Ezine/Article Writer
An ezine is an electronic newsletter that is published and distributed over the Internet. There are thousands/possibly millions of these electronic documents transmitted each day. They are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way of proving knowledge and services to people quickly to anywhere in the world. If you have a specialty business or possess unique knowledge on a topic you should learn more about this unique small business or complimentary product to an existing small business. It can help to generate more attention to your existing website or business or become a profitable venture on it's own.
Use your ideas, stories, resources etc. that are designed to fill the need of a specific target market to capture your specialty audience. Most online editors do all of their writing at the keyboard. By capturing the email addresses of your site visitors (via an ezine sign-up form at your site), you can develop a large mailing list of a target market. With a large, targeted mailing list you can earn a handsome income by accepting paid advertising and/or charging the potential recipients for subscription. An ezine editor and writer spends almost 90% of their time at a computer desk and specifically keying.
You must be a skilled writer, editor, and researcher (especially online). Of course being organized is a must. You will have to keep records of where you have been and where you are going in your journalistic pursuits. You can outsource your list maintenance for a small fee or be proficient in spreadsheet or database management software. Some of the skills that make a great ezine writer are: understanding your target audience, and being a good writer. Expertise in online searching/researching, typing skills, and having an area of expertise - such as small business startup, financial management etc. all are keys to success in this home based venture.
Keeping in touch with your subscribers is your number one concern. The basic equipment includes a comfortable/ergonomic computer desk, chair and workstation in general. You do not want to fool around with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). So make sure you are set up efficiently. Of course a printer, fax machine, copier and computer with spreadsheet, word processing and database software. Your online connection should be the fastest you can afford. Investigate the latest offering in your area. Investigate providing online payment options through a service like PayPal.
Just to install equipment and create a website to launch your ezine will cost approximately $5,000 at the bare minimum. This does not include cost for time and education. Equipment - $2,500 to $4,000 (cheaper if you can find some items used, such as the adding machine and copier).
Once you have achieved a following and a quality list of subscribers you can begin to charge for paid advertising A good rule of thumb is over 1,000 subscribers and you can charge for advertising. Determine what your advertiser perceives is fair for their advertising dollar by evaluating your competition. Of course you need to be flexible - you are a pioneer in this new small business idea. Charge what the market will bear and be prepared to raise or lower prices quickly. Focus on producing quality and you will maintain/attract subscribers and advertisers will be interested in associating their products with you.
If your ezine is packed full of valued information that your subscribers find truly valuable then by all means - charge for the subscription. Just remember - there is alot of competition out there. The barriers to entry into this market are minimal and you may lose your subscribers. Test the market. However, the good quality ezines are only able to flourish due to providing a high quality end product. More and more, you will see the the concept of free content/advertising on the Internet giving way to end user pays.
You have a great idea - right? Or you are an expert in a field where people are dying to read your information. Begin by writing a few articles and submitting them to online editors for review in their sites. Create a byline that describes who you are and provides a link to either your newsletter sign-up or a website describing your topic.
You can send copies of your original articles to other webmasters on the Internet and they can choose whether or not it fits the interests of their website viewers. If it does then they will often copy it verbatim and attach a "byline" to the end that you have written that identifies who you are, approximately 25 words about your website and a link to your site (or ezine signup).
Create "themed" newsletters. Plan ahead and decide in advance that for example Junes issue will have a theme where all the articles will focus on a similar topic or subject area. Typically themes can include such topics as seasonal topics, physical well-being, personal goals such as "getting organized" etc. Look for advertisers that provide a complimentary product to your theme and notify them of your planned issue.
