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There are two types of marketing: unsolicited e-mail (cold selling) and opt-in selling. Keep them in mind when you create your messages and build your subscriber list. I highly recommend you not to engage in cold selling. This is considered spam. If enough people report your address as spam, you will be banned from ISPs and search engines. The occasional sale you see from cold selling will not be enough to compensate for your being blacklisted on the internet.

On the other hand, building an opt-in list is a perfectly acceptable and highly successful method that will keep you from being labeled bad business. With an opt-in list, people ask to be added to your subscriber database because they're interested in your topic. Opt-in subscribers should always be given the option to opt out.

But you would be surprised how many people don't bother clicking the unsubscribe link, and eventually make their way to your site to investigate your product further.

When preparing your autoresponder messages, it is imperative to strike a balance between excitement and hype about your product.

You must avoid wording your messages so that they look, feel and smell like spam, even if they have been requested. This means following the rules of creating direct and simple messages. For exemple, no writing in ALL CAPS, or putting seven exclamation points at the end of every paragraph.

Here are also a few other deadly spam sins to avoid:

Just about every e-mail program has built-in spam filters that route unwanted messages to a separate folder, often called a "bulk" folder, whose contents are routinely deleted by either the program or the owner of the account. Following the suggestions above for avoiding spam-type messages will go a long way toward ensuring your autoresponders don't get diverted to an early grave.

Here are more tips on beating spam filters and verification programs:

1. On your "Thank You" pages, remind your subscriber:

- His must check his email for a confirmation message from YOUR NAME (or your email adress) and must click on the activation link in order to receive YOUR OFFER.

- If he is using spam blockers such as SpamBully, SpamArrest, Earthlink, KnowSpam or FilterMy, and did not get your email: it may it has been blocked by his computer's or ISP's spam filters, or trapped in his spam (or bulk) folder.

- If he does not receive your welcome email, indicate him to check his trash or spam folders.

2. 4 steps to follow in sending strangh your messages in the mail box of your subscribers.

- Never begin your subject line with ADV: or include the word "advertisement".

- Never use the word "free" in the subject line-especially in all caps.

- In fact, never use the word FREE (in all caps) anywhere in the message. If possible, avoid using all caps altogether.

- From address: When you set up your web site and associated e- mail accounts, do not name any account sales@yourdomainname.com - this guarantees you an automatic trip to the bulk folder.

- Within the message: Never say "for free?(!)" or use the words "extra income" in the body of your message. Recently, many internet marketers attempting to bypass spam filters have begun breaking up the word "free" anywhere it appears in their sales copy: f-ree or fr.ee are the most commonly used methods.

3. Formatting your autoresponder messages

Every e-mail program is different, allowing different line lengths for their viewing windows. If your e-mail program allows 75 characters per line, it may look fine on your screen-but when you send it to someone whose program allows only 70 characters per line, those last five characters get moved to the next line and break up your message with those pesky > signs.

Another potential problem is the font you choose.

Fonts like Courier New are fixed-width: every character takes up the same amount of space. But fonts like Times New Roman and Arial have varying width according to the character.

Do not write your message in 16-point Impact Red or other "flashy" font styles and sizes.

This does not draw attention to your product. It draws attention to your inexperience. For the most part, keep your entire message in the same font and type size, (10-point size is best in nearly every case) and make sure each line is 60 to 65 characters long. When you reach the limit, use a hard return to start the next line rather than allowing your word processing program to wrap the text.

Use emphasis like color, bold and italics sparingly for effect.

4. Structure your messages and make sure you easily keep reading.

Do not stuff your messages with "cool" graphics, animated smileys, or a dreaded Flash presentation. This slows down load time considerably, and many people won't wait for your incredible pictures to appear on the screen. Tell them exactly how they'll benefit from it, and put substance in your send-outs. People want to know that you know what you're talking about!

5. Do not use chat language in the text of your message.

Even to people who know what LOL, IMHO, or IOW stand for.

this is not professional and does not score you any "friendly" points. And if your subscribers don't know what these abbreviations stand for, they will be quick to dismiss you as inept. In case you don't know yourself: LOL=laughing out loud or laughing on line; IMHO=in my humble opinion or oanother meaning.

6. Do remind people that:

1. they are receiving your message because they requested more information or a friend suggested they would like to receive the information and,

2. they can opt out of further messages using a link you have provided at the end of the message.

Keep your messages out of spam oblivion by adhering to these guidelines, and you will see your sales and response rates climb.