So you've got an online business and you've been told that to make the big money you need a list. A list of hungry and passionate buyers that ravage your offer when you send it out.

But you've probably found out that it's not as simple as you first thought to create that list of buyers. First there is the squeeze page where you get people to opt in to your list. That page has to be finally tuned to ensure people are bribed and satisfied that you are not about to send them a whole lot of spam.

Then there is the double opt in part where you lose people because they don't remember opting in to your list. And then the email messages in your autoresponder need to be mini sales letters mixed with great content to keep your list subscribed. Oh, and then you want to send the messages at the right time intervals so your subscribers don't forget who you are, or worse, get upset because you are emailing them too often.

It's a finally tuned science to get it right and sometimes requires a lot of testing and measuring to get right. It all takes time but is well worth it in the end.

Here are 3 absolutely essential rules to set you off on the right path:

Rule No.1 - Always wrap your lines at 65 characters or less

Remember most people get a lot of email every day. So eye fatigue becomes an issue. The last thing your readers want to be doing is reading the text from one side of the screen to the other. No matter how good your content is, if it is fatiguing to read, they will read a few lines and then hit the dreaded delete.

Short lines of 65 characters are much easier to read.

I bet you're asking the question "So how do I measure 65 characters?"

Easy, just type 65 asterisks or dashes across the top and then measure your text returns against this. Outlook Express, NoteTab and other software programs allow you to set the line wrap to any character width you require. That means not having to hit enter when you think you need to.

Another issue to consider is that some email programs force line wrapping at 60 to 65 characters on emails received. So if you send an email wrapped at 100 characters your reader will receive an email that looks chopped up. This makes it look unprofessional.

Rule No. 2 - Never use ALL CAPS

Using all caps is bad email etiquette. All caps in an email is like a blaring ad on the TV or someone shouting at you. Nobody likes to be shouted at and if you are trying to sell at the same time, well let's say that you won't make any sales.

Too much hype, too many caps, too many exclamation points, underlining and bolding can give a desperate image. Consider what email messages you have read from start to finish. How were they formatted?

Some caps, underlining and bolding is required but DON'T overdo it!

Remember what makes you buy. Usually it's from a source that you trust. An email all in caps would destroy this credibility very quickly.

Rule No.3 - Watch your spelling and grammar

How many times have you seen a website, sales page or email with spelling mistakes? What does it say in your mind about the professionalism of the owner?

This is much worse when someone is trying to sell you something and the message has a spelling mistake or the grammar is not quite right. Some people may over look the mistakes, but for some people one spelling mistake will completely destroy the credibility of the message.

It is incredibly important to at least spell check your messages before sending them. Get someone else to proof read your message. Take the time to get it absolutely right. Your messages are a reflection of your product and you are trying to build a reputation and credibility.

3 simple rules but incredibly important.