Right now our e-newsletters are getting a facelift, so some questions for the masses: What would get you to open and read them? A behind-the-scenes look at GRM? Tech tips? Features on reader cars? Subscription deals? If something else, what?
Right now our e-newsletters are getting a facelift, so some questions for the masses: What would get you to open and read them? A behind-the-scenes look at GRM? Tech tips? Features on reader cars? Subscription deals? If something else, what?
Back to basics, cheap tools, build it yourself tips, new Grassroots products, and hints, ideas and tips from GRMers
Promises of a better sex life and some Nigerian oil money always gets me.
Wally wrote: Promises of a better sex life and some Nigerian oil money always gets me.
I take mine back, this is much better
Content not in the magazine, but better viewed in a digital format. So things like massive picture galleries (UTCC, Mitty, Challenge, etc), videos (reviews, JG puking, race reporting - USC, NASA, SCCA, etc), and e-commerce deals (buy our swag at the GRM shop and get free shipping and a taco!).
Ideas:
I read the Daily Stat from the Harvard business review religiously.
It is usually something I am interested in. It is one paragraph. It has a link to similar information and the ads are at the bottom instead of the side or top, so they are putting content first. There isn't a ton of information but enough.
That or similar to the Autoweek daily drive, but with limited ads.
To summarize: Direct to the point but must have information, link to the full topic article, only small ads on the side margins, no ads up top.
I open them (well, I admit I missed the last one...but I opened it just now 
)
I'll second aussiesmg's suggestions, and maybe more of them. I got 3 since the beginning of 2008.
aussiesmg wrote: Back to basics, cheap tools, build it yourself tips, new Grassroots products, and hints, ideas and tips from GRMers
This.....all the cheapskate stuff I want. Lots of DIY/Do-It-On-The-Cheap info.
Also, links to the webcams you're going to install in Andy Nelson, Jim Thwaite, and Nashco's garages. I want a live feed so I can watch them build stuff.
I think the ideas above are good stuff.
You guys do a lot. I'm sure a lot of documentation, informative or entertaining moments/photos/etc wind up not making it into the mag.
Real-world nuts and bolts are good stuff. How do you guys do the things you do? When you have a feature on welding, for example, I bet you wind up with some video of the involved staffer getting it wrong, talking to the expert, making adjustments, and getting it right (or at least better).
Seeing what wrong and better look like with info about what the issue was can be massively more helpful than the necessarily-brief article version of "make sure it's really, really, really clean. Oh, and that the shielding gas is on."
Of course, if your normal mode of working doesn't create some of this cutting-room-floor stuff, it'd be a huge workload to add it, and you can ignore me...
Should I have just quoted the "behind the scenes" part of the OP?
Wally wrote: sex ... money
Pretty much sums it up.
There's an e-newsletter?!
bgkast wrote: There's an e-newsletter?!
Yes there is: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/newsletter/
They mail once a month. Right now they're getting a bit of a redo.
Yeah, seems to be monthly.
I'll be honest, i just delete them as soon as i get them.
I'm not sure what it would take for me to open them. Tech tips sound fun.
David S. Wallens wrote: They mail once a month.
Something's wrong with my subscription then...can you confirm I'm signed up? My username at gmail.
And yes I made sure they're not going in my spam box.
1988RedT2 wrote:Wally wrote: sex ... moneyPretty much sums it up.
Flight Service could scrounge up some GGA content.....I kid 
JoeyM wrote:1988RedT2 wrote:Flight Service could scrounge up some GGA content.....I kidWally wrote: sex ... moneyPretty much sums it up.
It is free to hotlink 
GameboyRMH wrote:David S. Wallens wrote: They mail once a month.Something's wrong with my subscription then...can you confirm I'm signed up? My username at gmail. And yes I made sure they're not going in my spam box.
I'll have someone check on that.
Glad to see that the tech tip idea has some backers.
Reeducate my brain to not instantly delete spam, or spam-like things, or things that could even remotely be mistaken for spam.
Sorry. I'll not likely ever open one.
Javelin wrote: Content not in the magazine, but better viewed in a digital format.
THIS. I am not a big fan of reading static content on the computer, despite (or maybe because of) how much of that I do.
I read the magazine when I have some leisure time to spend doing so (in the can, before going to sleep, etc). It's just a more pleasant, relaxing, and organic experience for content that is not terribly time-sensitive
I come to the forums for the dialog and interaction, not for a fixed block of content like an article. The main exception would be for image-intensive content like event writeups or DIYs where there just isn't print space for all the pictures.
photo intensive, step-by-step DIYs. These type of things might be cost/space prohibitive in print, but are perfect online. Plus I'm a visual leaner
Swank Force One wrote: Yeah, seems to be monthly. I'll be honest, i just delete them as soon as i get them. I'm not sure what it would take for me to open them.
Yea, me too.
Not sure if this helps, but a while ago, our club was working on a new web page, and quite a few suggested going all digital, including the magazine. We never did that, since there were a lot of members who didn't do computers. Still read the magazine.
And later, a different club did change to electronic formats. And I don't read the newsletter all that much anymore.
Anyway, I'm sure that's no help. Outside of reading e-books in e-ink, I'm not all that inclined to want to read a lot of stuff on line.
I'm with Javelin. Lots of cars, car shows, pictures.
Maybe some Hero camera sequences on track or with pretty scenery. (Mt. Washington with the trees turning?)
Being E, you can be open to scenarios from e-readers as well without nearly the costs of the printed format.
Maybe a whole sequence on the '88 Fiero turbo project.
There is not a lot of value to e-things unless they contain things you can't handily put in print-things.
Also remember we often complain the younger drivers aren't interested. Maybe if we hit them on their own medium they'll start to realize driving can be fun even without texting!
Swank Force One wrote: Yeah, seems to be monthly. I'll be honest, i just delete them as soon as i get them. I'm not sure what it would take for me to open them. Tech tips sound fun.
just delete them as well.
I'm sorry... but there is just too MUCH %&%&&(&)((&) (or chose your own swearing rant) marketing.... not just you guys... but everywhere
Lots of pics you don't have space for in the magazine. Like more pics form the UTCC, I still badly want more info on the Monte Carlo/Circle track/March GTP replica monster. Or some more build info on some of the Challenge cars that won’t get inches in the mag. Not a link to a slow clunky slide show though. Embedded pics please.
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