Last updated: 11/2008

E-Newsletters That Work:

The Small Business Owner's Guide To

Creating, Writing And Publishing

An Effective Electronic Newsletter

by Michael J. Katz

When you properly apply Michael's brilliant techniques, your customers will open email from you, read it, respond to it, and pass it along to others.

If you want your customers to stay in touch with you, and to introduce you to other people, then read this book.

Dr. Bruce D. Weinberg
Associate Professor of Ecommerce and Marketing
McCallum Graduate School of Business
Bentley College (www.bentley.edu)

Dear Fellow Small Business Owner:

The secret is out. Electronic newsletters are the best marketing tool to come along in a long time for your small business.

E-Newsletters generate leads; increase sales; open up a two way dialogue with customers; position your company as an industry thought leader; and provide you with an instantaneous means for communicating with the outside world.

They're inexpensive to produce and publish, and they provide you with a systematic means for staying in front of your customers and prospects.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple:

Every day, more and more E-Newsletters are launched. There's a lot of competition for the attention of your readers. To stand out, yours needs to be among the best in whatever business you're in.

There are many tradeoffs to be made and pieces to pull together in doing it professionally and efficiently.

Your customers and clients will be watching, and you need to make as strong an impression as possible, particularly during those first few months of publication.

My new e-book, "E-Newsletters That Work," is focused on helping you solve these problems, and much, much more.

I just finished reading your E-Newsletters That Work e-Book and loved it.

Your book not only made me happy to know that I'm doing a lot right already, but gave me some really valuable insights that I can't wait to implement.

The appendix in the back is especially helpful - it matched my "to do" notes and even provided a place to write.

Keep up the great work.

Belinda Wasser
Blueberry Babies (www.blueberrybabies.com)

Anybody can send an E-Newsletter. The challenge is in creating something that people anticipate, open, read, and pass along enthusiastically, and that at the end of the day, makes a measurable difference for your business:

An E-Newsletter filled with useful, relevant information.

An E-Newsletter that's written in a clear, genuine voice; that reflects what it's like to do business with your company.

An E-Newsletter that grows your business by focusing on solidifying relationships with your clients and prospects over the long term, not on hard sales and quick promotions.

That's what this 80 page e-book will show you how to do. In one place - in an easy, compelling, fresh and practical way - I'll show you how to create an effective E-Newsletter for your business.

Full of practical information, this is the how-to guide for Independents or small business owners who have thought about doing a newsletter - or who want to take theirs to the next level.

Dianna Huff
Editor, Yankee IABC Newsletter

I'll explain what you need to know and how the pieces fit together, and I'll give you techniques that you can use immediately to start or improve your E-Newsletter.

Dear Michael:

I have just finished your e-book. It's direct, clear, helpful and funny, all the things I aspire to in my newsletter. It gave me a new sense of how to position my business to take advantage of "my voice."

You have provided me with a pathway to improve my performance.

I am sure I represent a good portion of the small business world out there when I say I hate the technical details. You have made them both palatable and interesting. Amazing.

Rick Hendrie
President, LINKInc Method Marketing (www.linkincmethodmarketing.com)

"E-Newsletters That Work" is based on our 6 years of experience developing, managing, writing and fixing electronic newsletters. All of the concepts and techniques that we use in our workshops and teach to our clients are contained in one place, in this book.

"E-Newsletters That Work" is written in a clear, "question and answer" format, making it easy to get through, and easy to use as a reference again and again, as you develop and refine your E-Newsletter over time.

Here's Just A Sample Of The Questions Answered In
"E-Newsletters That Work"

How do I decide what to write about? (Page 18)

How often should the newsletter be published? (Page 57)

How important is it to send an HTML newsletter? (Page 38)

How much subscriber information should I require at sign-up? (Page 56)

Where do I get the email addresses from, and how do I make sure I'm not "spamming" people? (Page 54)

What's the best editorial format? (Page 41)

How long should the newsletter be? (Page 42)

What do I do if I can't write? (Page 27)

Should I "force" a visit to my web site? (Page 45)

Should I sell ads in my newsletter? (Page 46)

What goes in the "From" field when I send the newsletter? (Page 61)

What's likely to go wrong? (Page 15)

What's the correct mix of "promotional content" Vs. "real content?" (Page 28)

How do I manage email bouncebacks? (Page 60)

How do I define a target audience? (Page 21)

Can I send the newsletter as an email attachment? (Page 40)

How much hyperlinking is appropriate? (Page 33)

What's the best day of week / time of day to publish? (Page 58)

What goes in the "Subject" line when I send the newsletter? (Page 62)

How do I use my newsletter and web site together? (Page 49)

Why is reader feedback important and how do I get it? (Page 36)

How do I get readers to forward my newsletter to colleagues? (Page 48)

Is it OK to rent my list of names to noncompeting companies? (Page 65)

How do I measure the return on my investment? (Page 13)

Hi Michael -

I recently learned about your e-newsletter book from a colleague and purchased it today. I read the entire thing this afternoon... I couldn't put it down.

Your writing style was so easy to read and your words of wisdom are priceless.

I am an independent consultant, and have been contemplating an e-newsletter for a few months. You have convinced me that I should take the plunge! Thank you!

Susanna Zysk
Z. Ink
Communication Consulting for Financial Services

Order Today, And Here's What Else You'll Receive:

A Special Bonus Section on Email Vendor Outsourcing!

"E-Newsletters That Work" contains a special appendix section devoted to the topic of E-Newsletter vendor outsourcing, including. . .

Understanding what an email outsourcer does.

Deciding which aspects of your E-Newsletter to outsource and which aspects not to.

Understanding the risks involved in outsourcing

Understanding the costs involved in outsourcing

Deciding how to choose an E-Newsletter outsourcer

I wish every business book I purchased made as much sense, solved as many of my business problems as quickly, and made me WANT to write a review that glows in the dark!

BUY THIS BOOK! It's worth your money.

Miles Sonkin
Japan Representative, High Probability, Inc.
(www.highprobsell.com)

About Michael J. Katz

"E-Newsletters That Work" author Michael J. Katz is Founder of Boston based, Blue Penguin Development, Inc. (www.BluePenguinDevelopment.com), and is a recognized expert in the creation and management of effective electronic newsletters.

He is the publisher of "Michael Katz's E-Newsletter On E-Newsletters," a free biweekly now in its 8th year, and has developed dozens of E-Newsletters, which today boast a combined monthly circulation of over 850,000 readers.

His consulting practice has been profiled in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Bloomberg TV, Business Week Online and in a special report by Peppers and Rogers on the subject of effective email marketing.

Michael,

Hands down, of all the information I have researched in these last five weeks, you are the only person who has given me a place to start.

Well organized, informative, straight-forward and personal.

Paula Morgan
Computer Resources and Information Management

Bonus #2
E-Newsletter Launch Template and Checklist!!

"E-Newsletters That Work" includes a 5 page launch template and checklist, to systematically guide you through the thought process of developing your E-Newsletter.

The template pulls the concepts and guidelines detailed in the book into a straightforward, simple tool that you can use as you prepare to launch.

"E-Newsletters That Work"