All-In-One: All About Article Marketing

[admin]

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All-In-One Threads:

All-In-One threads is something I'm starting here where we as a group try to list damn near everything known about the subject of the thread. When you see an All-In-One thread feel free to speak up. It can be a 'secret', just a technique you happen to use or even something you haven't used, just heard about - whatever. Feel free to join in.

Please do not use the term All-In-One anywhere on this board. It will be saved for these threads specifically so at some point all one will have to do is search for the term "All-In-One" and all these threads will be easily found. At some point these will become some of the most sought after threads on the forum so it might be a good idea to participate if you have something to say people are going to really like.

If you have a great idea for an All-In-One thread please send me a PM and let me know about it.

To Find All All-In-One Threads Just Click Here: http://www.warriorforum.com/tags/allinone.html

Thank you..
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This thread is all about Article Marketing. Please list any tips, strategies, sources, etc. that you have that you feel like revealing..

Thanks!

Allen

[Dan C. Rinnert]

Some Article Directories

365Articles.com
Article Alley
Article Bliss
Article Codex
Article Dashboard
Article Garden
ArticleCity.com
ArticleCube
ArticlesBase.com
ArticlesFactory
ArticleSnatch
Buzzle Web Portal
EzineArticles
GoArticles.com
Isnare Free Articles
Submit YOUR Article
The Content Corner
U Publish Articles

[Jeremy Kelsall]

3 tips...

Automation and outsourcing is the key

Don't be a sheep

Build a list

[Ken Strong]

I use Articlebot from Big Mike at Incansoft to distribute my articles -- it's not perfect, but for the small price it does a great job and saves me a lot of time. Well worth it for me.

[kendrickyi]

Keyword density; try to have your keywords or key phrases appear 2-5% of the time in your article

[Matt Maiden]

This is a modification of an idea I stole from a guy named Allen Says

Go to the sales page of the product you are going to promote and write down the bullet points. Now write articles to answer a couple of the points using them in the title along with your keywords.

Matt

[JasonParker]

Instead of posting articles in article directories and have to get them approved, you can use web 2.0 sites and post them without approval.. and even borrow higher authority.

Squidoo.com
Weebly.com
Hubpages.com
Quizilla.com
WetPaint.com
to name a few...

[JasonParker]

Originally Posted by Matt M

This is a modification of an idea I stole from a guy named Allen Says

Go to the sales page of the product you are going to promote and write down the bullet points. Now write articles to answer a couple of the points using them in the title along with your keywords.

Matt

This strategy is cool. Thanks for sharing.

[drmani]

It's ALL about the 'Resource Box'.

Spend time, tweak and test to come up with the most killer "About the
Author" resource box with a compelling offer that gets most readers to
click-through to your site.

Then direct the 'flow' of your article to get the most readers to stay
with you until they see the 'Resource Box' - and click to visit your site.

Next come correctly targeting your audience by using keywords and
crafting an eye-grabbing article title - but even those are 'wasted'
without a great 'Resource Box'.

All success
Dr.Mani

[Jason Johns]

Hi there,

I always submit a unique version of my article to Ezinearticles as that gets the most traffic. The rest of the article directories I pretty much use for backlinks. I've just started using Google Knoll as that seems to be a good site too and I reckon Google may like it !

I was using ArticleBot but found it a bit too time consuming so bought Magic Article Submitter recently and found that has freed up a lot of time when it comes to submitting articles.

The main thing is to get your keyword in the title, write naturally and well with your keywords in the body and then use a keyword for the anchor text in the resource box.

I'd recommend taking some of your articles and using them in web 2.0 properties such as Squidoo and so on as these are great places to get traffic from and if you comment / participate / rate in Squidoo you can get a lot of article views.

All the best

Jason

[desmond11]

Concentrate on one niche and become an expert in the marketplace. By spreading your efforts to thin you become master of none.

Reverse engineer the top author for your chosen category. These guys have done this for years, tested formats, tested resource boxes and tested landing pages (wow, lots of testing). You can reinvent the wheel, but success is going to take a lot longer.

