what questions should I ask the list owner?

You can use a tracking link service such as hitsconnect.com, or protrackerplus.com(free) I think clickaudit.com(free i think) also supplies the same service. I can give you this much advice: If you don't trust him, don't buy the solo ads. It's just too easy to fake subscriber numbers. And you'll know he's sent it when you start receiving unique visitors.

Why not offer the Warrior an affiliate deal, say they get 50% (or more) of all sales referred. If they have a responsive list this should really work well for both of you. You have no upfront costs and the other Warriors get's commissions on sales.

I would be very worried as to why someone would accept a deal like this if you have an offer that is proven to convert. I mean, it's like turning down money. If they didn't want to do a commission deal then I would worry that their list really isn't that responsive.

Maybe only 100 people out of the list will even read the email. Or the list just are not buyers... or they don't convert... I could continue...

Unless this is a very well respected Warrior I would be very careful.

Ask tougher questions...

Ask for the names of at least 3 people who have purchased
their ad space before and returned again to purchase
more.

What were the trackable results from previous campaigns
that have a similar profile to yours?

Suggest doing an affiliate deal where it's commission only
and you both win if sales are made.

Best wishes,

Shaun

Kym, here is how I would work it...

Setup a special buy page for the promotion and track the number of sales the affiliate is referring to you. I would then give 100% commission on the first months membership fee - although you can give whatever you want. Send over commissions via PayPal after the refund period has ended.

That is the easiest way to get started. There are a bunch of fancy-pants scripts that will do the same thing but if it's just one person and there is trust in place then that would be the perfect solution in my eyes.

But keep your eyes open with this deal and trust your instincts. I would hate to see you pay for this advertising and have a terrible response.

When you say you're about to purchase a list... how much is he asking for?

All lists are different, so you won't really know how well his performs (especially if there is no past history).

Has he done any adswaps with other Warriors? who? ask them how the list performed.

Hi Kym,

How Will I Track My Add?
Do you have Google analytics on your site? This is the easiest way to track your add. Set up a dedicated page and GA will tell you exactly how many hits that page received and where they came from. If you cant set up a dedicated page have him send his subscribers to

http://www.yourwebsiterocks .com/page.htm?specialoffer So that you can track the unique URL of ?specialoffer and know exactly how many people he sent you.

How Will I Even Know He Sent It?
You'll know he sent it when you start receiving traffic. Alternatively you could ask him for an aweber screen shot of the mailout and the time it was sent. It may be rude to ask but this is business and you have no real reason to trust him yet. Any honest person would see this as a reasonable request.

What is a good price for 2 solo ads to a list of around 16,000?
This will vary on how responsive his list is. I'd make some sort of deal where he receives a percentage of the profits. Or else you could easily spend some cash and find all of his subscribers signed up for free deals and aren't buyers.

How do I know he even has a list of 16,000?
You could ask him to take a screenshot for your own piece of mind. Again it may seem a little rude but you have no real reason to trust him so far other than the fact that he is a nice guy. Keep it professional until you have done some dealings with him.

I would ask how often he emails and what is an average conversion rate for a maillout.

Really though your safest bet is to work on a commission basis. That way if his whole deal is fluff you might not get anything, but at least you didnt help him pay his bills for nothing.

All these are just precautions, chances are he is a great guy and trustworthy business man but it never hurts to be prepared.

Hope this helps

Hey Kym,

I read your post and screamed (manly) because it sounds like this can't wait, which is a shame because this can either be a flop or goldmine depending how much knowledge you have.

Here's what I would do:

1) sign up to the newsletter under a secret name/email address with reliable deliverability so you can see it really was sent.

2) If possible, try to make his/her list, your list by offering whatever you was about to sell for free in exchange for the lead!

3) Set up a visitor tracker on the page you'll send them to in the ad.

4) Would you buy a car without a reciept? Ask for list size proof! If he's a pro businessman he'll gladly show you.

5) Ask about the quality and origin of the leads. Don't get your hopes up, I recently purchased 10,000 global leads un-targeted and not one showed interest.

Please let us know how you get on and good luck,

Louis

Hi Kym,

You mention you know that he has a large list in the niche you are targeting.

Are you on his list or have you seen examples of what he has sent out to his subscribers?

If this person has not sold promotional space in his newsletter before is this some sort of favor he's working out with you? or is it something he is looking to get into.

I would first make sure your solo copy /subject title/ and /body/ converts. if you have not already done so. Also if you are using this type of promotion it's best to be able to capture the leads using a free offer.

If you are not already on his list you should be.

There are several ways to track (to many actually) but If you have a membership site you should also have an affiliate solution. It's the best way to track sales.

If not you'll have to set up a tracking solution but remember, you will also need to make sure that it tracks back from your payment gateway to the thank you page so that you know where the purchase came from. If you are selling as well.

He should notify you when your ad will be sent out. Also you should get a confirmation email notification that your ad was sent out.

Price to pay depends on how active his subscribers are. Where and how he's obtaining them.
If you knew how he obtained his subscribers it's a bit more easier to determine value.

It sounds like you already know this person if you are trusting him.

See if there is any way you can get a test run on a lesser amount.

This will allow you to even be able to make him an offer from the results on a future mail out.

You would not risk as much and he would still make a profit.
Plus, I would even be able to pay more in addition to what he was asking as a bonus.

My advice it so just make sure you subject and ad copy converts and you have a way to collect the leads coming in.

Best of success,

Bruce

Hi Innocent07,

If one is going to be purchase a spot in an ezine, you want your best going out regardless.

As you know there are different ways to approaching freebie seekers and buyers. But without knowing what type of list it is and how it responds it's always best to go with a promotional ad that has converted best on your end to getting an email prospect to your sales copy.

Basically what I am referring to is you don't want to just put together an ad (without testing it first) and hope for the best. You want to know what you are sending is at least working on your end.
If you Promotional ad is not getting them to your sales copy on your end the odds are it's not going to on someone else's.

If they are freebie seekers they most likely will just optin for another freebie but you can at least attempt to turn them into buyers.

If they are buyers then you have your best in front of them and a better chance of a new customer.

There is no guarantee that what converts well with your list will do the same on others, but your odds are greater when you use your best. When dealing with the same market and category chances are if what you put in front of them is your best and it isn't getting a decent response I would question the list itself and not the ad.

The main rule of thumb with ezine marketing has always been to use what you know is working.

I would like to add.. Before approaching any type of promotional source, one should already have a good conversion on page copy itself. When you have allot of visitors to a page and nothing is happening, that's a good sign something needs changed on the page and not the promotional ad.

Best Regards,

Bruce