How to Target the Right Audience With My Ezine

You have an ezine and you're looking for an audience. Good idea. Your readership will make or break you. It is imperative that you find the right readership for your ezine or it just won't last.

Instructions

1. The first thing you need to do in order to attract the right audience is give your ezine a proper name. If you are targeting automotive shop owners and you name your ezine, "The Pickled Daisy," you might not get much readership. But call it, "The Lug Nut," and you might. Your title says a lot about who you are, what your focus is and, yes, who your intended audience is. Give it some thought.

2. Next, design your ezine with your target audience in mind. Don't put pictures of little girls playing hopskotch on the masthead of "The Lug Nut." It won't fly. On the other hand, if your ezine focuses on young girls' playtime games, then you don't want photos of classic automobiles either. Design elements mean a lot.

3. Content. Use fresh and original copy. Make it interesting and enlightening--and focused. It must be something that your target readership will want to read. Again, don't put children's stories in your automobile ezine unless you are trying to appeal to young readers taking an interest in automobiles. Keep it focused on the right content.

4. List your ezine in as many ezine directories as you can find. Be sure to accurately describe your content, your intended audience, the frequency of publication and whether or not you accept advertising and guest articles. Be sure to list as many details as you can about your ezine. Potential readers will want to know all of that.

5. Write articles. Write a lot of them. Once or twice a week is apropos. Then send those articles to article directories. Don't advertise your ezine in the article. Instead, provide useful content that people will want to read--content that is targeted to your ezine target market. For instance, if you want middle-aged men who work as mechanics to join your ezine, then write about something middle-aged male mechanics would want to read--stuff about cams, carburetors and anti-lock brakes. In your bio, plug your ezine with a link to your opt-in page.

6. Start a joint venture with another ezine publisher whose target audience is the same as yours. Preferably, someone who isn't competing against you. Let's say you meet someone who publishes an ezine on classic motor boats. His target audience may be similar to yours, so offer to plug each other's ezine with an ad exchange.

7. Add a blog to your Web site. Make it clear that your target readership is the same target as your ezine. Put an ezine opt-in form on your blog page. Every now and then, in your blog, plug your ezine. You might even reprint articles from your ezine in your blog.

8. Offline, go to professional meetings where your target audience will be in mass, such as conventions and continuing education classes. Talk about your ezine and ask people if they want to join. Take their e-mail address and opt them in. Be sure to send them a confirmation e-mail so that you don't end up forcing it down their throats.

9. Run ads and write articles for industry trade magazines. Again, don't plug your ezine in the article. Just like online articles, make the material beneficial to the journal's readers. Plug the ezine in your bio with your web address so that readers will go online and opt in.

10. In your ezine, include a "forward to a friend" or "ask a friend to join" form.

11. Write pay-per-click (PPC) ads that target your audience and drive them to your Web site's ezine opt-in page.

Tips & Warnings

• In your masthead, underneath the title of your ezine, add a tagline that describes your ezine's focus and intended market. Something like this: "The Lug Nut: The ezine that isn't afraid to open the hood." Or the more straightforward, "Delivering the best and the latest automotive shop news."

• If you are too vague in your descriptions and content, you will find it difficult to attract readers. Keep your content focused and be clear about that focus.

• Don't spend a lot of money advertising at first. There are too many free methods of gaining readership. Exhaust all of those first. Once your ezine starts making money, then you can advertise. But until then, just focus on building your list.