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Over the last ten years the number of paper newsletters has increased dramatically; up to ten times more in the United States than previously. The same applies in Europe and elsewhere, and even as far away as Australia and New Zealand, though of course, all with somewhat lower numbers. This has happened mainly because of the current widespread growth in ownership of personal computers

The fact is that newsletters, which need little in the way of extra skills other than those that most people who have a computer of their own and a desktop printer already have, can be published remarkably easily. Newsletters produced at home make a substantial contribution to the numbers of new publications on the market even though the quality of some may place them at the bottom end of the scale.

The growth of e-newsletters and ezines is even more dramatic than that of hard copy newsletters. For a start nowhere near the same effort is required as is the case with hard copy newsletters and there is no printing, processing or preparation required. In point of fact, no other costs are involved at all and the whole process is quick and easy.

E-zines (or e-newsletters, as they were once known) have now become established as the principal type of communication online. They are popular now because of electronic production as well as distribution over computer networks (largely meaning, of course, the all-consuming Internet). The rise to dominance of these types of newsletters has been absolutely fantastic and goes far beyond anything that was expected. Every topic under the sun is covered in one form or another and every possible bunch of people with a common interest is now a reader of them.

The perception that the electronic format is not to be trusted is a hard one to dispel. People are still more used to the feeling of permanence that they get from paper newsletters compared to the fly-by-night reputation of some ezines. Also, there are many who have always readily believed what they read in print but who have a totally different perception of what they read online.

Over time, the continuing rise in numbers of Internet users will eventually mean that almost all newsletters are produced and distributed electronically. Currently though, if the readers of a newsletter, or a majority of them, do not have access to a computer, they will still prefer to receive a paper copy of their newsletter. The eventual adoption of electronically produced newsletters for everyone will be determined by the number of people who have easy and cheap Internet access.

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categories: newsletter publishing, ezine publishing, newsletter marketing, publishing, email marketing, communications, writing