I can certainly attest to the power of e-zines. Every month I submit an article or two to e-zines that reach my niche market. This single strategy generates thousands of web site visitors and thousands of dollars in sales, month after month.

Any time I need a boost in sales, I simply crank this engine up a notch and bingo -- it works every time. This strategy can work for just about any product or service. To illustrate this point, I'll stray from my usual topic of Internet marketing.

Let's say for a moment I'm a health guru. My site focuses on fitness and I sell fitness related products. Here are the step-by-step details on how I would put this same strategy into effect and sell thousands of bucks worth of my fitness products.

First I need to compile a list of e-zine editors and get to know them a little -- not just any e-zine publisher, since I'm only interested in those who reach the audience I'm looking for. My IMC membership makes this very simple to do. Here's how...

First I spend some time at the E-Zine Database. When I get there, I click "manage account," then enter my username and password. Next I click "view." From the search form I then select the category "Health/Fitness" and click "view listings."

Okay, I now have 20 e-zines in front of me. A quick review shows that of the 20, over half accept article submissions. A quick tally of the circulation sizes show that I can now reach a total of over 125,000 targeted prospects. I'm excited already!

Next, I want to contact the editors of these e-zines with a fresh article every month. To do this properly, I will send ONLY personal messages to them -- no "dear editor" messages -- using one of the software programs discussed in the private site.

I simply enter the e-mail address, publication name, and first name of each editor into the software, and the program will do the rest for me each time I submit a new article.

That's it. I'm ready to submit my work! Now that I have my database of targeted e-zine editors, I write for them. Let me say that once more: I write FOR THEM. Every article I submit to these editors will be written with them in mind. I may use these articles in my own e-zine, but if I write with them in mind I'll stand a better chance of having my articles published in other e-zines -- which is the primary reason I'm writing them.

As an e-zine editor myself, I receive lots of articles every day. If they are personalized to me I always give them a quick read. And I can usually tell right away if they're something that I might use in my publication. Nevertheless, based on my own review criteria I write my first fitness article as follows:

I make sure the article contains useful information for the reader. If I can't teach their subscribers something, why would any editor use my article? After all, e-zines are published to inform and educate. This will be the goal of every article.

The next criteria for my article will be a total lack of self-promotion. That's right, I will NOT write about myself or my web site. My byline (the "footer" or "signature" box at the end of the article) will take care of generating traffic.

The article will be strictly to educate. This is how I will show off my fitness expertise. Once the reader is completely satisfied and impressed with my knowledge, and especially if they want more, they will WANT to click to the site listed at the end.

Once I'm done, I spellcheck my article and re-read it 3 times. If I have a proof-reader available I'll have them read it as well. If I can't impress someone I know, how will I impress these e-zine editors or 125,000 readers for that matter? Once I'm completely satisfied that I have written an educational, informative masterpiece, I initiate my first contact using my database of editors. The following message will do the job:

Dear <First Name>,

I noticed that you accept article submissions. I have just finished the article below and would be very pleased if you would consider using it in your <Publication Name>. Your readers should benefit from the information it contains. Thanks for your consideration. If you have any questions or feedback, please e-mail me anytime.

Best regards,

Jim the Fitness Guru

P.S. I'd like to send a fresh article your way from time to time. Any consideration you can give is appreciated... Would you let me know if that's OK? Thanks.

<Your Article HERE>

A few more tips:

1. Don't make the mistake of sending your article as an e-mail attachment. It will not even be opened in most cases. With all the viruses going around these days, most publishers won't risk opening an attachment simply to read your article.

2. Remember to include a SHORT footer with your articles. If you get carried away here, many editors will be turned off. One Internet marketer who sends me articles every month includes a 20 line signature with every article. Needless to say I've never used a single one of his articles in my e-zine. You should write a brief 4-5 line footer, preferable in the 3rd person.

Here's one that would work in this situation:

==============================
Jim the Fitness Guru has been trimming bodies across the globe for 10 years. His award-winning web site is loaded with Fitness Tips for anyone interested in getting in shape. Visit the site and get a FREE newsletter at ...
==============================

3. When writing your articles, you should consider using a program like UltraEdit32 at http://ultraedit.com or TextPad at http://textpad.com. It will allow you to format your articles to a maximum line length of 65 characters. This is the preferred format of most editors and it will save them a few steps. Little things like these can increase your chances of being published.

That's it! The real trick is to start your first article now -- don't let the idea of writing an article scare you off. This is a powerful promotion method that you should be using regularly.

Remember, most articles are not articles at all when you start. They are merely a small collection of tips and techniques that you use personally. Jot them down, group them together, and submit them to your new and powerful friends!

EDITOR'S NOTE: As an editor, I would also like to mention that most editors will use, when searching for a specific article or theme, e-mail readers that in all likelihood can not search the contents of attachments -- only e-mail texts. As such, attached articles are simply ignored. Just a tip =)

How To Publish - Submitting Your Articles For Publication