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Article Syndication Outsourcing - Questions For Myob

by Marksv
22 replies
Note: From reading through many of the posts, I've got a rough understanding of Myob's business model, and it seems like it involves dedicated writers (usually students in the field) for each niche. Sorry to use only Myob's name in the title, but I wasn't sure who else was actively using this business model with success... I'd really appreciate any and all feedback from those who are familiar with the topic..

I'm really struggling with understanding how to create a business model using dedicated content writers who will produce high quality content across different niches I want to enter.

I've got a couple of questions that are keeping me stuck, and I really hope that Myob or anyone who is utilizing a similar model can help me out with them..

I know that it's a lot to share, but any information you're comfortable sharing will really help me and I'm sure other Warriors out...

1. Is all content produced under one pen name per niche, or do you use each individual writer's name for their articles?

2. It seems like you might be in niches where you don't have any previous experience, how do you get around the preceived need to be an expert in any niche you are marketing?

3. If all writings for a niche are done under a pen name, how do you get any credentials in that niche? Do you need any, or can you just be a joe schmoe producing content on any niche? Do you refer to any of your writer's experience in the niche within your content, and if so do you claim it to be the Pen Name's experience?

4. Do you have seperate researchers and writers, or do you have one person do both the researching and the writing?

5. Who comes up with the topic ideas for the articles? Is this part of your responsibility, or is it up to the individual writer since they have experience in the niche? If it's your responsibility, and it's a niche which you know nothing about, how do you decide what topics would be the most appropriate?

6. When approaching a syndication outlet, do you let them know that you don't have credentials in the niche you're operating in, or do you claim to be an expert in the field? Or do you tell them that you have a team producing content for you?

7. For your email list, I'm assuming you are re-purposing all content that is created as content for your newsletters to provide value to your subscribers? Do you ever talk about yourself and your experiences, or weave in story telling in your emails, and how do you go about that if once again you don't have experience in the niche?

8. Do you create articles that are mostly how-to's or do you consider the articles to be more a marketing tool? And if so, do you use the articles as a way to educate and create a desire in the readers rather than as a way to solve their problems?

I realize that it might be too much to ask you to reveal your process and business model, but I have searched and brainstormed for ideas and answers but hadn't had much luck getting a clear vision of the business model. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask...

I would really appreciate any help from you, or any other warriors who are using this business model successfully...

Thank you all,

Best wishes,

Mark
#content #myob #outsourcing #questions #syndication
  • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    I wasn't sure who else was actively using this business model with success...
    I don't know of anyone that has found success with this type of article syndication. I know it gets talked about here on the forum, but I haven't see it in practice anywhere which is really weird.

    I'm not saying it can't exist, but you would need to shift things towards your own content agency of sorts and pitch the offer to individual sites. Not much different than professional columnists that have paid syndication models, but high traffic sites won't deal with you because the links within your articles will be considered a traffic leak.
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    • Profile picture of the author Marksv
      Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot View Post

      high traffic sites won't deal with you because the links within your articles will be considered a traffic leak.

      Hey DubDubDubDot,

      Many high traffic sites have guest posts which link out to the author's site or product... I don't see why this would be any different?

      Mark
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      • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
        Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

        Many high traffic sites have guest posts which link out to the author's site or product... I don't see why this would be any different?
        Expert guest posts have a lot of value to the site owner and only a minimal cost in the form of a quick blurb at the end.... "John Doe is a plumber in NYC with 30 years expirence. His website is whatever.com" The barter here is free text content in return for a text ad with strict limitations on what it may contain (usually a very short bio and contact info).

        The concept of writing an article specifically to draw clicks from links throughout the article or at the end actually makes it an advertorial, not an article. Syndicating something like that on a meaningful level will be nearly impossible unless you own the product or service being talked about, and even then a lot of webmasters would charge you to post it.

        I don't know..... Maybe someone can step in and show some sites that are known to syndicate these kind of articles. They would really need to be high traffic sites though. It would be the only way blurbs at the end could draw enough clicks to financially support the writer.
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        • Profile picture of the author Marksv
          Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot View Post

          Expert guest posts have a lot of value to the site owner and only a minimal cost in the form of a quick blurb at the end.... "John Doe is a plumber in NYC with 30 years expirence. His website is whatever.com" The barter here is free text content in return for a text ad with strict limitations on what it may contain (usually a very short bio and contact info).

          The concept of writing an article specifically to draw clicks from links throughout the article or at the end actually makes it an advertorial, not an article. Syndicating something like that on a meaningful level will be nearly impossible unless you own the product or service being talked about, and even then a lot of webmasters would charge you to post it.

          I don't know..... Maybe someone can step in and show some sites that are known to syndicate these kind of articles. They would really need to be high traffic sites though. It would be the only way blurbs at the end could draw enough clicks to financially support the writer.
          According to several of the self-professed Article Marketers on the forum which I've followed, the way they write their articles is specific to increase the likelihood of syndication on high traffic sites.

          Their articles are written with a much more subtle Author's box, and some have specifically stated that they do NO hard selling in their bylines.

          In this respect, the posts are written to the same quality level of guest posts if not higher...

          Mark
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          • Profile picture of the author Marksv
            This is my thinking when it comes to outsourcing the writing for certain niches.

            Since I believe that creating high quality, interesting, and highly informational articles is one of the key components to the whole Article Marketing/Syndication business model, I feel that if I was to outsource the writing it would be best to do so to people with experience and expertise in the niche.

