Submitting Your Articles to E-Zine Directories

By: Lisa Rodriguez

An ezine is basically an online magazine which is delivered straight to your computer’s inbox. Much like a printed magazine that is sent through snail mail, an ezine is published on a regular basis and provides multiple articles in each edition along with an ad or two for products and the writer’s speaking or teaching schedule.

An ezine directory is a website which organizes ezine titles into an easy-to-search format for those who are browsing for something new to read or for those who want to find a new way to advertise their own list. Generally the directory will include the name of the ezine and what topic the ezine covers. An added bonus is if they also include how many subscribers receive the ezine.

If you’re someone who is just looking for something new to read, the number of subscribers is a form of “social proof” showing that the information the ezine owner is writing is well-received by his or her audience. If you are looking for a way to promote your own list, then the number of subscribers is VERY important because it obviously shows how many people receive that ezine each month.

The beauty of ezine directories is they are available 24/7/365 so you can browse or submit your own listing at any time.

As a list owner, there are two ways to effectively use ezine directories to increase your mailing list. First, you can use these directories to find other ezines that might offer ad swaps or solo mailings. A large amount of research is done for you because the ezines are already organized and categorized into lists.

Second, you can add your own ezine newsletter to these directories to increase your subscriber base. Not only would you increase your numbers with people who are looking for the information you provide but you will get a nice back link to your website.

As with any website, each ezine directory site will have their own rules and Terms of Service so do read those carefully. In general, however, it’s free to search the directory and to add your ezine. Some ezine directories might offer different “premium membership” benefits but you will have to evaluate those terms and decide for yourself if it is worth paying.

Searching the directories is extremely simple. You will normally see a search box near the top of the page where you can enter your keywords or search terms. This will bring up a list of ezines that meet your criteria.

Remember, these search results are based on the number of ezines added only to this particular directory. You will, of course, get a much larger number of search results if you type the same keywords into Google but you will then have to visit each and every page to find a description of the ezine.

Ezine directories also have their ezine listings sorted into categories, which should be on the first page of their site. If you know you want a list of parenting ezines, for example, simply browse for the parenting category and click. The results of your search will appear on a new page with the name and description of each ezine for easy browsing. Each ezine title should be linked back to their opt-in page, which very often is the home page of their website.

Keep in mind that your main purpose in placing your ezine in a directory listing is to increase your subscriber base. So, make sure that when people click your title link to subscribe that the opt-in box is very easy to find! In doing research for this report I clicked some titles in the directory and then got completely distracted once I got to the site because there was so much information to absorb. A couple of times I actually forgot why I was on this site in the first place.

Either place your opt-in box very close to the top of the web page or create a specific squeeze page that you submit to each ezine directory that only has the opt-in box and your free offer. Near the bottom of the squeeze page you should certainly have a link to your main site but you don’t want to lose a potential subscriber because they couldn’t find a way to subscribe to your ezine.

Here are some ezine directories for you to start your own research. As with anything on the internet, not all ezine directories are created equally. These three listed below appeared to live up to their names, providing extensive lists of ezines and having easy search features.

The page rank is also a good indicator of how important Google sees each directory. Also, if you add your own link to these directories, you’ll get back links from high ranking pages, which can help your own website in the search rankings. I like to use the free PR Checker to get this information.

1. The Ezine Directory – lists 1,431 ezines; paid version offers access to advertising rates, subscriber numbers and ability to contact publishers by email; page rank 6.

2. Go-Ezines – lists 2,073 ezines; no paid version but they do ask for a reciprocal link on your site before allowing your ezine submission; page rank 5.

3. Best Ezines – lists 3,736 ezines; no paid version; page rank 5.

Article directories go hand-in-hand with the ezine directories and are a great way to get more subscribers.

On these article sites, writers submit articles, complete with author byline and a link leading back to your opt-in squeeze page, which can be used by other ezine writers in their newsletters. The rule is that if you are using an article from one of these article sites, you must copy and paste everything and make no edits, including to the author byline.

There are three benefits to submitting to article sites:

1. Your articles will show up in search results and also on the front page of the article directory.

2. If a publisher uses your article, your opt-in link will be seen by many more readers who could all be potential subscribers.

3. The more articles you write, the more of an expert you become and your name becomes more well-known.

If you write interesting articles that provide valuable information, ezine publishers will use your article in their newsletters. If you write a compelling byline that links to your email list, people will click your link and your list will grow.

When submitting your articles, it’s more important to go for quality over quantity. Submitting to the most popular article directories gives you a better chance of having your article published in someone’s ezine.

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Much success to you, Lisa Rodriguez, CEO, Next Level Consulting & Virtual Assistant Services “Delegate More, Free Your Time, Grow Your Business” Take a moment to CONNECT with US today!