Just like in the garden, weeds in your newsletter take up valuable space that could be replaced with something a lot prettier.
The five most common weeds I see in
clients’ newsletters are…

Right at this very moment, the newsletter subscribers you so long for–the ones who would be precisely perfect for your newsletter list–are out there in a very reachable place. They’re on Other People’s Lists.

The question is: how do you get them from other people’s lists onto yours? Obviously, you can’t steal them, you usually can’t buy them (and even if you could, you wouldn’t want to). Plus, your approach is going to have to appeal to those Other People who possess the lists.

Fortunately, there’s an easy approach that, done right, works about 99% of the time.

It’s only natural to wonder. Do those hype-y, over-the-top ads actually work? Are publishers who beg, plead, and cajole readers to buy actually making sales? And, is it possible to publish a profitable newsletter without resorting to slimy tactics?

The answer, of course, is yes. (To all three questions, by the way.)

Before I explain how to publish profitably without slimy copy, let’s take a look at the number one question I get about newsletter advertising–where on earth should the promo copy go?

In the song Upside Down (from Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George), Jack Johnson sings about turning “the whole thing upside down.”

Sure, it’s a song about a monkey with insatiable curiosity. But, it’s also a great perspective to take with your newsletter.

A few days ago, I attended a workshop at The Home Depot on embellishing basic furniture pieces. The attendees had varying levels of experience–some had never done anything home-improvement-ish while others had tackled complicated projects. And the questions they asked reflected each person’s level of experience.