            Assuming that is the case, I feel like those people who are actively working or studying within the niche are less likely to take on a job as ghostwriters since they are most likely aiming to build a reputation of their own in the niche.

            So in my mind, the people who I would actually WANT to outsource my writing to, would be less likely to write an article under someone else's name. I feel that they would prefer and be much more likely to write content if it is distributed and syndicated with at least some credit to them.

            This way they could still build a reputation online in their field of study but not have to worry about learning proper marketing strategies...

            It is because of these assumptions, that I'm having a tough time figuring out how to still be able to use their content even with THEIR name on the article (But ofcourse having full rights to use the article as I choose) in the article syndication marketing model..

            Any thoughts??

            Mark
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            • Profile picture of the author evilsaigon
              Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

              This is my thinking when it comes to outsourcing the writing for certain niches.

              Since I believe that creating high quality, interesting, and highly informational articles is one of the key components to the whole Article Marketing/Syndication business model, I feel that if I was to outsource the writing it would be best to do so to people with experience and expertise in the niche.

              Assuming that is the case, I feel like those people who are actively working or studying within the niche are less likely to take on a job as ghostwriters since they are most likely aiming to build a reputation of their own in the niche.

              So in my mind, the people who I would actually WANT to outsource my writing to, would be less likely to write an article under someone else's name. I feel that they would prefer and be much more likely to write content if it is distributed and syndicated with at least some credit to them.

              This way they could still build a reputation online in their field of study but not have to worry about learning proper marketing strategies...

              It is because of these assumptions, that I'm having a tough time figuring out how to still be able to use their content even with THEIR name on the article (But ofcourse having full rights to use the article as I choose) in the article syndication marketing model..

              Any thoughts??

              Mark
              Go ahead and ask them how much they would like to be paid to grant you full PLR rights. You can also give an offer if you know the market price to gran tPLR in that niche, but if you don't, just ask them.

              You should also tell them up front how you intend to use their articles, and how it will benefit THEM even better. Yeah, emphasize to them that they can earn more, and build their reputation even faster; hitting 2 birds with one stone lol.

              Normally they should agree readily to your offer of having their articles syndicated, as it directly builds their reputation!
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  • Profile picture of the author evilsaigon
    Well, I may not be extremely experienced in this, but hope this helps.

    1. Is all content produced under one pen name per niche, or do you use each individual writer's name for their articles?

    I normally use pen name if I think my methods are little shady/grey, and use an abbreviated real name for the more authoritative sites. I don't think it matters too much.

    2. It seems like you might be in niches where you don't have any previous experience, how do you get around the preceived need to be an expert in any niche you are marketing?

    This is where you will have to oursource content for niches that you are unfamiliar with. However, you should NOT lie to your readers saying that you are an expert when you are not. Be honest about it. The quality content you get from outsourced workers is good enough for your site to display some authority.

    3. If all writings for a niche are done under a pen name, how do you get any credentials in that niche? Do you need any, or can you just be a joe schmoe producing content on any niche? Do you refer to any of your writer's experience in the niche within your content, and if so do you claim it to be the Pen Name's experience?

    Use the pen name's credentials if you really have to abbreviate. It is good for you to have a consistent name so you can build your reputation, but if you really want to retain privacy, you can use random names for all the articles which I don't recommend. Just like in Q1, I will refer to experience accordingly to the name that I used for that site, if any.

    4. Do you have seperate researchers and writers, or do you have one person do both the researching and the writing?

    Usually one person. If your writer don't know the niche or doesn't bother to research, how is he going to even start writing? Asking someone to do just research is kind of pointless with the advent of Google... Only the writer will know what he wants to include.

    5. Who comes up with the topic ideas for the articles? Is this part of your responsibility, or is it up to the individual writer since they have experience in the niche? If it's your responsibility, and it's a niche which you know nothing about, how do you decide what topics would be the most appropriate?

    Title is up to you. I prefer coming up with my own titles and optimize my keywords in them. For a niche that I know nothing about, or even for a niche that I'm very familiar with, I choose topics based on targeted keyword research to see which keywords are profitable yet fairly easy to rank.

    6. When approaching a syndication outlet, do you let them know that you don't have credentials in the niche you're operating in, or do you claim to be an expert in the field? Or do you tell them that you have a team producing content for you?

    Be honest about it. Don't lie!

    7. For your email list, I'm assuming you are re-purposing all content that is created as content for your newsletters to provide value to your subscribers? Do you ever talk about yourself and your experiences, or weave in story telling in your emails, and how do you go about that if once again you don't have experience in the niche?

    Well I don't have an email list yet. But having subscribed to some people, I notice I tend to stay in lists who talk more about themselves and experiences as it feels more real and sincere. If you don't have any experience, again outsource content for the niche. You will want to use advisory content or a newsletter series for a blueprint if you have nothing to share about yourself.

    8. Do you create articles that are mostly how-to's or do you consider the articles to be more a marketing tool? And if so, do you use the articles as a way to educate and create a desire in the readers rather than as a way to solve their problems?

    I consider articles more to be a marketing tool. I have a mixture of both kinds of articles. I don't want to be too promotional and be seen as a blatant spammer.

    Hope this answers your questions!

    PS: Check out my Article Innovation course. I do have a list of such sites in my bonus.

