Tips For Better Results From Your Article Marketing

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If you're into article marketing for more than just to blast out junk articles to get backlinks, this might help. I don't mean to disparage article marketers who only care about the links... I've been there too. But this tip really won't help you if that's your goal... it might even hurt because it can slow you down a bit until you get good at it.

If you're into article marketing to get click-throughs to your site, then it's all about CTR. This tip isn't gonna be anything new to grizzled veterans, but for some of you just getting into it, this can save you a lot of frustration.

You have 3 goals with every article. Keep these handy to refer to until you get this ingrained and don't have to consciously think about them every time you write an article.

1. Curiosity
This is all about your article title. It needs to inspire curiosity. That's how you get more views. Think of article views as traffic. You're gonna get more if you make people casually scanning a list of article titles stop on yours because something in the title seemed out of the ordinary.
2. Reinforcement
This might be the least understood part of successful article marketing. Your real purpose is NOT to give your readers all the answers to their questions/problems. If you do - and that's a very common mistake - why would they feel any need to click your link and visit your site? So your goal instead is to reinforce their need to get answers/solutions. Sure, you do want to include general answers, especially if you promise them in the article's title. Just don't give it all away. Entice them with generic solutions. Hold back on the specifics. The main focus of the body of any article should be to reinforce in the reader's mind that what they're seeking answers to is definitely worth getting answers to. Gin up their sense of urgency about finding a solution. That's the key, and it's what probably 90% of article marketers get wrong.
3. The Promised Land
By the time someone finishes your article, they need to be chomping at the bit to find that solution. That's what you give them in the form of a simple sentence or two with a link back to your site. You've convinced them that their problem is real and that it needs an immediate solution. Push that final button with a straightforward call to action (tell them to click your link). Tell them explicitly that if they do click that link, they'll find the ultimate answer they seek.
If you're not used to writing articles this way, I won't pretend it's easy at first. You'll have to practice and you'll fail a few times. You'll give too much away, or you won't give anything away and your article might get rejected for being too spammy. The trick is to give a little bit away that is genuinely helpful, but not really a solution. The main purpose of your article is to increase the reader's feeling that they really need a solution... and fast! If you get good at that, the rest falls nicely into place.

John
#main internet marketing discussion forum #article #marketing #results #tip #tips
  • Man, you are providing some really good stuff around here. Thanks for sharing this.
  • *puts hand up* guilty of giving away too much.

    I attempt to put as little as possible, but when I get flowing I just blurt it all out, and then there's my instinct to help anything that moves lol.

    Jay.
  • Thanks for the great info
    • [1] reply
    • I think I'm guilty of giving away too much as well. I tend towards longer articles... Good advice, thanks for sharing!
      • [1] reply
  • Thanks so much for the advice, John. I know you have to walk that fine line between arousing curiosity by giving away just enough information, and giving too much away. It is definitely not something that can be picked up right away, and practice definitely makes perfect in this case! I suppose that is why good article writers will always be in demand, as this is both an art and a craft, and not something that you can knock out on demand (articles) whenever you feel like it. It may not be in the same league as copywriting, but it still requires considerable skill and practice.
  • Wow,, Yeah I give out to much information also. This thread really helped me a lot. Thank you for sharing your advice, that is very sweet of you. Best of luck to everyone

    - Cindy
  • You're welcome, everybody.

    It's worth the time it takes to get good at this. I used to be really frustrated by CTR below 10%. It didn't matter how good my resource box was, I was just not getting enough click-throughs. I was too focused on that part of the article. Once I started paying more attention to the titles, I started getting more article views. And when I got the hang of not really giving readers all the answers, but just sort of nudging them into being even more anxious about whatever their need, CTR shot up.

    The cool part is that if you just improve one of these 3 areas, that alone will usually increase your traffic from that article. You don't have to be perfect in all 3 areas. Work on getting your titles more unusual and curiosity-inspiring first. I find that is the easiest part of this. Once you're comfortable and can do that consistently, then tackle the 2nd easiest part, which is the resource box at the end. Don't give your biography. No one cares who you are and how many kids you have or where you live. Seriously, they don't care. Just tell them you have the solution and they'll get it by clicking your link. Not in so many words, obviously, but you get the picture. I'll tell you this much... I almost always get a higher CTR - all other things being equal - when my resource box is very short. I go for 2 short sentences.

