Writing advice or tips?

by Jaypro26 Banned
57 replies
I really want to get into article marketing but whenever I pick a niche I always have a problem when I try to write my article. I am a Native English speaker but this cant be that hard. If anyone can give me some helpful advice you would be doing me a huge favor. I am signed up for soo many affiliate networks but have not made a dime yet.
#advice #advice. blogging #articles #tips #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
    I would concentrate on building a list with article marketing and sell the products through the list.

    Just write in a conversational tone and provide useful content for your audience. Don't over think it.

    Benjamin Ehinger
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    • Profile picture of the author Jaypro26
      Banned
      Thanks, I have always been interested in list building/email marketing but do not know where to start.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
    The more you write, it is more likely that you will become better and it will become easier.
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    • Profile picture of the author HKSEO Jonbones
      Originally Posted by Michael Ten View Post

      The more you write, it is more likely that you will become better and it will become easier.
      practice, practice, practice...it takes time to get to a point to where it all makes sense right out of the gate.

      Keeping a journal would help--also--when I was in school, I'd practice writing by taking an article in the paper or online, and rewrite it, trying to keep the info the same, but totally change the tone of the words.

      Play with it, it's like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vimal Gobin
    If you've got the English right (grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, etc...), then there is only one thing left: Just do it!

    It's probably not the solution you were expecting, but that's really it. What might help is this: making a general layout of the article.

    Let's say you are to write a 1,000 word article about weight-loss. There are several angles from which you can tackle that.

    You could:
    • Write about 5 tips - around 200 words each
    • Talk about 1 aspect only, but break it down in parts (For example, Aspect: Diet. Parts: Fats, Calories, Health, Fasting, Diet 1, Diet 2 etc etc)
    • Write an FAQ - an article answering frequently asked questions
    • Get into mistakes that people should avoid (Don'ts instead of dos)

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    • Profile picture of the author Leejeong
      Hmm. If you're a good writer you won't have any problem at all. Just have your pattern first, let say the first paragraph will be the introduction of a certain topic and the second will be the main idea where you are going to discuss it then just write it like you are talking with the readers. Be more on information and tips, that's what the readers most like. Create a catchy, but relevant title. Read it once you're done.

      Just be confident enough to type all those words on your mind. Don't forget to include a research.
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    • Profile picture of the author vicdublin
      Originally Posted by Vimal Gobin View Post

      If you've got the English right (grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, etc...), then there is only one thing left: Just do it!

      It's probably not the solution you were expecting, but that's really it. What might help is this: making a general layout of the article.

      Let's say you are to write a 1,000 word article about weight-loss. There are several angles from which you can tackle that.

      You could:
      • Write about 5 tips – around 200 words each
      • Talk about 1 aspect only, but break it down in parts (For example, Aspect: Diet. Parts: Fats, Calories, Health, Fasting, Diet 1, Diet 2 etc etc)
      • Write an FAQ – an article answering frequently asked questions
      • Get into mistakes that people should avoid (Don'ts instead of dos)

      .........This is simply" writing tips made easy". nice one, Vimal Gobin!.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Hi,

    I use the old preacher's method.

    If you are shooting for a 450 to 1,000 word article it works every time.

    Here is the back story.

    It seems someone asked the preacher how he was able to come up with a new sermon every week. "Simple." He said.

    "First I tell them what I'm going to tell them."

    "Then I tell them."

    "Then I tell them what I told them."

    Of course you probably recognize this "Method" as the need for 1. An Introduction. 2. A body. And 3. A conclusion. However, when you break it down to the "Preacher's" method it's fun. At least for me.

    Just remember, in the introduction you want to grab their interest. (give them a reason to continue reading.) In the body you want to inform/educate or entertain or all three. Finally, in the conclusion you want to move your reader to action.

    Try it, you might like it.

