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How Writing Articles for Print Magazines Compares with Writing Articles for Online Ezines |
by:
Dr. Lynella Grant |
How Writing Articles for Print Magazines Compares
with Writing Articles for Online Ezines
Dr. Lynella Grant
Nothing Beats the Exposure You Get from Posting Your Articles Online
I have written articles for magazines; and I have written articles for on-line ezines. I have written articles for payment; and I have written articles for free. I have written articles for myself; and I've ghostwritten articles for others (and still do).
I am now a determined advocate for writing free articles that are posted widely on the Internet.
Here's why:
- Articles written today can appear on over 100 sites within weeks
- Readers interested in a particular subject can find you through keywords woven throughout the text
- Articles narrowly focus on a topic with enough detail to be novel and useful - with you perceived as the obvious expert
- Articles can be targeted for specific readers or niches - not just "everybody"
- Readers can judge your style and depth of expertise, then immediately click to your website for more
- Your reputation builds quickly and in places you couldn't find directly
- Articles posted on websites often continue to be found and read for years
Let's compare the cycle of writing an article for a print magazine with writing free articles to be posted on the Internet. For purpose of this article, the effort spent researching and writing the article is the same for both. I'm only comparing what happens before and after the writing involved.
Publishing Your Article in Printed Magazines or Trade Publications is SLOW
You get an idea for an article, then research publications where it would be appropriate. (Assuming no prior experience with the publication or editor.) You write a hum-dinger query letter explaining your idea and why you're the person who should write it. You mail off your query and wait... All the while, your idea is cooling off.
Assume you're clever enough to think of several different twists and suitable publications - so you put more than one parallel query in play. You might hear back in a month, with a bona fide assignment and due date. Great! You negotiate the specific content, deadline, and fee. It's time to start writing.
You complete the assignment and send it to the editor. Let's assume they like it and respond pronto (neither is a sure thing). You make requested changes, submit the final draft, and await publication. Now you wait for payment (based on the publication's policies). In my experience payment seldom arrives without further aggravation or delays - whatever their stated policy.
The whole cycle from idea to payment takes roughly six months - if you're lucky. The copyright of the article belongs to the publisher, so it's not yours to use for self promotion and other uses.
But on the up-side. You got paid (was it really enough?). You got published, albeit in a single place. You got a byline, so your reputation and publication list grows. If you expect an easier time working with that editor in the future, it's a toss-up. The turnover for editors is so great you're likely to start at square one the next time.
Article Marketing Gets the Word out Quickly
The cycle from idea to readers seeing it can be a day or so. Reduce your idea to an article, post it on your own website and to your list of submission sites. Emails, calls, and search engine sightings begin showing up almost immediately. And such responses continue long past the shelf life of a print magazine.
Is it for free? That depends on whether you count everything that you derive from your article promotion exposure. There's nobody paying for your article, true. But you're likely to be paid in other ways that are greater than a one-shot writing gig. Sale of your products or services, affiliate product exposure, and opportunities to be hired to consult or speak (for example) often flow from article exposure.
With no editor tying your hands about what they want, write whatever you wish (within the limits of taste, decent grammar, length, and reader interest). Your payment - your name identified as author, with a link to your site from every website, directory or ezine that uses it. You have total control of the timing (how does "right away" sound?) and where you send your stuff.
Accept the need to develop your list of places to send your output. But it's tailored by you for the specific niches and readers you want to reach. Building that list is an ongoing commitment. How diligently you do it determines how effectively article marketing works for you.
How can You get Started?
Commit to writing and posting new articles regularly. Make sure each delivers a worthwhile payoff to the reader. If you're like most authors, consultants and trainers, you're sitting on a ton of stuff already. Package and launch it in a systematic way that builds your name-recognition.
You're also training your readers to recognize your angle and voice. So they start watching for it, article by article. That brings them to your website, to see what more you've got to say - or sell.
A single article won't be enough. Get in the habit of an article every month or less. Stick to a theme, so all your articles are related. Their accumulated impact reveals a depth of knowledge that screams "expert." That sharp focus also distances you from most article writers, who spatter around unrelated articles (thereby diluting their impact).
You'll find everything you need to know for free at Article Marketing Academy http://www.promotewitharticles.com Too much work? Then hire me to do the whole project for you painlessly. If you've got something worth saying, the world deserves to hear it. And writing articles is the easiest, most direct way to pull it off.
©2005, Lynella Grant
About the author:
--Dr. Lynella Grant Consultant and Author - Promote yourself, business, website, or book with online articles http://www.promotewitharticles.comFree how-to. Or let me write and submit your articles online for you. No learning curves (719)395-9450
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