Beyond newsletter inserts: nine ways to market your product line on a shoestring.

While newsletter inserts are highly effective, they're not the only game in town. Try some of these strategies for marketing your publications. They work especially well for publications in small or niche markets where few lists are available. Most are easy to implement and boost profit at minimal cost.

* Feedback forms. Include a "comment card" or form with every product shipment, asking not only for feedback about the product in question but also for new product suggestions. You'll be amazed at the innovative ideas you receive from customers.

* Reprints. Multi-part series can be especially valuable for reprint sales. Call experts and educators in the same field as your newsletter topic and offer free or reduced-rate reprints as handouts for their presentations, workshops, and seminars. Try to obtain attendee lists for use in follow-up mailings.

* Annual rankings, contests, industry reports, "person of the year" awards, and "best-of" lists. Annual rankings of various segments of your coverage area create interest in your publication and form the basis for news releases and potential media coverage. Sponsor contests for your subscribers, and compile responses into an annual report. If rankings apply to commercial products, bestow "all-star" or "editor's choice" awards on the winners. Design an award logo (featuring your publication's name, logo and tagline, of course) and encourage winners to use it in their advertising materials. Offer reprints and sample issues to winners to distribute to their customers and business associates.

* Free e-mail newsletters. Distribute a monthly list of web sites you select for "editor's choice" or "best-of" awards, along with short promos for your own products. So long as you include information of value, most recipients will not view your electronic newsletter as spam.

* Stealth marketing When attending meetings, conventions, and conferences related to your newsletter's topic, provide sample issues (or mini-samples, promo fliers, mini-catalogs) for distribution to participants.

Place stacks of samples in strategic locations, such as registration and refreshment areas, rest rooms, conference tables, and vendor booths.

If you're unable to have the conference sponsor insert samples or fliers in all participant packets, arrange with the front desk or the bell captain to place copies in participants' hotel rooms.

Award promotion. When your publication wins an industry award, create a special award logo and apply liberally to your editorial and marketing materials. Send announcements and press releases to local and national media. Include a "thanks- we owe it all to you" insert for subscribers of the publication receiving the award.

* Classic public relations. If you are an expert in your newsletter's subject area, call reporters and editors and offer your insights on relevant issues of current interest. Put "digest" type of publications on your comp list, and write thank--you notes to editors whenever an excerpt from your newsletter appears.

* Memberships. Convert subscribers into members by offering discounts and benefits for an annual membership fee. Benefit possibilities include: discounts, merchandise certificates, free or reduced-fee consulting, free fax and e-mail alerts, special members-only reports and surveys, continuing education credit, unlimited access to a back-issue database on the web.

* Subscriber referral programs. Existing subscribers are often the best--and most economical--source of new subscribers.

Periodically insert subscriber-get-a-subscriber forms with your issues. Offer a reward (e.g., free issues, special reports, etc.) for every new paid subscriber referred.

Betsy Morris, a direct mail copywriter and marketing consultant, works with a wide variety of business, professional and consumer publishers. In addition to creating successful direct mail promotions, she also works with publishers to improve renewal rates, create new products and develop strategies.