Let’s face it, RSS feeds are not read by ‘normal’ people.<\/p>\n
Real, non-techie people haven’t a clue what RSS is, or how to use Google Reader.<\/p>\n
That’s OK if your blog is about geek or tech subjects. But if you’re trying to get regular readers for a site about cross stitch, don’t expect RSS readers to hit even the double figures if all you have is a feed button on your blog.<\/p>\n
Normal people read emails.<\/p>\n
So here’s two easy ways to get your blog RSS feed automatically<\/strong> converted into an email newsletter format.<\/p>\n I hope you also love any products I recommend here as much as me. But just so you know, our site may receive a small share of the purchase price if you choose to buy after following a link on this site. It doesn’t change my opinion of course or the price you pay. Just to be clear.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pros:<\/strong> Free<\/p>\n Cons:<\/strong> More ownership to Google, limited control over email appearance and send time<\/p>\n UPDATE:<\/strong> Sadly while the Feedburner infrastructure is being improved, the rss to email function is being removed! So this 1st option is no longer viable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Create yourself a Feedburner<\/a> account (yes, Google also owns Feedburner now…), and add your blogs feed.<\/p>\n Once set-up, ‘Activate’ the ‘Email Subscriptions’ option. There are some limited tweaks you can make as to how the emails will look.<\/p>\n Back in the main Email Subscriptions page you should now have HTML code for a sign-up form. You can simply add this as a text widget to your blog sidebar. Or if you prefer, scroll below the form code, and you also get a text link option – which links to a very simple, no distractions ‘enter email to subscribe’ Feedburner page.<\/p>\n You can view your subscriber numbers in Feedburner, as well as the actual email addresses. You can also export them too.<\/p>\n Pros:<\/strong> Very easy, Google doesn’t own you, instant or timed delivery, fully flexible design\/branding, easy templates<\/p>\n Cons:<\/strong> Not free<\/p>\n This is my preferred option. And if you already have an Aweber account it’s clearly ideal (and probably a feature you missed!). If not, get one<\/a>, because you should have one anyway for managing all sorts of email lists and contacts!<\/p>\n Here’s a quick video that shows how easy it is to create your newsletter:-<\/p>\n\n\n1. The Free But Google Owns You Way<\/h2>\n
2. The Freedom, But Not Free Option<\/h2>\n