[ramkarthik]

My Tip:

Keywords will get you to the first page of Google, but only backlinks will keep you there

On a side note, any article marketing resource list will be incomplete without this:
Bum Marketing Method - Free Traffic Tips

[GavinStephenson]

Always bookmark you links. I use bookmark demon to bookmark my content. works well for me

[theimdude]

Originally Posted by Jason Johns

Hi there,
I was using ArticleBot but found it a bit too time consuming so bought Magic Article Submitter recently and found that has freed up a lot of time when it comes to submitting articles.

Hi Jason,

Magic Article Submitter works great but I submitted a article to 600 directories and only 98 have been approved and the rest still under review. It has been 6 weeks. Another drawback is that it only submit to article dash board sites but a plus is you can submit spin ready articles. We must twist Alex's arm and ask him to include other directories in the program as well.

A friend of mine started a new site using article dashboard and has 7000+ article on already. It is articleblast.info so you might want to add that to your submitter.

[Jag82]

Just like to expand on Jeremy Kelsall's points which
I'm in full agreement on:

To automate in general:
=> iMacros
=> A certain Windows Automation software (*hint - see my signature) =P

Specialized article submission software
=> SE Nuke (automates social bookmarking, video submission and others as well)
=> Incansoft's ArticleBot


Outsourcing:
=> Odesk
=> Agents of Value
=> Or do simply do a search in Warrior Forum in the WSO,
Warriors For Hire, and Warrior Classified Ads section. There
are plenty of good Warriors offering their services here.


I use to do everything myself. But no more. Enough is enough.
Leverage is extremely important if you want to scale fast.

Automation and outsourcing will be your 2 best weapons.

Jag

[warriortx]

(Video Video Video) Use keywords as the title and uploade to all video websites..

[adamv]

Make sure your resource box has a strong call to action. Readers want to know what clicking on your link will do for them.

Nobody cares that Sally Jo is the best puppy sitter in Camden County with 14 years of experience doing blah, blah, blah. People just want to know how to get the puppy to stop peeing on the carpet.

The resource box should tell people, "to solve your problem, click the link", and little else.

[Intrepreneur]

Submit your RSS feeds, ping when new article is live.

Think about video sites, things like TubeMogul, then turn your articles into voice over videos, over a powerpoint presentation, people do like this.

Write 2 articles per day, it's easy done!

Remember what people type in google..

"I was doing a fart, but it came out all runny what do I do?"

Your article could appear for that big long sentence even if you weren't meaning for it to, that's what's great about having more articles - 2 per day!

Never underestimate the power of ezine articles, but never underestimate the power of good research before choosing where to put your article.

Also not always is it best to put your articles on web 2.0 properties and instead it could all be done on a blog!

Mark

[Lifeimprovement]

A great submission strategy is to:

First, post article on own site. (Wait a couple days for it to get indexed)

Second, rewrite it slightly and submit to main directories. "Article Submit Auto" works great for this.

Third, Mass Submit with "Magic Article Submitter" (Signups up to hundreds of directories in minutes). Drawback is that only about 80-100 directories actually review the article and post it.


If you want to spin articles and use spun articles, "Magic Article Rewriter" is the best I have found.

[JamesPenn]

Not many people realise that when you submit an article to EzineArticles.com you can have an anchor text link within your article.

I think it has to be after the first two or three paragraphs though.

It's a great way to get more click-thru's without having to optimize your resource box.

James

[samsonthomas]

What about submitting your blog posts or articles to hundreds of article directories? Does that not violate the "duplicate content" rule?

I have seen many vague answers to this. Hope to get it cleared here.

Thanks

[sree94]

Be just vague enough to not give away information that you can sell, but include enough info that the viewer will keep reading and will click on the link to your site

[businessIM]

article title part 1 and then the reader will want to see part 2 so then you would put part 2 on your resource box

[Lifeimprovement]

Samsonthomas,

From my research, the Duplicate content penalty is a myth, unless you are trying to spam the engines by posting the same content many times on your own domain.

