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INTRODUCTION:
There are thousands of newsletters in circulation in the United States. Some newsletters are distributed free of charge by businesses wishing to promote services. Others require a subscription fee. There are two ways to profit from newsletters:
Special Interest Publications: You will earn income from subscriptions and advertising. You must select a group of people (for instance, senior citizens), who may be interested in paying for a newsletter subscription that provides them with information that they cannot obtain elsewhere.
Publish Newsletters for Others: There are many organizations that would like to start a newsletter for their customers but do not have the time or resources. Real estates agents, churches and doctors are all potential clients for a newsletter business. In this case your clients will pay you a flat fee to develop and print a newsletter (on a monthly or quarterly basis). Standard rates for writing company newsletters range from $20 to $60 per hour, or up to $1000 for four to eight pages.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
You must be an excellent writer with the ability to compose informative articles that are of interest to your target audience. Desktop publishing skills will also be required so you will need to be familiar with computers, scanners, printers and related software programs. It helps if you have expert knowledge of a certain subject (for instance, travel or pet care).
FINDING CUSTOMERS
Make your first issue free and distribute copies to local stores, post offices and libraries. You will probably need to do some cold calling to businesses in the area to find advertisers. You could also try small classified ads in your local newspaper or publications that market towards customers with similar interests.
START UP COSTS
Your biggest cost will probably be the production (printing and mailing) of your first issue. Therefore, it is important that you check with printers, distributors and the postal service so that you will have a good idea of how much you will need to make in advertising dollars to cover your expenses and still turn a profit on your first few issues. You might want to invest in a postage meter and a bulk mailing designation (available from the US Postal Service) to save money on mailing expenses. If you plan to earn most of your income from advertising dollars you will need business cards and brochures that highlight your unique publication.
EARNINGS POTENTIAL
If your newsletter is $60.00 per year (for subscribers) and you have 1,000 customers, you will earn around $60,000 per year. Of course, if you also accept advertising in your publication your earnings will greatly increase and you should earn upwards of $100,000 per year.
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