When I clicked on the newsletter button, I found an array of publications. But I was interested in only one publication, in one vertical market, not in this variety. There were too many choices and too much confusion. I clicked onto the page for the newsletter I was interested in and found feature-oriented copy that didn't really sell the newsletter. The page simply offered it for purchase.
Some publishers think that because it's the web, people suspend buyer reluctance and skepticism.
Successful publishers must use traditional direct marketing techniques and strategies because prospects respond the same way on and off the web. Many newsletter publishers created websites with great expectations, but they've been disappointed by the scarcity of subscriptions generated on-line. In addition, some publishers' off-line campaigns to drive traffic to a site have also been disappointing. In some direct mail tests, including the URL has actually depressed overall results. Many prospects who would have subscribed to the direct mail campaign went to the website and decided against subscribing.