"Do you have any suggestions on how to build my own e-mail list? Is there some shortcut that I missed?" --- Briona Shipman
Building your own e-zine or customer e-mail list is of extreme strategic importance, but many don't place a high enough priority on it. These are some of the many ways you can increase the number of opt-in subscribers. Consider trying ...
Sign up form on every page of your website. One way to do this is through Server Side Includes (SSIs).
Compelling reason to sign up for your newsletter -- up-to-date industry information, high quality how-to articles, archive of previous issues on your website, etc. With so many newsletters to sign up for, people now need to be convinced why they should receive more e-mail.
Link to your privacy policy which states, at a minimum, that you will not rent or sell your list to any third parties.
Incentive, such as a free e-book or white paper or entry into a sweepstakes or contest.
Pop-up box (or pop-under) that encourages people to subscribe. Make sure that this box only pops up once, since you don't want to alienate your potential customers.
Registration with e-zine directories. (Search Google for "ezine directory".)
Ad exchange promoting your list with other e-zines that reach a complementary audience and a similar size subscriber list.
Explicit encouragement for readers to forward your newsletter to their friends and associates.
Co-registrations in cooperation with other list owners. Some marketers swear by this approach. I have avoided it thus far, since I think it both increases time competition to read your e-zine and doesn't produce a firm initial commitment to the unique offerings of your newsletter, thus diluting your list and making it less responsive to offers and ads.