    Regards,
    Ming
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  • Profile picture of the author submitinme
    Here is what I think

    1.Is all content produced under one pen name per niche, or do you use each individual writer's name for their articles?
    We use individual writer's names. The actual name of the original author of the article. We do have a team of writers who are experts in certain topics. So the attribution is done to each individual so that the Author Rank is spread to the entire team and not to a single person to whom we would not be dependent on.

    2. It seems like you might be in niches where you don't have any previous experience, how do you get around the perceived need to be an expert in any niche you are marketing?
    We have not come across such a situation ourselves but there are scenarios where new additions to our content team would be new to certain topics. In that case, we put them through a learning process where they learn the basics about the niche and then start listening to the industry experts for quite some time. Within a month, they become experts themselves after hearing and comparing information from expert sources

    3. If all writings for a niche are done under a pen name, how do you get any credentials in that niche? Do you need any, or can you just be a joe schmoe producing content on any niche? Do you refer to any of your writer's experience in the niche within your content, and if so do you claim it to be the Pen Name's experience?
    Everyone suspect there is something which Google is working on right now, which is called the "Author rank". Google the term and you would find more information on that and you would get detailed answer for this question. In short each pen name should be an expert in certain niches and not "jack of all trades"

    4. Do you have separate researchers and writers, or do you have one person do both the researching and the writing?
    We have both the models and each apply to their own scenarios. The choice depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you just want the individuals of the article writing team to produce some quick content for instant buzz and forget it after that the separate research and writing option will work out. The chances of the writers becoming the experts or the researchers becoming good authors is very low. Now you can guess what happens if it is done the other way around.

    5. Who comes up with the topic ideas for the articles? Is this part of your responsibility, or is it up to the individual writer since they have experience in the niche? If it's your responsibility, and it's a niche which you know nothing about, how do you decide what topics would be the most appropriate?
    It is the writer's responsibility to come up with the topic. If I am new to the niche, I would look at the news sources, social networks and many other channels to see what is trending. You could also make use of Google trends. The key is to find top news sources on your niche and subscribe to them.

    6. When approaching a syndication outlet, do you let them know that you don't have credentials in the niche you're operating in, or do you claim to be an expert in the field? Or do you tell them that you have a team producing content for you?
    Actually our methodology is to make the individuals enter the team only after they become the experts.

    7. For your email list, I'm assuming you are re-purposing all content that is created as content for your newsletters to provide value to your subscribers? Do you ever talk about yourself and your experiences, or weave in story telling in your emails, and how do you go about that if once again you don't have experience in the niche?
    Again we do not do this till we reach a certain point of expertness in the niche.

    8. Do you create articles that are mostly how-to's or do you consider the articles to be more a marketing tool? And if so, do you use the articles as a way to educate and create a desire in the readers rather than as a way to solve their problems?
    Solution to the problems is what the readers expect and that is the content that goes viral. The internet is filled with educative content and we do not fill the overflowing web again with that.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    I prefer publication in large newsletters. It gives access to a large pool of targeted prospects in just a few days.

    Only a small portion of the newsletters post their archives online, so I only occasionally get the boost from being published online.

    One pen name per niche, yes.

    As far as credentials go, your article speaks to your credibility. Either your article is credible, or it isn't. If it is not credible, then you will not find the audience you want to reach.

    Depending on the goals of the article, sometimes I will have a researcher/writer and editor. Other times, I will write or have written an article based on a simple idea that I want to share with my audience.

    Yes, you had a list of questions, but I covered most of them in this short answer.
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author Marksv
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      As far as credentials go, your article speaks to your credibility. Either your article is credible, or it isn't. If it is not credible, then you will not find the audience you want to reach.
      I understand that when you write a detailed and informational article about anything, the natural human assumption is that you know what you're talking about and you've got the experience to back it up. Is there ever a time in the whole business model where you NEED to talk about your experience in the niche? (There might not be..) And what do you do then if you don't have any experience?

      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      Yes, you had a list of questions, but I covered most of them in this short answer.
      Well done!!
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      • Profile picture of the author tpw
        Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

        I understand that when you write a detailed and informational article about anything, the natural human assumption is that you know what you're talking about and you've got the experience to back it up. Is there ever a time in the whole business model where you NEED to talk about your experience in the niche? (There might not be..) And what do you do then if you don't have any experience?

        I have never found that to be necessary.

        Here is the deal...

        People don't care what you have done before today... They only care about what you can do for them now...

        You can preface your information with a short blurb about your experience if you want, but it is seldom necessary to do so... If you speak your message with authority, then your reader will have confidence in your words...

        If you don't have any experience in the niche what-so-ever, don't worry... Because no matter how you try to hide the fact that you are clueless, your readers will pick up on that fact based on the words that you use while trying to convey your message, and they will disregard what you have written...

        Of course, you should never write anything that you feel uncomfortable saying to someone with absolute conviction... That is what is referred to as "writer integrity"... I hope you possess that trait... If you do, then you will be able to stand tall in all that you do.
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        Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
        Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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        • Profile picture of the author Marksv
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          People don't care what you have done before today... They only care about what you can do for them now...

          You can preface your information with a short blurb about your experience if you want, but it is seldom necessary to do so... If you speak your message with authority, then your reader will have confidence in your words...
          Thank you for this, I needed to hear that, and I'm now understanding that more and more...

          It's just so common to see people using their direct experience (Real or Not) in promoting information products that I was having difficulty seeing another way..

