PLR and Ghostwritten Articles: Are they Ethical?

Recently, in an interview, I was asked “Is it ethical to use private label rights and ghostwritten articles?”

Let me step back a moment and explain… Private label rights (or PLR) articles and ghostwritten articles are used by web owners as a method of outsourcing some of their content.

* PLR articles are packages of articles that are pre-written and sold to more than one person.

* Ghostwritten articles are articles that are written by someone else just for you that you can put your name on and are not sold to anyone else.

In both cases, you are allowed to edit the content as much or as little as you’d like and use the articles on your website, blog, or in your newsletter.

So, back to the question. Is it ethical? My answer was, “usually, yes”.

If you’re using the articles and saying “written by me” without changing anything at all, it may bite you in the butt later, when someone else does the same thing. Does that make it unethical? Not really. It’s just not smart. Can you use the article as it is or edited slightly, without saying it was written by you? Of course!

Most PLR packs are written by ghostwriters. Ghostwriters are professional researchers and writers. If you purchase well-written, informative PLR or ghostwritten articles and share them with your readers, don’t you all benefit? Your readers benefit by getting great information. You benefit by saving time. Is it any different than hiring a graphic designer or webmaster? Not in my opinion. Heck, most politicians don’t write their own speeches. They leave that to people who are professional speech writers.

Of course, you’d want to only use top-notch articles and not “sell-out” just to pump out blog posts or web pages quicker. We recommend you research thoroughly before choosing any ghostwriter or PLR service.

Here’s what to look for in a PLR service so you don’t waste your money:
1. Make sure the articles are written well.
2. Make sure that you know what topics you’ll receive (instead of some grab-bag of articles).
3. Be sure that the people running the program have some experience in article writing themselves, so they know what they’re doing.

There’s no point in doing everything on your own, especially if you dislike writing. All successful business people outsource the tasks they are not good at or dislike. Check it out. It might take some pressure off you and allow you to spend more time with your kids. And, that’s definitely ethical.

What Can you Do with PLR Articles?

You may have seen the term Private Label Rights or PLR articles being tossed around frequently lately. PLR articles are articles you can buy (usually in packages or as part of a membership) that you may edit and use as you wish. Unlike free reprint articles, you are not required to link back to anyone else’s website which makes them appealing to many web publishers.

Once you understand the concept behind PLR articles, you can see why they are appealing. Most people can envision the value of adding the articles to their websites. But, did you know there are more ways to use PLR articles than that?

1. Add them to your blog.
Similar to adding PLR articles to your website, you can take excerpts and use them on your blog for fresh content. Whether you take a portion and use it as a “tip of the day” or use the entire article, PLR articles can be a huge time saver for you.

2. Send them in your newsletter.
Need content for your newsletter? PLR articles are an option. Of course, if you’re developing a relationship with your readers, you may wish to edit the articles to make them your own voice. However, you can pull a section from a PLR article – use it as inspiration — and whip out a newsletter in minutes.

3. Start an ecourse
If you purchase a package of PLR articles based on a theme, it’s quite easy to turn them into an ecourse simply by adding them to your auto-responder. Something as simple as “Five Ideas for Kids Lunches” can become a 5 day ecourse to grow a big newsletter list.

4. Use them in your podcast
Take a PLR article and use it as inspiration for a podcast. Add the content and you’re done.

5. Send them in a print mailing
Direct mailing is huge. If you have a list of postal mailing addresses, put together a free report from PLR articles and send it out.

6. Create a special report
Simply bulk together some PLR articles that have the same topic, and make them flow into a special report. Turn it into a pdf file and give it away to your website visitors.

See how easy that is? The only hard part is finding a PLR service that is high quality and fits your niche. Look around. Make sure the PLR package or membership you choose provides you with high quality articles so you can create something you’ll be proud of.

PLR vs. Free Reprint Articles: Which is Best?

Content is always in high demand. Right now the focus seems to be on Private Label Rights (or PLR) articles. PLR articles are pre-written and sold in packages to online businesses looking for content. The big selling points of PLR articles are that you may edit the articles and that there is no author bio required (so they don’t have any outbound links).

Compare PLR articles to free reprint articles. Free reprint articles from places like ezinearticles.com or freeaffiliatearticles.com are written by people who have something they’d like to share. (Or, they are sometimes written by people just publishing junk, in the hopes that they’ll get some incoming links. But, good article directories will delete those, so we’ll focus on the good ones here.)

So, which is better? Honestly, each has its place. Sometimes you’ll find an excellent free reprint article that you’ll want to share with your readers and you won’t mind a bit having an outbound link, especially if there is an affiliate program associated with it. The free reprint article added value to your readers, and you didn’t have to write the article. That’s what free reprint articles are all about.

