Don’t Stay Silent
The very first thing on your list should be to
get in touch with all your service providers to let them know what you plan on
doing. This list includes (but is not limited to) your local ISP, on whom you
rely for your Internet Connection; your Web site host, who is most likely
running your mail (POP3) server; and your list host, which will be the company
that enables you to distribute your epublication (as well as provide
subscription database storage). You need all three of those providers
supporting you 100 percent of the way. Just about every legitimate e-mail
publisher has been wrongly accused of distributing junk e-mail messages.
Instead of contacting you directly, offended users will probably get in touch
with any or all of your service providers. If your service providers know you
and trust that you’re not doing anything on the sly, they’re going to defend
your position and inform the whistleblowers that they are incorrect in their
assumption. My providers have gone to bat for me more than once, and that kind
of support is priceless.
Don’t Impose
Don’t force yourself into user’s Inboxes unless
they invite you first. Remember, the Inbox is a very sacred place to them. Wait
for them to sign up for your e-publication. The easiest (and best) way to get
subscribers is to publicize the offer on your Web site, and let related Web
site and list owners know what you’re doing.
Don’t Buy
A database of qualified subscribers cannot be
purchased—that’s a fact. If anybody tells you otherwise, he doesn’t know his
lips from his belly button. Your money will be better spent on other things
(like advertising, marketing, and/or candy bars). People who sell e-mail
address databases are often referred to as list brokers. Believe it or not,
this business is very lucrative (and legitimate).
Don’t Use Certain Words
In the subject line of a message, a few words,
characters, and conventions tip me off to the message being spam: money, sex,
girls, free, opportunity, sale, power, powerful, new, invest, investment,
maximize, profit, buy, and special are the words (in no particular order);
dollar signs and exclamation marks are the symbols; and if the subject line is
written in ALL CAPS, I delete it without thinking twice. As an added measure
for optimal recognition, I strongly suggest inserting the name of your company
and/or publication in the subject line of a message before writing anything
else.
Don’t Hide
In your own e-mailings, use your real name, if
possible. Not only will it show your subscribers that you’re easily accessible,
but it will also make them aware that you’re a “human being” and not just
another employee in the cold, corporate world. If using your real name is too
much to ask, then make one up. There’s nothing wrong with a pseudonym, as long
as you use it consistently in conjunction with your e-publication.
Don’t Invite Removals
Personally, I throw the unsubscribe directions
at the bottom of every mailing. It’s out of the way, but not completely hidden;
it’s the last thing users would read in an issue. Why invite them to remove
themselves from your mailing before they even have a chance to read it? You’re
indirectly telling them that your stuff isn’t worthy enough for their Inbox.
Nothing could be further from the truth, I hope
Cheers,
Sly Media
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