          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          If you don't have any experience in the niche what-so-ever, don't worry... Because no matter how you try to hide the fact that you are clueless, your readers will pick up on that fact based on the words that you use while trying to convey your message, and they will disregard what you have written...
          While I agree with your general statement, this thread is specifically about outsourcing the content creation. I thought it was understood that even in niches that I wouldn't know much about, the actual detailed content writing will be done by someone with knowledge and experience in that niche under a business pen name...

          Sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post..

          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          Of course, you should never write anything that you feel uncomfortable saying to someone with absolute conviction... That is what is referred to as "writer integrity"... I hope you possess that trait... If you do, then you will be able to stand tall in all that you do.
          Integrity is one of the most important thing to me in shaping my business, which is why I'm asking so many questions about how to create a niche site/mailing list that provides true value, even if it's a niche that I'm not familiar with...

          The answer for *me* is that by outsourcing my content creation to people with credentials and true knowledge in the niche I choose to enter, and by doing preliminary research on the niche so that as John so often says "I can tell which information is legit, and which is information is full of s**t"" (Hey that rhymed! ) I'm able to provide true value and stand with full integrity behind my website, content, and business.

          Hope that cleared up my view...

          Mark
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          • Profile picture of the author tpw
            Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

            The answer for *me* is that by outsourcing my content creation to people with credentials and true knowledge in the niche I choose to enter, and by doing preliminary research on the niche so that as John so often says "I can tell which information is legit, and which is information is full of s**t"" (Hey that rhymed! ) I'm able to provide true value and stand with full integrity behind my website, content, and business.

            Hope that cleared up my view...

            Mark

            Mark: This opens a whole new can of worms.

            If you are outsourcing your writing to those with true knowledge about your subject material, then you will be fine.

            The question is, how do you know your content creators aren't full of shit, if you don't understand the topic yourself?

            LOL

            Sure, you can do some preliminary research on the topic, but how do you know that the people you are researching are the ones telling the the real story?

            LOL

            Yes, it is a can of worms, for which you already have the answer...

            When you are doing your research, you are going to put your faith in the person(s), who speak with a voice of authority...

            And when you talk to your content creators, you will get a sense of whether they are speaking with authority or if they are trying to blow smoke up your ass.

            If you are hiring out the content creation to a third-party, you only have to be confident in their voice...

            All of a sudden, you might be starting to realize that "your credentials" have zero bearing on your credibility. The only thing that matters is the level of authority your content creators demonstrate, when they are speaking to your audience.

            I have written thousands of articles and hired hundreds of freelance writers over the last decade. Now, it is not necessary for me to tell you that, but I thought I might toss it out there to give you some additional confidence in what I am telling you here...

            If my writer was competent and fully understood his or her topic, then I could give them a one- or two-sentence description of the idea I wanted them to present to my audience.

            If my writer was flying by the seat of his or her proverbial pants, I would need to give them more details in order for them to create the kind of content I wanted them to create.

            And, even when I gave the "flying by the seat of their pants" writers a complete outline, I would have to do the edits myself, to bring the voice of confidence to the storyline, because a person with doubts will always demonstrate their own doubts in what they have written.

            You are the boss... No matter how you go about getting your content written for you, the integrity of your content falls on your shoulders alone.

            The more you understand your topic and the processes of getting content created, the more successful you will be in your endeavor, even with no credentials of your own.

            So long as you are committed to maintaining the integrity of your content, you will be fine, because you will go the extra step to make sure everything is as it should be.
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            Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
            Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Hi Mark,

    I've been looking at this thread for a couple of days now, deciding whether or not to post in it. At first I thought probably not, because my business model's different from Myob's (in that I never outsource writing), but since he's apparently not around at the moment, I'll offer a few observations. (I'll have to miss out some of your questions, simply because I don't employ writers.)

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    I'm really struggling with understanding how to create a business model using dedicated content writers who will produce high quality content across different niches I want to enter.
    I think finding students is a pretty good idea. I know Myob does this (though I don't think it's his only source of writers), and it was how I started as a paid writer, myself.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    1. Is all content produced under one pen name per niche, or do you use each individual writer's name for their articles?
    One pen-name per niche. You'd naturally buy all rights to the articles and never use the writer's own name, I'm sure. You have your own pen-name to brand, after all? There's no point in paying for content and building someone else's credibility rather than your own!

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    how do you get around the preceived need to be an expert in any niche you are marketing?
    I choose niches in which I either have some knowledge/interest to start with or am willing to put in the necessary research to acquire it. The writing style is as important as the niche-expertise. Articles have to be written for syndication, to achieve syndication. You'll need to find students in similar/related subjects, and/or writers who are used to doing some research, I think? You obviously appreciate already that "$10/$15 articles" are never going to cut it, for widespread syndication.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    3. If all writings for a niche are done under a pen name, how do you get any credentials in that niche?
    You get them "for the pen-name". Readers/visitors/customers don't know it's a pen-name. It's no more difficult to "brand a pen-name" than it is to "brand your real name".

    It constantly baffles and perplexes me, here, that in every "pen-name discussion thread" there are always a few people posting one-liners saying things like "Always use your own real name because it's more personal and better to brand yourself". I can only assume that these are all people who've totally missed the point that the readers/visitors/subscribers don't know whether it's a pen-name or a real-name - in other words they simply haven't thought it through at all, because what they're saying makes no sense at all, to me.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    5. Who comes up with the topic ideas for the articles?
    You should do that, yourself. If you don't know enough about the niche to be able to do that confidently, then you shouldn't be involved in it even as someone outsourcing all the writing.

