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This post is for all the new members on SubmitYOURArticle.com–I just wanted to say "Welcome!" and to also give you a little tutorial on how to submit your first article.
Now, it's not hard at all (don't worry!), and there are instructions inside the site for getting around, but I know that some folks (myself included!) just find it easier to understand things if they can read a tutorial about how things are done.
Let's go through this step-by-step:
Just so you know, by the time you are ready to submit your first article, you should have already logged in and entered your account details (name, website URL, and such) and entered your logins for the article directories listed at Account Manager => Article Directories. So, do those two things first before doing the steps below.
But after that, what's next?
1) Write your article before pushing the "Enter New Article" button.
If you're wondering what to write about, we have some excellent resources for you:
What is the best way to write articles to drive traffic back to my product website?
How To Give Your Article Curb Appeal (crafting a great title)
7 Great Tips for Writing Articles That Ezine Editors Want To Publish
We advise that you write your article in a text editor, such as Notepad (in Microsoft Window) or TextEdit (in a Mac).
Your article needs to be submitted in text format only, so why not start out by just typing your article into a text editor to begin with?
Oh, and just so you know, Microsoft Word is not a text editor–even though stuff you type into Word looks like it's only text, it isn't. Just trust me on this. 
If you have Microsoft Windows, you probably have a text editor like Notepad built into your computer. Notepad can usually be found by going to the Start Menu=> Programs=> Accessories=> Notepad.
If you have a Mac, you will probably have a built in text editor such as TextEdit. You can probably find TextEdit by going to Finder => Accessories => TextEdit.
Of course it depends on what version your computer is as to if you have these programs and how to find them. You may need to do a search on your computer for these programs, but for many folks you can find your built in text editors by following the instructions above. When you type your article into Notepad or TextEdit you can be sure that it's in a text only format–which is what we're going for!
If you're determined to create your article in Microsoft Word , here's a way to save your article as a text file:
- In MS Word, open the document that contains your article and choose Save As.
- In the File name box, type a new name for the file.
- In the Save As type box, select Plain Text.
- Click Save.
- If you receive a message that states, "Text marked in red will not save correctly in the chosen encoding," you can select the Allow character substitution check box.
Once your article is saved as a Plain Text file, you can open Notepad and then open the file that contains your article.
2) Write your resource box.
I would also advise that you write your resource box before you get to the "Enter Your New Article" page. Also, save it as a text file, as you did with your article.
Now, in case you're not familiar with the term, your Resource Box is the short author bio that sits at the end of your article. The information in the resource box attached to each article should always contain some biographical information. If it is entirely commercial, many publishers simply won't publish it. It should be in context with an 'About the author' subheader, so give some information about yourself and your background, while providing the URL of your website and/or an email address via where readers of the article can contact you. Your resource box must be 450 characters (with spaces) or less.
I'd like to direct you to a couple resources that I really would like you to read to help you craft the best resource box possible:
3 Secret Tricks To Luring Readers Back To Your Website
Making Your Resource Box…Work!
Let me say it again–Do not fall for the mistake of writing a great article and then just throwing a resource box haphazardly together at the last moment. Spend some time on this! It will pay off later!
Alright, now you're ready to venture into the "Enter Your New Article" page! The excitement builds… 
3) On your home page you'll see a button that says "Enter New Article"–click that.
This takes you to the "Enter Your New Article" page.
4) Enter your article title.
On the "Enter Your New Article" page, the first thing you enter is your title. Copy and paste it from your article that was saved as a text file.
5) Enter your article body.
Next is the Article section, which is where you will paste your article body. Now remember, all of this is text only, which means no HTML, which in turn means no bold, italic, underline, colors, photographs or anything like that. Just copy and paste your article body from the text file that contains your article into the appropriate space on the "Enter Your New Article" page. If you're copying and pasting from a text file, your article should be appropriately formatted.
You'll see an "Auto-deformat" box that has a check mark in it–leave that box checked.
6) Check your word count.
You'll notice that there is a Word Count box underneath your article body. Whatever number appears in that box is the number of words in your article. Remember, the word length of your articles must be between 400 and 1500 words, and if you can get your article to be between 700-800 words, that's optimal. So, look at that word count–do you have at least 400 words in your article and no more than 1500? If so, you're ready to move on to the next section.
7) Paste in your text resource box.
Aha, now we're at the plain text resource box, which is like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! You've already crafted a strong resource box and saved it as a text file. Just copy and paste your resource box into the Plain Text Resource Box area.
As you paste in your resource box, please notice that underneath the resource box area it says this: "Char count: 355 (Recommended maximum - 450 characters)"
Now, for you it may say something different from 355–however many characters and spaces your resource box has is the number that will appear in that spot. If you are over 450 characters, please edit your resource box down.
8) If you like, enter an HTML resource box.
Now, we're on to the optional Advanced HTML Resource Box. Yes, it says "Advanced", but it's really not that hard. I've put together another tutorial for how to enter an HTML resource box, so if you follow those instructions you'll be good to go!
