Archive for July, 2009

From Blog to Article

July 31, 2009 - 7:25 pm No Comments

As a writer, do you sometimes/often/always find yourself at a loss as to what to write next? No, I am not talking about topics or subjects you already have nailed down. Rather, the simple desire to get started with something, anything to break the brain logjam. It could be a personal project or something you want to develop to show to a potential client the stuff that you are made of. Whatever, I have been there myself and have found that some of my sources of inspiration have come from blogs. You got it…sites that have sparked my creative juices and allowed me to take a concept and bring it to fruition.

Typically, I come across a blog geared toward a particular topic &ndash let’s say aviation &ndash and find something within that blog that catches my attention. It may be a trend, company news, even simple speculation. Oftentimes, what I read becomes the inspiration for a fresh article so I take that idea, do some additional research, and create my own new work.

No, I don’t cut and paste someone else’s writings. Instead, their pithy work becomes the seed that I germinate to produce a unique and compelling article of my own. The key here is this: it is my own voice, not someone else’s work.

We all have our favorite blogs, you can be certain of that. Spend some time on those particular blogs and see what inspires you. Who knows, but a sentence or a paragraph you read may gel your brain into producing a 500-750 word article that you can include in your vast repository of interesting and relevant work.

Gosh, I think that I may be on to something!

From Blog to Article

July 31, 2009 - 12:56 pm No Comments

As a writer, do you sometimes/often/always find yourself at a loss as to what to write next? No, I am not talking about topics or subjects you already have nailed down. Rather, the simple desire to get started with something, anything to break the brain logjam. It could be a personal project or something you want to develop to show to a potential client the stuff that you are made of. Whatever, I have been there myself and have found that some of my sources of inspiration have come from blogs. You got it…sites that have sparked my creative juices and allowed me to take a concept and bring it to fruition.

Typically, I come across a blog geared toward a particular topic &ndash let’s say aviation &ndash and find something within that blog that catches my attention. It may be a trend, company news, even simple speculation. Oftentimes, what I read becomes the inspiration for a fresh article so I take that idea, do some additional research, and create my own new work.

No, I don’t cut and paste someone else’s writings. Instead, their pithy work becomes the seed that I germinate to produce a unique and compelling article of my own. The key here is this: it is my own voice, not someone else’s work.

We all have our favorite blogs, you can be certain of that. Spend some time on those particular blogs and see what inspires you. Who knows, but a sentence or a paragraph you read may gel your brain into producing a 500-750 word article that you can include in your vast repository of interesting and relevant work.

Gosh, I think that I may be on to something!

Get More Sales With These 5 Proven Headlines

July 30, 2009 - 2:13 pm No Comments

It’s important to realize that headlines work best when they appeal to your reader’s interests (not yours). And not only can they *grab attention*, they can also make your message easy to read, convey your main selling points, and lead your customer to a sale.

Over the years copywriting pros have used several headline formulas that always work well. Here are my fab five:

1. The Question: “Are You Worried About Your Financial Future?”

A question headline automatically gets your readers involved in your message, because they answer it in their minds. Many people will read further into your letter, ad, or Web site copy just to find out what answer or solution you provide. Again, make sure the question focuses on the reader’s interest, not yours. A bad example would be: “Do You Know What New Product We’ve Created This Year?” (No one cares but you!)

2. The How-to: “How to Get Thinner Thighs in 30 Days.”

How-to headlines work very well, because people love information that shows them how to do something. (Thousands of book titles begin with “How to….”) Think of the benefits your product/service offers and then try creating some “how to” headlines email newsletter.

3. The Testimonial: “Jane Smith’s Consulting Is Pure Magic — Our Sales Have Increased by 30%!”

Why not let your clients do the selling for you? Their commendations can go a long way in convincing others to use your services. Tip: To appear credible, always include your clients’ full names and the cities they live in.

4. The Command: “Boost Your Business Today!”

Turn your most important benefit into a commanding headline, such as “Make More Time for Your Family,” “Look Younger Instantly!” and “Get 7 New Clients This Month.” (By the way, throwing a number into your headline is another good tactic. And readers seem to like odd numbers as opposed to even.)

