Writing an article doesn't just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. You have to capture the interest of your readers and get them to keep on reading. To send your message across you have to get the attention of the reader and have a firm grasp of their interest and pique their curiosity.
The main ingredient in baking up an article is a large dose of creativity. While creativity may come natural to many people, some just get into a block or something to that effect that can drive someone crazy. Many writers have literally torn their hair out when they get writers block and just can’t seem to get their creative juices flowing.
Putting words into images in the readers mind is an art. A clear and crisp depiction requires a certain flair that only creativity can provide. Similes and metaphors help a lot, but the way an article gets entwined word for word, sentence by sentence then paragraph by paragraph into a whole article develops the essence of the article.
So just what do you have to do when nothing comes to mind? There is no surefire ways to get the perfect ideas but there are easy ways to get your creative juices flowing. No one can guarantee you of having the perfect mindset but many methods may aid you in achieving that state of mind. Here are five easy ways for that.
1) Keep a diary or a journal with you always. Ideas can be triggered by anything you may hear, see, or smell. Your senses are your radar in finding great ideas. Write all of them into a journal and keep it with you for future reference. You may also write down anything that you have read or heard, someone’s ideas could be used to develop your own ideas and this is not stealing. Remember that ideas and creativity can come from anywhere; it’s the development of the idea that makes it unique.
2) Relax and take time to sort things out. A jumbled mind cannot create any space for new ideas. Everyone must have a clear mind if one wishes to have their creativity in full speed. Get rid of all obstacles that can be a hindrance to your creativity. If you are bothered by something, you cannot force your mind to stay focused.
Try to relax every time that you can and think about your experiences and interactions with others. Your experiences are what shape your mindset and your opinions which could be reflected on your writings. Try to discover yourself, find out what triggers your emotions. Discover what inspires you and what ticks you off. You can use these emotions to help you in expressing yourself and your ideas, with this you can grow creatively.
3) Create a working place that can inspire your creativeness. Your working place can be quite a hindrance if it doesn’t make you feel happy or relaxed. Creativity comes from being in a good state of mind and a messed up workplace that causes distraction won’t be conducive in firing up your creative flow.
Surround your working place with objects that makes you happy and relaxed. You may put up pictures, or scents, objects that inspire, or anything that can get your creativeness cranking. A clean and well organized workplace also rids of distractions and unwanted hindrances. With a good working place, you can work in peace and never notice the time pass by.
4) Set the mood. Setting the mood requires you to just go with the moment or to induce your self to feeling what makes your mind works best. Finding out what makes you tick could help you find ways to get your creative juices flowing. Set the pace and tempo for your mood and everything else will follow.
There are many ways to set the mood. Some writers have been known to use alcohol, a little sip of wine to stir up the imagination. Some would like some mood music while others let the lighting of the environment create the mood.
5) Go on a getaway and just do something unlike crazy. Letting yourself go and have fun produces adrenaline that can make your imagination go wild. Take an adventure or a solemn hike. Whatever it is that is unusual from your daily routine can take the rut out of your schedule. In no time at all, your creativeness will make use of that experience and get your imagination to go on overdrive.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Writing Articles... An Enjoyable Pastime
For those looking for a fun and rewarding hobby, or for those looking to increase traffic to their websites, writing articles can be a fun and rewarding experience.
If you have knowledge of the subject you plan to write about then you may be able to write an entire article without utilizing any other references.
If you do not possess that in-depth knowledge of the subject then Google is your friend.
You don't need a Masters degree in the particular subject you are writing about; just a general knowledge of the subject matter and some time spent researching the topic.
Spend some time on the internet doing research, just be careful not to steal anyone else's work and call it your own.
Writing articles gives you a sense of accomplishment. Seeing your article in print or published to so many websites gives you a sense of satisfaction of having accomplished something useful, which others may find informative as well.
Also, for creating traffic and exposure to your website, writing articles is a very effective means of promotion.
For example, if you have a website about dogs, then write an article related to that subject. The article should contain useful information, or you can write about some of your own personal experiences.
Then just add your site links in the body of the article, or in the Authors resource box.
Whatever you decide to write about just be sure to do a little research and write something that will be interesting and informative for the reader.
