Re: Can you get free content?

From: Brandi Jasmine <brandi_at_brandijasmine.com>
Date: Wed 21 Feb 2001 11:18:50 -0600

CHRIS YOUNG <Chris.Young_at_Securicor-eSolutions.com> WROTE:

>if there is such a thing as a list of companies
>that will offer content for such a newsletter in
>return for placing their ads in too? I do not want
>to pass the list on to other companies however as
>I have promised my subscribers that this will not happen.

I may be biased as a writer who makes her bread and
butter creating content - but yeah, sure, there is content
like this available, and it's usually worth what you
pay for it. iSyndicate has a selection of "free content"
 - I don't know if it is also available for email lists,
but there is a lot of "hot link" stuff they offer to
web sites. I was on one list that actually sent out
free content - but it was so full of factual errors,
spelling and grammatical mistakes, that I threw out
just about everything they sent my way. You might be
better off to connect directly with PR people in your
area and see if they can't throw together some
advertorial pieces for you.

>Also what is the best way to send the newsletter
>out? Do I just create a large BCC list and use Outlook?
>I'm worried that my ISP will think I am spamming!

I have managed a number of small lists manually. You
can buy services from companies like flonetworks or
Tone Interactive - but with what you have already said,
you can't afford them. There are sites that offer free
list management services, but you have to let them put
your ad into them - and privacy policy or no, you are
putting your subscribers names into the hands of a third
party. There are shareware and freeware list management
tools available. I used to use one called "Arrow" but
stopped using it when they stopped answering tech
support questions. My list is too valuable to put on
the line for wonky software.

Some tips:

If you go "manual", use Eudora Lite, not Outlook or
Eudora Pro. Your ISP's mailserver may "hang" on a
bogus address, then re-send the file, ending up with
half your subscribers getting TWO messages, and the
other half getting none. Eudora Lite scans through
the addresses and will show you any faulty addresses
that come up so you can remove them.

Talk to your ISP. Let them know what you're doing.
They can put your domain or email addresses on a "pass
through"/"ok" list so you won't get nailed as a spammer.

And ... when you are ready to pay for awesome custom
content ... contact me. ;)

Kind regards,

Brandi Jasmine
Writer, Digital Photographer, Illustrator
http://www.brandijasmine.com/writer/
www.astrology.ca - www.twostar.com
      brandi_at_brandijasmine.com



Received on Wed Feb 21 2001 - 11:18:50 CST