    George Wright
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

    If anyone can give me some helpful advice you would be doing me a huge favor.
    It's possible that a few of the comments in this post might help you: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post3188316

    Without knowing exactly what you've done, it's hard to say, but even this post might help: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5035794

    Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

    I am signed up for soo many affiliate networks but have not made a dime yet.
    The observations in this post were made with reference to one specific affiliate network, but the principles uderlying them relate to "affiliate sales in general", if this helps: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post7110523
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  • Profile picture of the author Margaret Jones
    Your quality of English (or the length of your writing) need not be a problem. There are easier ways of doing it.

    I just sent you a PM
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    • Profile picture of the author Maruelle
      one strategy that I learned from my past client when it comes to article writing is you have to translate the keyword into dutch and look for articles in dutch language with that keyword, when you can find an article in dutch language, translate the whole article using google translator. There are some grammars that needs to be fixed but don't worry it is just minimal...
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  • Profile picture of the author H.Miller
    Stop thinking so hard. Just write. Your articles don't need to be perfect. They just need to provide value to the reader. Articles that convert well include "how to", "top _ reasons why", "5 ways to do" etc. Your keyword would of course be in all of them. For example, if you are promoting a weight loss product you can write about the "Top 5 reasons you are still fat".

    Or something like that. Make sure your titles grab peoples attention as that is the first thing they will see. Then just write! Look to see if the website you are promoting has a blog. If it does use the blog to help you come up with content to promote the actual products. You probably won't like the first few articles you write. But post them anyways. Eventually your writing will get better and you will be fine. You just have to do it, that's all there is to it.
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  • Profile picture of the author jingrong
    Shouldn't be any problem for you if you are good in writing. If you have problem on what to write at your desk. You may try to record it in your voice recorder when you are on the street, shopping, waiting for public transport, etc. if you don't know what topic to write, go to Google Adwords to look for keywords
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    • Profile picture of the author catcat
      Try working with mind maps. They are great! You can use them to turn your disorganized thoughts into streams of running words. It's a lot easier to put together an article if you know ahead of time what you are going to be writing about.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jaypro26
    Banned
    Thanks for the great tips. I am going to try to set a goal by writing 2 to 3 articles each day for now.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

      Thanks for the great tips. I am going to try to set a goal by writing 2 to 3 articles each day for now.
      How about thinking quality over quantity?

      How about making a goal of writing a piece that is of excellent quality and engaging to the reader? One that stands out with some personality in it whether it be in story form, using analogies to get your point across, or a conversational piece, no matter how long it takes.

      Terra
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

      I am going to try to set a goal by writing 2 to 3 articles each day for now.
      I can't manage more than one per day, myself, of the quality needed to make money from them.

      I write no more than three articles, per niche, per month, and that's plenty to be a full-time article marketer (I have 8 different niches). Article marketing isn't about how many articles you have: it's about who reads them.
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      • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
        Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

        Thanks, I have always been interested in list building/email marketing but do not know where to start.
        I strictly use writing to build my list, whether it's content on article directories, guest blogging or another type of content usage. I forward it to a squeeze page and give away a free report to get people to sign up. After that it's just testing different emails to find the ones that convert and giving away more free stuff to your list.

        Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

        Thanks for the great tips. I am going to try to set a goal by writing 2 to 3 articles each day for now.
        This is a good goal to start. As a writer, I know it can be hard to put together more than a few articles in one day. If the issues is your typing speed, get a speech to text software program for your computer. This will speed you up.

        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        I can't manage more than one per day, myself, of the quality needed to make money from them.
        I write no more than three articles, per niche, per month, and that's plenty to be a full-time article marketer (I have 8 different niches). Article marketing isn't about how many articles you have: it's about who reads them.
        Quality is very important. I find as I get to know a niche better and better, I can write much faster and still provide quality.

        Benjamin Ehinger
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    Do a Google search for "article templates" and you'll be
    surprised at the helpful information you'll find. Once you
    have a template in hand then writing articles become a lot
    easier. After you've used these templates then they'll
    finally rub off on you so that you don't have to refer
    to them directly anymore.

    As was mentioned about the preacher above, I have
    to also preach almost every week and it's not always
    easy to come with a new sermon. But the simple
    idea that I need an introduction to draw in my
    audience a couple points to make and an appeal
    (call to action) at the end helps the process.