Many times if Google finds duplicate articles, they will just show the first couple or so on the search results. However, sometimes it will show all several of the same articles on page 1.

By submitting to your website first, you let google know that you have the original article. The other duplicate articles provide back links, can catch more visitors, and may rank different in the search engines because of the sites they are on.

Spinning is the best, but getting article out is good and don't worry about the duplicate content.

[Marhelper]

1. Jack Duncan's formula (available in this forum) + SemRush.com is a goldmine.

2. Use the RSS function on EZA to your advantage.

3. Gain an audience and you will live on the "Most Viewed/Most Published" section of EZA.

[milan]

The list of TOP article directories, sorted by importance:

Article Directory Sites sorted by Importance as of Wednesday September 09, 2009

[gerardS]

I think Keywords location, number and rate have a lot to do with the result.
I still do a lot of testing, and that´what I found out so far.

[Steven Wagenheim]

Okay, see all these tips that everybody has been giving you (and I'm sure
many more to come)?

Test them.

Do not take ANYTHING as gospel.

Niches are different.

People are different in how they respond to things.

You have to know your audience as far as what writing style they respond to.

A person interested in hip hop is NOT going to respond to the same
style of writing as you would write for an article on gall bladder trouble.

Know your market.

Know who you are writing for.

Put yourself in THEIR shoes. Start thinking like a prospect and NOT like
an article writer.

There is no one size fits all for this business, no matter what anybody
says to you...including me.

Absolutes in article writing will get you killed.

Believe it or not, I found a niche that responds to those boring resource
boxes that go like this.

"Steven Wagenheim is a blah, blah, blah."

There aren't many of them, but they exist. If you try to sell to these
niches with your call to action rah, rah, rah, resource boxes, you will
drive them away.

So test...everything.

Find what works for YOUR niche.

And if you do Bum Marketing and tackle multiple niches, don't think what
works for one will work for another...it may...it may not.

Not everybody wants your free report. Some people just want to go right
to the sales page and buy the damn thing...especially if they're in certain
niches where the prospects are just plain nuts. Those of you in those
niches know what I'm talking about. They will buy just about anything
related to it. Sure, you can build a list for them. But the selling point
for those niches should be...

"Be the first one notified when <blah, blah, blah> comes out"

You'll have a mob riot on your hands keeping these maniacs away.

Again, John Doe suffering from asthma does not have the same mindset
as Johnny Cool who is looking for all the hot new MMORPG's out there.

Test, test, test.

Don't be a sheep following what some guy tells you to do just because
you THINK he knows what he's talking about.

Hopefully, somebody will get what I'm trying to say here.

[Jag82]

Why not "type" - with your mouth?
=> Nuance - Dragon NaturallySpeaking Speech Recognition Software

With Dragon Naturally Speaking, you can be churning
out multiple articles in a single day. Imagine how many
you can create in a month?

This is turbo article marketing on steroids!

You can even use it to do your sales copy!

Jag

[Bryan Kumar]

This is a cool idea, Allen! Another way to add tons of value to this forum.

I love article marketing. It's gotta be my top strategy (has been for a long while.)


The title of your article is more important than most marketers realize.

Think of the tips you've read or heard about creating powerful headlines. Many of the same principles apply here. Your title should:

• Relay a strong benefit to the reader (preferably a specific one.)

• Include 'hot button' words, trance words, or Keywords. The reader should immediately recognize what the article is about, and whether or not it relates to him. (These are also the keywords/keyphrases that your targeted buyers would be searching online for.)

• Phrase your title in the form of a question, just as many powerful headlines are. Ex: "Would you like to improve..."..."Do you make these xyz mistakes...", etc.

Hot Tip: Your headline should appeal to both humans and search engines. Here's an easy way to do that...

Place your strong keywords at the beginning (for search engines,) then follow with a strong/specific benefit (for humans.)

Example: Fly Fishing - Do You Make These 3 Common Fly Fishing Mistakes?

And, don't be subtle! Get the reader's attention by spicing your headline up a bit. (If you can make it controversial, shocking or outrageous, go for it. Added tip: Do read and review the article directory's terms/rules and sample articles to get an idea of what you can and can't do.)

