A Free Way to Build Your E-Mail List

As an Internet marketer, your most important possession is your e-mail list – people who have given you permission to contact them.

Growing that list should be one of your primary business goals. And there are tons of free strategies you can use to do it.

One of the best is to write articles for other people’s online publications.

Julie Broad started writing articles for ETR in 2008. In August, after we published the first one, she got about 240 new visitors to her website. Of those people, 97 signed up for her free newsletter. That’s 97 new potential customers she was able to market to – all from writing an article that was just a few hundred words long.

Let’s say you run a company that sells pet supplies. You simply search Google for related companies, ask them if they accept submissions to their e-newsletter, and send them an article that will be useful for their readers. Include a link to your website (which should prominently feature a box where visitors can submit their names and e-mail addresses), and you can get free traffic and free names for your list.

Most e-newsletters are happy to accept submissions from qualified experts. Search the company’s site for submission guidelines or send an e-mail to the newsletter’s editor.

Note: Be sure that your articles adhere strictly to the guidelines they give you! A good rule of thumb is to model them after the newsletter’s regular content. And always be sure that they are well-written, offer useful advice, and fit in with the company’s philosophy.

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