Easy Steps to Creating Your Very Own Ezine

1. FORMATTING

Text ezines versus HTML format is a highly debatable subject.
At this time, most ezine publishers stick with text, and I
strongly recommend you follow suit. Many
people are still using email clients that cannot read HTML
messages - others prefer the speed, ease and security
of receiving their ezines in text format. It is safer
to use the format that is compatible with the largest
number of users.

But there are other readers who appreciate the design
quality and visual appeal of an HTML newsletter.
So what can you do to please both sides?
You can always
publish a text version and include a link to an HTML version
online. This is what I do and it seems to make the majority
of my subscribers happy. It does call for twice the amount
of work since you'll have to make two versions of your ezine,
but in my opinion it's well worth the extra effort.

So what is a text ezine? Basically, it's just an email with
some special formatting applied to make sure it's readable
by everyone, no matter what email client they may be using.
You'll want to stick to a fixed width font like
courier or Monaco, and you'll need a plain text editor like
Notepad or Textpad. One drawback with Notepad is it
has no built-in spell checker, so I'd advise you to
download Textpad or something similar. Many free text editors
can be found at http://www.Download.com.

You'll need to set up a template for your ezine so its look
will be consistent, issue after issue. This should
include your ezine name, date, and issue number at the very top,
followed
by a table of contents. If you're not sure on how it should
look, you can obtain some free ezine templates by sending
mailto:template1@e-zinez.com .

At the very end of your newsletter template
you'll want to include a paragraph on how to subscribe and
unsubscribe, copyright information, and advertising information.
It's vital that you include unsubscribe
information in each and every issue. Do not hold people
"hostage" by making it next to impossible to get off your list,
it won't be appreciated and is not only considered unprofessional,
but it could get you into real trouble with Spamcop.

When typing in your text you need to keep your line length at
65 characters per line and hit a hard return at the end of each
and every line. This is imperative. If you allow the words to
wrap automatically, the ezine your readers receive may have lines
chopped off mid sentence and will look terrible. By using the hard
return you'll be ensuring that your newsletter will be readable
and attractive in the majority of email clients. Never
type your ezine in all caps as this is equivalent to screaming.

2. CONTENT

I highly recommend you write at least one original article
a month for your newsletter; more if you can. It's OK to
include work by others on an occasional basis or for filler,
but your ezine will carry more weight if you take the time
to write your own material.

When you do need outside content, here are some excellent
sources:

http://www.EzineArticles.com
http://www.IdeaMarketers.com

You may also download this free e-book
"400 Articles You Can Use in Your Ezine" at
http://www.web-source.net/web/Free_Ebooks/Writing_Publishing/
You'll also find two other very handy ebooks for publishers
at the above site you may want to download as well.

Another idea for getting original articles to reprint in
your ezine is to go to Egroups and subscribe to article
announcement lists like this one:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce

These will
supply you with a steady stream of new articles you can
publish.

Don't forget to visit this site which is a fantastic
resource for online publishers:
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/ezine-publishing.htm

As you can see, there are many online sources that exist
solely for the purpose of helping ezine publishers
succeed. With the massive amount of information
available to you, there's really no reason you haven't
started your own ezine. So come on, what are you
waiting for? Your Net fame awaits!

Well, that wraps up formatting and where to get great
free content. In Part 3 of this article we'll move
on to growing your subscriber base and selling ad
space in your publication.

About the Author

Merle http://www.EzineAdAuction.com
"Where some of the BEST Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made"
Buy & Sell Ezine Ads in a live auction setting!
Publishers sell off your excess inventory and Buyers
pick up some Fantastic bargains. Go now.