    You're going to have to arrange the syndication yourself, which is of course the most time-consuming part of this business model anyway, even for those of us doing all the writing ourselves, and that means building relationships with publishers in the niche (there isn't a way around that one!!), so you have to know something about the niche, just to be familiar with its vocabulary.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    If it's your responsibility, and it's a niche which you know nothing about, how do you decide what topics would be the most appropriate?
    By studying and learning enough about the niche in order to be able to do that. With many niches, that surely doesn't involve a lot of work - just "some"?

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    6. When approaching a syndication outlet, do you let them know that you don't have credentials in the niche you're operating in, or do you claim to be an expert in the field? Or do you tell them that you have a team producing content for you?
    I wouldn't do any of those things.

    Just approach them in your niche pen-name (as I do) offering them an article. Further comments here: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post7475055

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    7. For your email list, I'm assuming you are re-purposing all content that is created as content for your newsletters to provide value to your subscribers?
    "Almost all", yes.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    Do you ever talk about yourself and your experiences, or weave in story telling in your emails, and how do you go about that if once again you don't have experience in the niche?
    I don't know how people who've outsourced all the writing do that.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    8. Do you create articles that are mostly how-to's or do you consider the articles to be more a marketing tool?
    This question seems to assume that a "how-to article" isn't a "marketing tool". I'm not at all sure I agree with that premise.

    Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

    And if so do you use the articles as a way to educate and create a desire in the readers rather than as a way to solve their problems?
    Most of my articles "educate" at least in some sense, albeit to varying degrees. The "desire" they create in readers, I hope, is the desire to visit my site to see more. (I certainly don't ever try to sell or promote a product in an article: almost nobody's going to re-publish a sales article.) Whether it's "problem-solving" or not depends mostly on the niche rather than on the article, I think? If you're writing about "acne"/"eczema" then it's clearly a problem-solving niche; if you're writing about whether there's ever been microbial life on Mars (as you would be for the highly successful "telescopes" niche, which seems to me a far better niche than anything to do with skincare?), then it isn't a problem-solving niche ... unless you define "inability to see the cosmos clearly" as a problem, but I think this isn't what most people mean by a "problem-solving niche"?!
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    • Profile picture of the author Marksv
      Hi Alexa,

      Thank you for giving your thoughts on this thread, I know you don't outsource so I appreciate you still participating and helping out...


      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      I think finding students is a pretty good idea. I know Myob does this (though I don't think it's his only source of writers), and it was how I started as a paid writer, myself.
      It seems that way.. They have experience and knowledge in the niche, know how to write/research, and they need money.... Good combination..


      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      Articles have to be written for syndication, to achieve syndication. You'll need to find students in similar/related subjects, and/or writers who are used to doing some research, I think? You obviously appreciate already that "$10/$15 articles" are never going to cut it, for widespread syndication.
      Agreed!

      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      You should do that, yourself. If you don't know enough about the niche to be able to do that confidently, then you shouldn't be involved in it even as someone outsourcing all the writing.
      Yup, I agree with this.. Initially I was trying to come up with a way with meshing the Magazine writing model(Editors, writers, etc..) with the article syndication model. I haven't been able to figure out a good way to do that yet, so I'm sticking with niches I know something about or am interested enough in studying for a while..

      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      By studying and learning enough about the niche in order to be able to do that. With many niches, that surely doesn't involve a lot of work - just "some"?
      LOL this made me laugh... Yup, I guess off to work I go..


      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      This question seems to assume that a "how-to article" isn't a "marketing tool". I'm not at all sure I agree with that premise.
      You're right, that wasn't what I meant...

      I've been reading one of Dan Kennedy's books, and I really liked what he was saying about how in the beginning of the marketing process your job is to educate the audience about WHY they need your products...

      I'm not saying articles should be made sales-y at all, and like you said there should be no promotion of a product.. BUT... Starting to subtly plant seeds in the reader's mind that they have this problem or issue, and that maybe there's another solution they haven't thought about... This would surely 'start their engines' into finding out more about the solutions available or your philosophy etc...

      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      Most of my articles "educate" at least in some sense, albeit to varying degrees. The "desire" they create in readers, I hope, is the desire to visit my site to see more. (I certainly don't ever try to sell or promote a product in an article: almost nobody's going to re-publish a sales article.) Whether it's "problem-solving" or not depends mostly on the niche rather than on the article, I think? If you're writing about "acne"/"eczema" then it's clearly a problem-solving niche; if you're writing about whether there's ever been microbial life on Mars (as you would be for the highly successful "telescopes" niche, which seems to me a far better niche than anything to do with skincare?), then it isn't a problem-solving niche ... unless you define "inability to see the cosmos clearly" as a problem, but I think this isn't what most people mean by a "problem-solving niche"?!
      This definitely opened my eyes...

      In your author's box or through your article do you metion that you offer a free report/giveaway/course/whatever on your site? Or do you consider even that as being too promotional?

      Thanks again for helping out with this, and a couple of my other threads.. I appreciate it.

      Mark
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

        This definitely opened my eyes...

        In your author's box or through your article do you metion that you offer a free report/giveaway/course/whatever on your site? Or do you consider even that as being too promotional?

        Thanks again for helping out with this, and a couple of my other threads.. I appreciate it.