You will then be seen as somewhat of an expert in the subject matter, even if you may not necessarily be.
After you have written your article then you will want to submit it to your favorite article sites or blogs. You may submit the article to as many sources as you are inclined to.
For maximum exposure the article may also be submitted to many social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Technorati, and many others.
You may also utilize the services of a publishing agent if you decide to try and get the article in print.
If you are writing the article purely for fun then you may only wish to submit it to a few places. On the other hand if you are using this article as a method for creating traffic for your website, then you will want to submit it to as many sources as possible.
Whatever your motives are, writing articles can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Written by Russ H
If you have knowledge of the subject you plan to write about then you may be able to write an entire article without utilizing any other references.
If you do not possess that in-depth knowledge of the subject then Google is your friend.
You don't need a Masters degree in the particular subject you are writing about; just a general knowledge of the subject matter and some time spent researching the topic.
Spend some time on the internet doing research, just be careful not to steal anyone else's work and call it your own.
Writing articles gives you a sense of accomplishment. Seeing your article in print or published to so many websites gives you a sense of satisfaction of having accomplished something useful, which others may find informative as well.
Also, for creating traffic and exposure to your website, writing articles is a very effective means of promotion.
For example, if you have a website about dogs, then write an article related to that subject. The article should contain useful information, or you can write about some of your own personal experiences.
Then just add your site links in the body of the article, or in the Authors resource box.
Whatever you decide to write about just be sure to do a little research and write something that will be interesting and informative for the reader.
You will then be seen as somewhat of an expert in the subject matter, even if you may not necessarily be.
After you have written your article then you will want to submit it to your favorite article sites or blogs. You may submit the article to as many sources as you are inclined to.
For maximum exposure the article may also be submitted to many social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Technorati, and many others.
You may also utilize the services of a publishing agent if you decide to try and get the article in print.
If you are writing the article purely for fun then you may only wish to submit it to a few places. On the other hand if you are using this article as a method for creating traffic for your website, then you will want to submit it to as many sources as possible.
Whatever your motives are, writing articles can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Written by Russ H
Article Marketing: Extra Effort Can Pay Huge Dividends
Whether or not the "duplicate content penalty" even exists has been a hot topic in forums. Some marketers even deny it's existence. Well, no more sitting on the fence, I'm jumping into the discussion now. I've got some real data to back up my assertions.
It's not a myth. Here's a simple test. The first step is to submit a quality article and get it published on 300 or more sites. About three weeks later, do a search on the title of the article in Google. You should see about 300 results. For the next three weeks or so, monitor the results of that search. Take notice of the diminishing returns as the search results slowly fade to only about 16 links. At the bottom of the page, a message similar to this will appear:
"In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 16 already displayed. If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included." This is the infamous "duplicate result penalty".
So you can see it's not a good idea to submit the same article over and over again. Using Google's verbiage, perhaps it should be called the "similar results omission." If Google had perfected their "penalty" there would only be one search result versus 16.
The devastating end result of the "duplicate content penalty" is that the search results and the links you get from article submissions are reduced by 18.75 times. Unfortunately, the means you must submit 18.75 times more articles to achieve the same results from article marketing that you did just a few years ago. There are two solutions. The first solution involves spending the time and effort required to submit a different article to each site. The simpler and easier solution is to use a tool like ArticleROI which does most of the work for you.
If you do either of the above, you can retain all 300 of those articles in the Google results. If you do the math, you'll see results increase by 18.75 times with no more effort on your part. The article marketing tool I use to achieve these greater results is ArticleROI.
By Robert Andrew
It's not a myth. Here's a simple test. The first step is to submit a quality article and get it published on 300 or more sites. About three weeks later, do a search on the title of the article in Google. You should see about 300 results. For the next three weeks or so, monitor the results of that search. Take notice of the diminishing returns as the search results slowly fade to only about 16 links. At the bottom of the page, a message similar to this will appear:
"In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 16 already displayed. If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included." This is the infamous "duplicate result penalty".
So you can see it's not a good idea to submit the same article over and over again. Using Google's verbiage, perhaps it should be called the "similar results omission." If Google had perfected their "penalty" there would only be one search result versus 16.