    Each point I make is usually illustrated with a
    story so I have many "sermon illustration" books
    as resources.

    When you have to do a lot of writing you need the
    tools of the trade and you also need a framework
    on which to build each writing piece.

    Practically all the cover stories in TIME magazine
    follow the same broad structure. The writers start
    with a story, illustrate some facts and close with
    the same story they started the piece. You can
    check this out for yourself--never fails.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

    I really want to get into article marketing but whenever I pick a niche I always have a problem when I try to write my article. I am a Native English speaker but this cant be that hard. If anyone can give me some helpful advice you would be doing me a huge favor. I am signed up for soo many affiliate networks but have not made a dime yet.
    If you're going to call yourself a writer, then always be a writer. Always strive to put out your best work because someone will notice when you don't. The word I've put in bold above should have an apostrophe. I know you know that. And that's my point.

    But, but... it's just a forum post. Doesn't matter. EVERYTHING you publish needs to be as good as you can get it, everything. That's how you develop as a writer. There are people who will notice the littlest mistakes and won't take you seriously. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jaypro26
    Banned
    That is true. Quality is way better than quantity for sure.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Hi,

    Here is something else I do. Turn off spell/grammar check.

    Write your entire article (remember, tell em, tell em, tell em) without the distraction of the wavy little red lines popping up as you are writing.

    It takes no more than a minute or two to turn spell check back on and correct all the errors.

    If your goal is to write more than one article in one setting, leave the spell check off for the entire set of articles. Correct them all at the same time.

    What I am saying is while you are writing wear your writers cap. While you are editing put on your editor's cap. Don't try to be a writer and editor at the same time. It interrupts the flow IMHO.

    George Wright
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    "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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  • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
    Just a question.

    How do those of you who write two and three articles a day re-purpose and market those articles? Not saying I am doing it the only right way or even the right way but it takes me as long as three days to write and market one article .. sometimes longer actually.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

      How do those of you who write two and three articles a day re-purpose and market those articles? ... it takes me as long as three days to write and market one article .. sometimes longer actually.
      It can take my writers several days to research and produce one article. The ROI, however, is huge because these articles are marketed widely to online/offline syndicated partners. It really does not take very many articles at all to drive torrential floods of highly targeted traffic when they are leveraged effectively. For any given viable niche, there are thousands - or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of potential publisher outlets.
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      • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        It can take my writers several days to research and produce one article. The ROI, however, is huge because these articles are marketed widely to online/offline syndicated partners. It really does not take very many articles at all to drive torrential floods of highly targeted traffic when they are leveraged effectively. For any given viable niche, there are thousands - or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of potential publisher outlets.
        Yeah ... I keep seeing people post and talk about how they write three or more articles a day. I just don't see how they are getting the most out of any of their articles by churning and burning.
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        • Profile picture of the author George Wright
          Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

          Just a question.

          How do those of you who write two and three articles a day re-purpose and market those articles? Not saying I am doing it the only right way or even the right way but it takes me as long as three days to write and market one article .. sometimes longer actually.
          Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

          Yeah ... I keep seeing people post and talk about how they write three or more articles a day. I just don't see how they are getting the most out of any of their articles by churning and burning.
          Hi Troy,

          The way I read the OP is that he was looking for advice on how to write articles.

          After that we all came here giving advice on how we do it based on why we do it.

          The reasons why Alexa, MYOB, You, Me and all others write articles are varied.

          Yes, the OP did mention affiliate marketing and networks, however if he can get over the thought that he can't write, then he can write.

          As you mentioned some write a few high quality articles and some write a lot for churn and burn.

          Personally it would be very frustrating to me to only be able to write one article in one day research or no research. So that's the place my answer to the OP came from.

          As far as churn and burn that's not my style either, I always re purpose my stuff.

          I have posts that became articles that became reports that became eBooks that became posts.