    Then, once you've nailed the title and the resource box, it's time to tackle the body of the article, which is definitely the hardest part of this. It's more art than science. You just have to get a feel for how to tease and ramp up people's sense of anxiety about their problem or their desire for something good. If you're really serious about this, let someone you trust read the article before you submit it. Tell them that all you're interested in knowing is if they had that problem or were thinking about buying a product in that niche, would your article make them want it more (a solution their problem or the product they desire). If they say yes, you're all set.

    Rinse, repeat, cash in.

    John
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • Nice thread.. I like point number 1 about curiosity. It is through a catchy title that people will be curios about your article..The title is the first and foremost thing that audience will look into your post.
  • Get their...


    Attention, long enough to arouse
    Interest, enough to increase
    Desire, enough to take
    Action (Click a link in the resource box in this case)

    Every Story (landing page) needs an

    Headline
    Offer &
    Deadline

    A million ways to say the same thing... some understand one, some another
    • [2] replies
    • Thanks for sharing these great article writing tips. It is all about creating a quality article where the person will end up thinking the answer they need is at your website.
    • It's amazing how I've written over 1500 articles and 300 blog posts and I still learn something new every day!

      Thanks for the tips!
  • Banned
    Very good post. I'm guilty of giving away too much info as well. Will have to give this a try.
  • Thanks for this tip. Made me realize im giving up too much info too.

    BTW, Ive been trying to mix things up a bit by having 80% for backlinks only and making 20% that really counts.

    The 80% are outsourced (quite cheaply for me as im in PH already ), and 20% are written by me.

    Those 20% are the EZA articles that gets backlinks from the 80%, thus raking them up the serps.

    Works for me!
    • [1] reply
    • Yes, that's an excellent strategy (linking back to your EZA articles to get them ranked higher). The key is picking good keywords. You want phrases that get a good monthly search volume but don't have a lot of competition in the Top 10 or 20. They're not that hard to find if you learn how and really spend some quality time on it before you write your articles. Always use the phrase you want to rank for as anchor text in your links. EZA has such authority that Google already prefers content there for many niches. Add some good backlinks to the articles you put up there and it's a powerful 1-2 punch! Good tip, YanKirby.

      John
  • Hi all,

    I had beein using PLR articles to do article marketing, perhaps that is why I am having low CTR in ezines and other sites?

    What are the potential of re-writing PLR articles and submit them to various sites?
    • [1] reply
    • Depends on your goals. I don't like web spam, but I'm a marketer and I understand that shortcuts are part of the deal, which is why PLR is always an attractive option. You can use it on a lot of the article directories and never have a problem. Good for building up backlinks, I suppose. I don't really know for sure because I don't do article marketing for the links. Someone else will probably chime in who does. But if you want to brand yourself and become a known authority in your niche, it's a bad idea. Always write original articles and put your own spin on the topic. Set yourself apart from the crowd and all the rehashed stuff being written. Better for the long run, but perhaps not as quick a hit as using PLR and spam blasting all over the place.

      John
  • A lot of great info here John, thanks! I'm very new to writing articles I just began. I write for Ezine, are there more places out there to write articles for? =)

    -Cindy
    • [2] replies
    • Hey Cindy, sure, there are literally thousands more article directories, but EZA is at the very top of the list. Others have their favorites, but I'd rank what I consider the Top 5 roughly like this:

      ezinearticles.com
      articlesbase.com
      ehow.com
      goarticles.com
      buzzle.com

      You'll often see those domains in the Top 10 for searches at Google. I know it isn't an article directory, but personally I think article marketers are leaving lots of good traffic on the table if they don't learn how to convert articles to videos and post to YouTube. I've got one micro-niche kind of site that gets over half its traffic from YouTubers. It gets a nice conversion rate, too.

      Other good directories include:

      ideamarketers.com
      isnare.com
      searchwarp.com
      zimbio.com

      Go for it!

