How can I promote issue Number 500 of my free newsletter?

Almost every Tuesday during the last decade, my readers and I have been sharing our best tips in “Craigslist: A Valuable Publicity Tool.”

If it’s Tuesday, and it’s Christmas, the ezine arrives via email on Christmas Day and the other 51 weeks of the year.

On April 16 this year, I’ll published Edition Number 500, and I’m looking for a clever promotion or contest that will engage current readers, create a buzz on the social media sites, and attract new subscribers.

Because I’m knee-deep in three other projects, I’m not even sure I’ll have time to pull this off. But I’d be crazy not to ask my Hounds for help.

What can I do to promote the newsletter, pull in new readers, attract attention for “Craigslist: A Valuable Publicity Tool.” encourage people to submit questions for Help this Hound, and make this a really fun celebration?

Contests
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  • Jill Russell

    Your comments re:500 have put a song in my hear:
    …Still 500 miles away from home…500 miles, 500 miles…
    So perhaps you are ONLY 500 issues away from one thousand.
    CONGRATULATIONS! Joan on your 500th issue. I have enjoyed every one! And I do not want to minimize your accomplishment of this milestone! VERY impressive. That is why you have the following and subscribers that you do, valuable content in every issue~

  • Monica Strobel

    Hi Joan– Congrats on approaching 500! As with all things publicity, it can depend on how you look at it or how you present this fact as to what it means. Why not have a contest for folks to submit photos of 500 ….. whatever they like. (500 grains of sand would be small, 500 cars would be a lot) Recognize two pictures, one that represents the big side of 500 and one, the smaller view of 500. Maybe you’ll get 500 photos…
    Have fun!
    Best,
    Monica Strobel

  • DianaEnnen

    Congratulations!!! That is so awesome. I can’t imagine a Tuesday where I didn’t open up your newsletter.

    I don’t know exactly how you could do this, (definitely woudl have to be automated) but it would be awesome I believe. How about you allow all your subscribers to send in one tip (their best tip). They get to include their tip, website and perhaps Twitter handle. After they are all posted, everyone votes on the one that they feel is the BEST tip. Winner gets perhaps a shopping spree ($200.00) at your store. Boy, now that’s a prize everyone would want.

    You could almost have 10,000 tips. I could see a new ebook out of it for you too.

    Maybe everyone that votes or submits a tip, gets one of your reports.

    I should would love to see all the tips that come out of it.

    Thanks!
    Diana Ennen

  • Phyllis May

    Maybe it’s because I grew up with the Indianapolis 500 but how about a race theme…checkered flag and all of the metaphors that go with a famous race. Pace car, winners, competition, engines (search), winners circle….

  • Kathy Slattengren

    Congratulations on publishing 500 issues Joan! I certainly enjoy reading your newsletters.

    One idea for attracting attention to the archived issues while celebrating this milestone is to ask readers to describe one way they changed their business based on one of the archived newsletter tips. Anyone who submits something could be entered in a random drawing for an item from your store.

  • Loretta Leda

    Yeah! Kudos! 500 issues! wahoooooo!
    All good ideas above, I like the variety of tips from themes and contests to free stuff, oh yeah. I get 500 emails a day and thats hard to manage sometimes, because i don’t delete them all. I can’t imagine getting 500 tips, emails, photos, etc to manage for a contest or promotion, but would love to learn more about the apps available to do so.
    Let’s see.. my idea is..obviously using social media to promote your issue, using twitter, FB, linked in, your blog, ane everyone else blogs about it or retweets it, etc. along with a theme would be a nice touch, very professional, whether its a racing theme or maybe tie in with whatever holiday falls around it, Easter or (using easter eggs for tips, deals, specials, etc.), or something not so well known, like did you know March is: caffeine awareness month? peanut month, optimism month, march into literacy, or use Women’s History month, On-Hold Month, there are a lot of ways to tie in something fun like this. Hope this helps!
    thanks!