Remember, your goal is to get their attention, just as you would when creating a powerful ad.

The Summary / Description of your Article(s)

The summary or description is a short blurb you submit to the article directories. It's like a soft ad for your article. If your summary is interesting and compelling enough, the reader will want to read more.

If your article gets picked up by search engines, your summary/description is what they will display below your headline. Again, this is what will further entice your reader to click on your link, to read the rest of your article. (There may be 100 other articles on the subject of your choosing. Why should readers pick yours?)

You want to use powerful keywords in your summary as well, and you also want to offer a powerful benefit.

And, just like with the headline, you can phrase your summary in the form of a question. Then follow up with a promise to answer that question inside the article.

Example: Would you like to improve your fly fishing results dramatically? In this article, you will learn 3 quick and easy ways to do just that.

Notice how the first sentence asks a relevant question, and the second one promises to answer it – inside.


Here's something else that will get your articles picked more often than others...

Certain types of articles tend to draw more clicks, readers and exposure than others. So, it only makes sense to learn about these proven formulas and formats for creating articles, and then focus only on those. (Time is our most precious commodity, yes?)

Here are some of the best article formats to use, for maximum results:

• A "How To..." article: "How to Do xyz"..."How to Be xyz"..."How to Have xyz", etc.

• A "Steps" article: "5 Steps to XYZ..." (This one is similar to the 'How to' article.)

• A "Tips" article: "5 Tips For..." (improving your golf swing, curing athlete's foot, etc.)

• A "Lists" article: "Top 5 List of xyz..." (places, services, mistakes, snappy comebacks, etc.)

• A "Reviews" article: Here you would basically write a review for a product, service, etc. (Great to use with / promote affiliate programs.)

• A "Mistakes" article: "5 Common XYZ Mistakes..." (And How to Avoid Them...etc.)


You can also spice things up by using some of these types...

• 5 Warning Signs...

• 10 Rules of...

• 7 Deadly XYZ Mistakes...

• 5 Questions You Must Ask (Your ABC...Before You XYZ...etc.)


It's cool that Allen has chosen this as the first "All-In-One" topic. If I had to choose one traffic strategy that would bring in traffic and sales consistently (long after I put in the work,) I would choose article marketing.

Start using/testing the tips on this thread.

Bryan

[pheonix44]

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

This may seem very vague because your numbers will not be the same, but try your best to know what is the MINIMUM average number of views you typically get per article along with the MINIMUM ctr. If you know these numbers you can manipulate them in ways that will bring in more cash. Like me for instance, I know that when I use article marketing my goal is to get 500 total views to my article using various sources other then the article directory. I use videos, forums, and blog commenting to get some of this traffic. I also know I will get at least 10% ctr. So if I write 10 articles I know I will get 5000 total views, 500 total hits to my landing page. At least 25% sign up to my list, so this will be 125 subscribers to my list. I also know that after a couple of days of using an autoresponder series to get closer to them that when I do introduce an affiliate product to them I will get at least a 3% conversion for the list. I only deal in products where I get at least a 40.00$ commission and up, I try to go for 50.00$. I simply make it my goal to know my numbers. I do my best to automate every step of the article marketing steps to save time, and if I do really good I will pay for a little traffic to the landing page or advertise offline in cheap targeted publications. Small ads usually only run me about 50.00$. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS AND THEN FIND WAYS TO MANIPULATE THEM.

[Brandon Tanner]

Write "articles" specifically for video sharing sites and social bookmarking sites...

Every niche is different, but I have found that in certain niches this can actually be more effective than submitting to article directories! (Hint: think along the lines of entertainment... games, music, comedy, etc). To minimize the time spent on this task while at the same time maximizing your results, do this...

