An Easy Way to Promote Your Business

You can write and publish dozens of articles, but they'll never do you a bit of good if you don't get published. You need to promote your articles just as diligently as you promote your business!

I never said it was going to be easy, but if you do it right...It'll be worth it!

First, Mention Your Articles in E-Mails that You Send Out. People you already know and have contact with will probably be interested in what you have written. Whether or not they publish your article they will read it and possibly click on the links that you have placed there.

Second Talk to People You Know You will be amazed how many people will be interested when you tell them that you write articles, and will ask where they can read some of the things you have written.

Third Mention Your Articles on Social Media If you use Twitter or Facebook you already have people who are interested in what you have to say. Chances are good that they will be glad to read articles that you have written. You already have a relationship with these folks This is just a chance for them to get to know you a little better. Regular Tweets or Facebook posts are a great way to publicize your articles, just be discreet in the number of posts that specifically mention your articles. Smart use of social media is a key to success.

The headline is what catches the attention of a webmaster who is looking for content. If the headline is not interesting, chances are good that your article will be completely overlooked. And it is just the same once the article is published on the website. If your title GRABS ATTENTION there is a much better chance that the website visitor will actually read the article.

What kind of words catch people's eye?

* How To
* Easy
* Increase Your (Fill in the Blank)
* Exploit
* Learn About (Fill in the Blank)

Your fourth grade teacher was right when she told you, "You need to write a good topic sentence."

The object here is to GRAB THE READER'S ATTENTION and ENTICE THE READER TO CONTINUE. The headline of the article may appear in search engine results along with the first sentence or two of your abstract or the article itself. If you don't catch the searcher's attention...whether that person be the webmaster who you hope will publish your article, or the searcher/visitor who you and the webmaster both hope will be enticed to read the piece, your article will almost undoubtedly never be read.

When I first started writing articles I was somewhat lost. My articles were interesting and provided good content, but it wasn't until I remembered what a sales trainer once told me that I began to see results. If you follow the advice he gave me, it will help you, too.

"Tell Them Why They Need to Listen in a Way That Makes Them Smile!"

I don't believe this is the full story, I prefer "Tell Them Why They Need to Listen in a Way That Evokes Emotion!"

A story is great! A few lines indicating a lack of fulfillment in the reader's life and a promise to help reach fulfillment works well. Don't fulfill a NEED, fulfill and DESIRE, or tell how your product or website will do just that.

I hate to say it, but simply using good grammar and proper punctuation will make your article stand out from the pack. If you browse the articles offered by these directories you will often find articles which appear to have been written by people who have only a passing acquaintance with the English language.

Readers make the assumption that an article that looks like it was written with care is more worthwhile than an article that looks like it was thrown together at the last moment. If you've spent the time to put together a great business (no matter the size) ... if you've spent the time and effort to put together a quality Internet site (or even a single page) don't shortchange yourself by failing to spend the miniscule amount of time it takes to write your promotional copy well, and to check the article a second time before you submit it!

One trick some authors I know use is to read the article aloud. They say they catch errors more by hearing them than by just seeing them. I read most of my articles aloud, and at the article's first reading I almost always change something!

Does this mean that you need to follow every Grammar rule? What about Capitalization? I don't think so, but bend and break rules to produce an effect, not simply to avoid the trouble of checking up on yourself!

If your article is readable ... if your article is well-written, chances are much better that your article will be picked up by webmasters than if your article looks like it was written by an amateur.

Check your Grammar and Punctuation!