An e-zine, also know as an email magazine, online publication or electronic newsletter is simply a newsletter available via email and/or online. There are hundreds of thousands of e-zines on various subjects available on the Internet free of charge.

Why should I publish an E-zine?

If you're serious about your Internet presence, having your own publication will not only enable you to keep in touch with your visitors, but it will help you build a huge database of targeted customers. In addition, you can make a nice income by selling sponsor advertising and classified ads. For every 1000 subscribers you have, you can charge $25 - $35 for an ad. If you publish your e-zine weekly and run just 10 ads, you can earn $250 - $350 per week and $1,000 - $1400 per month.

How much will it cost to publish my E-zine?

You can publish your e-zine completely free! There are many list servers such as; Egroups, Onelist & Listbot that will host your list (e-zine) free of charge. They will provide you with everything you'll need to publish your publication except the content. There are also professional services such as; OakNet Publishing & Postmaster Direct that will host your publication for a small monthly fee. I suggest starting your e-zine with a free automated service in the beginning. You can upgrade to a professional service after you've built your subscription base and need to expand.

What subject should be my E-zine's focus?

Your e-zine should focus on a subject in which you have a great deal of knowledge. You also need to take into consideration the focus of your web site. I.E., If your web site's focus is on Internet Marketing, you wouldn't want to have your e-zines focus to be on "Animals & Pets", you would want it to be on "Internet Marketing".

What should my E-zine be titled?

The title of your e-zine is one of the most important decisions you can make. Many e-zine list sites list their e-zines in alphabetical order. By selecting a title such as, "Advertising Secrets" instead of "Working Online", your publication will be listed towards the top instead of the bottom. This will give your publication an advantage over the publications listed below yours. Potential subscribers will see your e-zine first and be more apt to subscribe.

Your title should sound intriguing and tell your potential subscriber exactly what your publication is all about.

How often should I publish my E-zine?

You can publish your e-zine as often as you like. When you first begin you may want to only publish once a month until your subscriber base has grown. You can always increase your publication to bi-weekly or weekly whenever you'd like.

How large should I make my E-zine?

There has been a great deal of controversy over the size of an e-zine. In my humble opinion, size really doesn't matter. If you publish a quality e-zine with a great deal of content, I don't feel your subscribers care what size it is within reason. You should; however, take into consideration that your subscribers may not want to download  it. If it is too large, America Online will automatically turn it into a file attachment. Consider either condensing it or separating it into "Part One" and "Part Two".

Do I need to have a web site for my E-zine?

It isn't imperative that your e-zine have its own web site, however, it is HIGHLY recommended. Having your own site will enable you to give your visitors an in depth look at exactly what your publication is all about. You can include highlights of upcoming editions, polls, archives and a subscribe box to allow your visitors to easily subscribe.

What day of the week should I send my E-zine?

Many publications are mailed out on Monday and Friday. Your subscribers are probably subscribed to many e-zines so, it's a good idea to send your publication on a day that isn't so busy.  Consider sending your publication out on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

When can I begin to sell advertising space?

You should probably wait to begin selling advertising space until you have at least 1000 subscribers. You can sell ad space for $25 for every 1000 subscribers you have. There is a lot of advertising competition to take into consideration when selling ad space so, you may want to begin selling your ad space at a lower rate or offer special incentives. I.E. Buy two weeks of advertising for $20 get the third week free.