This is the first time I am visiting your blog (read about this post on Twitter) and must say you wrote a very interesting and thought-provoking post.

I think as online marketers we can do whatever we can to provide real value to our list members but will never be able to satisfy everyone.

I follow a very similar approach to what you used to follow, namely only recommend products that I have personally reviewed.

I hardly ever send sales messages to my list. I normally send them a weekly newsletter and refer them to my blog for specific sales & pure content posts.

This approach seems to work well.

All the best,
Francois du Toit

@Caroline Middlebrook – Caroline, you bring up a very
important point regarding email marketing – but that’s
something distinct from what I’m driving at here.

Yes, different segments of any list prefer a different rate
of ‘pitches’ or a different mix of ‘content versus promotion’.

That’s a ratio I’ve always monitored extremely carefully -
and has not changed significantly in the past.

My list is accustomed to receiving a certain number of
promotional emails – and those who do not like that
frequency gravitate to one of many sub-lists, or just
cancel their subscription altogether.

This trend I’m now observing has to do with how the
‘pitches’ or promos themselves are perceived – with
little if any distinction being made between carefully
conducted and in-depth reviews versus ‘copy and paste’
emails announcing the ‘next hot thing’.

All success
Dr.Mani

Not everybody wants to be sold something in every single email. I would much prefer to subscribe to a newsletter where perhaps only 25% of the mailings contained pitches and the rest of them just gave me content.

These days if a list does nothing but pitch, I’ll unsubscribe, regardless of how good the review of the product being pitched.

You make some great observations. I find from working with a lot of local clients I am better of just charging them some large fee, giving them a vague explanation, and doing it, then explaining to them what it is I really do.

Sometimes you spend more time trying to do right and just minimize your own success. Jaded? Not so sure, I do know I am inundated with product offers from every marketer out there.

Mike