5. The News: “Introducing Our New ‘Rest-Assured’ Tax Service!”

Caution: This only works if you truly have something big to announce that is of interest to the reader. (Something that will make her life or business better.) Don’t try to make news out of something that’s not.

Once your readers know you have something they’re interested in, they’ll take the time to read your entire article, brochure, letter, ad, e-zine, or Web page. So put some TLC into creating headlines that entice!

Get More Sales With These 5 Proven Headlines

July 30, 2009 - 8:02 am No Comments

It’s important to realize that headlines work best when they appeal to your reader’s interests (not yours). And not only can they *grab attention*, they can also make your message easy to read, convey your main selling points, and lead your customer to a sale.

Over the years copywriting pros have used several headline formulas that always work well. Here are my fab five:

1. The Question: “Are You Worried About Your Financial Future?”

A question headline automatically gets your readers involved in your message, because they answer it in their minds. Many people will read further into your letter, ad, or Web site copy just to find out what answer or solution you provide. Again, make sure the question focuses on the reader’s interest, not yours. A bad example would be: “Do You Know What New Product We’ve Created This Year?” (No one cares but you!)

2. The How-to: “How to Get Thinner Thighs in 30 Days.”

How-to headlines work very well, because people love information that shows them how to do something. (Thousands of book titles begin with “How to….”) Think of the benefits your product/service offers and then try creating some “how to” headlines email newsletter.

3. The Testimonial: “Jane Smith’s Consulting Is Pure Magic — Our Sales Have Increased by 30%!”

Why not let your clients do the selling for you? Their commendations can go a long way in convincing others to use your services. Tip: To appear credible, always include your clients’ full names and the cities they live in.

4. The Command: “Boost Your Business Today!”

Turn your most important benefit into a commanding headline, such as “Make More Time for Your Family,” “Look Younger Instantly!” and “Get 7 New Clients This Month.” (By the way, throwing a number into your headline is another good tactic. And readers seem to like odd numbers as opposed to even.)

5. The News: “Introducing Our New ‘Rest-Assured’ Tax Service!”

Caution: This only works if you truly have something big to announce that is of interest to the reader. (Something that will make her life or business better.) Don’t try to make news out of something that’s not.

Once your readers know you have something they’re interested in, they’ll take the time to read your entire article, brochure, letter, ad, e-zine, or Web page. So put some TLC into creating headlines that entice!

Get paid for typing on your keyboard.

July 29, 2009 - 6:26 pm No Comments

Turn your keyboard into a money-making machine. Yes, you can now turn your keyboard into your personal Teller. How about getting paid for every word that you type, even if you type using just two fingers! You can achieve this with the help of a completely automated website where you register completely FREE! Sounds too good to be true?

Incredible as it may sound; Incomewords.com shares their profits with you, and all those who have contributed to this automated website. The great thing is that you DON’T have to:

• Buy or sell any product or services

• Buy any sophisticated software

• Read through any verbose marketing strategies

• Own any website

• Know anything about Internet marketing

• Alter your current on-line activities or programs

What you have to do is to write content. You are flexible to think of anything under the sun, a prose, a chat, a forum posting, a joke, a poetry, a travelogue or just a question that keeps cropping up in your mind &ndash simply type it and post it on the website. However, there is various point structure for every insertion that you make on the website. For example: 2 points for a joke, 1 point for posting an image, and so on.

Well, after you post the content on the automated website, a new web page gets created. Their system will then automatically optimize this page for major search engines. Once the page is properly indexed, the page written by you will bring in traffic and obviously, profit to the website. There is income plug-ins which is embedded in each page of this website, which keeps on changing to generate fresh profits. Incomewords.com generates profits from many sources, but to name a few: Google Adsense, Affiliate programs, keyword-based advertising, etc. Profits are then shared amongst those who have contributed to the website.

Incomewords.com distributes 50% of the profit generated by the website, amongst the members. The more number of points you have accumulated, the more money you could make. An additional 10% of the profit goes to the member who gathers maximum points in a month.

