Mary Ellen Tribby,  co-author of Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business, is a sought after business consultant.  She got her start in Forbes’ publishing business.  Later, as President of Weiss Research, the company grew from $11M to $67M in 12 months and also took Early to Rise, a division of Agora, from negative to $26M, with 30% profit margins using a digital publishing concept based on traditional magazine publishing.

Her “inbox magazine” concept  is based on making money though other people’s work (OPW).  Magazine publishers operate according the the following “rules:”

• They don’t create content.  They find smart people who love to write.
• They don’t get readers.  They get new readers for little or nothing.
• They don’t create offers.  They send rich content to their readers, including affiliate offers, license deals, etc.
• They just make money (and lots of it).

Times have changed since the days of needing a printing plant and large staffs.  Now in about 2-4 hours of effort, a sole entrepreneur can publish content on a weekly basis.   Mary Ellen initially discovered this model to create WorkingMomsOnly.com, an “inbox magazine” with a larger subscriber base after 6 months than Working Mother Magazine, which had been in existence 30 years.

Trust is a Must

How does it work?  The following steps can be used:

1. Create content using a panel of experts, who give you free content.  You can “ride” their brand since you are maintaining top billing for yourself in the magazine. 
2. Get subscribers using a website (WordPress is highly recommended).  According to usability studies, your sign-up capture box, should be on the upper right corner of your website.  Archived copies should be posted for SEO value.  A squeeze page is also a good idea, if you have time.  Or, check for inexpensive content on websites such as MasterResellRights.com vs. “reinventing the wheel.”  Tap into social media following and sponsor teleseminars and webinars to build your subscriber base.  Your expert panel can share their content for your subscriber base.  Websites such as nextmark.com can be used to rent a mailing list in your niche (note: Mary Ellen never pays rate card list price).
3. Establish your “clicks to cash.”  Mary Ellen’s rules are to only do things that are good for your business and readers.  She carefully checks out every offer before “recommending” it.  Her commission “deal” on sales is 75%, since she isn’t asking for any reciprocation, e.g. mailing for them.  Panelists should be selected carefully, first checking out their products to see if you are comfortable recommending them.  Trust is a must.  Many additional sources of revenue will naturally follow including list rental, public speaking, book sales, and high dollar consulting.

Mary Ellen’s business model is very simple and inexpensive to start (less than $100).  According to Internet guru, Ryan Deiss, it is the most scalable and sellable model on the planet.  Mary Ellen and Ryan have teamed up in “Inbox Empire,” a 6-part webinar training program, to train others with a passion in life in launching their own “inbox magazine” from scratch.

Related articles

• Publishers Weigh Ways to Fight Ad Blocking | Media – Advertising Age
• High Court Orders ISPs To Block Pirate Ebook Sites
• Want to be a freelance writer?
• How To Start Freelance Writing