I started with a personal list of associates and customers that numbered about 350. As of today I have a subscriber base of 11,000+. Actually my subscriber base is over 12,000 but I have always had policy of maintaining a higher base than I actually had. The primary reason I have this policy is to insure that my paid advertisers receive what they are paying for. Each time I do a mailing of an ezine issue, there are always 200 to 400, sometimes more that are undeliverable. This can be due to email systems or sites being down, email boxes being to full or other reasons.

Here are some steps that I took and still use to build and maintain my list.

1. Easy Sign Up Throughout Your Site

Post a subscribe link or box on every page of your site. I have over 150 pages on my sites and I never know from which page someone will enter site. Having link or signup box on most pages will increase your chances for new signups.

2. Create A Separate Ezine Page

Eventually I uploaded a separate page just for my ezine. Check out my example at http://www.homebizlink.com/newslt.htm This way I was able to put a signup box on some pages that subscribed them by email directly, or I used a "Free Newsletter" link that went to my ezine page above where they see a good description of it, some comments from subscribers and an offer of a free ebook about starting a business on Internet.

Another good reason to have a separate page for your ezine is so you can submit it to major search engines all by itself with some specific and targeted keywords.

3. Give Away A Free Sign Up Bonus

Giving something away free is a good incentive to get signups. It can be an ebook or special report that is geared to topic of your site and business. If you set up an autoresponder or download page, you can make it all automatic so that you don't have to keep sending freebie out.

4. Signature Files

Another easy and free thing to do is to create a signature file with your ezine information and subscription links similar to one at end of this article. And you should set your email software to send signature file on every email message you send out. Once people become subscribers then you can start building a relationship with them and offer your products and/or services.

5. Write Articles

The newsletters I can't wait to read are ones with "personality." Yes, that's right -- PERSONALITY. I just love an ezine that makes me laugh, or cry, or think about things I haven't thought about for awhile. Thought provoking. Enlightening, heart warming.

I do have my favorites and usually those are ones where I feel as if I know publisher on a personal level, which says a lot, since I've never met any of them in real off-line world. So how do they do that? And more importantly, how can you create this warm, fuzzy feeling in your own ezine?

Publishers who have perfected this technique have developed a "unique writing style." A good writing style allows one's personality to shine through in his words and conveys a sense of humanity. So what's your writing style? You can convey many feelings and attitudes through your writing. You can come across as funny or serious, cocky or very business like.