          I don't do affiliate marketing so I never write "that" kind of article for myself. I do ghost write for others who want articles for affiliate marketing and it is my least favorite type of writing. I don't do much research, only enough to get this or that fact correct. (It comes in blue, white and red. It costs between $5 and $10. It is made of....)

          If someone wants me to ghost write 100 articles they have to tell me what they want me to say and I just say it 100 different ways. After all if a client doesn't know what he wants he won't know it when he sees it. (and then the refund requests begin) In other words, He has to tell me how great, useful, easy, valuable, wonderful, fabulous and delicious the product is. My opinion isn't the issue, his is.

          Other than that...

          Mostly I write what I know. I can never run out of stuff to write about because I learn new stuff every day.

          Life is good!

          George Wright
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          "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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          • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
            Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

            Hi Troy,

            The way I read the OP is that he was looking for advice on how to write articles.

            After that we all came here giving advice on how we do it based on why we do it.

            The reasons why Alexa, MYOB, You, Me and all others write articles are varied.

            Yes, the OP did mention affiliate marketing and networks, however if he can get over the thought that he can't write, then he can write.

            As you mentioned some write a few high quality articles and some write a lot for churn and burn.

            Personally it would be very frustrating to me to only be able to write one article in one day research or no research. So that's the place my answer to the OP came from.

            As far as churn and burn that's not my style either, I always re purpose my stuff.

            I have posts that became articles that became reports that became eBooks that became posts.

            I don't do affiliate marketing so I never write "that" kind of article for myself. I do ghost write for others who want articles for affiliate marketing and it is my least favorite type of writing. I don't do much research, only enough to get this or that fact correct. (It comes in blue, white and red. It costs between $5 and $10. It is made of....)

            If someone wants me to ghost write 100 articles they have to tell me what they want me to say and I just say it 100 different ways. After all if a client doesn't know what he wants he won't know it when he sees it. (and then the refund requests begin) In other words, He has to tell me how great, useful, easy, valuable, wonderful, fabulous and delicious the product is. My opinion isn't the issue, his is.

            Other than that...

            Mostly I write what I know. I can never run out of stuff to write about because I learn new stuff every day.

            Life is good!

            George Wright
            Honestly George, if you told me you could write 5 a day and they were all the highest of quality I would believe you. You are one of the ones I have listened closely to ever since I have been here.

            In my own niches I can easily do the same thing.

            I was just wondering how some can say they write quality and effective articles in bulk? I can see them writing them in one day if they know their stuff but marketing those in the same time frame is another factor. My site .. EZA ... mass submit ... is not marketing anymore (if it ever was.)

            The OP ask for writing tips and advice and I was hoping to get others to share their marketing knowledge as knowing how to market those articles is as big, and sometimes bigger, obstacle than actually getting the words down.
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            • Profile picture of the author myob
              Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

              The OP ask for writing tips and advice and I was hoping to get others to share their marketing knowledge as knowing how to market those articles is as big, and sometimes bigger, obstacle than actually getting the words down.
              Indeed, writing articles is easy, relative to the more onerous task of actually marketing the articles. But in the broadest sense of the "article marketing" model, the two are inseparable. The real power in article marketing is not writing articles to sell products or boost rankings, but rather in leveraging articles by marketing them to the broadest targeted reader base possible. A common obstacle, however, is that quality articles are essential for this to work effectively.

              This leveraging power, article syndication, does not seem to be fully understood. Being much more than merely mass distribution, article syndication carries with it a subtle but very powerful marketing nuance. When editors/publishers accept an article for publication, there is a tacit endorsement conveyed to their readers/subscribers. In my experience, this has consistently been the razor's edge for beating the competition all-to-hell.

              This link may be helpful. Read the entire thread and included references for perhaps the best free course you will ever find on this marketing model.
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              • Profile picture of the author Kevin McNally
                This link may be helpful. Read the entire thread and included references for perhaps the best free course you will ever find on this marketing model.
                Hi, I was reading the post at the link you mentioned below...

