First shot at Article Syndication

Do not send an attachment, especially a Word file. Not only is it presumptuous, it will also trigger a lot of AV programs. The last thing you want is for your prospective partner to think you tried to infect them.

(Many computers are infected via macros embedded in Word files.)

You might get past a bad first impression, but if your prospect thinks you're dangerous, you'll never get the chance.

Edit: If you want to send a sample, upload a text file to your web server and include a download link in the email. You can say something like "if you'd like a sample article so you can judge the value to your audience, here's a link to download a sample article:"

Agree. Send it inside an email or send a link to the article.

I have no experience of selling a physical product in this price-range, and perhaps therefore shouldn't comment at all.

But I implore you, whatever you're doing, however you're doing it, to build a list.

Send them to a squeeze page, or send them (as I do) to a content-rich website with a prominently incentivized opt-in displayed at the top of the landing-page (perhaps a lot better, for syndicated article traffic - in my opinion, anyway), but whatever you do, build a list.

Paul Uhl promotes plenty of physical products in this price-range (and a lot higher) and will perhaps comment when he sees the thread. Give his opinion a lot more weight than mine.

Fo' sho' ...

Yes indeed ... you need to have a prominently incentivized opt-in offering something of value in exchange for their email addresses. (You almost certainly don't need their first names, as well, I'd think - just their email addresses will do nicely).

Ooh yes; people do all sorts of things. I send mine email on days 1, 3, 6, 10 and 15 and thereafter at 5-day intervals for ever, myself. (It doesn't really cost anything, once you have the autoresponder facility - you just need a lot of "content" but I'm writing new articles anyway, so I can re-use some of that "content" for emails).

Good luck!

In my niches, the most success for article syndication online has always been with ezines. These can perhaps just as readily be found by using the search term 'niche + "ezine"' or 'niche + "newsletter"'. But the easiest method by far in finding niche ezines for me is a membership with the Directory of Ezines.

Directory of Ezines is a great source for options in just about any niche.
It's hard to make specific recommendations without knowing what niche you're targeting. I do a lot of webmaster related articles and have had great success with SiteProNews, WebProN and a variety of others.

EDIT - yep, I find myself doing a lot of exclusive content, but the payback can be worth it. I also use the content within eBooks and training programs, so it isn't exactly a one-time effort.

The DoE, as mentioned above ...

And, for websites, thanks to Anne and Kim, there are suggestions and observations here: Article Syndication To Benefit and Grow Your Business | Internet Marketing and Publishing
And here: » 500+ Places to Syndicate Your Content

This is also very good, for explaining the "general method/principles" of article syndication: http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com

That's a great point and one I'd actually not considered until you mentioned it.

Even 800 words would be much easier than the usual "syndication" article length required.

Going by the way people talk on here, I get the feeling that this is more so with "personal" sort of blogs. Where there is a community and everyone knows you, a la fourhourworkweek, as an obvious and high profile example.

Not really .. the poster stated 10/70 requested exclusive

Because a site appears to be anything doesn't mean it is .. if they want my exclusive content .. they need the numbers to back it up.

Don't confuse article syndication with writing for review.

Far from it.

The fact that it may already have been published somewhere else doesn't detract from the value their readers get from it at all, and typically this isn't relevant to them. (As it wouldn't be to me, I must say). Many are people who also syndicate the occasional articles from places like EZA, so it's already known that they'll re-publish work already online. What matters is their perception of whether their readers will get value from it, and whether it fulfils part of their regular content need.

Out of all the "guest blogging" I've ever done over the last 3 years (and that's quite a lot, now), I've actually never once used "unique" content.

You really need to be fussy about where your articles appear. In some of the most lucrative niches, articles confer authority, which effectiveness is diluted when submitted to significantly overshadowing publications demanding "unique" content. Credentialing is highly leveraged through syndication of your articles, but this advantage is lost when an article is competing for readers such as in large websites or blogs. This is especially so with "unique" and short articles, which present little more consideration than being filler material by readers.

Alexa jumped in ahead of you and already had it answered back in post #10.

What kind of information are you putting in your articles? If you're creating long informative articles that people can put on their sites, then put that quality of information in your email series. It's like sending a bit of goodness right to their email box - similar high quality, maybe different exact topics (or similar but in different wording) from your website, but it's like reminding them that you are there. Repeat visitors will probably build some trust with you and visit again.

Maybe if the price goes down or new options become available, you can get out a broadcast. Whatever you think the reasons people want to buy from you in the first place (or their objections), you could possibly address those in your email campaign.

Honestly, if you are writing articles to syndicate, you have enough general info about your niche to do an email series. Every few emails, be a little more convincing and enticing about why you want them to "click here". That people would sign up means they want to hear more of what attracted them in the first place!

Start by writing 5 or maybe 10 emails at first and schedule them to be sent out maybe a couple days apart for the first two or three to keep you in their minds at the beginning, then spread them out more. People on the forum talk of intervals anywhere from 3 days to about a week in between emails.

Take two or three emails to introduce yourself, your website, welcome them to the list, tell them what kind of quality information you'll be sharing with them. And maybe every 3 messages or so (this varies according to many different warriors) give more of a pitch in the second half of an informative email. This can at least be a start, so that when people sign up you have something ready for them. It'll give you some time to keep writing "ahead of them" as they sign up.

Not to say that the "drop by" customer won't buy something. But if somebody bothers to give their email to hear more, I'd say that immediately makes them more targeted and easier to convert. I don't have much experience with my list yet - still working on it! But the principles are so much clearer to me now on why this works.

Sorry if this was rambly - it's late. Good luck and do provide an update!

Well I know alot of the smart warriors say this in here.

You know....they aren't just saying this to fill in white space with VERBATIM!

The next question I always get asked, is "when should I build a list"

To which I reply to them. "YESTERDAY"

You hear people say it, you read it in here time and time again....but yet People are not BUILDING THEIR LIST!:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Even in niches where there aren't items to cross promote, you still want to build a list.

The entire purpose of the list in my eyes and what I use them for is to PRE SELL to my future customers. I don't care if I never sell another product to them (which I can), but to get the chance to earn their trust enough to buy in the first place.

I like how the lazy people always say "well, ya know I do not need to build a list in my niche."

HOGWASH!

If I was selling fake vomit, I would build a list and tell them the benefits of why having fake vomit next to them on train will keep their seat spare in the mornings going to work. Give them benefits, make it hard for them to say no.

If your case, you can sell all sorts of stuff. People who sit in bean bags just want to kickback and chill out. Maybe they are stressed so you can sell them those, or affiliate offers to those sorts of products.

Even sell them larger beans, or smaller beans. Or Bean bags for the dog. I do not know you will be amazed whats out there. There are tons of things you can offer these people.

Listbuilding can be incorporated into any business. I just gave you one for selling fake vomit. LOL. Remember you are not building a list, you are building a relationship with your customer, and gaining trust. Making it harder for them to say NO to what you are offering. If you can do that, you can sell anything on email. I know I have over the years.

Just my 2 cents.

Assuming that each article is at least somewhat related to at least one of the products, you could use the old Columbo approach.

'By the way, you might benefit this way if you picked up a copy of thus and such here. Use the link in the email and get x% discount.'

Low key, but there in every email.