Conducted by Robin Nobles
Academy of Web Specialists
Take search engine marketing training!




09:02:59 robin we had a chat session on how to use the POWER of writing articles to promote your business, increase branding, build link popularity, build credibility, etc., a month or two ago
09:03:45 robin I don't want to repeat myself for those of you who attended that session or read the
transcript
09:04:31 robin but, many of you might not -- so I thought I might start with what to do and what not to do, and take it where it goes from there
09:04:40 miranda I was not there and have not yet read the transcript
09:04:44 cameron sounds good
09:04:53 robin First off, a little background . . .
09:05:19 robin I've been writing articles for years -- and when I first started, I wrote for whichever
publication I was writing for, and that was it.
09:05:35 robin I retain the copyright of all of my articles, but it never entered my meager mind to try to
market them elsewhere.
09:06:02 robin then, a very good friend of mine (and someone who constantly keeps me straight in virtually all matters!), Ginette Degner, told me to get off my duff and start marketing the articles in other places
09:06:11 robin so, I did -- (kicking and screaming at first)
09:06:30 robin here's something that's very important though -- many people write articles, and many of those people may market the articles here and there.
09:06:50 robin but I knew of very few people who actually use the POWER of writing articles to build a
reputation as well as build link pop, etc.
09:06:51 miranda How do you ensure that you retain copyright?
09:07:44 robin Miranda, copyright law says that anything you put down on paper is automatically copyrighted. You don't have to "officially" copyright it through the Library of Congress for it to be officially copyrighted. The sheer act of putting it down is copyrighting it.
09:08:00 robin so, everything I'm typing right now is copyrighted by me by virtue of the copyright law
09:08:29 robin where it becomes important to get it officially copyrighted is if you've created something
lengthy, such as an ebook or book -- then by all means get if officially copyrighted
09:08:41 robin the copyright will remains YOURS unless you specifically give it away.
09:09:40 robin If you work for another copy and they ask you to write something, the copyright is generally
theirs, because you're writing it on behalf of the company. But, if you're a "work for hire" Web designer, any content you write for your customers is technically copyrighted by YOU and YOU hold the copyright, until you turn the copyright over to the client. Interesting point . . .
09:09:57 robin work for another COMPANY
09:10:14 robin forgive me - my carpal tunnel is giving me fits today -- plus not proofing before I hit
"enter"!
09:11:06 cameron can't wait till real voice-activated input, right?
09:11:18 robin you don't have to put a copyright notice at the bottom of your article. You can, and I
generally do, but it's not necessary for it to be copyrighted by you. It often will keep others from wanting to steal your content, but hey -- if they're going to steal it, they just are, and that little notice doesn't usually help
09:11:43 robin now, back to "do's" and "don'ts" --
09:12:17 robin the best way to find targets for your articles it to consider your own market -- your
audience -- and think about which publications you currently receive in your own market
09:12:23 robin do any of them accept article submissions?
09:12:41 robin Another *excellent* way -- go to Google, and search for "submit an article" "keyword phrase" --
09:12:57 robin you'll be amazed at what you'll find -- tons of places that let you submit articles in your
keyword area
09:13:15 robin with this, though, you may have to back up a little and not focus so tightly on a very specific
keyword phrase
09:13:43 robin for example, if your site features info on English bulldogs, you might not have a huge number of sites accepting submissions for articles under that keyword choice'
09:13:54 robin so, back up a little and do a search for "submit an article" dogs
09:13:59 robin or "submit an article" pets
09:14:12 robin this is one place where you can actually not focus so severely!
09:14:27 robin Also, don't try to limit yourself JUST to your specific industry
09:15:08 robin for example, I write articles for a Web site in Arizona -- Arizona Online (or something like
that). They publish my SE articles and my newspaper articles on a regular basis. Don't the people in AZ need to know SE strategies? Yep. Same thing with a publication I write for in India
09:15:39 robin the way I determine which publications are "worthy" of my time and trouble is to check the
PageRank of the main page of the site
09:16:03 robin that's not always a great indication, but if the PageRank is 2, and another publication has a
PageRank of 6, you can see why I'd want to spend my time targeting the PR of 6 site
09:16:15 robin with some publications, you can submit by email -- I just LOVE those
09:16:27 robin send one email, and it goes out to 40 or whatever publications :)
09:16:42 robin some publications require that you submit through a submission form online
09:16:58 robin with MOST of those publications, you'll enter the article in pure text format, rather than
HTML
09:17:11 robin a few of mine use HTML, but mostly, they use text
09:17:54 robin it's a lot more time
consuming to have to submit to each publication online individually
09:18:13 robin which is why I check out the PR of the sites -- to maximize my time/energy
09:19:00 robin when I first started out, I began a list of my "article distribution channel" (as I call it)
09:19:18 robin as I got a new publication, I added it, with a note whether it was to be sent through email,
online, HTML or text, etc.