        Mark
        Mark, your articles are a marketing tool, but they are also just one step in what should be a continuum. Each step should motivate the reader to want to take the next step.

        The way I do things, the article has only one job once it's published, and that's to make readers want more. The link in the resource box is almost always a link to my site with an offer to extend the experience. When they get to my site, that's what they get - more great content. Right under my very prominent opt-in offer. The incentive, along with my description of what they'll get after they sign up, are also offers to extend the experience they had from the article and the content on the page.

        Read through some of the threads on list management. One comment you'll see over and over, in every single thread, is something like: "I ignore most of the emails I get, but when [name] sends an email, I read it immediately."

        I want to be that [name].

        In the 'who is your favorite marketer' threads, you'll find comments like "When [name] recommends/offers a product, I just go buy it. I know it's going to be good."

        Again, I want to be that name...

        Put another way, if the only reason they're signing up for your list is the freebie, something isn't right. So I don't want to tease a freebie in the resource box.
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        • Profile picture of the author Marksv
          Hey John, thanks for clearing a few things up for me...

          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          Mark, your articles are a marketing tool, but they are also just one step in what should be a continuum. Each step should motivate the reader to want to take the next step.
          I think I understand the theory, but I'm having a tough time with applying it... Could you give me a rough example of how you would do this in a hypothetical niche?

          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          The way I do things, the article has only one job once it's published, and that's to make readers want more. The link in the resource box is almost always a link to my site with an offer to extend the experience. When they get to my site, that's what they get - more great content. Right under my very prominent opt-in offer. The incentive, along with my description of what they'll get after they sign up, are also offers to extend the experience they had from the article and the content on the page.

          Is this what you mean:
          - Article talks about how shyness is something we learn vs. something we're born with. (Or whatever topic)

          - Resource box says something like: "If you found the information here interesting, come by to the shyness unlearning centre and read more about how shyness is learned" (Basically, not offering a solution, not offering a free guide on the '5 shyness busters', but simply inviting the reader to read more information?)

          - Then on your site, instead of offering a free report, offer them something like "Find out the real reasons behind your shyness, and how you can get rid of it once and for all" (Basically again more information, rather than a freebie gift?)


          ALSO... Do you create a targeted landing page(Article? Content? Squeeze?) for each subset of articles to continue their experience even more? And do you create a seperate list depending on which article topic they came from?

          EG.

          Article is about 'Overcome shyness with hypnosis'
          Landing page talks specifically about how hypnosis can help with shyness
          Giveaway is also targeted to the Hypnosis/Shyness topic
          List is also targeted to the same overall topic

          OR

          From the article about "Shyness and Hypnosis"
          Landing page is a general page about DIFFERENT ways to overcome shyness
          Giveaway talks about all of the different ways to overcome shyness
          List targets the same broad topic


          Just trying to get an idea of what you found works best?

          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          Read through some of the threads on list management. One comment you'll see over and over, in every single thread, is something like: "I ignore most of the emails I get, but when [name] sends an email, I read it immediately."

          I want to be that [name].

          In the 'who is your favorite marketer' threads, you'll find comments like "When [name] recommends/offers a product, I just go buy it. I know it's going to be good."

          Again, I want to be that name...

          Put another way, if the only reason they're signing up for your list is the freebie, something isn't right. So I don't want to tease a freebie in the resource box.
          Well said and I definitely agree.

          Thanks John,

          Mark
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          • Profile picture of the author tpw
            Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

            I think I understand the theory, but I'm having a tough time with applying it... Could you give me a rough example of how you would do this in a hypothetical niche?

            When you understand sales funnels, you will have a better understanding of what you need to do here.

            One thing that I frequently teach my students is that there are roughly seven key components that will impact the effectiveness of your article marketing campaigns.

            1. Title of Article
            2. Description of Article
            3. Opening Paragraph
            4. Body of Article
            5. Closing Paragraph
            6. Resource Box
            7. Call-to-Action in Resource Box

            At each of these seven steps, you will either lose your reader or keep them focused on your message.

            The Title of the article has to capture the reader's attention, and get the person to open the article.

            The Description of the article is sometimes the same as the Opening Paragraph, but not always... The description is often a second chance to get the person to open the article.

            An article that does not get opened, has failed to reach its potential. At this point, it does not matter how good your article was, if the prospect did not open your article. An article that does not get opened does not get read, and you will never get the chance to lead your reader to your website (which is the only reason we are doing article marketing in the first place).

            If you have conquered the first task of getting your article opened -- akin to getting people to open your threads in a forum -- then you will only have a few seconds to get the reader to continue their journey with you.

            Some people will skim the article, before reading the article.

            At every point in the process, readers are looking for an excuse to abandon your article!! They are busy people, and they don't want to waste their time reading crap. They will continue to look for an excuse to abandon your article, so it is important for you to make sure you don't give them a reason to desert you.

            I like to use bullet points and bold words and bold sentences to lure the skimmer to relax and settle down to read my article.

            The opening paragraph lays the groundwork for why someone will want to read the entire article.

            The body of the article must maintain the interest of the reader through the entire article, and it should deliver to the reader what was promised in the title and opening paragraph.

            The closing paragraph serves two primary purposes:

            1. It must remind the reader why they chose to read the article, and to remind the reader that they got from the article what they wanted to get from it.
            2. It must create a bridge of interest between the article and the author's Resource Box.