Once you register on Incomewords.com, this is what you get:

• Life time membership to a website that generates money for you.

• Free blog space to post whatever you wish to.

• Opportunity to earn more money through “Member gets Member” program.

• Chance to earn 10% extra of the profit by this website.

If making money for typing on your keyboard interests you, Visit .Incomewords.com

.incomewords.com

Get paid for typing on your keyboard.

July 29, 2009 - 12:16 pm No Comments

Turn your keyboard into a money-making machine. Yes, you can now turn your keyboard into your personal Teller. How about getting paid for every word that you type, even if you type using just two fingers! You can achieve this with the help of a completely automated website where you register completely FREE! Sounds too good to be true?

Incredible as it may sound; Incomewords.com shares their profits with you, and all those who have contributed to this automated website. The great thing is that you DON’T have to:

• Buy or sell any product or services

• Buy any sophisticated software

• Read through any verbose marketing strategies

• Own any website

• Know anything about Internet marketing

• Alter your current on-line activities or programs

What you have to do is to write content. You are flexible to think of anything under the sun, a prose, a chat, a forum posting, a joke, a poetry, a travelogue or just a question that keeps cropping up in your mind &ndash simply type it and post it on the website. However, there is various point structure for every insertion that you make on the website. For example: 2 points for a joke, 1 point for posting an image, and so on.

Well, after you post the content on the automated website, a new web page gets created. Their system will then automatically optimize this page for major search engines. Once the page is properly indexed, the page written by you will bring in traffic and obviously, profit to the website. There is income plug-ins which is embedded in each page of this website, which keeps on changing to generate fresh profits. Incomewords.com generates profits from many sources, but to name a few: Google Adsense, Affiliate programs, keyword-based advertising, etc. Profits are then shared amongst those who have contributed to the website.

Incomewords.com distributes 50% of the profit generated by the website, amongst the members. The more number of points you have accumulated, the more money you could make. An additional 10% of the profit goes to the member who gathers maximum points in a month.

Once you register on Incomewords.com, this is what you get:

• Life time membership to a website that generates money for you.

• Free blog space to post whatever you wish to.

• Opportunity to earn more money through “Member gets Member” program.

• Chance to earn 10% extra of the profit by this website.

If making money for typing on your keyboard interests you, Visit .Incomewords.com

.incomewords.com

Getting Syndicated

July 28, 2009 - 9:42 pm No Comments

Over the years I’ve spoken to a number of authors who say they aspire to write a syndicated column. Getting syndicated is a great idea, albeit a challenging one. If you’ve thought of this no doubt most (if not all) of your competition has too. But don’t let this discourage you; while syndication may take a while, it’s still worth pursuing.

There are a number of tried and true ways you can enter this market, there are also a few “back door” methods that might work equally as good. The first thing you’ll need to do however is get to know your competition. For this I recommend that you get a copy of The Editor & Publisher Annual Directory of Syndication. Sometimes you can get this in bookstores but I’d recommend just ordering it online at .editorandpublisher.com. Explore this book carefully and you’ll find that syndicated columns are listed by both the syndicated service that offers them as well as their topic. This will give you a good starting point in your research and since most newspapers now have on-line archives, you’ll be able to explore past articles and see how these topics differ from your own.

Once you’ve explored this, define for yourself how your topic/angle is different from the ones you found during your research. Then once you’ve defined this, you can start targeting papers or syndication services with your query letter and sample articles. This is the traditional way of entering this market. For most it can be long and tedious and you might find that without prior “clippings” to offer them, the process takes even longer. In that vein, I’d recommend that you try offering your column locally first or to one paper at a time but not in a “syndication deal” but as a filler; newspapers will be a lot quicker to take filler items than to explore syndication options with you. By offering them consistent filler content (and saving those valuable clippings) you’ll start to grow your level of experience, you’ll build a reputation with the editor or editorial staff and you’ll begin to get a sense of what does and doesn’t work with printed media. An associate of mine did this, not with a local paper but with a paper she’d been offering her articles to, and after about two years of consistent submission she may be in line to fill the shoes of their in-house syndicated columnist who is retiring.

