You have probably heard that writing articles is one of the best
methods that you can use to promote your online business. You
might resist the idea of writing your own articles, because you
don't think you are any good at it, or perhaps you might think
that it is too hard to find a topic to write about.
Well, in this article, I hope to share with you some tips on
how to become a successful online writer --- even if you don't
believe that writing is a task that you are prepared to tackle.
Now, let me share some information about me that few people
realize...
I do not consider myself to be an expert on the subject of
writing. And honestly, my English is not very good at all.
It is really hard to tell, isn't it? Keep reading.
You see, I am from Norway. And as you might imagine, I speak
Norwegian fluently. For me, English is my Second language ---
not my first.
Despite my limited English skills, my articles consistently get
reprinted on lots of websites and in lots of newsletters. I have
even been published in ezines that have hundreds of thousands of
subscribers! And, my latest article has only been in circulation
for one week, and it already shows 220 results in Google.
I cannot think of another way of getting that many one-way links
to my site so quickly and so easily.
How to Find Topics for Your Articles -
The first thing that you will want to do is to look at your
website and ask yourself some very important questions.
What is the theme of your website?
What product or service do you sell?
Do you have a forum on your site? If you are stressing for an
idea about what you can write, then use one of your forum
postings. (I do this all the time. Sometimes, I can take my
response directly from my forum, and I send my answer out as
a stand-alone article to the various article directories.)
Do you find yourself answering the same questions over and again
for people who are interested in your products or services? If
so, sit down and construct your answer in such a way that it can
be used additionally as an article to promote your website. Send
your answer to the person who asked the question, and then
release your answer as an article. I have spoken to many writers
who have told me that this is how they got their own start
writing articles.
These are only a few ways to develop the topic of an article you
might write. You should always try to write about a topic that
interests you, and that you think can benefit others to read.
Don't hold yourself back with the excuse that you are not an
expert in the field that you are writing about.
Everyone on the planet has something to contribute to others.
There are things that I might know that you don't know, and I can
share that information with you. And, believe it or not, there
are things that you will know that thousands of other people
including myself have no knowledge about. There will always be
something that you can teach to me and others.
Finding the Time to Write -
You may think it takes a lot of time to write, and that you're
not able to add this task to your already tight schedule. But, if
you would only set aside half an hour every day to write, you'll
soon have a couple of articles finished every week.
The Tools I Use When Writing -
Most text editors will have the features you need to write your
articles. Writers use a wide range of software applications to
help them with their writing tasks. Some of the applications that
people use include:
* NotePad - Preloaded as a part of Microsoft Windows
* UltraEdit32 - http://www.ultraedit.com/
* Sun Office - http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/
* Microsoft Word/Office - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/
Personally, I use Notetab Light which is a free text and HTML
editor. You can download this editor at: http://www.notetab.com/
Beyond your basic text editor, it is nice to have some kind of
spelling tool to double-check your work. I strongly recommend
that you do not rely too much on the software spelling tools
alone. While good, these spelling tools seldom do a good job
fixing even basic grammar problems. These spelling tools also
miss words that are spelled right, but used incorrectly in the
context of the sentence. Examples include: their and there, and
week and weak.
When you consider the damage that a poorly written article can do
to your reputation and your ability to sell goods and services
from your website, it begins to make a lot of economic sense to
have someone proofread your article before you release it to the
public. The fees that you will be asked to pay for proofreading
services will more than pay for themselves by presenting a
stronger, more professional image for your website and business.
One place you can go to get good quality, proofreading services
is: http://www.ideamarketers.com/services/proof.cfm
Or, if you plan to have your article distributed, and you would
like to get it proofread at the same time, you can visit:
http://thephantomwriters.com/x.pl/tpw/index.html
Places To Submit Your Article -
I will only list 5 websites here, where you can submit your
articles:
- http://EzineArticles.com/
- http://ideamarketers.com/
- http://goarticles.com/
- http://contentdesk.com/
- http://submityourarticle.com/
If you would like to find a longer list of websites, where
you can submit your articles, you can visit my forum at:
http://everypleasures.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17
It is my hope that having finished reading my article, you will
decide for yourself to write at least one article for the purpose
of promoting your own website. I hope I have given you the
confidence to try this promotional method for yourself.
I honestly believe, if you would use this method just once, you
will see positive results. If you use this method twice, you will
see more good results. And if you are like me, and you write five
or six articles to promote your online business, you will be sold
on the value of using articles as a promotional tool.
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