1) Use your favorite keyword research software or technique to find good keywords in your niche. Focus on keywords which target not just "info seekers", but also "BUYERS", which have plenty of monthly searches but little or no "Web 2.0" competition (in other words, when you type the keywords in to Google, you want to see little or no presence from video sharing sites or social bookmarking sites on page 1 of the search results). Google loves certain "Web 2.0" sites like YouTube, Squidoo, Digg, etc., and it is often not too difficult to get on the first page of the search results by using them, even in niches with strong competition!

2) Write (or outsource) 1 very good original article, which contains the keywords you want to target.

3) Use a good article spinner or service to get several *quality* variations of the article. 40 to 50 variations is plenty.

4) Create a simple "slide show" style video. All you need is some free stock images, a simple video editor (like Windows Movie Maker or Sony Vegas Movie Studio), and a little creativity. If you are not comfortable doing this though, just pay someone to create one for you. There are many services on the web, and even here at the WF that will create this kind of video for you very cheaply. Important: At the end of the video, make sure you use a compelling "call to action" (ie one that promises something of value for free at your website).

5) Submit the video to 15 or 20 of the top video sharing sites. At each site use a different video title and description. Use your spun article titles for the various video title variations, and the spun article body for the various video descriptions. Then use your keywords from step 1 for the video tags/keywords. Video submission services such as TubeMogul can save you a lot of time with the submission part, but they only allow a single title and description for each video, so if you use their service, make sure to go in and randomize the titles and descriptions for each video after they have been successfully submitted (using your spun article variations). Video sharing sites are great for backlinks AND for live targeted traffic!

6) Now, using your remaining article title and body variations, go submit a different variation to 20 or 30 top social bookmarking sites (use the article titles for the social bookmarking entry "titles", and use a random paragraph from the spun article body for the social bookmarking entry "descriptions"). It takes a little time to sign up for accounts with several social bookmarking sites, but you'll only have to do this once. Programs like Bookmarking Demon can save you a ton of time with both the sign-up and submission process. In my opinion, social bookmarking sites aren't quite as good as video sharing sites for live traffic, but they are VERY good for backlinks! (which can of course boost your page rank and send you more organic search engine traffic over time).

Well, that's pretty much it! It is a little bit of work, but you can outsource and automate pretty much all of it. One good thing about this method is that many video sites and social bookmarking sites have a fairly small character limit for what you can put in the "description", so there's no need to write articles any longer than 200-250 words. It's usually pretty easy to write articles that short!

You can direct the traffic from the video sites and social bookmarking sites to pretty much anything... your own offer, or your affiliate link for someone elses offer. But I've gotten the best results directing this traffic to a squeeze page using a free ebook or video as a bribe (the free ebook/video soft-sells the main product, as does the multi-day autoresponder series that they just signed up to).

One thing to note is that some video sites and social bookmarking sites aren't keen on you linking directly to a product sales page, so with some of them it's best to just link to an informative article on your site (which pre-sells and links to your main offer). Also, it's a good idea to "mix up" your bookmarks a little at each social bookmarking site (in addition to your "money" bookmarks, also try to bookmark various other subjects and websites). If you have a bunch of very similar bookmarks at a particular SB site that all link back to the same salespage, they will likely get deleted (or you will get banned).

Again, this can be a killer strategy in some niches, but not so great in others, so there ya go!

[VladWorks]

I am looking for lists of sites that let you link directly to affiliate pages from articles.....I normally use landing pages but I am working on a series of articles that are better suited to just go straight to the affiliate sales page.....Any help on this one?

[Terry Hatfield]

Go to Ezinearticles . . .

Click through author profiles until you find someone who wrote a bunch of articles on one niche.

Those are your "money niches" that you should start focusing on.

And if they are back linking them, even better.

Stop trying to guess what niche to go into.

It is all out in the open right in front on your eyes.

Once you find a good niche start writing the articles for your own site. Start back linking your own site.

[Asher]

Here are some of the best threads I've read thus far about
the topic of article marketing from this very forum.

TimG - Article Marketing Visitor Superiority - Never Fear EZA Changes Again

Daniel Molano - Article Marketing 101 - Everything You Need To Know About Article Marketing In One Place!

Jeffrey Louis - Step By Step - How to get the MOST out of an Ezine Article!

