If you don’t already have an email service provider, I recommend:
- AWeber
- MailChimp
- GetResponse
I currently use AWeber and MailChimp. Both are about equivalent and have different strengths. Both are very good.
I’ve never used GetResponse, but I like their features and would recommend giving it a try.
Currently I use InfusionSoft. If you can afford it, by all means, use it. It’s a comprehensive solution for your emails, content management and ecommerce, and it lets you to give your followers a better user experience.
Here, we’ll focus on AWeber and MailChimp, since they’re the most affordable options and easiest to use. Following are some videos that should guide you through the process of setting up your newsletter.
Setting up a Blog Broadcast – Aweber
Setting up a Blog Broadcast – MailChimp
Embed the form on your website 1 (MailChimp)
Embed the form on your website 2 (AWeber)
The link above gives you a notepad document with code for adding your newsletter sign-up image to the sidebar. Be sure to add your URLs and change the Alt Tag and Title to fit your newsletter.
One more tip: Write a landing page that you can link to when promoting your newsletter. Use the Crazy Egg Subscribe page as a sample, if you like. You can find that here: http://blog.crazyegg.com/subscribe/
Now Start Producing!
You can write blog posts, produce videos or podcasts, or use any other format you like. The secret to success is to just do it.
So start publishing to your blog. You can publish once or twice a week, specific times in the month, or irregularly. The key is to get started. Refine your editorial schedule over time, if you like, but don’t let these details keep you from getting started on your newsletter today!