                As far as the potential for article syndication, I dunno. Some people are doing much better than me with this method, but I generate an average 40,000 new subscribers per day in the aggregate across all my niches.
                Are you still getting 40,000 opt ins per day ? To get this on a consistent basis you would need hundreds of thousands of visitors per day and also have a list into the millions by now ?
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                • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
                  Banned
                  I can't answer for Paul, obviously, but I've once or twice had many thousands on the days/weeks of newspaper/magazine article publications. Even here, there are newspapers with circulations in the millions, and you're going to get thousands (or tens of thousands) of opt-ins from them, when you can get them into print with your link.

                  (Not something I've managed to do regularly, but obviously a huge list-builder, and "article syndication at its best", when you do them ).
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                • Originally Posted by Kevin McNally View Post

                  Hi, I was reading the post at the link you mentioned below...



                  Are you still getting 40,000 opt ins per day ? To get this on a consistent basis you would need hundreds of thousands of visitors per day and also have a list into the millions by now ?
                  Aww c'mon man -- Paul's (MYOB) THE $1/2 billion/year article marketer, didn't you know? He said so himself in one of the article syndication threads here

                  Anyway, Paul (MYOB) posted that about a year and a couple of months ago, so, an average of 40K subscribers/day x around 360 days = 14 million subscribers by now, on average. And, if Paul (MYOB) has been getting this average in the last 5 years, that's around 1% of the total world population, which is around 7 billion this year...
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                • Profile picture of the author myob
                  Originally Posted by Kevin McNally View Post

                  Are you still getting 40,000 opt ins per day ? To get this on a consistent basis you would need hundreds of thousands of visitors per day and also have a list into the millions by now ?
                  No, actually I'm averaging a little more than that now as new online/offline publisher outlets are being added to my syndication partner network. These partners are real business assets; far more valuable than subscribers could ever be. With this type of marketing, relationship-building is condensed, resulting in very high sales conversions, so there is no need for "hundreds of thousands of visitors". Also my niche lists are kept managable and active by regularly culling non-buyers. Here is why.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
          Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

          Yeah ... I keep seeing people post and talk about how they write three or more articles a day. I just don't see how they are getting the most out of any of their articles by churning and burning.
          I bought a product loong ago. The guy taught how to write articles in three minutes (something crazy like that). He was making $60 an hour writing $5 articles. Awesome guy, can´t remember the name.

          He had perfected the system, and it worked. I tried it and the fastest I managed was 15 minutes, what is very fast for me.

          It worked like this: You take 6 articles of EZA or any other place like it and look for keywords that talk about facts. Once you spot them you create paragraphs talking about the same features pairing key ideas from different articles.

          His articles were very structured, the typical opening-body and conclusion George mentioned. And the body had 2 or 3 paragraphs dealing with 2 of these features/keywords each.

          The final product was copyscape safe, ok quality at first sight and keyword rich. Of course, there is no time to check the information, you just hope for the best and go ahead repeating other´s findings like a cute parrot.

          I call those "salad" articles. You just pick up your ingredients and toss them together with a dressing and some toppings.

          I am more of a stew cooker. Foods where the times you cook the ingredients matter, the way you cut them matter; you pick up the herbs from your own garden for the seasoning and cut a piece of your Himalayan salt lamp to add more flavor. It is a different writing experience, and a different reading experience.

          Salads are good for a fast meal. Stews are good for nurturing the body and the soul.
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          • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
            Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

            I bought a product loong ago. The guy taught how to write articles in three minutes (something crazy like that). He was making $60 an hour writing $5 articles. Awesome guy, can´t remember the name.

            He had perfected the system, and it worked. I tried it and the fastest I managed was 15 minutes, what is very fast for me.

            It worked like this: You take 6 articles of EZA or any other place like it and look for keywords that talk about facts. Once you spot them you create paragraphs talking about the same features pairing key ideas from different articles.

            His articles were very structured, the typical opening-body and conclusion George mentioned. And the body had 2 or 3 paragraphs dealing with 2 of these features/keywords each.

            The final product was copyscape safe, ok quality at first sight and keyword rich. Of course, there is no time to check the information, you just hope for the best and go ahead repeating other´s findings like a cute parrot.