09:19:36 robin then, I put the PR of the site - word count limit, etc.
09:19:49 robin most publications want you to keep the word count at 1000, so that's what I do
09:20:04 robin since I'm such a WORDY person, I often divide my articles into parts if the article is longer
than 1000 words
09:20:31 robin works really well, and that means that I can write one article and get it published for several
weeks straight in parts
09:20:46 robin I submit one article a week through the distribution channel (unless I'm really swamped and just can't do it)
09:20:52 robin are there are any questions so far?
09:21:01 sallyk ?
09:21:05 robin Sally?
09:21:32 sallyk are you saying you send the same article to lots of publications, competing ones or perhaps very different geographically
09:21:49 miranda Do you recommend a maximum line length?
09:22:44 robin yes, I submit the same article to lots of publications. Remember that the Web is HUGE -- and even though the article may be the same, those folks want to use the articles to build content on their own site. Or, they may send the articles out through their online publication -- I do send to competing
ones, but I have a few strategies I use for that (in some cases), which I can explain later
09:23:53 robin maximum line length -- I write all of my articles in Word, and then save it as a .txt document.
Then, Ithe .txt document in NoteTab Pro and set the line length at 65. That's the "norm" and what most people want. Word puts in a bunch of crap code, and that's why I switch over to NoteTab, to get rid
of the code
09:24:23 robin Sally, back to your question about competing sites or publications --
09:24:53 robin let's say I write what I consider (or hope!) to be a killer article that would have wide spread
appeal, such as the article John, Eric Ward, and I wrote on 131 link popularity building strategies.
09:25:05 robin we sat and thought about whom we wanted to submit to first . . .
09:25:22 robin some publications won't publish an article unless they publish it first, such as Planet Ocean
09:25:28 robin or SearchDay (as a general rule)
09:26:05 robin but, Planet Ocean doesn't want me to reuse my articles for 60 days after publication, so the
article is "tied up" with them for 60 days. With SearchDay or Search Engine Watch, the time period is 30 days.
09:26:53 robin so, you have to weigh those things out. With the link article, we went with SearchDay, and then Planet Ocean published a rewritten version of it. So, I didn't feel like I had to wait for 60 days to republish it, since it wasn't OUR article any more
09:27:06 robin but think about this if you write an article that you think might have a lot of appeal --
09:27:18 robin and go with publications that want first rights FIRST -- and from there, go to the other ones
09:27:41 webman ?
09:27:44 robin does this make sense and answer your question, Sally?
09:27:52 sallyk I am more used to writing for paper publications (trade and technical) and its just one pub per article - web has advantages
09:27:58 sallyk Yes makes perfect sense
09:28:39 robin yes it does!! I was more used to that as well -- but I now submit my print newspaper columns (I write two columns every week -- not about the search engines, believe it or not), and I publish them online too, though not in a large a distribution channel as the others
09:28:43 robin Gil?
09:29:12 webman Have you already covered some other places to approach, aside from these two "big guns"?
09:29:44 robin Web Announce is another GREAT one -- because it has lists that cover just about every topic: home, internet, health, general, etc.
09:30:44 webman what about search engine guide? To their accept articles?
09:30:48 robin so, you submit to Web Announce, and it goes posted to whichever list you choose. You have to join the lists first -- but you can choose not to receive each of the posts. These lists are used by Web site owners who want to add content to their site but don't want to write it themselves, or to folks who
have newsletters/publications and they're looking for articles
09:31:08 robin Yahoo! Groups has a BUNCH of article submission groups -- I submit to a bunch of those as well
09:31:47 robin Search Engine Guide -- you have to approach the owner and ask him if he would be interested in publishing your articles. Send him a sample article to review. If he goes for it, he'll set up a special section on his site for you.
