11 Quick (and Good) E-zine Content Ideas


Publishing an e-zine is the ideal opportunity to showcase your business. By sharing your knowledge and expertise, you build credibility as an expert, while spreading the word about your services and products.

While sometimes you'll have dozens of content ideas, other times you'll find yourself staring at a blank computer screen, grumbling that it's publishing time again. Well, have no fear! Here are 11 quick (and good) content ideas for when you're in a pinch.

1. Give real-life examples. Describe a problem you've solved for a client/customer, and use that as a springboard to offer more general advice. Show your readers how you've helped customers address challenges - "case studies" if you will. This positions you as the expert in your readers" minds more than your coming out and saying so.

2. Think of three areas in which you'd like your clients to think of you as a resource. Now develop content in those areas. For example, as a professional copywriter, I really enjoy working on Web sites. To help encourage my clients and prospects to hire me for these projects, I published several articles on how to write Web copy that sells.

3. Read industry publications for ideas. Are there any hot issues in your field right now? The more controversial, the better. Don't be afraid to offer your own opinion - your readers want to know it. After all, YOU are the expert! ; )

4. Jot down 8 questions your clients have asked you in the past. You know, the ones they ask you over and over. Answer each in a short article. If you publish weekly, that's two months' worth of content, right off the bat! And if you can't think of any questions, send all your current clients/customers a quick e-mail, asking them what topics they're most interested in learning more about.

5. Learn anything neat lately from an industry conference, workshop, seminar, or insightful article? No one says you have to reinvent the wheel of information! Pass on any gems of advice you've learned elsewhere - just give them full attribution. Or give your opinion of the event or article itself - your readers will appreciate your frankness.

6. Offer a list of your top 5 or 10 tips on a certain subject. It's much easier to bang out a list of tips than to put together a real article. Of course, the tips can evolve into an article if you wish! Be sure to list your best tip first, or at least close to the top. (If you "fire your biggest gun" last, you risk losing your audience before they get to the good stuff.)

7. Interview associates whose expertise would interest your readers (while not competing with yours). E-mail interviews are incredibly easy to do. Just send your interviewee 3 to 5 questions via e-mail, edit their answers, and have them approve the final version. Be sure to give them a short plug in your e-zine as a thank you. (A one-sentence description of their business, phone number, their Web site URL, and e-mail address should be fine.)

8. Recommend books and resources that you use, and offer full reviews on them. In one issue of my first e-zine, "AKB MarCom Tips," I featured reviews of my favorite four copywriting resource books. I then later posted them at my Web site.

9. Invite readers to write you with their own questions, and answer one in each issue. Right after their question, publish the person's name, business, e-mail, and Web site address. They'll enjoy the attention/publicity!

10. Invite readers to send in profiles. Ask them to tell you about themselves - their names, businesses, locations, and how they use the information gained in your e-zine. Feature one profile in each issue or one every few issues.

11. When all else fails, borrow an article! There are dozens of Web sites offering hundreds of articles that you can use in your e-zine. The articles are free and available for you to use immediately. The only catch is you're required to leave the entire article intact, including the author's promotional information.

Here are three places to check out for free content: Business Article Announce List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aabusiness Marketing Seek - http://www.marketing-seek.comWorld Wide Information Outlet - http://www.certificate.net/wwio/index.shtml

One last note: Keep in mind that if your e-zine's main objective is to get you more clients and customers, you should not feature other writers' articles more than once in a blue moon. Showcasing other professionals on a regular basis undermines the idea of establishing YOU as the expert in your readers' minds.

(c) 2002 Alexandria K. Brown

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/





Latest News:



Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news
JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News)
French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune)
The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Weekly world news quiz (BBC News)
At the end of another week, test your knowledge with our world news quiz. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI)
Kanye arrested in paparazzi scuffle ... Report: Critic smacked Ebert with binder ... Cafe Tacvba nominated for 6 Latin Grammys ... Groban to perform TV songs at Emmys ... News from United Press International. United shares climb after news debacle (UPI)
CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A computer program assigning dates to news stories was partly to blame for a sell-off of United Airlines stock Monday, a Google spokesman said. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (San Francisco Chronicle)
French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. In a statement, the global seller of outdoor advertising said it was in exclusive talks with Rupert...

Site: news - Google News
New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority - New York Times

WELT ONLINE

New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority
New York Times, United States - 14 hours ago
The latest on the presidential transition and other political news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. ...
Video: Burris Reflects on His Trip to Washington AssociatedPress
AP Top News at 11:24 am EST The Associated Press
New Congress hears call to 'get something done' USA Today
Los Angeles Times - Kansas City Star
all 10,109 news articles
Ballmer touts Windows 7 beta, new deals - CNET News

Sydney Morning Herald

Ballmer touts Windows 7 beta, new deals
CNET News, CA - 3 hours ago
Microsoft will also announce new deals for Windows Live that will see Microsoft's search engine become the default on PCs from Dell as well as touting a ...
CES: Microsoft announces new search deals with Dell, Verizon Seattle Post Intelligencer
Microsoft's Ballmer touts new Windows, search deal MarketWatch
BARRON'S BLOG: A Running Blog Of Microsoft CEO's CES Speech CNNMoney.com
CNBC - CRN
all 563 news articles
Amid Gaza violence, a new task for Obama - USA Today

