Submitting well planned articles on-line will increase traffic and can even launch your career when handled right. They'll drive traffic from all over the net and show an excellent return on your time invested.
Write Your Article Like You're Writing to a Friend
Even though it may be seen by thousands, each copy gets read by one person at a time. Your readers are more open if you're speaking directly to them instead of down at them. Replace big words with simple words. I've heard that writing at an eighth grade level will increase comprehension.
Write a Killer Headline
An amazing article can end up going nowhere because the headline sucked a lemon and nobody read it. Any marketer who knows their stuff will tell you the headline is 80% - 90% of the reason you're even considered. Write a great article of course, but spend lots of time on your headline.
Pick a Topic You Know Well
Assuming you've done your research and found a niche you like that's profitable, you can become an expert in that field because you'll stay with it. If the research is a chore it's easy to lose interest.
Educate But Don't Sell
Articles are thought of as nuggets of information that educate. If your article breaks that unwritten rule and is actually an advertisement in disguise, it'll never see the light of another monitor. A well written article is a subtle but powerful way to motivate someone. Advertising builds barriers, where news is accepted with an open mind.
Write Quality not Quantity
There's no room for fluff in a good article. When reading the posting guidelines, check the restrictions for article length. Stay within the word count or you'll get trashed. It's usually 500 - 600 words. Save your full length version for sites that'll accept it.
Include a Resource Box With Your "Call to Action" Link
Either at the bottom or the top of your article you'll want to include your name, describe what you do, a sign-up email if you're building a newsletter, your website link, a short call to action, whatever's appropriate.
Submit Articles Consistently
Writing and submitting articles consistently will assure growing returns. Some sites will accept your work others won't, so don't get discouraged. Make a schedule, stick to your deadlines and "Just do it"
Read The Posting Guidelines at Each Site
When posting your article follow the guidelines. Don't forget, behind every website and ezine a real person decides the fate of your article. You're asking for exposure to their data base, so take your time and be nice.
Don't Forget The Spell Check
There's nothing worse for a busy web master than wading through spelling errors. Do a spell check, print it off and read it out loud to catch grammatical errors.
Use a Tracking System
With proper tracking you'll see what worked and what didn't. It'll show where to spend more time and drop what's not working. Monitored tracking will increase your return on investment, both for time and money.
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