The devastating end result of the "duplicate content penalty" is that the search results and the links you get from article submissions are reduced by 18.75 times. Unfortunately, the means you must submit 18.75 times more articles to achieve the same results from article marketing that you did just a few years ago. There are two solutions. The first solution involves spending the time and effort required to submit a different article to each site. The simpler and easier solution is to use a tool like ArticleROI which does most of the work for you.
If you do either of the above, you can retain all 300 of those articles in the Google results. If you do the math, you'll see results increase by 18.75 times with no more effort on your part. The article marketing tool I use to achieve these greater results is ArticleROI.
By Robert Andrew
The Low Down on Article Marketing
Article marketing is an effective way to broaden the online presence of any small business. By distributing articles to multiple article directories on the Internet, your business can reap the benefits ranging from an increase in web traffic, lead generation, new customers and a solid reputation on the Internet. It’s a simple concept that has the potential to take your business to the next level and higher.
The foundation of article marketing has evolved from a well-known strategy called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO; a practice where web pages are optimized with keywords and published online in an effort to increase search engine rankings. There are three steps to article marketing; research, writing the article and distribution.
Research
The first step is keyword research. It is vital to inundate your article with keywords that you want to rank well for in the search engines. For example, assume I sell used DVDs online. I would research what keywords people are searching for relative to the term DVD (i.e. rent DVD, DVD rentals, DVD, or buy DVD). I would then make a list of approximately 10 or so of these keywords that I would want to sprinkle throughout my article. This step is relatively simple and only takes about 30 or so minutes; unless of course you are still on dial up.
Writing the article
You cannot just put together a glob of information and call it an article. If you have this skill, you can write the article yourself or hire someone to do it for you. The goal here is to write an objective article related to DVDs; and naturally placing the keywords within the content of the article. The article should not be a sales pitch or an advertisement. In fact, most article directories will not even accept articles written with a "sales type" approach. The article should be written with the intention to educate consumers about some aspect of DVDs. It’s always helpful to have a catchy title for your article.
In addition to keyword rich article, a second critical component of this strategy must include the distribution of a website’s URL, commonly referred to as back link. Most, if not all, article directories allow for an author resource box where links can be easily placed. Publishing a website’s address at the end of articles will allow interested readers to conveniently visit the site by clicking on that link.
Distribution
This is the component of article marketing that takes some time. There are approximately 200 or so directories online that allow marketers to post articles. It is good practice to manually submit these articles to each directory; as most directories have banned article distribution via automated software. Besides, by using automated software, there is less control of the article and the article resource box.
Article Marketing Does More Than You Think
Article marketing does more than simply reinforce your internet visibility. Unlike direct advertising, it actually presents an opportunity to educate your target consumer group in an effort to build long term, profitable relationships with them. Paid advertisements usually lose potency and relevance over time. But a well written article will continue to be republished on various newsletters, websites, forums and blogs; and trigger a viral marketing effect that will last for months at a time.
SEO Benefits of Article Marketing
Most of the article directories allow for the author to select the anchor text of the link in the author’s resource box. This is the primary value of the links from the article directories. For example, if you are trying to rank for the key term "internet marketing", the anchor text would display "internet marketing" but it would link to your website.
Additionally, article marketing is a perfect vehicle for building relevant one-way links. Say goodbye to reciprocal linking. It’s ineffective and doesn’t work anymore. Article marketing provides one way links from web pages that are categorized within the directory according to topics such as technology, weddings, communication or small business. Additionally, most of the directories use the article title as the webpage title; and rest assured that the title of the webpage with your link has your target keyword.
Also, those visitors who read through your article and are interested in it will click through to your website and bring relevant web traffic.
Brand Awareness/Viral Marketing Benefits
Building brand awareness is all about impressions. The more that your message is seen, absorbed and read, the more you begin to build your brand. A consumer that has read an article about your products and services; and clicked through to the website is a highly qualified visitor and interested in your value proposition.
Lastly, many article directories allow other webmasters to reprint (or republish) any articles within their directory. Usually, republished articles can be found in additional directories, niche websites, forums and blogs and even newsletters. This will begin the viral marketing effect and has a positive impact of brand awareness.
