I don’t think there’s much doubt that I love publishing a newsletter, but there are days…
Thank goodness there are enough publishers out there who you only have to get your sentence half-way out and they know EXACTLY what you are going to say next.
Maybe it’s the times that are making people more jumpy, skeptical, irritable or sometimes just plain mean, but something’s in the air.
These scenarios don’t all belong to me. In fact, they’re a combination of publisher’s trials and tribulations. Even so, most wouldn’t change a thing they have elected to do. Most also admit they’re a little crazy.
Thank God for crazy. How bored (and ignorant) I’d be without them!
Put on your Publisher shoes for a few minutes. Take my hand and get a glimpse of the kind of ‘harrassments’ that come our way. If I make you laugh, that’s fine. Just so long as the point gets across.
Harrassment #1 – I paid for a mail distribution and nobody responded. I’m not blaming you but I it seems mighty strange to me that all those emails amounted to zip.
What can I say here? We talk and we talk and we talk some more. We tell everyone who will listen (and even those who won’t) that advertising is a numbers game.
We almost cry when we say that a one-time mailing is not going to necessarily do anything for anyone and that includes US. When we say something was mailed, it was mailed. There’s no need to look for reasons or scapegoats why your ad may not have produced desired results.
Be honest. Don’t you think we WANT your ad to take off? Wouldn’t that be in our best interests? If you had doubts, you wouldn’t have paid anyone a dime.
Now, let’s reverse the process; put yourself in our place. When we advertise for ourselves and nothing happens, who do we get to complain to – the mirror?
You know what’s going to happen in some cases? Publishers are going to quit offering this service. I think that’s a crying shame even if I do understand the motivation behind it. This beating up the messenger bit gets old.
Harrassment #2 – Now that I think about it, I don’t feel like paying that money for that ad(s) so I’m going to ask Paypal for a refund. I know it’s been three months, but it slipped my mind.
If anyone thinks I’m joking, think again. This very nasty business is happening to newsletter publishers quite a bit.
Here’s another one they pull. They order an ad or a series of ads. They pay for them. The publisher writes and tries to get the ads so they can be published. No answer. The publisher waits and waits and writes again. No answer.
A month goes by.The publisher decides to go ahead and withdraw the funds because many don’t like leaving it there over a certain period of time (especially if they’ve ever had their account frozen).
What happens? Here comes the advertiser demanding a refund. It’s granted and the publisher is now on negative status in his or her account. They either have the funds to transfer right back in or they have to wait.
Either way, to put this indelicately, they’re screwed. In my book, this is NOT OKAY.
These are crummy ways to do business but there are all kinds of people. I’ll give you fair warning upfront: those people who are pulling these stunts are having their names passed around. If a publisher decides to decline your advertising, ask yourself if you slipped into this group.
I’ve got a list of some names that I wouldn’t care if they want to spend $1,000 with me. The answer is “Thanks, but no thanks”. Too much grief.
Harrassment #3 – You know that ad you wrote for me last week? I decided I don’t like it as much as I thought I did. I want a refund.
You know, there are days you hear stuff and you want to go for somebody’s throat. A fellow publisher told me this happened to him. At first, his customer was positively gushing. Promised to come back and send referrals, even. When did all this negativity kick in? Hmmmyou figure it out.
There are ways around nonsense, of course. For me, whenever I write ads NOTHING goes anywhere without the Final Approval from my client/customer. Even if they write me back with all kinds of praise, I want that Final Approval in writing.
Not that I don’t trust my clients. I’ve been very fortunate with the kind of people I’ve dealt with. The problem is you never know who’s lurking around the corner.
Harrassment #4 – Unsubscribe me. I hate Solo ads.
I love this one. Here we have a collection of people who are on the Internet for one reason – to make more money (or at least the vast majority are on the Internet for that). If an opportunity presents itself to get more exposure, we’ll take it.
I’m not saying anyone should be falling in love with Solo ads, but I wonder what they think all that email they get all day is besides one endless series of Solo ads.
I will never in life figure out why someone would disinvolve themselves in something they like (a particular newsletter, for instance) rather than hit that delete key which would take them nano-seconds.
Plus, I dunno, it seems kind of discourteous to not at least give a glance at something someone has paid for. Obviously, it means something to them. What if it were YOUR ad?
Now, it could be the excuse they were waiting for and that’s fine.Although, somehow that seems silly, too. No publisher wants to send their work to someone who doesn’t really want it. Just go ahead and do what you want to do; it’s okay.
Harrassment #5 – Unsubscribe me because I hate you and you are ugly and you stink and if I could, I’d push you off a cliff. Oh, yeah, your family’s ugly too and I don’t like them, either. (This is one of the ‘nicer’ ones. How about getting cursed out by a reader who has a Ph.d in four-letter words – all because they want to do something profound in their life, like unsubscribe from a newsletter)
Readers, are you laughing? Guess what? I have had some publishers read me some of the notes they’ve been sent by people who want to unsubscribe. When I say folks can get downright mean, I’m talking Leroy Brown barnyard- dog MEAN!
Harrassment #6 – Here’s my article; your subscribers will love this, I know. If you don’t care to print it please let me know and I will not send you anything else you have to compete with.
I’m a writer and have as much of that creative ego as the next guy. But, I can’t imagine sending anything like this to anyone! If I did, I should be fully prepared to either never hear from them again or get ready for a sarcastic response, which I will have deserved.
Harrassment #7 – I noticed my ad in your newsletter. I spelled a few words wrong, I think I misplaced a comma and I put an extra “t” in the http part of the URL. Why didn’t you fix it?
The answer is because Mommy, Daddy and Miss Crabtree don’t live here.
I’ve had a few publishers read me some extremely hostile mail about this issue, too. You call yourself a professional, then you’ll have to take the responsibility to be one.
I know publishers who have thousands upon thousands of subscribers and some feel that the publisher should take the time to read and correct their ads. Doesn’t work that way, my friends. Everybody’s busy. Some are busier than others. On top of that, some even have a life of their own. Play fair.
Still want to be a Publisher? Yeah, I thought so. Some people never learn
Author, Sam Knight heads an Affordable Ad Writing Service, “The Write Place”, is editor/publisher of “BOOMER BRIGADE!” Newsletter http://www.boomer4ever.com, and partners with a company that offers Low-Cost Quality Computer Systems with a no credit check/no interest accrual Lay-a-way Plan http://www.profitwebservices.com/smk.html.