            I call those "salad" articles. You just pick up your ingredients and toss them together with a dressing and some toppings.

            I am more of a stew cooker. Foods where the times you cook the ingredients matter, the way you cut them matter; you pick up the herbs from your own garden for the seasoning and cut a piece of your Himalayan salt lamp to add more flavor. It is a different writing experience, and a different reading experience.

            Salads are good for a fast meal. Stews are good for nurturing the body and the soul.
            Awesomely put Sandra!

            It's funny how I see a lot of food and dining experiences being used to describe types of writing.

            I like to compare my articles to cuisine too, lol. Not the food found at fast food joints with a drive by window, but the cuisine that is found in fine dining establishments.

            If I toss out bland generic food like a fast food joint, my hungering readers and visitors will taste junk food and drive away after spitting out the poor quality stuff and will still be left with a nasty aftertaste in their mouth determined not to return.

            However, if I serve them quality cuisine to satiate their hunger and thirst for quality information, they'll linger and savor the flavor of the content, compliment the chef, share the name of the fine dining establishment with their friends and return often.

            I just think that it is vitally important to search for and put in the finest ingredients into my pieces which requires time rather than just throwing random low quality ingredients together where they all seem the same, just to have something to toss out in paper wrappers.

            I guess it goes back to quality over quantity.

            Terra

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  • Profile picture of the author quamism
    I've found that when I am stuck and having a writers block, I'll visit the same article marketing sites and read about 10 random articles. Even if they aren't related to your niche, you will get some ideas about style, formatting, and tone.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author TimothyTorrents
    Find a format that works for you and stick to it. Once you memorize a simple format it will be much easier for you to pump out articles. Personally, I don't think article marketing should be your main concern right now. I think it would be better for you to focus on building a email list.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author johndetlefs
    Charles Schultz: “Only amateurs get writer's block. Professionals can't afford it.”

    A little bit trite, but true anyway.

    My method is to write bullet points of what I'd like the article to be about, so effectively an outline.

    I then record myself just talking about each bullet point until I have around 10 minutes overall of audio.

    I then send that audio to a transcription service (I use scribie.com) and in a couple of days I get a word document with everything that i've said.

    I edit the crap out of it until it says exactly what I want it to say.

    Depending on how fast you talk you should get about 140 words of text per minute of audio so use that as a rough rule of thumb depending on how long you want the article to be.

    I hope that is useful!
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  • Profile picture of the author jmae SEO
    One thought: narrow down from "several affiliate programs" to just one or two. Then, you can focus your writing efforts more fully on these ones and hope you start achieving success!
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  • Profile picture of the author alan01
    Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

    I really want to get into article marketing but whenever I pick a niche I always have a problem when I try to write my article. I am a Native English speaker but this cant be that hard. If anyone can give me some helpful advice you would be doing me a huge favor. I am signed up for soo many affiliate networks but have not made a dime yet.
    Just write simple words and be simple. Don't think it as like as jargon and you are on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Just research your niche hard and learn as much information as possible about your niche. Then create content based on the pure information that you know in your head about the subject.

    Then go to EzineArticles and buy their "articles template" pack. It'll give you more inspiration to create and re-write articles without making your head explode.
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  • Profile picture of the author Doppelbock
    Well, you can approach this from different angles.

    First off, you have to determine a tone. Are you coming from the perspective of a salesman, or are you providing information that could lead to a potential sale?

    If you're a salesman, you want to butter up your product without bashing the reader over the head by sounding like a salesman.

    If you're providing information, it's important to make the object of sale sound important, vital, or critical to the advancement of the person purchasing said product.

    Diction is also very important. Who's your audience? You can apply a wide variety of high tidy important sounding words, but they need to be something that will resonate with your audience and make them feel safe, comfortable, or in need (or all three). Your words can become the sales pitch without actually saying "buy this."

    The next part would be content. More than likely, in any case, the meatier the content, the better. Providing something sweet and succulent for the reader to chew as they're skimming through an article will keep their attention at allow for a higher retention rate.