Finally, the Conclusion
With the recent buzz about article marketing, there should be no questions as to why it is regarded as one of the most potent marketing strategies today. However, the fact of the matter is that article marketing is only one component of a successful marketing plan. You cannot expect to invest a few dollars here and there and wake up in the morning with profitable business.
Michael Brito is an internet marketing consultant for small business specializing in SEO and web strategy.
Please read his internet marketing blog for tips on SEO, Web Strategy and Online Marketing.
By Michael Brito
The foundation of article marketing has evolved from a well-known strategy called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO; a practice where web pages are optimized with keywords and published online in an effort to increase search engine rankings. There are three steps to article marketing; research, writing the article and distribution.
Research
The first step is keyword research. It is vital to inundate your article with keywords that you want to rank well for in the search engines. For example, assume I sell used DVDs online. I would research what keywords people are searching for relative to the term DVD (i.e. rent DVD, DVD rentals, DVD, or buy DVD). I would then make a list of approximately 10 or so of these keywords that I would want to sprinkle throughout my article. This step is relatively simple and only takes about 30 or so minutes; unless of course you are still on dial up.
Writing the article
You cannot just put together a glob of information and call it an article. If you have this skill, you can write the article yourself or hire someone to do it for you. The goal here is to write an objective article related to DVDs; and naturally placing the keywords within the content of the article. The article should not be a sales pitch or an advertisement. In fact, most article directories will not even accept articles written with a "sales type" approach. The article should be written with the intention to educate consumers about some aspect of DVDs. It’s always helpful to have a catchy title for your article.
In addition to keyword rich article, a second critical component of this strategy must include the distribution of a website’s URL, commonly referred to as back link. Most, if not all, article directories allow for an author resource box where links can be easily placed. Publishing a website’s address at the end of articles will allow interested readers to conveniently visit the site by clicking on that link.
Distribution
This is the component of article marketing that takes some time. There are approximately 200 or so directories online that allow marketers to post articles. It is good practice to manually submit these articles to each directory; as most directories have banned article distribution via automated software. Besides, by using automated software, there is less control of the article and the article resource box.
Article Marketing Does More Than You Think
Article marketing does more than simply reinforce your internet visibility. Unlike direct advertising, it actually presents an opportunity to educate your target consumer group in an effort to build long term, profitable relationships with them. Paid advertisements usually lose potency and relevance over time. But a well written article will continue to be republished on various newsletters, websites, forums and blogs; and trigger a viral marketing effect that will last for months at a time.
SEO Benefits of Article Marketing
Most of the article directories allow for the author to select the anchor text of the link in the author’s resource box. This is the primary value of the links from the article directories. For example, if you are trying to rank for the key term "internet marketing", the anchor text would display "internet marketing" but it would link to your website.
Additionally, article marketing is a perfect vehicle for building relevant one-way links. Say goodbye to reciprocal linking. It’s ineffective and doesn’t work anymore. Article marketing provides one way links from web pages that are categorized within the directory according to topics such as technology, weddings, communication or small business. Additionally, most of the directories use the article title as the webpage title; and rest assured that the title of the webpage with your link has your target keyword.
Also, those visitors who read through your article and are interested in it will click through to your website and bring relevant web traffic.
Brand Awareness/Viral Marketing Benefits
Building brand awareness is all about impressions. The more that your message is seen, absorbed and read, the more you begin to build your brand. A consumer that has read an article about your products and services; and clicked through to the website is a highly qualified visitor and interested in your value proposition.
Lastly, many article directories allow other webmasters to reprint (or republish) any articles within their directory. Usually, republished articles can be found in additional directories, niche websites, forums and blogs and even newsletters. This will begin the viral marketing effect and has a positive impact of brand awareness.
Finally, the Conclusion
With the recent buzz about article marketing, there should be no questions as to why it is regarded as one of the most potent marketing strategies today. However, the fact of the matter is that article marketing is only one component of a successful marketing plan. You cannot expect to invest a few dollars here and there and wake up in the morning with profitable business.
Michael Brito is an internet marketing consultant for small business specializing in SEO and web strategy.
Please read his internet marketing blog for tips on SEO, Web Strategy and Online Marketing.
By Michael Brito
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