      John
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • I wish I had the type of vision that Cindy does. Her handle is ExpertWriter and she says here she is new to writing articles. I'm sure she is a great writer otherwise but, kudos to you for making your line in the sand. Continue to use resources like this one provided by Zues66 and you will go far

      Always glad to see people putting themselves out there Yippee for you
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • Hi zeus66,

    Thanks for your comments, I find that using PLR is a quick way to re-write articles and submiting to various sites including ezines. It will save me the trouble to write articles. However, I will still take your advice in future.
  • Thanks, very good tips, knew some of them while some were new... this was definitely a helpful post. Thanks!
  • This is really good.

    Should really be required reading for anyone doing an article marketing campaign.
  • Hey John, how much time would you give in testing the effectiveness of an article marketing campaign before seeing significant results?
    • [1] reply
    • Some niches will naturally get higher CTR's than others, so it's important to compare within your niche and not between niches when it comes to gauging how successful that part of it is. But really, it comes down to converting on the other end. You can have a lousy CTR and still make good money if your landing page converts at a higher rate and/or you make a lot per sale. I personally send most article traffic to a squeeze page to build my list. If you really work on getting that page right, you can convert 40% or more of your traffic into list members.

      Having said all of that, article marketing just isn't going to produce in some niches well enough to make it worth your time. Only you can say for sure. My advice would be to try several niches until you hit upon one that is making you happy.

      John
  • Damn it John,

    I think you owe me a ink cartridge. LOL I find myself printing your post and putting them in a folder. I know. I shouldnt be using the "old school" paper method and instead put them in a file on my hard drive but old habits are hard to change.

    Got a couple of questions while we are on the subject. This is one that I still am not real clear on.
    Should I post to my site blog first and let it get indexed so that it will be the authority site and then post to EZA or visa versa?
    I have had some pretty good luck getting some good natural listing's on first page so I am doing something right. My click thru is only 12.5% on this one particular article. I have one that is getting a 31% click thru but dose not have a good natural listing. This is telling me that there is a delicate balance on this.

    I have a article that I wrote yesterday and waiting a few days before I post to my blog to keep them spread out.
    I would like someone to critique it and started to put it here in a post but I dont want it indexed yet. If I were to PM it to you would you give it a quick critique.
    • [1] reply
    • I say put your article on your own site and then submit to EZA. Now, sometimes an editor at EZA with an itchy trigger finger will reject it as duplicate content. Just calmly explain to them that it is yours and the only place it appears is on your own site. That'll work. They're fine with that, but sometimes you have to explain it to them.

      Sure, you can PM your article. I'm really busy today, but I can probably get a chance to give you some feedback on it tonight or tomorrow. Um... and please don't everybody start sending me your articles. LOL I do have a business to run here!

      John
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • Hey Zeus66,

    Great stuff in this post!
    I have been writing for a long time - a very long time - but I am new to WF. I don't know why I have stayed away for so long.
    I have a question about WF protocol. I have written a lot of information about article writing and I am willing to give it away here.
    Should I offer it as a separate post, as a thread, or as a link?
    I don't want to get booted off WF in my first week by breaking the rules!
    Thanks in advance for the advice.
    • [1] reply
    • Welcome to forum, Dave. You have to be careful about linking to your site in your posts, especially when you're new and haven't established a reputation within the community yet. It could be construed as self-promotion, which generally isn't allowed in the body of a post.

      I'd recommend starting your own thread with an article and let folks get to know you and your work. Of course, you can do that over and over, but I'd spread it out a little so you can learn the community as you go.
  • Thanks, John.

    Providing insight into 'psychological nuances' demonstrates your level of expertise. I'm off to re-work some of my stuff now.
  • Great info. It's amazing the kind of stuff you can find for free just by looking around this forum. People are really helpful around here.
  • Couldn't agree more, for me the purpose of an article is to get a high CTR per article, to actulaay generate traffic from the article and not just the link. A good article optimised around a good keyword can generate loads of traffic on it's own.
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks for your tips.
      It really makes me want to go back an look at some to the reasons my CTR is not as good as expected. I'm sure it was a combination of giving away to much information and not creating enough curoistly

      Come to think about it I'm probably guilty of not using all three like I should
  • Thanks for the tips, John. I'm guilty of giving too much info. I've been at this for about 7 months and I'm still learning.