    Even if you do not have a whole lot of smarty farty research, knowledge, or input, it is still possible to sound like you do.

    And that my friends, is the beauty of writing.
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  • Profile picture of the author mervp
    Just learn to do good keyword research to find "buying keyword," that is, terms that relate to a reader solving a problem, and write articles that help them solve it. The info you provide helps to pre-sell products or services in line with that problem and solution.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    Yes - you are certainly not alone in finding writing (especially ongoing writing) challenging.

    Here are a few tips we use as we develop written content every day

    1. Start with a question...nothing makes writing easier than focusing our mind on a question. You get asked questions many times each day and come up with a verbal answer no problem...your brain is trained to think this way, so come up with a compelling question and let your words flow as if you were answering in conversation

    2. Be interested in what you write about. Some will argue this isn't necessary and it is not - but it's sure a lot easier to write about what you like than something you have no interest in

    3. Look for writing triggers given to you by those in your marketplace - "spy" on them in discussion forums, read their comments on blogs, watch what they say in product reviews (ex on Amazon) and let this trigger ideas for your

    4 Write about something - giving your opinion. I mix up our content with some being based on personal experience, some based on research and some based purely on my own opinion about news or some other piece of content...pretend you are Howard Stern or Anderson Cooper (I know, two quite divergent examples...) and let the world know your opinion.

    Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin McNally
    Even here, there are newspapers with circulations in the millions, and you're going to get thousands (or tens of thousands) of opt-ins from them, when you can get them into print with your link.
    Are you talking about the UK newspapers ? Only 3 newspapers in the UK have a circulation over 1 million and I would be very surprised if anyone but a master copywriter could get over 10,000 leads from a published article in any of them as it's not a targeted niche.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Kevin McNally View Post

      Are you talking about the UK newspapers ? Only 3 newspapers in the UK have a circulation over 1 million and I would be very surprised if anyone but a master copywriter could get over 10,000 leads from a published article in any of them as it's not a targeted niche.
      "What" isn't a targeted niche? (Sometimes newspapers have pretty targeted supplements ).

      The two in which I've managed articles so far were the Mirror and the Daily Mail. I think they both have circulations over a million (I suspect the Mail might even be twice that). I haven't ever managed over 10,000 leads, though.

      (The "Sun" is the highest circulation, probably, I'd guess? Not really "my traffic demographics" at all, though :p ).

      I've had "near misses" with the Telegraph and the Express, but I think their circulations are well under a million. I keep trying. Thousands of opt-ins are certainly not to be sneezed at.

      Magazines can also be pretty good: far smaller circulations but much better targeting (not to mention much easier acceptance!) if you can find the right one. But many people and businesses are doing that every day of the week, of course (much more commonly "merchants" than "affiliates"). The "Writers & Artists Yearbook" (2013 version already published) is a great resource.

      This type of article marketing's been around for longer than the internet. Doing it with a website and an opt-in is only a modernised version of a very old marketing technique, but it can be very successful. I just wish I could do them regularly.

      Plenty of advice here, Kevin, if you want to read more (I learned a lot from it): Turn Words Into Traffic

      Originally Posted by Kevin McNally View Post

      I would be very surprised if anyone but a master copywriter could ...
      I wouldn't think it's necessarily a job for a copywriter? Nobody's going to publish something that reads like a sales article, surely (unless you pay for "advertorial" or something)? Better suited to article writers, really?
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin McNally
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kevin McNally View Post
    Are you still getting 40,000 opt ins per day ? To get this on a consistent basis you would need hundreds of thousands of visitors per day and also have a list into the millions by now ?


    No, actually I'm averaging a little more than that now as new online/offline publisher outlets are being added to my syndication network. With this type of marketing, relationship-building is condensed, resulting in very high conversions, so there is no need for "hundreds of thousands of visitors". Also my niche lists are kept managable and active by regularly culling non-buyers. Here is why.
    You are averaging more than 40,000 subscribers per day now ?