If the words "HTML" and "Advanced" freak you out, then please just ignore that box .
The text resource box is mandatory, but the HTML one is optional. If you're feeling more up to it with later article submissions you may want to take a stab at entering an HTML resource box.
9) Enter a short description for your article.
This will be no more than 450 characters with spaces included. You'll see below the short description area that a character count can be seen when you start to enter your description.
I'd just like to give a couple pointers–
Your short description should be in text format only which means no HTML.
Also, do not include your website address or your name in there either–the appropriate place for your name and website address is your resource box, not your short description.
If you do enter your website address, your name or HTML in your short description, there are some publishers who will refuse your article on that basis alone–so don't do it!
In the short description area, write a short summary of your article, preferably something that would entice a reader to want to read more.
10) Enter your Keywords, separated by a comma.
Now, don't feel bad if you don't know what keywords are. I didn't when I first started out!
If you're a keyword newbie (or if you'd just like more info on keywords) I'd like to refer you to a couple resources:
What Are Keywords?
Keywords Are Like An Old Fashioned Library Card Catalog
How do I get started with keyword research?
If you're completely perplexed, just enter words that classify what your article is about, each separated by a comma.
Also, you'll notice that there is a link under the keywords area to the free Google Keywords Tool. You can find more information about how to use that free tool (and others) here.
11) Article URL–this is optional.
If you have your article already published on your own website, you can enter the URL of the page where your article is on your site. If you enter a URL, the page must contain your article.
If you don't have your article published on your own website, that is fine–just leave this blank. If you leave this field blank, we will automatically use the URL of your article as published on our article directory.
12) Select your category.
Whatever the topic of your article is, please select the appropriate category. If your article is on Business, choose the category of General Business. If you article is on Ice Skating, choose Sports & Recreation. If your article is about Cupcakes, choose Food & Drink.
What if it's not clear which category you should choose?
Please always feel free to ask us! We'll be happy to take a look at your article and tell you which category would be most appropriate.
13) Press "Preview".
Yay–we're ready to get a preview of what your article is going to look like when it's published! Press the Preview button at the bottom of the page. Look over your article and your resource box(es). Be very, very sure that everything is appearing as you'd like it to, with proper spelling and grammar.
Important! Look at your resource box(es) and click the links to be sure that you've entered your URL correctly.
After your article is distributed there is no turning back, so you want to be extra sure that your links are going to the right website address and that you don't have any misspellings or anything. Carefully preview your article, and if necessary, further edit your article.
14. Press "Save".
After you're sure your article is looking just as you'd like it to, click "Save", and ta-da–you're taken back to your home page! There is now a "Submit" button that appears next to your article!
Just so you know, if you want to look your article over again, or if you think of some changes you'd like to make before submitting your article, you can get back into your article by pressing the Edit icon that appears under the Tools section on your home page. The Edit icon looks like a piece of paper with a pencil next to it.
15. Submit!
If you are sure that your article is exactly as you'd like it to be, then you're ready to press the Submit button. Go ahead–press it!
16. Choose your distribution method.
Your choices are Standard Article Distribution and Advanced Article Distribution. If you'd like to create variations using our ArticleLeverage™ system, choose the Advanced Article Distribution option. If you'd like to submit your article in the "normal" way, choose Standard Article Distribution.
Whichever option you choose, follow the instructions on your screen until you've completed the submission process.
Then, pat yourself on the back–you've just submitted your first article!
Your article has now been put in line to be reviewed by one of our editors.
Yes, we have in-house, real live human being professional editors who review each and every article to be sure that it meets our guidelines for publication. This is to ensure that the articles you submit have the best chance possible of getting accepted by publishers and also that our publishers are kept happy with quality article submissions. You can expect that your article will be reviewed by an editor usually within 24-48 hours.
If your article is approved, then the editor sends it off to the distribution queue. After approval your article will then be distributed to our network of publishers within 24-48 hours.
If the editor finds something that needs to be changed in your article, don't feel bad–this has happened to me before, and it's a good thing that they catch stuff!
If the editor does send your article back to you for changes, an email will be sent to you letting you know. You can also see on your homepage that the status of your article will read as "Changes Required". Click the "Changes Required" link, and you can see the note that the editor left. If you're not sure what the editor's note is referring to, please contact our support desk, and we'll be happy to clarify things.
And that's basically it–I told you this was super-detailed! As always, if you bump into a question and you need help, just let us know and we'll be happy to assist you.
If you're not a member of SubmitYOURArticle.com yet and you'd like to submit articles through our service, you're welcome to sign up here.
Related resources:
You can see the submission guidelines by logging into your account and going to Support => Submission Guidelines.
You can see even more submission tips by logging into your account and going to Support => Tips & Tools.
Wondering how to make the best use of your article writing time so you can write article more efficiently? Check out that list of resources!
Article Submission Service (SubmitYOURArticle.com)
Posted: Friday, June 6th, 2008 at 12:23 am
article submission service, free reprint article, submit article, submit your article
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July 1st, 2008 at 5:53 pm
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