David Raybould (War Room Access Only) - http://www.warriorforum.com/war-room...ate-today.html

Allen Graves - Stop Killing Your Article Marketing Efforts With Those STUPID TITLES!!!

Dean Shainin - Some Easy Ways To Get Your Creative Article Writing Juices Flowing

Of course... that's not all. Just visit their user profile
and go check out the threads/post they've made and
you can find some really good, solid stuff.

Asher

[Asher]

To add more value to this thread, here are some of my
own points of view really quickly...

1. Remember What Article Marketing Is

Article marketing is using articles to market or promote
something. It's not meant to boost your ego (though
it's a side-effect)

2. Remember "Spice Girls"

• "Tell me whatchu want, what you really-really-want!"

Do the keyword research to find out what people are
searching for and create an article around it.

• "I'll tell you what I want, what I really-really-want!"

The results are in the research results. If it's there,
people are looking for it - create the article with those
keywords.

3. Assume = @SSUME = Making an @$$ out of U and ME

People who write articles without doing the research are
naively believing that they know what people want... even
if the article is written well and amazingly, eventually, it'll
be undiscovered because it was never written to a person
who was looking for it.

The only people who will read it are those who see it
published on the day/week itself. After that, the traffic's
almost non-existant.

4. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Enter

That's the age-old code for "Contra" for unlimited lives to
play over and over again... so, you get to play the article
marketing game over and over again.

Chances of writing your first article and having it score
9,423,454 views is absolutely possible, yes... very
possible - if you refreshed long enough. Just keep at it...
Most quit too early, in my opinion.

And that's it... those are my 4 really quick points about
article marketing.

Asher

[kevinpotts]

Take a look at Article Submission Service - Article Distribution With SubmitYOURArticle.com an authentic bulk submission service. Leverage but forget anything remotely Black Hat.

PM me if you are seriously interested in my first year's list of 150 article directory sites that I used. You're welcome to have them with my compliments, but I'd rather not publish them randomly.

Kevin
www.CambridgeBusinessAcademy.com

[tomo]

If you write a article, whats the point of auto submission to more than one article site, google would not class it as unique content and throw on the bottom of the pile.

I feel it would me more valuable picking one major article site and working on the SEO of that article and getting back links.

This is what i don't understand about Article submission software?

any advice would be appreciated?

Cheers

[Asher]

Steve,

Please read this thread... it should answer all your
questions:

Article on site or EZA first ?

Asher

Originally Posted by tomo

If you write a article, whats the point of auto submission to more than one article site, google would not class it as unique content and throw on the bottom of the pile.

I feel it would me more valuable picking one major article site and working on the SEO of that article and getting back links.

This is what i don't understand about Article submission software?

any advice would be appreciated?

Cheers

[Frank Bruno]

I know most people will shun when they here this but if possible but make all your article content unique out there and get good high PR and dofollow backlinks going to a .org domain name.

Frank Bruno

[Peggy Baron]

Great thread!

I would add make sure you don't answer all the questions or tell everything in your article or they won't need to click through to your site.

Also, don't put a conclusion in your article. Your bio will be your conclusion.

Peggy

[TiffanyDow]

Articles don't have to be mammoth monsters. They're like teasers - they whet appetites for more. I see a lot of people getting bogged down in trying to churn out some 750-word articles. A 300-400 word piece will do just fine.

If you feel intimidated writing, remember the basics from school. Write your article like you build a hamburger:

Top Bun - The introduction where you state your opinion or the fact, plus add 3 reasons why this is true.

Lettuce - Reason #1 backed up by some explanation about it.

Tomato - Reason #2 backed up by some explanation about it.

Meat - Reason #3 backed up by some explanation about it.

Bottom bun - Restate the fact/opinion in a different way, followed by (in the case of article marketing), a call to action to learn more. This bottom bun can often be your bio box.