    Carlos
  • Thanks, i recently asked this question and have been anxious to hear from people like you.
  • Thanks for your help John! Got your PM and your advice is great.

    Best of All to You!
    Deckman
  • Thanks for the post and tips you've given as I need to improve my article writing skills.

    The CTR I get at the moment is woeful at best.
    • [1] reply
    • One thing to guard against when it comes to CTR is comparing apples to oranges. If you track CTR across several diverse niches, one thing jumps out at you about CTR: it varies widely. And the variance appears to have nothing to do with the quality of the articles themselves. Which leads me to conclude that there is just a natural variability in the behavior of the audience from niche to niche with respect to their willingness/interest in clicking those links we add at the end. I've tested this pretty extensively, and eventually just kind of gave up in some niches.

      So don't look at your 10% CTR and compare it to the 30% CTR in a completely different niche and jump the conclusion that you're doing something wrong. That 10% you're getting might be excellent for that niche. And if that's not enough to make you some money, the lesson isn't to spend more time trying to "crack the code" to raise CTR. The lesson, in my opinion, is that you might be in the wrong niche. Of course, CTR isn't the 'end all, be all' in article marketing. I'll take 10% CTR all day long if my landing page converts really nicely and I make a good chunk of change per transaction. Sometimes that puts more into your bank account than that flashy 30% CTR does.

      John
  • Another pure gold post by you... I'm going through all your posts now and looking at the information you have to offer. This is too enlightening
  • Thanks for the thoughtful tips.

    Guilty of #2.
  • Very informative. I never thought about coverting an article to a Youtube video as a consistent strategy. Something to think about.
  • Great tips, I recently starting doing more article marketing and getting serious about it and not just pumping out articles to get backlinks. Will have to try a few of these things.
    • [1] reply
    • At least now I have some direction, Thank you very much for your article & advice!
  • Great post, I will implement this and see what will come out of it... Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • thanks. Still, not clear if all the backlinks etc work out into income
    • Hey John,

      That's a great post right there! While I do churn out both kinds of articles (link bait and well written, info loaded ones), I think it's important that people realize teh power of article marketing in that they can acheive great things by having their articles be well written and still be link bait.

      You can start with a few VERY well written articles and have an outsourcer or yourself spin them...(I know that's a dirty word to some) or shall we say, make new versions of them that are just as well written and submit them to a massive amount of places and get a huge amount of backlinks.

      Many think it takes so much longer to write good quality stuff or that they'll be so much further ahead by submitting hundreds of crappy articles, but I disagree.

      Give good information that is incomplete and compels the reader to want more from you....and then direct them where to get it. That's the system that works for me.

      Thanks
      Mike
  • thanks for this tips
  • Article marketing is all about giving the user a positive experience, but also not giving too much away (as stated above). Once you find the balance of giving quality information while still holding back "the good stuff" then you really can increase your CTR exponentially with articles.

    I have been article marketing for around 18 months or so, and I can say that it is the best thing that I have done to establish credibility in a couple of different niches. You should be paid well to tell others how to do things, and article marketing gives you the platform to make quick sales, as well as establish a great reputation.
  • Thank you...

    I am very new here and so with IM world and these kind of tips will surely help me.

    Good day everybody!
  • Awesome info.

    Luckily, I realize I've already been using this approach since I first started writing articles. I guess that's because it's the way I was taught to write in college.

    You see kids, stay in school and you might learn something.
  • Thats a really good post man! Insightful! after reading this I'm actually interested in seeing if you may want to write an article for me on my blog about the same thing.

    We can talk terms or whatever just PM me

    Thanks for the insight! Definitely going to implement. I'm a marketer but not much a writer but this will help! I love WF!
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    Tips For Better Results From Your Article Marketing

    If you're into article marketing for more than just to blast out junk articles to get backlinks, this might help. I don't mean to disparage article marketers who only care about the links... I've been there too. But this tip really won't help you if that's your goal... it might even hurt because it can slow you down a bit until you get good at it. If you're into article marketing to get click-throughs to your site, then it's all about CTR. This tip isn't gonna be anything new to grizzled veterans, but for some of you just getting into it, this can save you a lot of frustration.