Once you have built some exposure for yourself and gathered clippings of your work, then it’s time to start pitching your topic to syndicated services (some of them are listed below) or regional newspapers. For this you’ll need a great query letter establishing your credentials and explaining why your idea is different from the others they might be considering, you’ll need some sample articles (other than your clippings) and perhaps some letters of reference from some papers you’ve worked for. Submit this packet to newspapers or syndicated services that might be appropriate to your topic and then keep good records and do your follow-up just like you would if you were pitching the media on anything else. The same rules apply really, pitch and follow-up and stay on their radar screen.

So, at the end of the day when you find yourself successfully syndicated will you get paid for all your hard work &ndash absolutely! What you’ll get paid varies depending on how many papers feature you and whether you are working through a syndication service. Syndication services are great but they will typically take 40 to 50 percent of your sales. If you self-syndicate you get all the proceeds. While it’s great to do this, keep in mind that you’ll need to have good tracking systems in place once your column takes off.

As an already published author, syndication can be another great way to promote you and your book. Your book will lend you the credibility you need to get that column and from this ongoing printed exposure some lucrative publishing deals could follow suit. Syndication may not be an easy road but if tackled correctly, can be a great way to boost your promotion, expand your platform and get the kind of exposure you only ever dreamed of!

Major syndicates &ndash check online for their submission guidelines

Copley News Service

.copleynews.com

King Features

.kingfeatures.com

Universal Press Syndicate

.amuniversal.com/ups/index.htm

BONUS TIP: If you’re trying to follow the comings and goings of syndicated writers, Editor and Publisher (.editorandpublisher) is a great resource for that. Check out the “Departments” tab on their web site for the latest news on columns that might be coming available!

Getting Syndicated

July 28, 2009 - 5:06 pm No Comments

Over the years I’ve spoken to a number of authors who say they aspire to write a syndicated column. Getting syndicated is a great idea, albeit a challenging one. If you’ve thought of this no doubt most (if not all) of your competition has too. But don’t let this discourage you; while syndication may take a while, it’s still worth pursuing.

There are a number of tried and true ways you can enter this market, there are also a few “back door” methods that might work equally as good. The first thing you’ll need to do however is get to know your competition. For this I recommend that you get a copy of The Editor & Publisher Annual Directory of Syndication. Sometimes you can get this in bookstores but I’d recommend just ordering it online at .editorandpublisher.com. Explore this book carefully and you’ll find that syndicated columns are listed by both the syndicated service that offers them as well as their topic. This will give you a good starting point in your research and since most newspapers now have on-line archives, you’ll be able to explore past articles and see how these topics differ from your own.

Once you’ve explored this, define for yourself how your topic/angle is different from the ones you found during your research. Then once you’ve defined this, you can start targeting papers or syndication services with your query letter and sample articles. This is the traditional way of entering this market. For most it can be long and tedious and you might find that without prior “clippings” to offer them, the process takes even longer. In that vein, I’d recommend that you try offering your column locally first or to one paper at a time but not in a “syndication deal” but as a filler; newspapers will be a lot quicker to take filler items than to explore syndication options with you. By offering them consistent filler content (and saving those valuable clippings) you’ll start to grow your level of experience, you’ll build a reputation with the editor or editorial staff and you’ll begin to get a sense of what does and doesn’t work with printed media. An associate of mine did this, not with a local paper but with a paper she’d been offering her articles to, and after about two years of consistent submission she may be in line to fill the shoes of their in-house syndicated columnist who is retiring.

Once you have built some exposure for yourself and gathered clippings of your work, then it’s time to start pitching your topic to syndicated services (some of them are listed below) or regional newspapers. For this you’ll need a great query letter establishing your credentials and explaining why your idea is different from the others they might be considering, you’ll need some sample articles (other than your clippings) and perhaps some letters of reference from some papers you’ve worked for. Submit this packet to newspapers or syndicated services that might be appropriate to your topic and then keep good records and do your follow-up just like you would if you were pitching the media on anything else. The same rules apply really, pitch and follow-up and stay on their radar screen.