            See, at every step in the process, you want to keep the reader moving forward towards YOUR end goal. That is why I refer to this as a sales funnel. You want to carry your reader from the introduction to an idea to the post-payment page on your website.

            Article Marketing has only been used for search engine rankings since about 2005. Before that, and going forward, article marketing is best used as part of your sales process, i.e. your sales funnel. Your articles are a lead generation tool, and the end-game goal is to get the reader to your website to buy what you are selling.

            In the author's Resource Box, you want the reader to keep reading, as if the Resource Box is part of the article. That is why the best resource box is a bridge between the article and the resource box itself -- it will maintain the reader's attention to what you are saying.

            The resource box should build the bridge between the article and the resource box, then it needs to tell the reader why he/she would want to continue reading on your website.

            More important, readers don't care what you have done. They only care about what you can do for them. So, it is important to tell them what you can do for them and to tell them what to do to move forward with you.

            Many people say that the author name is a "stop word", i.e. evidence to the reader that they have permission to stop reading the article. This is the reason I have moved my personal information to behind the link in my resource box. I don't want people to stop reading until they have made the decision to continue reading on my website.

            Although the Resource Box exists solely to deliver a new prospect to my website, I will also construct the Resource Box wording to include keywords that I can hyperlink, for SEO purposes.

            When you can kill two birds with one stone, why not? LOL

            The bottom line is that every single word from the beginning of your title to the end of your resource box is part of your sales funnel... Those words need to capture and keep the attention of your reader, pre-qualify your reader to want to purchase what you are selling, then deliver the reader to your sales pages.

            If you have seen "this sentence" in this post, and you are wondering more about who I am and what I might be able to do for you, then I will have successfully constructed a sales funnel within this post in the same fashion that you will want to do with your articles.

            And, if you look at the links in my signature file below and decide you might want to click one of those links, then this post will have -- like all of your articles should -- successfully generated a solid lead for whatever it is that I might want you to buy from me.
            Signature
            Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
            Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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            • Profile picture of the author myob
              My apologies for not noticing this thread sooner, but it looks like several others who are using this model have stepped in with excellent answers to your questions. A comprehensive outline of article syndication as a business model is explained in this timeless classic, of which I have quite often recommended: Turn Words Into Traffic. Although the processing of resulting traffic may vary, article syndication is a very powerful marketing concept.

              From reading through many of the posts, I've got a rough understanding of Myob's business model
              The original concept of article syndication has been a proven marketing model long before the internet. Rather than rehash what already has been written extensively here on the forum about it, I would perhaps refer you to a post summarizing best practices in article writing for syndication by one of our eminent writers, Bill Platt (tpw): http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...live-well.html

              I'm really struggling with understanding how to create a business model using dedicated content writers who will produce high quality content across different niches I want to enter.
              Being a simple kind of guy, I suggest you begin in one niche in which you are either knowledgeable or can readily gain expertise to research and produce articles. Don't try multiple niches at once. As you gain more experience, scale up by hiring (and training) competent writers for additional niches. I spend a lot of time with new writers to get them to produce articles up to my expectations of quality. As a minimum, they are required to learn and adapt principles covered in "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk, "The Associated Press Stylebook", and niche-specific conventions.

              Is all content produced under one pen name per niche, or do you use each individual writer's name for their articles?
              Each niche is actually "branded" by not only a pen name, but a persona of particular writing style, slant, personality, etc. Articles convey a personable yet commanding grasp of the topic, with varying degrees of humor, entertainment, controversy, and even drama. A typical example of this writing style can be seen in the feature articles of mass published magazines especially Readers' Digest and similar special interest publications.

              It seems like you might be in niches where you don't have any previous experience, how do you get around the preceived need to be an expert in any niche you are marketing?
              I actually never claim expertise in any of the niches I market. All articles are quite heavily researched, and contain references with citation links to my site providing "authoritative" sources. In addition, readers will quite often assume I may have the required credentials based on the type of publication in which the article appears. For example, an article on the techniques of underwater basketweaving would perhaps convey an authoritative status by discriminating readers of "Vox Magazine" (Vox Magazine Events - Underwater Basket Weaving).

              If all writings for a niche are done under a pen name, how do you get any credentials in that niche? Do you need any, or can you just be a joe schmoe producing content on any niche? Do you refer to any of your writer's experience in the niche within your content, and if so do you claim it to be the Pen Name's experience?
              All of my articles carry a clear tone of having been well-researched and documented from authoritative sources. The writers' credentials are never mentioned, nor is there ever any self-declaration of expertise. Articles stand on their own merits, supported only by the credentials cited from referenced sources.

              Do you have seperate researchers and writers, or do you have one person do both the researching and the writing?
              I now have both researchers and writers on staff who are either specialists or have formally studied subjects in their field. Almost all are either undergraduates or post-grad students from local universities. During my first few years in article marketing, however, I did it all myself beginning with one niche.

              Who comes up with the topic ideas for the articles? Is this part of your responsibility, or is it up to the individual writer since they have experience in the niche? If it's your responsibility, and it's a niche which you know nothing about, how do you decide what topics would be the most appropriate?
              Article topics are discussed on a daily basis in meetings with my writers and researchers. Of course, I make the final decision, but it's a team effort through review of trade journals, online/offline publications, trending news, press releases, etc.

