I’m a big fan of free.  Huge.  If it is free and I think that there is even just a little bit of value in it I’ll grab it.  But I’m sure you all know by now that free also means a newsletter of some sort.  The question is – are they just going to clutter up your email inbox or will they have some real value.

I know that sometimes I’ll sign up for a free e-book and the newsletter expecting something really great.  And then I start getting the emails and all they are is a regurgitation of their sales page.  And every single “newsletter” (or sometimes a section of a “course”) is selling me something.  I don’t need to see that every other day.

Then there are a very few email newsletters that amaze and inspire me.  And these are the ones that I am going to model my newsletter after (yes, there is one in the works!).  They have something that is not already on their blog.  They have personality.  They have VALUE in the form of information that has real use to me.  Sometimes they offer something that has to be paid for but it is not in every single issue and when it is offered it is something useful that might bring additional value to my work.

One of my favorite newsletters is Pat Flynn’s of the Smart Passive Income Blog.  I signed up for his newsletter to get E-books the Smart Way (see the sidebar on his blog).  I was thrilled to find that the e-book itself was great and answered a lot of my questions.  And it really made me think.  I was really glad that someone had recommended him.

When I started getting his newsletter though I was even more glad that I signed up.  His newsletter is one that I never automatically delete.  In fact, I have a folder dedicated to his newsletters.  Every issue has something new.  Every issue has something that I can put to use immediately.  Every issue makes me think.  And every issue shows some of his personality, which makes it infinitely more interesting to read than most newsletters out there!

What are your favorite newsletters?  The ones that you never miss reading?  I’d love to check them out.  And if you have one of your own don’t be afraid to plug it in the comments.  I’ll more than likely subscribe and if I like it I might talk about it here, too.