10 Ways To Produce Better Ezine Content

Article by: Tony L. Callahan

If you publish an ezine, you know the importance of producing fresh content. As has been pointed out many times, the best way to procure fresh content is to write original articles.

Most of the time you probably have many concepts for new articles, but what about those times when the idea well is running dry? Next time you find yourself short on content ideas and have a deadline looming, try some of the ideas that have worked for me.

1. Write to your strengths
   Think about the subjects you know best, select one of these as the seed for an article. Even if you have written extensively about a subject there are probably enough new things happening to warrant an update article.
   
   
2. Check your client correspondence
   Questions from clients is a great way to produce ideas for content. If your clients are asking questions related to a subject, chances are good your readers would be interested in your answers. Email, guestbooks, newsgroups, letters and one on one conversations are great places to find the basis for article content.
   
   
3. Interview a recognized expert
   Do you know who the experts in your ezine's area of interest are? If not, you should. Find these people and introduce yourself. Ask for an interview. These can be conducted by phone or via email. Offer to give the expert a plug for their business in exchange for the interview. Most people are very willing to share their insights, you have only to ask.
   
   
4. Publish a Q&A feature
   Encourage your readers to write in with questions they have related to your ezines subject. Select one question per edition and provide your answer to it. This is great way to involve your readers in the newsletter and provides a never ending source of fresh content.
   
   
5. Stay current
   Keeping current on what is going on in your ezine's area of interest will help with new ideas for content. Newsgroups, industry publications, conferences and seminars are all good ways to keep your finger on the pulse of your subject area.
   
   
6. Profile a reader
   Solicit profiles from the readers of your ezines. Encourage them to provide their name, the name of their business, where they are located, and how they use the information obtained through reading your ezine. You can then publish one or more profiles per edition of your ezine.
   
   
7. Review a book or product
   Publish a review of a book or product related to your ezine's subject. Use books you have read recently or product you currently use every day. Ask the publishers or producers of the product to provide a copy of their work for the purposes of a review. You will be surprised how many businesses are open to this avenue of advertising.
   
   
8. Give examples from your own experience
   Tell your readers about a real life experience related to your subject matter. Tell a story about the problems encountered helping your most recent client and how you were able to resolve them. This can build your reputation as an expert while providing content your readers can relate to.
   
   
9. Create a top 10 list
   Your readers are busy people, they would probably appreciate a concise list of tips. My experience is that my Top 10 articles are among the most popular and requested articles I publish.
   
   
10. Publish someone else's work
    Don't be afraid to put someone else's work into your ezine. It just is not possible for every publisher to be able to cover the entire range of issues in a subject area. Often, your readers will appreciate a fresh perspective on an issue. There are many web based sources of articles available for reprint. One of my favorites is Idea Marketers at http://www.ideamarketers.com

Copyright 2000, 2002 Tony L. Callahan All Rights Reserved

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