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Article Directory :: Writing & Speaking Articles

After Doing This I Had to Turn New Clients Away

By Michael Small

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 20Oct2007
Word count: 750
Viewed: 346 time(s)

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Imagine doing just one thing that is so powerful you actually have to turn away new business. Whether you’re an independent consultant or represent a Fortune 500 company this short article will show you how to do just that.

There are several different ways to accomplish what I’ve described so I’ll start with the method that shows results quickest; publishing top-quality articles and whitepapers. If you’ve tried this in the past without seeing dramatic results, keep reading. There are a few tips here that will help put all previous results to shame.

First and most importantly, remember that an article is news. So of course, it needs to be newsworthy. Not a fast-breaking story. But it has to be informative or instructive or both to be of any real value to the reader. Don’t forget, the publisher kind enough to present your work is not doing this for you. They’re doing it for their readers. They have a responsibility to the reader to provide good, fresh content. And for every great article they receive, there are 50 pieces of junk that get trashed.

Best of all, the better your article, the better your reputation will become. And your calendar will fill with new business meetings and speaking engagements before you know it. It happens fast once you get the right piece published!

Second, write in a natural voice as if you were speaking to a good friend. You can go back after and edit all the grammar. For now, just focus on telling the story that will best assist the reader.

To recap – Write and submit only top-quality pieces that are informative, instructive or both. And do it as if you’re talking to your best friend.

Third, use the format the publisher likes best. If you’re using a time/effort saver such as a specialized mass distribution service like http://www.SubmitYourArticle.us or software like http://www.ArticleSubmit.us use a standard format. Although there is no exact science – here are some good general guidelines:

Keep your length to between 500 and 750 words (or less). Don’t include more than six links – Including the resource box (author bio area.) Don’t put any hyperlinks within the first three paragraphs. When adding a link you want clickable, prefix it with http://

Again, there’s no guarantee the above format will be accepted by all article directories. However it works well for a good many and presents itself well to offering quality information in a reader-friendly format, which is why directories have such guidelines in the first place.

Next – Tell your readers who you are with your resource box. This is the author bio section you always see at the bottom of articles. A good rule of thumb is to write only what you can fit on the back of a business card. Here are some slightly better guidelines:

Make this no longer than 450 characters, including spaces. The fewer; the better. Show the reader, briefly, why you are qualified as an expert in your field. Include up to two personal links – Only. By the way, I never use an email address anymore. It’s too easy to be hijacked into a spamming app by someone who finds it posted on the Web.

I won’t waste your time with telling you how to come up with cute or catchy headlines. Just treat a headline like any other piece of your writing – use fact ONLY. In the case of this article, I tried to make it interesting but used only cold, hard facts. From one article published on a Friday, I received 204 requests for proposal, over the course of two weeks. Of these I was able to accept only twelve, which booked me solid for nearly four months.

To summarize...

Write good, solid articles that will benefit your readers and the publishers. Write what you know. Write naturally, as if you are talking to your best friend. Verify all facts before submitting to a publisher. Use the format your publisher suggests. If you use a distribution program or service, use the standard format above or similar. Never mislead the reader, even for one minute. Use interesting titles and headlines based on fact only. Spend some time writing your resource box copy and let the reader know why they should trust you.

That’s all there is to it. In no time, you can be a recognized industry guru and sought after spokesperson. Good luck!

Mike Small has published more than 250 articles and five books since 2002. He teaches writing seminars and guest lectures for marketing agencies from Boston to Richmond. In his spare time he maintains a simple entrepreneur’s self-help site at http://www.iMakeMore.com

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