Pros and Cons of Accepting Free Articles for Your E-Mail Newsletter

If you publish a regular e-mail newsletter, the benefits of free articles to fill your newsletter are pretty obvious. Free articles save you a great deal of time and money that you might have spent writing content yourself.

But consider for a moment the downside of accepting free articles for your e-mail newsletter:

1. Quality of writing is often poor.
2. Articles are sometimes too general to offer much real value to your readers. Content needs to be specific and detailed.
3. Other e-zines in your industry are likely to be carrying exactly the same article this week or this month. For those who read other e-zines, duplication of articles will lower your e-zine in their estimation. They're looking for fresh, original content, not the "same-old, same-old."

Be VERY selective about the free articles you include, since each of them reflects on your company's reputation -- either building it or degrading it.

If you have a large enough circulation you might contact some of the finest writers and ask them to write some exclusive content for your newsletter. And, if you can't get the high-quality, exclusive content you need any other way, consider paying for articles.