what software will make this work?

There are three basic kinds of software that helps you send out your newsletter and manage your list of subscribers:

1. Software that you buy and that sits on your computer, such as Outlook Express or Apple's Mail program.
2. Software that you rent and that sits on someone else's server.
3. Software that you buy and that sits on your web server.

At this point, I cannot recommend the first choice. The hassles are great, and you are nearly certain to run afoul of the "spam police." Trust me—I used that kind of software for nearly four years. My life is much better since I switched over. I have more time for my art!

Each of the other choices has pros and cons. I'll mention the specific strengths and weaknesses of a couple examples for each kind.

Software that you rent

Why would anyone rent software, you say? Since there are excellent, professional choices that you can purchase for under $200, why would you pay from $20 a month ($240 the first year) up to $80 a month ($960 the first year!) and more?

There are three reasons to prefer this kind of software:

1. It sends mail from someone else's server, and that server is more likely than yours to get through spam filters.
2. There is virtually no installation to hassle with.
3. There may be integration with other features that makes for convenience.

Rental software examples

Here are a few well-loved examples of "rental" software:

1. Constant contact
2. AWeber ($20 per month.)
3. 1shoppingcart.com ($20 to $80 or more per month)

These are as easy to use as can be found. Constant Contact seems to be on the decline in some ways, but still has many adherents. AWeber has some wonderful features for tracking emails, doing split tests between two versions of your newsletter (a meaningful feature when your subscriber list hits over 5 or 6 thousand names), as well as ....

1shoppingcart has several versions. The more expensive versions integrate nearly your entire business in one piece of software: your shopping cart, your newsletter, the results of ads you may place and of an affiliate program you may establish. If you have faith in your future as an internet entrepreneur, you may take the leap and start with this program. It will save you lots of hassles along the way. Disadvantages: you are stuck with the features this software has. Once you've moved everything into their hands, you're essentially their captive customer.

The key disadvantage of all these services is their ongoing cost.

 

software you buy

The last type of newsletter software is software that you buy, and that usually sits on the same server that you rent, lease, or borrow for the hosting of your website.

Typically, these choices involve more setup than the rental-types.