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Teleseminars -- presentations via telephone -- are the fastest way to build your ezine list as you share knowledge with those in your target audience.

Before we jump into the "how", let's discuss the different types of teleseminars and why each is a valuable service you can offer.

1. Free teleseminars.

Free teleseminars allow you to quickly grow your database/mailing list as you provide information to an interested audience. They can come, listen a while and leave with the feeling that you have given them an informational nugget they didn't have before. In another version of the no cost teleseminar, you can be an expert on a colleague's teleseminar in order to gain added visibility with a crowd that may be interested in your products and services.

2. Paid teleseminars.

Paid teleseminars offer all the same advantages as free ones with the added benefit of making you money! In order to charge for a teleseminar, you want to be sure you are offering valuable information so your audience leaves feeling good about you and about the call.

You can expand the paid teleseminar into more than a single call by offering a "teleseminar bootcamp" or workshop like I'm doing in my 5-week Jumpstart My Ezine telecourse.

Setting up and running a teleseminar is simpler than you may think. You need only four things to get up and running:

1. Shopping cart

In order to automatically accept reservations from those who wish to join your call AND automatically send them out the call-in information (and reminders), you need a shopping cart or autoresponder service. I prefer a shopping cart for this as the payment function is built in if you decide to offer paid teleseminars. I highly recommend Kickstart Cart (www.kickstartcart.com; a brand of 1ShoppingCart) for this purpose as it also allows you to easily track links so you know which ads are working the best.

2. Bridge/Conference Line

Now that you can accept sign-ups, you need a place to have your call. FreeConferenceCall.com is great for calls up to 96 people. It doesn't cost a dime and allows you to mute the entire line while you're in presentation mode (this comes in handy if you are recording).

For calls where you anticipate a large number of people OR if you want a live operator to assist during the Q&A period, I recommend Black & White Communications (www.blackandwhite.com) -- they're not free, but there are times when the added expense is worth it.

3. A way to record

First, I recommend that you get a good phone (not your cell and preferably not your cordless) for your teleseminars. I use and love Audio Acrobat (www.audioacrobat.com) for all my recording needs -- for only $19.95/month, you can easily record all your teleseminars, podcasts and interviews and offer them as either giveaways or CDs for sale. They even offer free step-by-step training via teleseminar a couple times a week.

4. An audience

It's great to have all the technology down pat, but you still need an audience to present to. You should promote your teleseminar on your website and via your ezine (No ezine? Send out an announcement to your list!). Have a few weeks before your call? Send a postcard. You can also submit announcements to other websites and newsletters where your target audience hangs out.

With the steps and resources above, you're officially out of excuses and I'm waiting to hear about your next call!