              When approaching a syndication outlet, do you let them know that you don't have credentials in the niche you're operating in, or do you claim to be an expert in the field? Or do you tell them that you have a team producing content for you?
              None of the above. See Alexa's excellent response here: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post7475055

              For your email list, I'm assuming you are re-purposing all content that is created as content for your newsletters to provide value to your subscribers? Do you ever talk about yourself and your experiences, or weave in story telling in your emails, and how do you go about that if once again you don't have experience in the niche?
              Actually, my subscriber lists consist of only buyers, and emails serve as a screening process to further qualify leads for incrementally higher end products and leads for my offline sales reps. Emails are sent out on a daily basis for a two-three month sales cycle, and include niche-specific news or information, stories or examples of others within the business community, free resources, some (very good) jokes, and always a product promotion. Non-buyers are culled from lists after each promotion cycle.

              Do you create articles that are mostly how-to's or do you consider the articles to be more a marketing tool? And if so, do you use the articles as a way to educate and create a desire in the readers rather than as a way to solve their problems?
              Articles are information-rich, and are designed to subtly position me as an "expert" within the niche. This favorably affects the mindset of readers for product recommendations on my websites. John McCabe described it very well; "your articles are a marketing tool, but they are also just one step in what should be a continuum. Each step should motivate the reader to want to take the next step." Each of my articles contain citations and reference links on my site (which often serve as additional traffic sources without appearing to be self-serving to syndication partners), as well as a call to action in the resource box to visit the website for additional information. No product promotions or sales are ever mentioned in the articles nor resource box; sales conversions begin at the website with highly warmed up traffic directly from articles.
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              • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
                [quote=Marksv;7587870]Hey John, thanks for clearing a few things up for me...



                Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

                I think I understand the theory, but I'm having a tough time with applying it... Could you give me a rough example of how you would do this in a hypothetical niche?
                Since you brought it up, let's take a look at "shyness", although I usually steer clear of medical/psychological conditions.

                Part of my research for an individual article would be to read one or more online support groups, looking for an interesting story with a successful conclusion. I would then "borrow" the story, anonymizing it by changing the name and any identifiable details. The article would disclose this.

                Then I would look into authoritative sources of information regarding this particular story, so I could explain it in plain English (citing the original sources as Paul described).

                The resource box might offer a quiz to see if shyness is holding someone back, and how to tell.

                Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

                Is this what you mean:
                - Article talks about how shyness is something we learn vs. something we're born with. (Or whatever topic)

                - Resource box says something like: "If you found the information here interesting, come by to the shyness unlearning centre and read more about how shyness is learned" (Basically, not offering a solution, not offering a free guide on the '5 shyness busters', but simply inviting the reader to read more information?)

                - Then on your site, instead of offering a free report, offer them something like "Find out the real reasons behind your shyness, and how you can get rid of it once and for all" (Basically again more information, rather than a freebie gift?)
                The landing page in this hypothetical example would offer both current research and possible 'cures' for shyness. This is the incentive.

                The actual content would be a short quiz with 10-15 'what would you do' type questions. When they hit submit, they would get a short answer inserted under each question, replacing the answer buttons. The title of the quiz would be a curiosity play - maybe something like "Is It Really Shyness, or Something Else?"

                Originally Posted by Marksv View Post

                ALSO... Do you create a targeted landing page(Article? Content? Squeeze?) for each subset of articles to continue their experience even more? And do you create a seperate list depending on which article topic they came from?

                EG.

                Article is about 'Overcome shyness with hypnosis'
                Landing page talks specifically about how hypnosis can help with shyness
                Giveaway is also targeted to the Hypnosis/Shyness topic
                List is also targeted to the same overall topic

                OR

                From the article about "Shyness and Hypnosis"
                Landing page is a general page about DIFFERENT ways to overcome shyness
                Giveaway talks about all of the different ways to overcome shyness
                List targets the same broad topic


                Just trying to get an idea of what you found works best?



                Well said and I definitely agree.

                Thanks John,

                Mark
                The landing page is structured to work with many different article slants. I think the most I've ever used was 5 landing pages, which were similar except for minor changes to fit the vocabulary of a sub-niche.

                Remember, the landing page only has one goal - make the visitor want MORE. They get more by opting in.

                If I'm using a hybrid blog/squeeze landing page, the other content linked on the page offer more content (maybe something like 'situational shyness', like shyness with the opposite sex, shyness in meetings at work, etc.). In this 'off the top of my head' example, the object of the other content is to get the reader back to the quiz page with the prominent opt-in on top.

                The key is to keep stepping back and looking at how the individual pieces contribute to the final picture on the completed puzzle...
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                • Profile picture of the author mc9320
                  Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                  Put another way, if the only reason they're signing up for your list is the freebie, something isn't right. So I don't want to tease a freebie in the resource box.
                  Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                  The resource box might offer a quiz to see if shyness is holding someone back, and how to tell.
                  It's when I read useful and creative ideas like these, I realise how many mistakes I make with article syndication!
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  • Profile picture of the author mc9320
    Very useful thread here. I firmly believe article syndication to be one of the best ways of generating traffic if you can get it right.

    I'm still learning how to write more engaging content and build my list of syndication partners. It's extremely tough but you get a flood of targeted traffic if you have a good article in front of the right eyes.

    One of the hardest things is staying motivated to keep approaching publishers. Some never reply and some only want unique content.

    It would be interesting to know the success rate many of you have at getting your articles published.

    John and Alexa, among others, offer some great advice on this subject.
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