Writing Articles for Traffic, Fame and Profit

“Don’t be scared off thinking writing an article to be the hardest thing in the world. You don’t need to win the Nobel Prize, all you need to do is be yourself and communicate with your readers.” - Ewen Chia

I’m a writer. I’ve always been a writer. When I was in the fourth grade I wrote a ten-page story about this family’s house being invaded with vampires and my teacher accused me of plagiarism. She asked me where I got the story. When I told her I made it up she didn’t believe me. It took some serious convincing (from my mother) for the teacher to believe that it was actually my own work.

I suppose that was when I started consciously thinking of myself as a good writer because, from that point forward, I’ve always worked hard to be the best writer I can possibly be. I’ve never been one to squander talents. If you can sing, go to karaoke. If you have a steady hand, go to med school. Chances are, if you’re naturally good at something there’s a good reason for it. Use it.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of articles and books by Ewen Chia. He is certainly a talented writer and teacher: a great combination. And, like any great teachers, he’s quick and willing to share his knowledge for the benefit of others. Recently, to my benefit. I recently bought Affiliate of the Month and am working my way through it for the second time. You can expect a review soon.

The program is quite dense, but it doesn’t feel that way. Such is the nature of Ewen’s writing. You learn much more than you expected because the process of learning was so smooth and entertaining. What I really want to talk about in this article, though is…well…articles. The quote from Ewen at the beginning of this post was from his report How to Create Your Own 24/7 Little Sales Machines in 5 Simple Steps. The five steps Ewen discusses are:

1. Create A Killer Article Title
2. Draw Readers In With A Stunning Opening Sentence
3. Talk About The Main Points In The Body Section
4. Summarize With A Call To Action
5. Make ‘Em Click

As you can probably tell from these steps, Ewen really does make the process of writing an effective article very simple. You still have to do the work, but a road map always helps. I think this report can benefit everyone, but would be especially helpful for people who are a little intimidated by the process of writing an article and the idea of putting it out there for others to read. And believe me, the benefits of writing and submitting articles greatly outweigh any personal risk you may be taking.

Article marketing is a very powerful means of traffic creation and website promotion. When you submit an article to a directory, you are able to add a bio at the end with a website link (sometimes two). This is called a resource box and it allows you to not put your name out there to establish yourself as an “expert” of the topic, but you’re also receiving a completely free one-way link. Not bad for an hour’s worth of research and a couple hundred words.

Ewen’s report covers the structure of the article, but I’d like to briefly discuss the preparation part. When you’re writing an article there are really two source groups from which you’ll glean your information. Some articles use only one of the groups, but the vast majority - especially if you’re writing about something you know and/or love (highly recommended!) - use a bit of both.

The first source group is you. Some articles come straight out of your brain. If you’ve played the position of pitcher on the baseball field all your life, you can certainly write an article on the mechanics of throwing a curveball. You don’t need to research it, you just know it. The only trick with an article written entirely from personal knowledge is making clear to your reader that you know what you’re talking about. If you want them to follow your curve ball instructions, tell them how long you’ve played and how often your curve ball has benefited you and your team. If your reader doesn’t believe in you within the first paragraph then you’ve most likely lost him/her.

I suggest knowing at least something about a subject before you attempt to write an article about it, but that’s just my preference. I try to stick to subjects about which I know at least a little something. I’m not going to write an article about automobile maintenance because my dad still has to call me to remind me to check my oil and water every now and then. In my opinion, if you want to be considered an expert on something then you should actually be one. Or at least be in the process of becoming one. I’m certainly not an expert in internet marketing, but I make sure I do a lot of research before I write about something. If you don’t know and (ideally) like the topic of your article, anyone who reads it is going to know that. All it takes is one article where you’re clearly talking out of your a$$ and your whole reputation is at risk.

This brings me to the second source for articles: everything else. Everything else includes books, magazines, other people and many other places where information can be found or learned. You will rarely be able to write an article without at least a little bit of outside assistance. Granted, I don’t write about a lot of personal stuff and this blog is all about learning. However, even when I’m writing about something unique to my life like my job, my cats, etc. - I still almost always end up looking up something.

You can find a ton of articles and lists for article directory submission if that’s the route you want to go. Ewen’s report, however, suggests you submit articles to Ezines. You could pay upwards of $100 to put an ad in an ezine, but if you submit an article and it’s accepted, you’ve just received that same advertising for free. Just be sure to make that resource box count and you’re all set. Ewen describes the resource box as a 3 to 6 line ad. This is your chance to sell yourself and make the readers want to click. Here are a examples I created of a bad and a good resource box.

The Bad

Sara L Christensen is a business systems analyst who loves Devon Rex cats, karaoke and reality television. She majored in English, but is now working in the technology field. Sara likes long walks on the beach and is the owner, designer, emperess of several websites including PajamaProfessional.com, ChooseANiche.com and ManifestTheLawofAttraction.com. You should go visit them.

The Good

Are you sick of trading time for money? Tired of clockwatching and being micromanaged? Have you always wanted to be your own boss? There’s a place for you. To find free and inexpensive business opportunities that will boost your income and your freedom: visit PajamaProfessional.com.

The bad is a basic bio. It mentioned some websites, but doesn’t tell anyone how they’ll benefit by visiting. No one cares that much about me personally so why should they visit my site. However, if I have something to offer them and it’s clear that my site does as well, then I’ve just increased my traffic. The good is essentially sales copy. It’s not great sales copy, I admit, I just wrote it for an example. However, it’s 100 times more useful than a regular bio would be. That resource box needs to entice readers to click or else you’ve essentially wasted your article.

If this article hasn’t given you enough information about articles, I highly suggest Ewen’s report. If you’d like a copy, just sign up for the mailing list and I’ll send you one (the link is on the left). You can also peruse some article directories to get a feel for format and content. When I say content, I do not mean you should copy articles. But reading other articles that are popular can give you a good idea of structure and what good writers include. Your article should be original, concise and create motivation in your reader. After all, what’s the point of writing it if it doesn’t change the world?

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