Promotion World ARCHIVE Tutorial December 27, 1999 Signature Files So, now you have composed a really cool, non promotional message answering someone's problem. Minor problem: If you don't make your message a blatant ad for your website, how are these people supposed to know how to find it? After all, that was one of the major reasons to post to discussion lists. There is a way. There are things called signature files. These are short, usually three to six line mini ads that are attached to the bottom of every email you send out. And best of all, they are regarded as acceptable by the discussion list community. So, what does a good signature file look like? To come back to the over worn example about beetles, lets say you have a website about beetles. Your signature file might look like this: _____________________________________________________________ John Smith mailto:johnsmith@beetlezone.com For beetle collectors of all ages, visit BeetleZone for a FREE sample of our new, nutritious beetle feed! -------> http://www.beetlezone.com <------- This signature file looks pretty good. It includes all that a good signature files need to contain including: The sender's name. Contact information. Additional Resources: Looking After Your Signature File Nic Drew first off shows you why you need a signature file, and then shows you what makes the perfect signature file E-Mail Signatures: One Size Does NOT Fit All Shel Horowitz gives many examples of signature files that are good for different situations. A short hook to get the reader to visit the website. It has been shown that offering something for free, or offering a special deal helps to get more people to click through. There are many other different ways to hook people... experiment with a few. A dividing line to separate the signature file from the rest of the message. In almost all email programs, it is very easy to set it up to automatically attach your signature file to the end of every email that you send out. Signature files are such simple things, and yet so many people overlook them. I get email from many, many people every day that don't include their signature files. As a result, I will never know how to visit their website. And that isn't good. If you have never before posted to discussion lists, what are you waiting for! You now know how to properly post to discussion lists, so get started today! Then, you can continue on and read the rest of this tutorial!