WELT ONLINE

Amid Gaza violence, a new task for Obama
USA Today - 53 minutes ago
Instead, the new spate of violence "will empower every anti-Israel, anti-US and extremist movement in the Middle East and the Islamic world," says Anthony ...
Video: A Chance For Peace In Gaza CBS
Israel Mulls New Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal CBS News
News Analysis: How far to Gaza ceasefire? Xinhua
KXMC - The Associated Press
all 28,785 news articles
AMD introduces Dragon PC gaming platform and new Phenom II CPUs - CNET News

CNET News

AMD introduces Dragon PC gaming platform and new Phenom II CPUs
CNET News, CA - 1 hour ago
The big news with Dragon is really the Phenom II chips. Available as the 3.0GHz Phenom II X4 940 and the 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 920, these new quad-core CPUs ...
Phil Schiller bringing the news at Macworld - San Francisco Chronicle

ABC News

Phil Schiller bringing the news at Macworld
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 6 hours ago
We get going at 9 am and we'll be delivering the news as it happens. 8:53 am Just a few minutes away. Listened to some Killers music on the way in. ...
O'Brien: Apple's final appearance at Macworld signals new era San Jose Mercury News
Apple disappoints: No Jobs or big news at Macworld Reuters
iTunes Music Store Finally Drops DRM, Adds New Prices Wired News
New Zealand Herald - Contra Costa Times
all 1,344 news articles
Samberg?s Pequot Said to Face New SEC Insider-Trading Inquiry - Bloomberg

Samberg?s Pequot Said to Face New SEC Insider-Trading Inquiry
Bloomberg - 52 minutes ago
8 (Bloomberg) -- The US Securities and Exchange Commission opened a new investigation into whether Pequot Capital Management Inc., the hedge fund run by ...
Hedge fund Pequot faces new SEC probe - Bloomberg Reuters
all 10 news articles
Challenges for the New Chief Performance Officer - Washington Post

National Post

Challenges for the New Chief Performance Officer
Washington Post, United States - 11 hours ago
When Bernie Madoff's $50 billion Ponzi scheme hits the news, we realize the Securities and Exchange Commisssion needs to step up its enforcement. ...
Video: Obama Names Chief Performance Officer AssociatedPress
Projected deficits put Obama stimulus in new light The Associated Press
Obama Appoints New Officer to Get Rid of Government Waste Voice of America
FCW.com - New York Times
all 881 news articles
Sony Ericsson's new W508 Walkman phone - CNET News

CNET News

Sony Ericsson's new W508 Walkman phone
CNET News, CA - 5 hours ago
Sony Ericsson expanded its Walkman phone line at CES with the announcement of its new W508 music phone. Sporting a flip phone design that reminds us of the ...
Reopened theater stages comeback for New Orleans arts - USA Today

Reopened theater stages comeback for New Orleans arts
USA Today - 2 hours ago
By Rick Jervis, USA TODAY NEW ORLEANS ? Closed for more than three years, a prominent performing arts center is scheduled to reopen Thursday in what city ...
New Sony Hard-Drive HD Camcorders - PC World

PC World

New Sony Hard-Drive HD Camcorders
PC World - 6 hours ago
The SR line will live on, however, with three new standard-definition units. Pictured above is the Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V ($1500, available in March). ...
Sony Announces Two New DVD Camcorders: DCR-DV850 and DCR-DVD650 CameraTown.Com (press release)
New Sony Camcorders Do GPS, Too PC World
Sony Unleashes 60X-Optical-Zoom Camcorders PC World
PC World
all 41 news articles

MORE RESOURCES:
Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for ezine publishing
Site: ezine publishing - Google News
The Ezine Queen's 7 Reasons to Grow Your Business with Ezines ... - Gather.com

The Ezine Queen's 7 Reasons to Grow Your Business with Ezines ...
Gather.com, MA - Dec 27, 2008
As one of the leading authorities on email publishing, she is a proud advocate of using the ezine to drive sales. According to Alexandria, offering a free ...
ATTENTION TO THOSE CLAIMING SPAM!!!!!!!! - CrunchGear

ATTENTION TO THOSE CLAIMING SPAM!!!!!!!!
CrunchGear, NY - Jan 6, 2009
If I can post to a site like Ezine Articles and gain and expert status with them, and they generally don?t have a problem with my short articles, ...
Top 3 Ways To Boost Your Affiliate Commissions Overnight - Gather.com

Top 3 Ways To Boost Your Affiliate Commissions Overnight
Gather.com, MA - Jan 3, 2009
Publish an online newsletter or Ezine. It is always best to recommend a product to someone you know than to sell to a stranger. This is the purpose behind ...
New Book Features Emerging Trends for Online Businesses ... - PR Web (press release)

PR Web (press release)

New Book Features Emerging Trends for Online Businesses ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Dec 30, 2008
She publishes a monthly ezine & offers a free Copywriting Action Plan. Visit http://www.LisaManyon.com for more information.
Tracking Your Article Submissions a Way to Maximize Your Traffic ... - PWO

Tracking Your Article Submissions a Way to Maximize Your Traffic ...
PWO, France - Dec 12, 2008
... all the republishing and traffic you will get from article publishing. Among a couple of the top directories watercolor is eZine Articles, Article City, ...
Article Marketing Tips ? How to Outsource for the Big Bucks PWO
all 2 news articles
Home | Site Map | Resource Links