Write original article or rewrite PLR?

I voted 'it makes no difference' but I would rather the option have just been 'both'.

I do both and it really depends on my mood at the time or whether I have come across some good quality PLR that I decide would be good to use, then I would rewrite it.

If Tiffany has one of her great specials then I will buy any PLR that is in any of my niches and rewrite them - you can't pass her deals up and they are good quality so I know they are worth using. Same thing goes if I see a good PLR deal in the WSO section or something.

Any other time though I will usually just write my own new articles. So I won't choose either, it really depends on the situation as to whether I'll rewrite or write from scratch. They are both good options if done correctly

I agree with Sheryl - definitely both.

The problems you mentioned about poorly written PLR don't really apply to me as I only buy my PLR from select sources that are always high quality. So rewriting is really fast for me, even if I choose to add in a few unique ideas.

Original content does take longer, but if it's a topic or an angle where no PLR is yet available then that's the only choice I have. And, sometimes, if it's a topic I enjoy then I will just choose to write my own content for it instead of rewriting PLR anyway.

It depends on what you are using the article for.

Articles are used in a variety of different ways and no two ways are the same, this means that either option can attract a different answer.

For example:

Website content: Original Content
SEO purposes: Either
Press Releases: Original Content.

etc.

original content is the best way always

Original always.

Make bullet points of main information in the article

Write your own stuff round those points.

Always better.

I'd just as soon rewrite high quality PLR. Saves me time.

As a writer I enjoy selling PLR that I have developed. It is easy, quick and is a recurring stream of income from work I have already done.

However, as I a writer I enjoy creating new content for individual clients as well. It is a part of the creative process, I guess.

Good PLR that has been rewritten well is good content and usually provides basic info about a subject while original content is usually covers a subject more completely.

If PLR is used by 10k other IM'ers I'd rather write original article. But what exactly is original article? There is no way you can be completely original nowadays on the "evergreen" niches - niches that have the highest value.

I'd say, pick a niche that you know a lot about and could write about for hours or days on end. Nothing is more unique than individual human minds and its "organically" acquired knowledge. You can always amplify on one aspect that you might think is "not useful" but someone, somewhere, might not think the same way.

For example, I'm a HUGE fanatic of snowmobiling, so I could write articles/content on something as "useless" as choosing the proper lug depth of a track for trail riding. Heck, I could write a couple 500 word articles on something as simple (to me) as lug depth... Lug depth for trail riding, for boondocking, both trail AND deep snow and so forth, the best aftermarket tracks etc. It might sound useles but hey, it's unique content and the almighty G LOVES it!!

I find PLR to be rehashed articles anyway from the get go; PLR = Posting (my) Lame Research. I find asking someone who knows a lot about your subject to have some great value to it. Make a call, talk to someone who knows tons about the subject or offer to pay them for a 500 word article or an interview, which is well worth it. Many will be happy to help and do it for free! Some just get the gratification that they are helping out and could benefit society. Pay it forward so to say.

Hope this helps

Why lots of people go in for PLR is because they are either not good writers or are lazy or don't just have the time. Writing your articles will be the best choice ever given that your articles will be original and unique.

It really depends on whether you come across some quality PLR. When you do find a quality source, it makes rewriting a breeze. I have tried to rewrite some of the free stuff you find around, and it was impossible... Lesson learned the hard way.

This just goes to show you need to buy PLR from a writer with a solid reputation.

I often rewrite PLR, and in the process I get a really good idea of just how bad some of these PLR articles are. That being said, PLR articles are great because they give you an idea of what to write about. I think if you choose to rewrite a PLR artcle, you need to work it out so that the article is at least 75% changed.

I voted for writing original articles. I do purchase PLR sometimes, however, they are no match for quality original content. As you pointed out - PLR saves time. Many sides to the equation.

It depends of purpose:
- main money site: original content
- SEO: depands where will you submit it to: Press release - original, 2nd tier article submission - PLR

Keith, I noticed that you're promoting your ghostwriting services in your sig. So why worry about PLR? (Unless you're selling it.)