09:32:14 robin with many of the publications, you have to QUERY the publisher first to see if they
would be interested in your articles
09:32:25 robin you don't want to just send out articles without asking first
09:32:29 robin that's the best way to get rejected
09:32:48 robin you want to query them to see if they'd be interested, and you want to find out the article
guidelines -- number of words, special formatting, etc.
09:33:14 sallyk can you give the address of web announce please
09:33:18 robin I have a guy who submits articles to me every week. He never wrote and asked me if he could submit them, and I have nowhere to publish them! So, I just delete them. I need to write and tell him, but I just haven't had time.
09:33:46 robin hang on Sally, let me see if I can find it quickly
09:34:35 robin http://www.web-source.net/syndicator.htm
09:34:40 webman I recently started writing an SEO Q&A column for a new magazine called "Female Entrepreneur." It should be hitting newsstands any day now.
09:35:12 robin I'm pretty sure that's the right URL. AT the bottom of the page is a list of the various lists --
and you'll have to join any of the lists that you might want to submit to. With me, I joined them all, because my newspaper columns cover such a wide range of topics
09:35:32 pata ?
09:35:39 robin Pata?
09:36:11 robin (Gil, you then need to take those Q&A's and publish them on your own site, and see if you can market them elsewhere online)
09:36:15 pata It seems a lot of sites want the right to republish your article whenever they want. Should this be avoided?
09:36:52 robin in my opinion, NO! I want it republished in every avenue it can get republished. The more it's republished, the more visibility I have, and the more links pointing back to my sites
09:37:34 webman ?
09:37:39 robin I put a statement at the top of my articles that I send out by email that they have the right to
republish my article in print, online, etc., as long as my byline is kept intact, and I ask them for a courtesy copy of the publication. Sometimes I get it, and other times, not.
09:37:58 robin but, when I get a copy, I write and ask them if they would like to be added to my weekly
distribution channel, which is another way of building it
09:38:00 robin Gil?
09:38:30 webman Do you get paid when your article is republished or do you do it for the link exposure?
09:39:02 web_chameleon ?
09:40:40 robin I don't get paid, and I don't care. I could never afford to buy the exposure. Let me explain.
My article distribution channel is around 70 or so now (haven't counted in a long time). In just three of those publications, the distribution is 1 1/2 MILLIION. I couldn't afford that kind of exposure. It's worth
it to me to write one article, get it published all over creation, and not worry about $$. With Planet Ocean, I told Stephen that I didn't want to be paid, so he sends me coffee from Hawaii every month. grin. I
don't want to "work" for someone -- puts too much pressure on me. I have tons of deadlines, but if I know that I'm not getting paid, and if I don't get to it, it won't be earth shattering, then that's better for
me. I always meet the deadlines anyway -- always -- but this way, it's less stress.
09:40:44 robin Web?
09:41:05 web_chameleon Hey Robin, it's Samantha from Orlando. What if I have a need for column writers on a website that I have? How do I get their attention to consider submitting?
09:42:49 robin go to Article Announce and look over their articles. Find an author that you like, and contact him/her. Do some searches online and find authors that you like, and contact them. go to Google and search for "submit an article" "keyword phrase" and read those articles -- contact the authors you like. It should be EASY to find authors in just about any area you're interested in
09:42:58 webman advertise on your home page? I'd put a link on the home page to another page where I give more details
09:43:38 robin you can do that too. At the bottom of one of my articles' pages (at Search Engine Workshops, I believe), I have a statement that says that you can republish my articles, blah blah blah.
09:43:44 web_chameleon I do that web, but thanks
09:43:55 web_chameleon ?
09:44:00 robin a lot of online publications will "syndicate" your articles and send them out to their
own distribution channel, which is cool.
09:44:10 robin Samantha?
09:44:41 web_chameleon I would like to let anyone here who is serious about this know that I have an alternative health and wellness site that has an online magazine ....
09:45:14 web_chameleon I need writers for just about every wellness or medical or alternative, metaphysical concept they can imagine
09:45:25 web_chameleon Hope that was okay for me to say that ;-)
09:45:37 robin Samantha -- also check with Yahoo! groups -- there are a ton of groups that specialize in
distributing articles. I bet you'd find some articles there as well
09:45:41 robin perfectly fine. :)
09:45:44 web_chameleon It includes you, too, Robin!
