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Writing Articles to Promote Your Software
Posted by: Admin Sbloglive.com (Views: 1309)
Date Posted: 7/2/2007 (mm/dd/yyyy)
Recently, I've received a handful of articles that just don't make the mark. I do think these writers just don't get it. So to drive the message home, here's what you should be doing to get it right.
First of all, many article sites are beginning to realize that in order to stay competitive in the search engine rankings, they have to start publishing quality content.
That means content that have a chance of being re-published in other places as well. Search engines will give, and are giving, a higher quality score to the sites that meets their guidelines. That's because they want their visitors to be able to find the most relevant quality content every time they use their search engines.
This is not an article on SEO but there are some guidelines that have withstood the test of time. Ensure that all outgoing links are links to relevant sites only. If they're to be embedded in the article, it's best that these links are not some self-promotional links. Otherwise, they look spammy. Links embedded in articles should be resources that are relevant to the content of the article.
In addition, keep the primary keywords in the title of the article. If you're going to do some link building for the articles that you've written, use the keywords as anchor texts in the incoming links. For example, instead of using "click here", you should use something like "software marketing".
Coming back to article writing, the first thing that all writers should be sensitive to is the length of the articles. Many article sites are becoming more fussy about the length of the articles to give more value to the visitors. Some sites won't even accept articles with less than 750 words.
Having said that, all good writers know that putting too much emphasis on the number of words is not going to change a poor quality article to a great quality article. But still, it's a useful rule of thumb to keep in mind. Now, let's examine what makes a good article.
Write to communicate, not just to impress. I've worked with writers who is so hung up on the number of words that I have to dump the whole project. That's because the writer's goal is to fill up the pages just so he or she can hit the "quota" set. That's a great recipe for disaster. Needless to say, I never work with that writer again.
So if you have something important you want to say, just get it across in the best possible manner that you can. Don't worry too much about the technicalities of writing, the grammar, or the length of the article. Ultimately, you want to give information to the reader that they can use. If you can communicate clearly and bring your point across simply and in an interesting manner, your readers will appreciate you for your efforts.
Next, as in all good communications, pay attention to the flow of the article. Work on keeping a rhythm so that your article is easy to read and follow. For example, you may have come across many articles with the following rhythm "state point, give details, state point again". But that's just an example. If you've been writing for some time, you may have developed your own unique rhythm and style. Sometimes, you may break up the rhythm a little just to surprise the reader or make your article more interesting but in order for you to be able to do that, you have to have the rhythm in the first place.
The above are just basic writing fundamentals that so many writers ignore. And it shows in their articles. That's why so many articles get rejected by article sites, because the writers forget about the readers. They write to achieve their own goals and forget that they are here to help others reach their goals.
I'm not saying that they shouldn't have a goal when they submit articles. They should, but they mustn't forget that these articles are also a reflection of who they are and what they represent. If they submit crappy articles, readers are going to think that their products will be crappy as well. If they submit self-centered articles, readers are going to care less about what they have to offer as well.
Bottomline, crappy articles just doesn't help in increasing conversions. Period. So many writers just don't get it. These are the writers who'll continue to write mediocre articles and live mediocre lives. They're working just to fill the page and not to add value and help other people improve their lives.
I know that sounds a little harsh but it's the truth. Good or great writers put others before themselves. Let me give you another example. I once had a project where I asked someone to write an ebook for me. I gave the outline of the ebook in my request and received many questions from eager writers who want the job.
The interesting thing is that the most frequently asked question is, "How many words/pages do you need?" No one asked me about who the ebook is for. No one bothers much about the readers. They just want to know how much they money they'll get, and what they need to do (the minimal in many cases) to get there.
So I replied, "About 15 pages I guess." Just to get the ball rolling. When I eventually picked a writer, what came back was exactly 15 pages. No more, no less. And the writer was writing in circles just to fill up the pages.
You know, I would've paid more if the writer had came back to me and said something like, "Hey, I've more quality content to add, and I'm going to go well into 30 pages. The readers NEED this content. Maybe you can pay me a little extra when I'm done?"
I don't know what it is. Maybe it's pure laziness, maybe it's selfishness, I can't really tell. The writers know it in their hearts. So if you're going to write articles to promote your software, remember to keep your target readers in your mind.
Think about their needs and be sensitive. Then write like it's the last masterpiece you're going to write and give it your best shot. You'll have a much higher chance of getting some appreciative customers.
Have fun writing!
Sbloglive Admin
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1 COMMENT ON THIS ARICLE
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Editor says:
Submitted On: 7/3/2007
Great article!
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