This is fundamental, you can certainly use another type or style, but it's good for those struggling with writing. Here's an outline example using that formula:

Top bun: Diets Don't Work (reasons: hunger, favorites, failure)
Lettuce: They leave you hungry
Tomato: They force you to give up your favorite foods
Meat: Statistics show most people regain the weight
Bottom bun: Diet's don't work, but you can still lose weight eating all you want without ever going hungry again. Click here to download a free report about mindful eating...blah blah blah

Just remember that article marketing is NOT your platform to showcase your entire library of knowledge about a particular topic. It's the bait you use for consumers to get on the hook.

Tiff

[kendrickyi]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

Articles don't have to be mammoth monsters. They're like teasers - they whet appetites for more. I see a lot of people getting bogged down in trying to churn out some 750-word articles. A 300-400 word piece will do just fine.

If you feel intimidated writing, remember the basics from school. Write your article like you build a hamburger:

Top Bun - The introduction where you state your opinion or the fact, plus add 3 reasons why this is true.

Lettuce - Reason #1 backed up by some explanation about it.

Tomato - Reason #2 backed up by some explanation about it.

Meat - Reason #3 backed up by some explanation about it.

Bottom bun - Restate the fact/opinion in a different way, followed by (in the case of article marketing), a call to action to learn more. This bottom bun can often be your bio box.

This is fundamental, you can certainly use another type or style, but it's good for those struggling with writing. Here's an outline example using that formula:

Top bun: Diets Don't Work (reasons: hunger, favorites, failure)
Lettuce: They leave you hungry
Tomato: They force you to give up your favorite foods
Meat: Statistics show most people regain the weight
Bottom bun: Diet's don't work, but you can still lose weight eating all you want without ever going hungry again. Click here to download a free report about mindful eating...blah blah blah

Just remember that article marketing is NOT your platform to showcase your entire library of knowledge about a particular topic. It's the bait you use for consumers to get on the hook.

Tiff

Haha very nicely said. That gave me a different perspective. Thanks! (:

[vicone]

So often I see articles written that provide the reader with too much information. The author appears to be driven by the need to inform and educate the reader.

However, the purpose of the article goes beyond that - from the marketer's perspective it is a marketing tool which will hopefully generate clicks through to the website contained in the link that has been provided in the resource box.

It is tempting to provide information in an article which contains the details you expect to find in a catalog. This needs to be resisted.

Provide Useful Information That Is Incomplete.

When the reader's appetite has been whetted and they are eager for more details the resource box tells them how to get what they want - by following the link it contains.

Control the reader's flow of interest all the way to your website.

Ivan

[snapfinger]

Another easy way to write an article is by listing a number of tips, such as 5 tips to help remove carpet stains. Then you just list the 5 ways as the article. Make sure to create a great resource box that will make the reader want to click on your link for more info.

[hjalte81]

Originally Posted by Matt M

This is a modification of an idea I stole from a guy named Allen Says

Go to the sales page of the product you are going to promote and write down the bullet points. Now write articles to answer a couple of the points using them in the title along with your keywords.

Matt

When you say bullet points, do you mean the questions (tired of..., are you annoyed by..., Fed up with the fact that... etc.?)

[DeePower]

How to Write Articles That Pull in Readers.

Choosing topics: The easy answer is to choose topics that are the same as the website/blog you are promoting. Narrow down the topic so it's manageable in 350 to 400 words. That may sound like a lot if you aren't proficient in writing but the words will fly by.

Write as if you were talking with a good friend and answering her/his questions. For example: If you have a dog care website one question you could answer is "How do I know how much protein is in dry dog food?"

Handle one question or topic per article. Go to yahoo answers for ideas for questions. Go to article directories and see which categories have the most entries. Leaf through hard copy publications to see the topics of their articles.

How to use keyword phrases in your article
Use the keyword phrase in the title as the first few words of the title. Use it once at the end of the first paragraph and again in the last paragraph. Don't use it more than 4 or 5 times throughout the article. There used to be a rule that a good article, one that shows up on the first page of Google, uses the keyword phrase as a total of at least 10% of the article. That would mean that for a 400 word article, natural dog foods would be used 13 times. That rule, also known as keyword stuffing isn't relevant any more.

