Almost all newsletters are archived, thousands of people read these archives, and your ad will be seen by these people at no extra cost. This can bring in exposure and extra sales on a long term basis. Besides, newsletter publishers may have already developed a trust between themselves and their readers. Just by placing your ad in the newsletter, it's more likely to be read because it appears in a publication they like and trust.

Newsletter advertising is not only effective, it's cheap as well. A 5 line ad in a newsletter that goes to 3000 people will cost you between $5 and $25 per issue. With so little risk involved, this is definitely worth it.

Buying Ads in Other Newsletters

Just as you can sell advertising, you can also buy advertising in newsletters. You can use those ads to promote your business or to invite people who read newsletters to read your own.

Again, you have to pick your partners carefully. There’s no point just picking a newsletter with the cheapest rates; you want to make sure you choose an outlet that appeals to the same buyers as you. You also need to think about where your ad is going to be placed. In general, the higher the position the better.

And the more the merrier too. Don’t expect a huge response from a single ad. It’s always best to think of advertising in terms of a campaign. You’ll get a better deal—and better results—if you reserve an advertising slot for four or five issues than if you buy them one at a time.

7.6 Promoting affiliate programs through newsletters

As many webmasters are now discovering, making money with affiliate programs can be hard work. It is not as simple as uploading some banners then sitting back and collecting commission checks. A more effective way to distribute this content is through newsletters.

As a more creative approach, web savvy marketers are finding that creating a "niche specific" email newsletter is one of the most effective ways to boost profits with affiliate programs. For example, a website about Pets could offer a free newsletter about caring for a pet. The newsletter could include informative articles such as "How to exercise with your dog" and "10 tips on keeping your fish bowl clean", etc. Pet products such as a dog leash, bowl, and toy should then be included with an affiliate link to encourage a purchase.

One of the main reasons why newsletters are a great way to promote affiliate programs is because of the clickthrough rates. Clickthrough rates for a targeted newsletter can reach anywhere from 10 to 15%. This can be significantly higher than banners and buttons. Obviously if you receive more clickthroughs, you will have a better chance of success.

Moreover, promoting affiliate programs through email allows for the removal of some of those slow loading banners from a web site. Instead, web sites can be filled with much stickier content such as interactive bulletin boards, exclusive articles, chat rooms, and voting booths.

Common sense dictates that featured affiliate products should be related to a newsletter’s target market. If a newsletter is geared towards senior citizens, this market is probably not interested in the latest skateboard gear. Instead, a better fit would be to feature an online greeting card service that pays a commission for each free registration.

Besides, a newsletter should always be opt-it/opt-out. A potential subscriber must request to be on the list and be given instructions on how to unsubscribe. Benefits of an opt-in newsletter include: higher response rates, fewer undeliverable emails, and time saved on list management.

7.7 Blogs

Blog (also known as web log) is traditionally a web page where pre-surfer or a Blogger "logs" all pages he/she finds interesting. In other words, it is a web page that contains brief, chronologically arranged items of information. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

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