"As an ezine publisher, consider the ways that you can use observations about your own reading habits to your advantage. If, like me, you appreciate brief content, then focus on creating similar content for your readers."

***** v-e-r-y dangerous advice. Rationale for marketing decisions based upon personal preference is shortsighted. As a general rule, for example, long copy outpulls short copy in all forms of direct response -- and there is no reason to presume it would not also apply in email. Now, specific ezines may be structured for markets and/or link-referenced to obtain depth of issues (although a lot of people read ezines offline) -- and, if so, *brief content* is an appropriate conclusion because it fits the ezine-objective...but NOT because an individual publisher personally prefers it.

Relative to long copy (and this response tends to be an example), while individuals -- if asked -- would always say they prefer short-text...test after test proves the opposite works. One reason why seems to be a credibility-effect that depth of words seems to create.

Again, the point is NOT to say *brief content* is always or necessarily an error. The point is that the strategic rationale for producing an ezine with *brief content* vs. text-heavy copy should not be simply personal preference of the publisher... or editor... or copywriter, etc.

And, briefly :), that is one publisher's take on the subject.

Dan Schwartz, Publisher
http://www.noboss.com/

Brian --

I'd love to reiterate this point. Top Of The Key, the largest (staff-wise) of the TOTK.com Sports family of ezines, just continues to grow. In an effort to keep individual issues under 25 kB, we've just spread the issues out in multiple parts. This week's issue had six parts -- and we saw more unsubscribes than we ever had before. It's to the point now that I'm working on setting up a digest version of Top Of The Key purely because of the problems with unsubscriptions.

I also compare it to two of our other ezines, TOTK Today and The Quote Post. The former always runs short -- as a daily ezine, there's no way you can write a 25 kB missive and expect to eat and pay your bills. The Quote Post, however, runs long by its nature -- if there are great quotes, Garret Okamoto keeps putting them in there. We've both discussed the problems of size of ezines before, and it's starting to become a problem now.

I can't reiterate it enough to your readers -- for a daily ezine, you shouldn't send more than 10-15 kB of information. A weekly can afford more, probably up to 100 kB, but past that point, you're again hitting the point of diminishing -- and reversing! -- returns. If this is becoming a problem for you -- and mind you, too much content is a good thing to have -- you might want to consider excerpting your columns in an email, or breaking up the ezine into several ezines.

And that's all I have to say about that. Thanks for Ezine-Tips -- it reminds all of us at TOTK.com Sports that we are indeed on the right path, and we usually come up with ideas about two days before a tip on that comes out. -g-

Yours,
Geof F. Morris
Chief Editor, TOTK.com Sports
http://www.TOTK.com/

You are so right about the Netizens not having time to read long ezines. I am guilty of this as a reader and a writer. I subscribe to more ezines than I could read if I spent every waking minute doing it. Most I delete without a thought without even opening. I think that someday I will have time to read them- yeh sure!

I even sub to some letters that I love and wish I had time to read - but I don't.

I also write longish articles for my newsletters. I was just thinking about this subject myself. We are all on information overload. When will it ever end?

Diane
http://www.WorldofVitamins.com