The History of an Ezine and the Courage to Be Unique

I consider myself a marketer, and I think we should all consider ourselves marketers, because I want people to remember me, my company, and the products and services I offer whenever they need them.

I’ve understood for a long time that writing and distributing my own newsletter would be the most effective method to do all of those things and more; nevertheless, as a creative marketer, I kept going back to the fact that there are already a lot of newsletters out there, and some of them are amazing. Hence, I fought the idea of making one with everything I had. Was it really necessary to publish yet another newsletter?

Then one day I switched from having a scarcity attitude to an abundance mindset and realized that the world has plenty of resources to go around for everyone. So I figured, “Why not?” “There are over 6.5 billion people in the world, so there must be lots of prospective subscribers available to me.” And some of those people are supposed to hear the knowledge I will share directly from me.

As an internet business owner, I reasoned that going the digital route would be the most cost-effective, time-efficient, and convenient option if I were to undertake such a massive undertaking. So, I decided to publish an ezine, which is the electronic magazine equivalent of a printed newsletter. 

I spent a good deal of time over the course of a few weeks reading through my favorite ezines, taking notes on what I liked and didn’t like about each in order to design a clean, classic layout for my own upcoming ezine. I finished setting up, and it looked fantastic; I was ready to go.

Then, as I was about to press the submit button on my CRM, I abruptly stopped. I paused and asked myself, “Wait a minute; what was I going to do?” Although this ezine could have a good reception, it felt and looked like every other ezine out there. Then, my internal dialogue began in earnest, and I heard myself say, “It may very easily get lost in the shuffle, or worse, go ignored! That might mean that a large number of individuals are missing out on the weekly value I intend to offer value that could make or destroy a business. My internal monologue continued unabatedly. Simply put, I no longer felt good about it. And I knew that if I didn’t give it my all, the subscriber would sense it, and we’d both end up disappointed. They miss out on fantastic material, and I lose a subscriber who could become a raving fan.

I no longer advocate being unique for its own sake. I think it’s important to stand out from the crowd when doing so will appeal to one’s intended audience and improve one’s own experience. It’s a regular part of my work to teach clients and potential customers how to set themselves apart from the pack. It was time for me to put into action the principles I had been preaching.

Since then, I’ve switched gears and returned to the drawing board. I feel your anguish. In any case, I had no more use for myself. Just hit “send” already! The thought of doing so was beyond me. I set out to make something that would stand out to potential customers and have an impact on their lives. I aimed for a masterpiece by giving them an ELF (easy, lucrative, and fun) time.

That’s when I finally understood it. Communicating is one of my greatest passions! Although I appreciate writing, I much prefer public speaking. I was also aware of the research showing that hearing information is preferable to reading it for retention purposes. In addition, there were far fewer audio ezines than print ones, so I would undoubtedly be unique. It seemed clear to me that I should create an audio magazine because everything pointed in that direction. As a result, I felt great…and the rest, as they say, is history.

How, therefore, can you improve the experience of your intended readers? In what ways can you ensure that your name constantly comes to the forefront of their minds? In what other ways could you set yourself apart from your rivals? How can you possibly have fun while engaging in all of these activities? People will take note; trust me on that.