Other times you’ll already have an idea in mind for a topic and you’ll just want a boost getting that section of your website done. If you run across a high quality PLR package on that niche, you’re set to go.

So, how do you know which PLR service or membership to choose? Here are some guidelines to follow:

1. Some PLR sites offer a monthly membership where you receive a grab-bag of articles – on any topic. If you already know what you need, this may be a waste of money. Other PLR sites will list topics and you can buy the articles in a shopping cart. That ensures you receive the articles you need when you need them.

2. Are the articles written by professional writers with experience? Or are they outsourced to the cheapest overseas help they can find – no matter the quality? If the articles are going to be a reflection of your business, you’ll want to ensure that the articles are well-written.

3. Who’s running this thing? Is the PLR site run by someone who knows about content or someone who thinks they can ride the content wave and make a quick buck? Make sure you’re hitching your wagon to someone who knows what they’re doing.

Those are just a few tips to keep you from wasting money on a PLR site that you can’t use. Continue to use free reprint articles, but look into PLR articles as well. They can both benefit your website and your business.

Afraid To Take A Vacation? Put Your Business On Cruise Control

“I started my business so that I’d have freedom, but I’ve never felt more trapped….”

I come across a statement like that at least once a day on a forum post or in email. You start your internet business because of the freedom of being your own boss and working on your own schedule and then promptly sit on your hind-end for 12 hours/day EVERY DAY. No wonder you feel burnt out. And no wonder family and friends are feeling neglected when all you can think and talk about is your business.

Freedom sounds pretty miserable to me if it means freedom from fun and the ones that I love.

So, how do you break free?

Start by taking a good look at your business and getting your goals and priorities straight. Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. I’ll walk you through it right now. Ready?

Grab a pen and a piece of paper or open your favorite word processor. Divide your page into four columns.

Now you’re ready to brainstorm. Write everything down as it comes to mind. Don’t overthink this. Just start writing.

First, figure out what is working. Whatever it is. It may be one of your websites, your ecourses, a joint venture, a certain marketing method. Where is the bulk of your money coming from, currently? (If none yet, where do you believe will be the place where the largest profits will come from?) Write those items in column #1 under: “Do More”.

Second, figure out what is not bringing in money. Is it hanging out on forums or posting classified ads to freebie sites? Is it endlessly checking your stats, or email? What are your daily time-suckers? Write those under column #2: “Do less”.

Third, figure out what could work better. Do you have upsells in place? Are your websites designed to bring you cash from every visitor? Make a list of ideas in column #3: “Improvements”. (If you don’t know yet, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to improve your business as you learn and grow.)

Fourth, figure out what can be automated. Which tasks are repetitive and boring, albeit necessary? Many of those types of tasks can be automated with simple tools. For instance, if you’re submitting articles to directories by hand, there are tools and services to do that for you. Add these to column #4: “Automation”.

Now that you’re armed with your list, it’s time to get to work.

Look at your list in Column #1: “Do More”. Those are the tasks that you should focus your energies on. It’s a good idea to tackle one or two of the tasks on that list first thing in the morning – every morning. Believe me, it’s much more productive than checking out your favorite blogs or logging into twitter. And you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done quickly when your mind is fresh.

Look at your list in Column #2: “Do Less”. These activities should be forbidden until after you get your #1 list done, if you do them at all. For instance, hanging out on Twitter is fun, but do not do it until everything in column #1 is finished for the day.

Now, go back to Column #1, 3, and 4. Your “Do More”, “Improvements”, and “Automation” lists.

Look at all of the items that are on those three lists. Now, circle each task that you …

• Can’t Do
• Don’t Have Time to Do
• Don’t Want To Do

Those are the tasks that you’ll outsource.

Freedom means a lot of things. It means freedom to do the things that you want to do. However, it also means freedom to NOT do things that you really dislike doing.

For me, it’s graphics. I have outsourced all of my graphics since 2001. I don’t have the time, patience or inclination to learn how to make my own graphics. I have more important things to do, like write this article and then go on a bike ride with my son. Perhaps when I get back from my bike ride, my graphics will be waiting for me in my inbox.

Now, that’s freedom to me.

Article Writing: Can it Help Me Get More Newsletter Subscribers?

Question: I’ve got a newsletter that just isn’t growing. I’m posting my site on free classified ads and I’m paying for advertising, but I’m just not seeing results. What can I do?
Signed, Nobody Loves Me

Dear Nobody Loves Me,
Let me start by saying you are not alone. I believe you are working hard. Unfortunately, just because you are working hard doesn’t mean you’ll have success. You need to also work smart and invest in long-term ways to grow your list.