So, at the end of the day when you find yourself successfully syndicated will you get paid for all your hard work &ndash absolutely! What you’ll get paid varies depending on how many papers feature you and whether you are working through a syndication service. Syndication services are great but they will typically take 40 to 50 percent of your sales. If you self-syndicate you get all the proceeds. While it’s great to do this, keep in mind that you’ll need to have good tracking systems in place once your column takes off.

As an already published author, syndication can be another great way to promote you and your book. Your book will lend you the credibility you need to get that column and from this ongoing printed exposure some lucrative publishing deals could follow suit. Syndication may not be an easy road but if tackled correctly, can be a great way to boost your promotion, expand your platform and get the kind of exposure you only ever dreamed of!

Major syndicates &ndash check online for their submission guidelines

Copley News Service

.copleynews.com

King Features

.kingfeatures.com

Universal Press Syndicate

.amuniversal.com/ups/index.htm

BONUS TIP: If you’re trying to follow the comings and goings of syndicated writers, Editor and Publisher (.editorandpublisher) is a great resource for that. Check out the “Departments” tab on their web site for the latest news on columns that might be coming available!

Getting The Most From Your Article Submitter Software

July 27, 2009 - 5:42 pm No Comments

If you are serious about Ezine article writing you do need an article submitter. It is, in fact, an articles writers most important tool. The latest generation are faster, have more automatic features, and continually update their databases. Article writing has continued to increase in popularity because the once dreaded time consuming submittal chore has been made so easy. Some of the latest generation article submitters not only submit the articles, but actually provide software to help you write the article! This almost sounds too good to be true, but current reviews praise article creator software.

If you are reading this article you have made a choice on how to drive traffic to your website. There are three ways to get targeted traffic, buy it, borrow it, or create it. Without a doubt, Ezine article writing does drive targeted traffic to your site. Just as true is the fact that Ezine article writing takes more work than the other options.

Enter the article submitter software program. Without this valuable tool it would be physically impossible to submit the number of required articles to the hundreds of article submit sites for the needed exposure. You enter your article details into the software once, and then select the directories you would like to submit to. The software will automatically fill in all of the submission criteria saving you an incredible amount of time. Another time saver is the fact that most article submitters come with a database of article submit sites, that is continually updated for you. If you have ever tried to compile a list on your own, you know that the database alone is worth much more than the cost of the submitter program!

A word of caution here. Do not get involved in robot spam type submitter programs or companies that do this. This type of sloppy submittal is frowned upon, a nuisance to the submit sites, and can get you banned from the best article sites, and even the search engines. The article submit site provides a tremendous exposure for your article, and free. You owe it to them to be professional, login properly, submit your article to the correct category, and logout. A proper article submitter will do just that, saving you the tedious manual cut and paste time, and saving the site server time.

Let us look more closely at “Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being a successful Ezine article writer”. Your Ezine article has a short life span. Once published, it has 24 hours on the “most recent articles” page of a particular article submit directory. The directories main page is the only page scanned by the search engines, that increases your SEO. Sadly, the next day your article has been replaced by many newer articles on the same subject. After its moment of fame has passed it will still get read by the sites readers, and if good picked up by other directories and sources needing articles. Recently I wrote a travel article that was picked up by several major International tour companies and enjoyed a month of exposure as their featured article of the month. Some sites accept and publish your article within hours, others days, weeks, or even months. Actually this is good, as during the time you are submitting to several hundred sites, your article is “the most recent” on some site. However, at some point your article will become stale, and your website stats will show a drop-off in visitors. Have your next new article submitted well before this happens.

