One of the best places to advertise online is in ezines and e-mail newsletters. Why? Ezine ads are very affordable compared with many other types of advertising. That also makes it an inexpensive way to test headlines and offers. But most important, it's a great way to reach the exact target market you want.

For example, my own ezine, "Straight Shooter Marketing", is read by over 20,000 small business owners and solo-preneurs. So if that's a market you're trying to reach, that could be a great match. If your target market is stay-at-home moms, you should search for ezines with that type of readership.

To find ezines that fit your particular needs, I recommend searching the Directory of Ezines Once you find where you'd like to advertise, it's time to write a kick-butt ad!

Remember that a successful ezine ad needs to do THREE things:

1) Get people's attention. can do this with an exciting headline. All caps is OK for this.

2) Promise something people will WANT and can GET right now. Instead of advertising your service or business, advertise a lead-generator like a free report, how-to articles, or of course your own ezine!

3) Tell them what to do next. This is the "call to action". Direct them to a web page for more information. Even better if you give a sense of urgency -- a reason to act now.

Most ezine ads vary between 25 and 50 words, so write one of this length, including your URL, and keep working it until it's GREAT!

Here Are Some Examples of Ads I've Used Myself:

Sample Ad 1:
HERE'S HOW TO BLAST OFF YOUR SALES, FAST!
Learn how to publish a simple ezine that will boost your business, make you famous, and grow a massive mailing list you can market to over and over. FREE report tells you how at http://www.ezinequeen.com/tutorial/index.htm.

Sample Ad 2:
HOW TO PUBLISH AN EZINE THAT MAKES YOU MONEY
My FREE Special Report will tell you how! Learn how to publish a simple ezine that will boost your business, make you famous, and grow a massive mailing list you can market to over and over. Go to http://www.ezinequeen.com/tutorial/index.htm.

Sample Ad 3:
THE MARKETING SECRET NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT
It will boost your business, make you famous, grow a massive mailing list you can market to over and over, and it's easy and free! What is it? See http://www.ezinequeen.com/tutorial/index.htm.

Run Your Ad in MULTIPLE Subsequent Issues of One Ezine

Running your ad just once will NOT give you a good sense of whether it's working. Place ads in at least 3 subsequent issues of one ezine to see how you do. Repeated placement has been proven to increase response rates. The Direct Marketing Association says that most people won't even respond to an ad until it's been seen 9 times!

A smart publisher will offer discounts for multiple ads. We do this especially to encourage beginner advertisers to run more than one ad, because they won't be able to gauge response if they just run one.

Use a Tracking Link in Your Ad

You will be WASTING YOUR MONEY unless you track your ad results using a link tracker. You cannot just keep an eye on your sales the day your ad runs and determine how that ad performed.

You need to use a tracking link in your ad, which will simply tell you how many people clicked on it. A good tracking system that's integrated with your shopping cart will also tell you which sales you had came from that certain ad, and it's really easy. (I recommend QueenCart.com)

For example, say you run an ad but you get no sales from it. Unless you use a tracking link, you won't know if your ad stinks, or your website stinks!

If you use a tracking link, you'll know where the problem is. If you got hundreds of clicks on your ad, but only a few sales at your site, then you know the problem is your website. If you got very few clicks on the ad, then you know you need to write a better ad.

See how valuable that is?

Tracking links can be long and ugly, but people don't have to see them if you advertise in ezines like this one that are published in HTML.

Test, Test, Test!

"You'll never learn what works best, unless you TEST!" Make changes in your ad copy from time to time and see how things go. See which ads pull the best responses and which ezines get you more subscribers.

Don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I can't emphasize enough how important a good, simple tracking system is for doing this!

Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions

If you have any questions about running your ad, the publisher should be there for you. We ourselves work with a lot of beginners, so we even offer a Free "Tip Sheet" to help new advertisers get started. Why? A good publisher knows that if they can help you get good results, you'll advertise again!