How To Advertise On Usenet

On the subject of advertising on Usenet, it's tempting to offer only one piece of advice:  Don't do it.  Certainly, that's the advice the Usenet community would prefer to give, and with good reason.  Usenet began as an information network linking scientists, programmers and academics – serious people who did not want their network hijacked by commerce, and that spirit lives on in Usenet today.

But that advice is useless for a couple of reasons.  First, like it or not, advertising is now a part of Usenet.  Second, there are ways to use Usenet to reach consumers effectively, economically, and most of all, responsibly.

Usenet is not the perfect advertising medium, however.  It's strictly text-only; while some newsreaders support HTML, others don't, so you'll be taking a big risk by using it.  Most newsgroups have a global reach, so some readers may live far outside the area you service.  And the widespread abuse of newsgroups by advertisers has generated more resentment and resistance to advertising than ever before.

So be warned:  Usenet newsgroups are essentially like ongoing conversations, and your advertisement will be an interruption.  If you are clumsy or rude about this, your ad may generate resentment instead of sales.

What To Do    

Most important of all, choose the proper newsgroups for your message, and post your ad only in these groups.  Just as you would advertise only in the right magazines that reached your target audience, choose newsgroups devoted to topics that fit your product or service.

For example, if you're launching a new site for skateboarders, post an announcement in alt.skate-board.  That's the newsgroup most closely related to your service.  Don't post your announcement to newsgroups that are "kinda, sorta" related to skateboarding, like alt.fan.blink-182.  That group may have a lot of skateboarders reading it, but that's not what that newsgroup is about.  Your message would be considered "off-topic" there, and nothing annoys Usenet readers more than off-topic posts.

How can you tell if a newsgroup is right for your message?  Spend some time reading messages in the group to see what kinds of topics are common.  Also, look for a FAQ document for the group, which will often state the newsgroup's purpose and range of topics.  A good place to look for FAQs is www.faqs.org.

Some newsgroups are especially intended for advertising.  You can spot them by the words "forsale" or "marketplace" in their names, as in la.forsale or rec.autos.marketplace.  If you find a group like this devoted to your topic, post your ads only in these groups.  It's common practice to begin your subject line with "FS" if the item is for sale, and "FA" if you're selling the item on a web auction site, like eBay.

Once you know where you're going to post your message, you'll need to write the message itself.  Usenet is an information medium, not an entertainment medium, so the tone of your message should be informative, and free from the catchy slogans and aggressive sales language you might use in other media.  The best approach is to state what your product or service is in simple, straightforward terms, and provide your address, phone number, e-mail address or web site link so that interested parties can contact you.

Write a subject line that clearly states what your message is about, such as "New Website For Skateboarders."  Avoid non-informative lines like "Dude! You Gotta See This!"  Consider preceding the subject line with "ADV:" to let people know that the message contains advertising.  You may lose a few readers that way, but you'll earn less resentment among the readers overall.

If you're an expert on a topic, consider becoming a regular contributor to the newsgroup devoted to that topic.  Every time you answer someone's question, you can include your business name and contact information in your signature, putting it in front of people who might otherwise avoid your advertising.  As long as you're making a positive contribution to the group, readers won't mind that you're putting in a plug for yourself as well.

What NOT To Do

Don't post the same advertisement more than once.  Most newsgroups have a regular group of readers, and once they've all seen your ad, posting it again will only annoy them.  If you have something new to say, then write a new ad and post it, but don't post essentially the same ad week after week "just to keep the name out there."

Don't spam.  Spamming is the indiscriminate posting of the same message to multiple newsgroups, whether they fit the ad's topic or not.  Spamming wastes peoples' time and eats up resources on networks that are already struggling to keep up with Usenet's ever-growing message volume.  And it's not even very effective; often, your ad will be blocked by software designed to filter out spam.  In extreme cases, your message may be canceled (deleted) by network administrators trying to prevent a waste of resources.

Don't expect miracles.  At best, Usenet can play a small supporting role in your overall business plan.  If you have a web site, Usenet can help you drive a little extra traffic its way.  If you sell items on eBay, Usenet may be able to rustle up an extra bidder or two (which could be all you need to get a better closing price).  Keep your expectations reasonable, your messages short and to the point, and above all, respect the Usenet community, and Usenet advertising can work for you, too.