There are some people who hate writing so much that their e-mails are only ever a paragraph or so long. There are others who are so prolific that their e-mails go on for pages.

It’s probably best to find something in between. If you are a writer who tends to go on and on, you have to remember that people are very busy.

They often don’t have time to read long e-mails. On the other hand, you’re probably not providing much value or making enough of an effort if your e-mails are too short. Find a happy medium, and your response rates will likely improve.

As a marketer, the chances are good that you’re receiving emails from several other lists. Do you notice that you open some marketers e-mails more than others?

You can learn a lot from this. Save the e-mails that really grab your attention and make you respond, either by “labeling” them if you’re using Gmail.com or sorting those messages into a folder marked “Hot Copy”.

You can “swipe” certain copy ideas (not the subject lines themselves, but the ideas used) for use in your own e-mails to make them more attention-grabbing and response-inducing.

A popular formula that some of the top marketers use is sending 3 relationship building e-mails to every 1 sales e-mail.

This is especially important in the beginning stages, and will set the tone for later e-mails.

What you might want to do is have the first e-mail be entirely focused on offering quality information and building a relationship, the second e-mail making a very Page 14 “101 List-Building Tips” soft pitch, the third e-mail selling a little harder, and finally the fourth e-mail blatantly promoting a product.

If it makes you feel more comfortable having a system to work with, then this is a sequence that you may wish to follow.

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As your list grows, you will want to split test your messages. You might find that the way you set things up in the beginning was not the optimal way.

We all want to improve our results and split testing makes that achievable.

By tweaking a few things here and there you can increase your open rate and the desired responses your list makes. If you have a good autoresponder company, the chances are good that they will provide you with the information and tools you need to split test.

Companies like Aweber will automatically send half of your list one message and the other half a different message. They will then track the results so you can compare them and make changes

First impressions count. That’s why you need to carefully write your first autoresponder message. It is the first impression your list members will have of you.

Even if they really liked what your website had to say, they will unsubscribe very quickly if they don’t think your list will offer them a lot of value.

Your first message should almost never contain a sales pitch. This is your chance to prove that they will want to remain on your list.

You  want to be warm, open, and friendly. You should also consider offering a special bonus or surprise for free.

This will immediately help set a positive association with your messages. This can increase the open rates on your e-mails, put your relationshiand help you make more sales later on.

At first, you might be nervous about mailing to your list because you’re not sure how many messages you should send and how often.

Unfortunately, there is not one correct answer to this question.

The answer depends on your niche, the relationship you have with your members, and what kind of information you share. Page 12 “101 List-Building Tips” If your messages offer a lot of value, people will probably want to receive them more often.

If your list messages are more focused on making sales, people may expect them (and want them) less often. Still, the balance is individual, so you should test what is best for you.

A good autoresponder will show you the number of people who click on your message when you send it. If the number stays high with more frequent messages, your unsubscribe rate doesn’t increase, and sales tend to remain high, then your list may want to be contacted more frequently.

What some marketers suggest is having one autoresponder message scheduled per week, with perhaps a broadcast message in between if you need to have a special mailing.

Yes, at times the messages might land on the same day to certain readers, but that’s no reason to avoid sending broadcast mailings to your follow- up message recipients.