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guitar2tr
Joined:
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29
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:00 pm
Post subject: Re: ad rates for ezine
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Hi,
Just wondering how to establish a fair rate for people who inquire about advertising in my ezine. Any suggestions or ideas from the pro's out there? 
guitar2tr |
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AllanGardyne
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:22 pm
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Ask yourself how much money you could make if you used the space yourself to promote something using an affiliate link.
Charge more than that amount for the ad.
If you're good at writing your own stuff and promoting things, you may not want to have any paid ads.
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Allan Gardyne
AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it! |
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Charlie
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UK
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:11 am
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| AllanGardyne wrote: | | If you're good at writing your own stuff and promoting things, you may not want to have any paid ads. |
Quite a few list owners craft what look like ads for their own publications, but actually use their own affiliate links. I'm guessing this is for the reason Allan cites, as much as for the effectiveness of the format. Either that or they are trying to encourage other high-paying advertisers.
Cheers,
Charlie.
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"Before I speak, I have something important to say."
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guitar2tr
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:09 pm
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Thanks for the tips. I was away from my computer all day yesterday, so this is the first chance I've gotten to reply.
It seems to be a 50/50 deal as far as I can see. If I allow a competitor in my field to advertise in my newsletter, I will get a steady monthly income from them. However, as Allan said, they will have the potential to draw subscribers away from my affiliate products which could prevent a sale.
I've noticed some ezine publishers who have a large subscriber base can charge anywhere from $200-$300 a month or higher. Since my ezine is new and the subscriber base is small (but it's building steadily) I'm thinking of providing classified ad space for $25 a month to generate a little income.
Does that seem like a fair price?
Would it be ethical to raise the price, or discontinue the service later if it's not working out as expected?
I want to develop good business relationships with people as I'm learning the ropes. So, this is one of my main concerns right now.
Thanks so much for your insights-
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AllanGardyne
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:35 pm
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| guitar2tr wrote: | | However, as Allan said, they will have the potential to draw subscribers away from my affiliate products which could prevent a sale. |
Partly for this reason, I usually have ads in only the first edition each month. Generally, I achieve my best results when I promote something in an edition which has NO ads, and which sticks to just one topic.
It's the old rule - if you give people too many choices they're likely to end up taking none.
So this is a very important consideration. You could go to a lot of trouble mucking around selling ads and you could actually be harming your profits.
Another disadvantage to consider is that you may attract businesses you don't want to be associated with. For example, will you publish ads for casinos, viagra, "adult" stuff or predatory advertising? Over the years, I've gradually built up a list of things which I don't advertise either because I don't like them or I think they'll harm my image.
And what about the pushy, borderline stuff? You know, the sort of business which has an ad that isn't quite believable or that promises too much? The sort of thing you wouldn't normally choose to promote yourself because you choose only excellent products? What if you take the booking and the ad arrives late, just before publication, and you don't like that ad? Do you refund the money or go ahead and publish a questionable ad? Where exactly do you draw the line? Being hungry for money now could damage your reputation and earnings in the long run.
Believe me, none of this is simple.
You'll have advertisers who make a booking but don't pay, or make you chase them for months until they pay. Often the bigger the company the worse they are at paying. Will you demand money up front? What if they say the check's in the mail? Will you publish the ad and hope the check arrives?
These are all decisions you'll have to make. Believe me, it's often simpler and easier to presell an affiliate product of your choice.
If you DO decide to go ahead and sell ads in your newsletter, will you label them as ads, or "sponsors"? Whatever you label them, be prepared to have at least some of your readers believe that you endorse these products, that you're promoting them, and complain to you if the advertiser sells them a crappy product. Your reputation is on the line here.
A month or two down the line, they won't remember that they bought the product from an ad - just that they read about it in your newsletter.
What I recommend is that you give discounts to people who are prepared to book a year's worth of ads. That way, you have much less "bookwork" to bother with.
If you sell ads but insert some fake ads of your own, will you label them differently so that your readers know the difference?
The challenges are similar whether you're talking about ads in a newsletter or on a website. For several years I refused all offers from people who wanted to advertise on this website. As a small experiment, we've just started selling a few ad spots again. There's a paid ad on this page. We've put a small "Advertise here" link under it, but I suspect most website visitors won't realise it's a paid ad.
| Quote: | | I've noticed some ezine publishers who have a large subscriber base can charge anywhere from $200-$300 a month or higher. |
I charge $320 for a top spot. At that price, we're booked months ahead. I have more than 28,000 subscribers.
| Quote: | | Does that seem like a fair price? |
Don't know. Insufficient information. Most advertisers are going to want to know how many subscribers you have. Prices vary enormously, depending on the quality of the newsletter and the topic. A rough rule might be $10 per $1,000 subscribers for a top spot ad.
That reminds me, advertisers will also ask you do a "solo broadcast", in which you send just their ad to your subscribers. They will be willing to pay more for this. Will you say yes or no? I say no.
| Quote: | | Would it be ethical to raise the price... |
Absolutely! I think I started at about $20 or so in 1998.
| Quote: | | ...or discontinue the service later if it's not working out as expected? |
Yep. Definitely. You may decide it's not worth the hassle. I think there are very good reason why many newsletter publishers don't sell ads in their newsletters.
| Quote: | | I want to develop good business relationships with people as I'm learning the ropes. So, this is one of my main concerns right now. |
The main thing your advertisers will be interested in is their return on investment. They want people to click on their ads and buy their products. Anything you do to encourage this will help your advertisers.
Having a newsletter which people actually read is a good start. 
Hope this helps more than it confuses.
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Allan Gardyne
AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it! |
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guitar2tr
Joined:
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Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:17 am
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Thanks a BUNCH Allan. You definitely gave me a LOT to think about and confirmed that my decision to join this forum was a good one 
I'm not going to rush into to anything, that's for sure! Instead, I'll take some time to reflect on what you said and see what else I can learn from the info you've provided on this site.
Thanks again,
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InternetMarketing_IQ
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Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:27 am
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Pick a price and test it. Offer a short term deal and see how it goes. If you charge too much you'll have no takers, if you charge too little you'll find out as well. Then the next round you can raise your price.
There is a cliche' in business not often heard, and it goes something like this "It's worth what the buyer will pay".
A short term test allows you to get a feel for what your buyers will pay.
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Dennis Edell
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:14 pm
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I'm so excited now. I'm brand spankin' new to this world and I found a thread I may be able to contribute too! 
This I think is very important...if/when you ever do bump up the rates, make sure to "grandfather" your existing advertisers, at least for a certain time frame (3-6 months?) to give them a chance to decide if they wish to continue their ads. If you just bump with no notice, they may leave automatically and bad mouthing could occur.
I do not have an ezine/newsletter of my own (yet!) but I do know people who have been burned in the past by this.
Of course, anyone's free to correct me if I'm wrong  .
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Headquarters of a network of Sites/Blogs, dedicated to helping all serious Direct Sellers, with their Online Marketing. Taking it to the next level. |
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