Should You Convert Your Newsletter Into A Blog?
Posted on February 12, 2006
Filed Under Blog Promotion, Ezine Advertising, Technology and Web 2.0
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Feedback from your questions
I’ve had some questions regarding the idea of merging ezines into blog format. The main reason being that blogs are growing in popularity and make it easier to attract more search engine traffic through the pinging services and blog directory listings. I don’t know just yet if I would be comfortable with the idea due to the fact that my ezine subscribers usually have privileged bonuses and special offers. By converting to a blog it will mean that any visitor gets instant access to all of my recommendations and offers without being subscribed. The upside is that more people will be exposed to my ezine which is my main goal!
Hmm decisions, decisions!
I have noted that several other ezine/newsletters that are now being hosted on blogs such as Tinu’s Free Traffic Tip News. You could merge the two into one blog for ease of subscription and easy access for your subscribers. Or link both blogs in your sidebar for easy access and then you would have your posts that are guaranteed to get sent out and received for your RSS/XML subscribers and you can use an email service such as Bloglet [UPDATE - FeedBurner.com and Aweber are more reliable] to manage email subscriptions. As I am writing this I just thought of the many cuts in costs and labour you could save with blogs;-
- No need for a paid email autoresponder service
- No web pages or HTML to fiddle about with
- No hosting fees if you are happy with a free blog hosting service such as Blogger.com
- No more problems with email delivery
If you are just starting out you could build a community of loyal readers and subscribers AT NO COST uses the tips mentioned above. No cost no risk online presences as long as you keep within the terms of your blog hosting service. Of course if you are not so concerned with costs you can use an autoresponder service so that you still have control over email delivery and can send out offers and updates at your own scheduled times. As well as moving your host onto your own web space. But as I suggest all of the above can be done for zero dollars!
Anyway I am open to suggestions to the idea of making my newsletter into a blog. I already use RSS as an alternative to email subscriptions for my main newsletter so in a sense one step away from a blog. I am pondering with the thought but in any case I would create prefer to create a seperate blog for my newsletter and would link back to my Practical Marketing Tips Blog. Ideas, suggestions and other site examples welcome.
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Enjoy your weekend,
Nancy
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3 Responses to “Should You Convert Your Newsletter Into A Blog?”
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Comments 
Hi Nancy,
Just noticed that you linked to me - thanks! I have my newsletter on a blog for two reasons. Some people still want weekly updates instead of daily, whether via email or feed. Also, I had a newsletter for about two years before it went online, but after a while I had trouble getting it through the filters. So after some testing, it became an HTML issue. It was easier to write blog posts than several of the other options I had, and voila!
Thanks again for the link - I actually ended up here after posting because there was a post of yours I wanted to talk about in an upcoming issue… now I can’t remember what it was. Guess I’ve been awake too long…. have a great day!
Hi Tinu, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. I love the wealth of great tips and resources your Free Traffic Tip Blog contains. I couldn’t do without it! Hope you remember what you were looking for in due course. Take Care, Nancy
[...] I did mention some times ago that I was deliberating with the idea of converting my HTML formatted newsletter into a blog in a previous post at my Practical Marketing Tips Blog. The reasons for doing so are listed here: [...]