"Rewriting" services don't pay well, judging by what you see on the outsourcing sites.

To my mind, rewriting is editing, and I only enjoy it when I edit my own work. Editing others' work is too stressful for me. You couldn't pay me enough. :-)

You can make writing original content EASY.

Here's how:

1. Keyword research

Choose keywords which are appropriate for your market and client (when writing for others. Make a list of keywords you're targeting. Focus on ONE primary keyword per article);

2. Article research

Always fun. Use Google Books and Amazon, as well as forums. If you're writing for a high-paying market -- $1 a word, you'll use primary research. That is, you'll interview people, make observations, etc. The big difference between low-paying articles and articles which pay more is primary research.

More on primary research: Purdue OWL: Conducting Primary Research

Set a time limit on your research, otherwise it can get out of hand. Make notes as you research, this helps you to remember and gets your brain digesting what you've read. You'll find that you're more relaxed if you make notes. I make notes on index cards; I think better with a pen and paper, but that might just be me...

3. Outline and write in BATCHES

That is, outline ten or more articles at a time, then draft those ten articles.

Tomorrow, start writing. You'll find that if you clearly separate left-brain tasks like outlining and the right-brained task of writing, you'll be more creative, and you'll write faster too.

The day after tomorrow, edit your articles for clarity and flow.

In a nutshell: forget rewriting. Write original content based on primary research. You'll increase your income, and you'll have a lot more fun too. :-)

Angela

Prefer original content. Research I really enjoy, so no drama with that, don't like editing even my own articles, so that rather rules out PLR. Plus originality always counts as the best.

I use both. But original content is the way to go

When I go about writing articles, I typically pick a topic that is relevent, and then have a look at several articles that have already been written on that topic - these provide ideas on how to approach the article, and also can often broaden your knowledge on the topic, and introduce new things to think about. I then take the best and most interesting bits from the articles, and try to integrate those into the article that I write. Of course, the actual write up is completely in my own words, but I use the other articles as a scaffold of sorts, and as research material.

A lot of it comes down to how you approach it. If you write new material based on what you've read, or just edit and reword what's already there, the end results will differ, but its all using the same material and information. It just comes down to how you present it.

To be honest, you could rewrite the PLR article to make it an original article from you, or you could use it as a base to write a 100% original article.

I guess it just depends on the person who is writing at the time. A lot of PLR articles can have spelling and grammatical errors, but I have found that the content is normally ok, and just needs to be re-written, in other cases, the PLR articles have been of a very low standard as to be unusable.

So my advice is just get PLR articles from people you trust, and go with your instinct.

I will vote for writing original articles. if you can't write, then outsource it.

If it's a topic I am highly familiar with and have an absolute passion for, then I'll write fresh, unique stuff all day.

If I don't know the topic, then I will use plr AS my research... WHILE I'm rewriting it.

Buying 10 good-quality articles, provided they don't all cover the exact same aspect of the niche, can really fill up one's own mind with enough knowledge to then take over and write the next 10 or 20 articles "from heart" with little trouble.

Every situation is different; for some people, sourcing original articles will make sense, for instance I don't write press releases myself, or at least get a second editor. Otherwise I could compare article writing to writing software and say I can bill way more as a contractor, so I would source any article writing I wanted done. Then again if I'm free on the weekend I might write a couple original articles. So I'd say it is situational

original article is the best,but it takes too much time.
So using tools to rewrite articles is another way,which can save much time.

Original beats PLR hands down. Always.

in my biased opinion I say original content...because that's all we provide

Depends on time, skill and motivation that you have at your disposal.
Time: If you are in a hurry to put something up, then use a plr and make some edits to it.
Skill: If you're not familiar with the subject matter, then use plr to guide you to develop the content.
Motivation: Some subjects or topics can be boring to one if one is not accustomed to it. So you can grab a plr and start to rewrite it.
But the best way in my opinion is to do research on the topic and gather all necessary data and then start writing. You'll be amazed at how much quality articles you'll come up with.
Cheers!