Duplicate content penalty is a myth as far as articles are concerned
Google penalizes for duplicate content but not in the way that affects articles. The penalty is for the same, or nearly same content, on a website or blog that is used to manipulate the search engines. The same narrative is used on different pages within a website with the only difference being the keyword phrase.

Duplicate content penalty doesn’t apply to articles of blog posts. If it did, newspaper syndication companies, like the Associated Press, wouldn't use it. Here is what Google says about the penalty.
Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Demystifying the "duplicate content penalty"

3 different methods of writing

Sitting and staring at a blank computer screen while you struggle to get started on your article can be frustrating. Here are three methods that work.

1. Tell them what you're going to tell them. Tell Them. Tell them what you told them. In the first paragraph state what the article is going to be about. Make a list of 3 bullet points that will be covered in the article. Write a paragraph to explain each bullet point and why it's important. The final paragraph is a summary of what has been covered in the bullet points.


2. State the problem. State why the problem is important to the reader. Provide a general solution. Provide a specific solution.

3. Introduction of the problem. 3 or 4 tips to solve the problem. Conclusion

Spelling and grammar are important

Using correct spelling and grammar is a courtesy to your readers. While just about everyone except perhaps, your high school English teacher, forgives a spelling error or two, articles loaded with mistakes take away from the content of the article. The mistakes get in the way of the information you want to convey.

Take the time to proof your articles. One way is to let the article sit for 24 hours and then go back to it with fresh eyes. If you're terrible at proofing see if someone else will do it for you. A clean grammatically correct article shows you value your reader's time and that they are important to you.

The importance of the author bio box

You've incorporated a killer keyword phrase in the title of the article, creatively used it throughout the article and given your reader critical content. Don't lose them at the author bio box.

Most article directories allow the author to use a credit box at the end of the article with a couple of live links. A good way to capture the reader and motivate them to click on your link is to offer a teaser of more information through the link. Another way is to offer a free report on the same topic as the article.

Spend a little time on your author bio box. Use it to establish your credibility as an expert. Be friendly. Build trust with the reader.

Conclusion

So what are you waiting for? Get writing those articles.

[James Pateman]

Here is an article list. If you want the Alexa and Google Pagerank numbers then follow the link.
List Of Top 50 Article Directories By Traffic and PageRank

Did I mention I love lists.

regards,
James Pateman


ezinearticles.com
ehow.com
ArticlesBase.com
buzzle.com
goarticles.com
webpronews.com
helium.com
articlealley.com
articledashboard.com
articlesnatch.com
searchwarp.com
amazines.com
ideamarketers.com
pubs.acs.org/hotartcl
isnare.com
a1articles.com
articlecity.com
submityourarticle.com
articlecube.com
articlerich.com
site-reference.com
web-source.net
abcarticledirectory.com
article-buzz.com
articlesfactory.com
free-articles-zone.com
sooperarticles.com
upublish.info
365articles.com
articlepool.com
articlecompilation.com
articlestars.com
articlewarehouse.com
articlebliss.com
thecontentcorner.com
ultimatearticledirectory.com
articlemaniac.com
articlecell.com
internethomebusinessarticles.com
acmearticles.com
dime-co.com
affsphere.com
articlegarden.com
articlecodex.com
articlemonkeys.com
articleblotter.com
discoveryarticles.com
excellentguide.com/article/
articlewheel.com
articleslash.net

[acedalright]

Beware of Nofollow directories!

Why give your blood, sweat and tears driven content to them if they won't give you a miserable dofollow link?

2 directories at the time of writing this that are nofollow enabled are Articlebase and articlealley.

I say boycott them in favor of dofollow directories.

I liken it to painting a friends house and not been offered so much as a drink.

Your Call?

[jhongren]

Originally Posted by Matt M

This is a modification of an idea I stole from a guy named Allen Says

Go to the sales page of the product you are going to promote and write down the bullet points. Now write articles to answer a couple of the points using them in the title along with your keywords.

Matt

I love this idea...it is leveraging on research done
by the product owner and save lots of time.

John