of the position of those types of ads that are usually at the bottom. It also depends on how specific your list is. A specialized list charges almost twice as much as a regular subscription list due to its specific specialization.
Now I have seen some very greedy publishers charging ridiculous prices that are not worth it. I have seen a publisher charge $20.00 for a title sponsor ad with a list of 250 subscribers.
This was not a specific list and I actually laughed when I wondered how many people would actually pay such a high price for such a small list. Just because you see other publishers charging $50 or more for an ad check to see how many subscribers they have and how original their content is.
Once you reach 5000+ subscribers, you will no longer have a rookie list and can charge $20 (for example) for a middle sponsor ad and more. But remember that people need more confidence in your ezine before they decide to take out their credit card.
HOW CAN MY READERS PAY ME?: PAYMENT OPTIONS
Online checks, third-party payment processors, or postal mail are some of your options. Your readers will pay you the same way they pay for your products and services. You have a way for your visitors to buy your products, right?
Most publishers offer paypal as an easy way to accept paid ads https://www.paypal.com It’s quick, fast and very convenient.
There are other payment processors you can use:
clickbank.com
E-Gold
http://e-gold.com
2 Checkout.com
http://2checkout.com
iBill.com
http://ibill.com
You can also provide a mailing address for your readers to mail their payment in the form of a check or money order. Please note that this is a slower way to accept payments as you have to wait for the payment to arrive in the mail and then wait for the check to clear. But this method also makes sense in the long run.
As your list grows, you can end up charging hundreds of dollars for an ad. Most people may not have these funds available on their credit cards or may have a daily spending limit, so when accepting large payments, this may be one of your popular payment options.
A Cheaper Free Alternative: Ad Exchanges
You can also trade your ezine ad with another publisher in exchange for your ad at no charge. This is a great way to meet other publishers in your niche and have targeted ads in your ezine. Since this is at no cost to you, you have nothing to lose by exchanging ads with others.
overextend yourself
If you offer $15 for a lead sponsor ad in your ezine, then you might think about going ahead and selling 4 lead sponsor ads in each issue. Hey, that’s $60 per edit, cool huh? Not precisely. When people pay for premium ad space, they don’t want to see other ads piled up around them. Your ad status goes down and pretty soon your advertisers may want a refund or other alternative. It is not worth being greedy with your earnings.
Your advertisers will thank you.
WHAT DO I LOOK FOR WHEN I BUY AN EZINE AD?
There are a couple of things I look for and some questions you might want to ask a publisher regarding ad buying.
When looking to buy an ad, I first look at the ezine.
1. How many subscribers do you have?
Some would prefer lists of at least 2,000 subscribers depending on their advertising budget.
2. Are they telling the truth in their actual subscriber count?
It doesn’t pay to lie about the size of your list. Just like those fake hit counters on the website, it makes you look so unprofessional.
3. How many ads do you place in each issue?
How often do you post? If all I see are ads, then other readers don’t even bother to look at your ad.
4. What kind of payment options do you offer?
How hard is it going to make me get out my credit card or check to send it to you?
5. What are your advertising guidelines?
Are they easy to find or do I have to do a scavenger hunt to find your ad rates?
6. How is your website?
Many publishers neglect their website in favor of their ezine only and I hate to break it to you, but if advertisers see that you’re hosted on a free host, they won’t want to buy professional-level ads from you. They’ll think you’re obviously not spending your ad revenue on a web host or domain name, so why bother?
7. Where do you get your subscribers from? Why do people subscribe to your ezine?
Did you just buy your entire list? There’s nothing wrong with buying specific subscribers, but you may not have good communication with your readers either if you just buy them and include them on your list.
Do all your subscribers belong to an advertising cooperative?
Ad cooperatives are a great way to get subscribers (I may be biased on this topic as I own an ad cooperative), but getting subscribers and keeping them is another story.
Why some publishers don’t like paid ads
Many publishers do not offer paid ads in their ezine. What, you think they’re crazy, that they’re missing out on some very lucrative income.
Well yes and no.
Yes, paid ads can offer you a steady stream of income for your publishing efforts. But think about it, if you didn’t offer ads, what ads, if any, would you put in your issues? Your ads, your affiliate products, your services.
Get it..
Ok now go sell your ads or put your own ads but do it the right way to get the best results.
“Never compromise your quality for quantity. Don’t get greedy with your profits or you’ll end up with nothing.”