09:45:45 webman web, if you want I can put you in touch with my aunt: she has a Ph.D. in Nutrition ;-)
09:45:56 kyle web_chameleon: What is the URL--I have a client that may work with this in homeopathic
09:45:59 web_chameleon I will check out those locations, thank you!
09:47:02 robin about the only medical "specialties" that I have would be diabetes and drug addiction -- which I've written articles about before. Other than that, I don't write many medical-related articles, other than to highlight various sites in certain areas for one of my newspaper columns
09:47:08 web_chameleon Sorry, Robin .. didn't mean to interrupt. My name is linked over on the right hand column. I can be contacted from there.
09:47:16 robin no problem
09:47:18 robin other questions?
09:47:29 robin before I continue . . .
09:48:08 robin okay -- some article tips - don't write lengthy paragraphs. Divide paragraphs up into smaller paragraphs. Remember that Web readers want FAST info -- not to have to read Hemingway online!
09:49:14 robin use a lot of mini headings throughout -- use bullet points -- etc.
09:49:38 robin "top ten" articles are extremely popular, because it makes readers thing that they can get the info in a BOOM BOOM BOOM fashion
09:49:47 robin "how to" articles are also extremely popular
09:50:05 robin remember that after you write your article, by all means put it on your own site!
09:50:12 robin set up an articles area, and publish your articles there
09:50:37 robin by doing so, you're building great content (RELATED content) for your own site, plus
allowing other sites/publications to use your content to increase your visibility, etc.
09:51:01 robin remember to include a byline that's about 6 lines long -- and use your important URL's in the byline
09:51:24 robin people don't like to read articles that they think are just articles promoting your own business. Give them information, and they love it
09:51:49 robin any other questions/comments?
09:51:54 webman ?
09:51:58 robin Gil?
09:52:24 webman Would I have to ask the magazine if I can republish my column on my site or can I just go ahead and do it?
09:53:41 robin depends on the contract you signed. Look at your contract. If there was no contract, then you didn't transfer your copyright, and you aren't locked into any requirements about republishing your columns. But, in situations like those, I generally am courteous and tell the publication what I'm doing, and ask them if they'd like me to wait a certain period of time before reusing the article, like I do with Planet Ocean'
09:53:47 robin Miranda, your question?
09:54:44 robin (but Gil, if they come back and say that they don't want you to reuse the columns for a year
or something outrageous, remember that you didn't sign a contract stating that, so don't feel you have to do what they say. the copyright and the articles are YOURS)
09:54:59 miranda How do you mainly use your articles to promote Link Popularity?
09:55:50 robin my articles are published all over the place. Every time a publication or Web site publishes one of my articles online, and every time the engines find those articles, they're finding the links pointing back to my site(s). To me, it's the absolute easiest way to build link popularity there is!
09:56:42 robin I write the articles anyway, and the link pop angle is an added bonus. I did it for visibility at first, but the power lies in the visibility, the link pop, the building of credibility, the building of branding, and I could go on and on and on)
09:57:37 robin it's every bit as effective as optimizing pages -- and in highly completive areas, it may even be more effective, because you're working on an "off page" factor that is so important when determining relevancy and ranking these days
09:57:49 burgwald when will this session be available
09:58:37 miranda thanks robin - sounds a very good system!"
09:59:01 robin John, as soon as possible. I'll be so glad when the new system is working in April, so there will be no wait for transcripts!
09:59:21 robin as soon as the last person leaves the chat rooms, the transcript is automatically created and posted online.
09:59:47 robin the downside is that all of my misspellings, etc., will be in plain view, but I figure that's better than the time/trouble it takes to get the transcripts ready and posted!
10:00:01 robin any other last minute questions?
10:01:24 robin I'll be sending out info soon on the new system, which will be so helpful to everyone. Just remember that if you want to be reminded of the sessions on a daily/weekly basis, you have to sign up to receive notification. I won't do it manually except once a month

Back to Chat Index
Enroll in a Search Engine Marketing Training Program

This document maintained by RobinN of the Academy of Web Specialists, which offers online training in search engine marketing to students around the world.
©1999-2003 Academy of Web Specialists, All rights reserved.
418 Main St. #9, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 712-8198