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Charlie’s Choice
Weekly Tips to Help You Write,
Publish & Promote Your Work
USING THE WEB TO DISTRIBUTE YOUR ARTICLES
AND PROMOTE YOUR BOOK TO THOUSANDS
Writing and distributing your articles on the World Wide Web is one of the great bargain opportunities of modern day promotion. At little or no cost, you are able to send your thoughts—and even more important—a bio box with information about you and your book to thousands of web sites, blogs and individuals around the globe.
The bio allows you to add a strong sales pitch to the straight-forward article that you write. You can use the content of the box to advance your reputation, that is to brand yourself as we have discussed in other columns. Or you may use it to promote sales of your work. Of course, you can also combine both in a single bio box.
You will be overwhelmed at the response you receive if your article is thoughtful, well written and informative. Surfers seeking information on the subject you write about will reach out to you to buy your book if they are impressed by the quality of your article, so it is important to take pains to produce an impressive article. It serves as your calling card, inviting readers to participate with you in other ways, on your web site, buying your books, joining your mailing list, etc. While the subject matter of the article does not have to be the same as that of your book, it certainly is more effective and will produce stronger results if they do match.
Targeting Your Niche
There are a number of ways to circulate your writing on the Internet with varying results. If yours is a distinct niche subject, widespread dissemination really is a waste of time and effort. You would be far better off targeting precisely those sites and blogs that deal with your topic. Since the number will be far more limited, you should research the most effective targets and send out your articles specifically to them yourself, not through a distributor.
Begin your research by reviewing the web sites that appear on the first two pages of your favorite search engine when you enter the various keywords that are applicable to your subject. For example, if I were seeking the top sites for my subject, writing in retirement, I would enter “retirement,” “retired,” “retiree,” “writing,” “publishing,” “writing a book,” “writing in retirement,” “learning to write,” and similar appropriate words and phrases.
Open up each listing and study the site to see whether it correlates to your subject. It very well may not. When I enter “retirement,” I find a broad array of sites, many of which deal with completely disparate issues like financial investing for retirement.
Prepare several articles so that you don’t send the same one to each of the targets you have selected. Write a cover message offering free use of the article and explaining why you think it will be of benefit to your target’s readers. Invite your target to link to your web site to provide additional information for its readers and offer to send future articles if they would like to have them.
Article Directories
If you feel that your article has a broader appeal, consider sending it out into that vast cyber universe of millions of readers and sites. This can be done inexpensively and expeditiously thanks to the development of article directories and consolidators.
These companies review your piece. If it meets their standards (and some have few if any requirements), they will categorize the article by subject and post it on their own site. It will then be sent off to literally thousands of other locations throughout the world. Understand that many of these potential recipients may be of no value to you, but because the article has been placed in a specific category, most who make the effort to open it will find it of interest.
The directories generally charge little or nothing for this service. And the articles are given free to users. You benefit, of course, from the vast exposure you receive. The directory makes its money principally from advertising on its site.
The key to success in article distribution is writing quality pieces that will attract readers. While these articles can give your listing on the search engines a powerful boost, it is important to think in terms of writing for your audience, not for purposes of search engine optimization. SEO will follow if you have written well and if your work appears on sites around the world.
The normal procedure to become a participant is quite simple. Click “article directories” on your favorite search engine. Select the directories you want to work with and enter their sites. There you will find information on registration, as well as the specific requirements of each directory and the procedures you must follow to participate.
One of the most popular and most effective directories is www.ezinearticles.com. Christopher M. Knight operates the site with his large and capable staff as a helpful and welcoming environment. Writers are given regular tips and encouragement. There is no charge for participation. Once you have established yourself, you may be elevated to “Platinum” level and can submit as many articles as you wish. All articles are reviewed and edited before publication.
Among the directories that require a fee, my usually choice is www.isnare.com. The fee is minimal. It ranges from a high of $2 per article down to 83 cents depending on the quantity you submit. You purchase credits in bulk. Five credits will cost you $10 as an example. You then draw against your credits as you submit. It is a well respected directory and has proved quite effective for me.
The Bio Box
Take great care as you create your bio box. It is this element of the article that will bring readers to your web site or your landing page if you are selling books. Your copy should be a simple, direct sales pitch. You have the option of simply stating your credentials. Or you can use the contents to pitch for book sales, coaching or other income generators. Bio boxes vary greatly in their approach. Some are very straight forward giving only contact info. Others attempt to sell. The most important advice I can give you is don’t be shy about promoting yourself or your products, but keep your content believable. Be factual. Don’t over praise yourself or your work, don’t make unrealistic promises and don’t oversell.
Distributing articles that you write is considered by most experts to be the best way to build recognition for you as an expert author and attract visitors to your web site and buyers to your books. Done well, article distribution will enhance your position on the search engines and create incoming links to your site from blogs and other web sites, introducing many new surfers to you and your work.
Be consistent. Try and place several articles every month. Better yet, set a schedule for at least one a week. They are generally short and relatively easy to write since they deal with the subject matter in which you specialize. Average length of an article is 800 words. You can write fewer or more, but directories generally prefer you stay above 500 and below 1,200 words.
Next week we’ll turn our attention to the blogosphere. Like article distribution, blogs can generate great interest and make the world aware of you, your expertise and your work. They have grown exponentially and that growth seems still to continue with no end in sight. As a writer, you should produce a blog, and we’ll show you how to do it in next week’s column. See you then
Keep Writing!
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