    I can't even find the words to reply to that !

    Seriously.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by Kevin McNally View Post

      You are averaging more than 40,000 subscribers per day now ?

      I can't even find the words to reply to that !

      Seriously.
      Article Syndication is a scalar marketing model, and also quite a simple, centuries-old marketing concept. Rather than focusing on the short-term vision of getting subscribers who often come and go, understand that partnering with networks (ie targeted online/offline publishers, trade associations, business/social groups, etc) is a long-term business-building strategy. Once established and nurtured, these outlets can consistently generate laser-targeted leads for many years. Seriously.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    Originally Posted by Jaypro26 View Post

    I really want to get into article marketing but whenever I pick a niche I always have a problem when I try to write my article. I am a Native English speaker but this cant be that hard. If anyone can give me some helpful advice you would be doing me a huge favor. I am signed up for soo many affiliate networks but have not made a dime yet.
    I have two pointers for you:

    1. There are no good writer anywhere, the only good writer is the one that goes back to his work a second time.

    2. You are chasing too many things at the same time with your limited resource and that will only make you unproductive.. Pick it one step at a time..
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  • Profile picture of the author Make Money Ninja
    If i said i was an expert writer i would be lying. So take my advice with a pinch of salt.

    The biggest tip i would give you is to write as you would speak. There is something about writing in a conversational tone that makes people warm to you and trust what you are saying.

    The only site i have ever read about writing/copywriting is copyblogger.com. It's a decent site/blog. Lots of good articles and advice on writing. Hope that helps.

    - Andy
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  • Profile picture of the author Sysbase
    You need to start with an outline and sub-topics then start expanding on each sub-topic from there.
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    • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
      You simply need to practice and hopefully you will get better. It is just a known fact that some people are just not cut out for writing and that's okay. We all can't be good at everything, right?
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  • Profile picture of the author karlmay1980
    Concentrate on the detail and content rather than quality of writing, if it something really important I would outsource to a ghost writer, it can be well worthwhile and not as expensive as you would think, you then just supply the content and they do the magic!
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  • Profile picture of the author karlmay1980
    focus on the content rather than quality of writing, just talk as you speak and would tell someone about it.

    Also if it is a big important piece outsource it, ghost writers aren't that expensive but could work some magic if you can give them enough content to work with, this could really pay off.
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  • Profile picture of the author MRamocsai
    Save the real good stuff for your websites but as far as the process goes try to hand pick sub-topics related to pages on your site. Getting down the process of writing and driving traffic with your articles is tough at first but it gets a lot easier the more you do it.

    It's one of those things in life where practice makes perfect. And if you're somewhat new to article marketing, look at this process as a learning experience. You don't have to be cranking out magnificent pieces of writing right away.

    So, write an article that gives the reader everything they want (this is where you'll make your money with AdSense, affiliate links, etc) and publish that article on your site. After you've done this, write articles about related topics and sub-topics that link back to your "money" article. The way you'll drive traffic and make money is by showing the reader that you know what you're talking about and that they can find the solutions to their problems by clicking through to your site.

    You've got to tease the reader just a bit to get them to click through but you don't want to direct them to a page on your site littered with advertisements and offers. You'll naturally find the right balance with practice. This is how I've made money via article marketing, anyhow. I simply show the reader I can offer them more than they already know and that I'm well aware of helpful solutions to their problems.

    The key is to research your topics thoroughly so you sound like you're an expert on whatever topic you're writing about and can back up your expertise with information recall.
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  • Profile picture of the author mrelk159
    The harder and more dedicated to your work then the easier the work will become, its hard to give tips on writing, simply everyone has a different idea of how to write, some people perfer shorter sentences some longer.

    You should focus on being more efficient at YOUR style of writing and on what makes it unique, people like uniqueness and professionalism, good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author eire01
    Gotta pick a niche you are passionate about, that way the words will just come naturally to you!
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    • EzineArticles.com has a great set of tutorials. They can walk you though how to write articles from the very beginning. And they're all free.

      Mary
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