An ezine with lots of subscribers can put a real load on a server. If you rent server space, check with your website host to make sure it is OK to send ezines or even emails to thousands of subscribers. A couple hundred is fine, but once your list grows you may need to consider an alternative.

This is where fee-based services excel. In addition to doing away with intrusive ads, they allow you to manage ezine lists professionally, without placing huge loads on your own servers.

When you’re ready to email your ezine, be sure you do the following first:

1. Send a test issue to yourself. Nothing is worse than sending out an ezine riddled with mistakes, formatting problems or broken links. Be sure that you are the first recipient. Send a test version to you and make sure that all the links work, that sentences aren’t cut off midway and that any graphics load correctly.
2. Time your mailing. Most ezine services allow you to select when the ezine is sent. Never let an ezine arrive on a Monday morning or a Friday afternoon. It will never get read. Instead, try to time the ezine so that it will be sent out early in the morning so it arrives in the morning email on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. If your publication is a once a month publication, don’t time it for the first of the month. Your subscribers are already overwhelmed on the first of the month with other messages. If you are publishing monthly, set the publication date for the 10th or 20th of the month, away from the beginning, middle and end of the month.

3. Pare your list before sending. If you’re using a fee-based list, remember that you are being charged by the number of subscribers. You don’t want to find that you’re paying more than you need to if half your mailing list is out of date. Go through the list and double check addresses of clients. They may have changed since the last issue you sent out (if you send monthly this is not the case. But if you haven’t sent an issue in a while, some addresses may no longer be correct).

4. Add new clients. This is perhaps more important to the success of your mailing as paring incorrect addresses. Make it a practice of adding emails to your mailing list regularly throughout the month. You want everyone to receive your ezine, especially your newest clients, since it sets the tone of your relationship with them. Most ezine providers have an interface where you can add subscribers manually or upload a spreadsheet of names and addresses.