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11 Quick (and Good) E-zine Content
Ideas
by Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen”
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.com
World 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://www.ezinequeen.com.
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