An article submitter is the most important tool an article writer can have. Why then, do article submitter programs draw the “penny wise pound foolish” crowd like a magnet. Some amusing examples for you. One submitter gives a 3 day free trial. Stories abound about the users who download the program and stay up day and night drinking coffee and making submittals for the 3 free days. Another good submitter program gives a free trial version with a database of 85 sites. The full version with hundreds of sites is reasonably priced, but most users just stick with the free version. I am not a gifted psychic, but I can guarantee you that none of these users are making any money from writing and publishing Ezine articles. How do I know that? Quite simple, “Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being a successful Ezine article writer”. Sure, not buying the article submitter program is a loss for the company, but a far worse loss for the writer by limiting their article exposure, the very thing that has the potential to make them money.

As you can see, the two things go hand in hand, many articles submitted to hundreds of submit sites. Do not cut corners with your article submitter program, it is the key to your success. And, be sure to look into the new article creator programs that speed up your article writing. To your success!

Getting The Most From Your Article Submitter Software

July 27, 2009 - 11:22 am No Comments

If you are serious about Ezine article writing you do need an article submitter. It is, in fact, an articles writers most important tool. The latest generation are faster, have more automatic features, and continually update their databases. Article writing has continued to increase in popularity because the once dreaded time consuming submittal chore has been made so easy. Some of the latest generation article submitters not only submit the articles, but actually provide software to help you write the article! This almost sounds too good to be true, but current reviews praise article creator software.

If you are reading this article you have made a choice on how to drive traffic to your website. There are three ways to get targeted traffic, buy it, borrow it, or create it. Without a doubt, Ezine article writing does drive targeted traffic to your site. Just as true is the fact that Ezine article writing takes more work than the other options.

Enter the article submitter software program. Without this valuable tool it would be physically impossible to submit the number of required articles to the hundreds of article submit sites for the needed exposure. You enter your article details into the software once, and then select the directories you would like to submit to. The software will automatically fill in all of the submission criteria saving you an incredible amount of time. Another time saver is the fact that most article submitters come with a database of article submit sites, that is continually updated for you. If you have ever tried to compile a list on your own, you know that the database alone is worth much more than the cost of the submitter program!

A word of caution here. Do not get involved in robot spam type submitter programs or companies that do this. This type of sloppy submittal is frowned upon, a nuisance to the submit sites, and can get you banned from the best article sites, and even the search engines. The article submit site provides a tremendous exposure for your article, and free. You owe it to them to be professional, login properly, submit your article to the correct category, and logout. A proper article submitter will do just that, saving you the tedious manual cut and paste time, and saving the site server time.

Let us look more closely at “Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being a successful Ezine article writer”. Your Ezine article has a short life span. Once published, it has 24 hours on the “most recent articles” page of a particular article submit directory. The directories main page is the only page scanned by the search engines, that increases your SEO. Sadly, the next day your article has been replaced by many newer articles on the same subject. After its moment of fame has passed it will still get read by the sites readers, and if good picked up by other directories and sources needing articles. Recently I wrote a travel article that was picked up by several major International tour companies and enjoyed a month of exposure as their featured article of the month. Some sites accept and publish your article within hours, others days, weeks, or even months. Actually this is good, as during the time you are submitting to several hundred sites, your article is “the most recent” on some site. However, at some point your article will become stale, and your website stats will show a drop-off in visitors. Have your next new article submitted well before this happens.

An article submitter is the most important tool an article writer can have. Why then, do article submitter programs draw the “penny wise pound foolish” crowd like a magnet. Some amusing examples for you. One submitter gives a 3 day free trial. Stories abound about the users who download the program and stay up day and night drinking coffee and making submittals for the 3 free days. Another good submitter program gives a free trial version with a database of 85 sites. The full version with hundreds of sites is reasonably priced, but most users just stick with the free version. I am not a gifted psychic, but I can guarantee you that none of these users are making any money from writing and publishing Ezine articles. How do I know that? Quite simple, “Quality articles quickly submitted to hundreds of submit sites is the key to being a successful Ezine article writer”. Sure, not buying the article submitter program is a loss for the company, but a far worse loss for the writer by limiting their article exposure, the very thing that has the potential to make them money.

As you can see, the two things go hand in hand, many articles submitted to hundreds of submit sites. Do not cut corners with your article submitter program, it is the key to your success. And, be sure to look into the new article creator programs that speed up your article writing. To your success!