Let me tell you about my favorite way to grow your list – giving away articles.

If you’re not familiar with using articles as a marketing method, then you’re in for a big treat. Website owners and blog owners are always looking for content to share with their web visitors. So, there are places called Article Directories (basically a library of free articles) where they can go to find articles that they can use – free.

All of these articles have an Author bio at the end. (See the end of this article for an example.). The author bio is the primo space where the authors get to talk about their business. Their brag space, so to speak.

What does any of this have to do with you? You can write and distribute articles to these article directories, too. And, in your author bio, instead of linking directly to your main page of your site, you can link to a page where you have a signup box for your newsletter. Voila. Everyone who clicks through that link will be taken to the page where you can offer them your wonderful newsletter (with a great incentive they can’t pass up.) Of course your page will lure them into signing up and your newsletter list will grow.

Article Writing: Can it help my E-book Sales?

Question: I wrote an e-book and I have a sales page selling it. Can I use article writing to promote my e-book?
Signed, Where are the Sales?

Dear Where are the Sales,
Absolutely. In fact, I highly recommend it.

It’s a perfect fit. Think about it. You’ve already got the content, and you obviously don’t mind writing since you’ve written an entire e-book. You’re a perfect candidate for using article sharing to get traffic to your website – and sell more e-books in the process.

If article sharing is new to you, you’ll catch on quickly. It’s an easy process, and it’s so effective. Here’s all there is to it.

1. You write an article about your topic of expertise. Or you use a section from your e-book and turn it into an article.

2. Add an author resource box at the end that includes the URL to your website – where you want the website visitors to go. Ideally this would be the sales page for your e-book. (See the bottom of this article for an example.)

3. Submit your article to article directories. These article directories contain thousands of free articles that publishers can freely use on their websites, blogs and in their newsletters.

4. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Every time your article is published, your author bio will be included, giving you exposure for your website.

Now, if you have an affiliate program, there’s even more potential. If you’re smart, you’ll also send the articles to your affiliates and allow them to use the articles – and encourage them to replace your URL with their affiliate link for your program. A smart affiliate will grab those articles in a heartbeat and start publishing them all over the web.

I hope you’ll see the potential of article sharing, and embrace it. If not, you’re really missing out on an easy way to grow your business and generate large amounts of traffic to your website. I look forward to seeing your articles in the article directories.

Article Writing: Can it help my Online Radio Show?

Question: I started an online talk radio show. I have the equipment set up and my guests lined up. But, how do I get listeners? I feel like I’m talking to myself.
Signed, Talking to Myself

Dear Talking to Myself,
First of all, Congratulations! What a big step you took to start a show. You’ve got the equipment ready, the interviews lined up and are ready to roll. I’m assuming you’ve already spent money on equipment so you don’t want to spend more on advertising. What’s a frugal online radio host to do?

Lucky for you, there are many ways to get traffic to your online radio show. One of my favorites is writing and sharing articles. If you’re unfamiliar with this method of traffic generation, it’s actually quite simple. In fact, it’s working right now. You’re reading an article that I’ve written and shared – and you can see at the bottom of the article, my author bio, where I get to share a little bit about me.

If it’s working for me, it can work for you, too. All you need to do is to find some topics, write effective articles with an author bio that works, and submit it to everyone who wants it. And repeat, repeat, repeat.

Not only will you get traffic to your website, but you’ll get more people inquiring about being guests on your show. And, if you sell advertising on your radio show, you’ll get exposure to more potential advertisers as well. Article sharing is definitely a great way to get your name out into the cyber-world.

And, the best part is that every article you send out is working for you for years to come. One article won’t likely get you a flood of traffic, but it’ll give you a ongoing drip. Fifteen articles will get you a trickle, and so on. So, get writing and get your message out there. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Article Writing: Can it Help Grow my Affiliate Program?

Question: I just set up a new affiliate program and have heard I can write articles to promote it. How does this work?
Signed New Affiliate Manager

Dear New Affiliate Manager,
Oh, don’t even get me started on this one! I love this topic.

If you’re new to the concept of article marketing, you can write articles and share them with websites, blogs and newsletters. These publishers are hungry for content and will gladly publish your informative articles on their sites. Every time they do, your author bio, including your website URL and information about your website, is included at the bottom. (See the bottom of this article to see how it works.)

What does this have to do with your affiliate program? Well, it can help you in two ways.

First of all, you can write articles and submit them to the article directories (which are basically libraries of free articles). Then when your articles are published, you’ll get traffic and a portion of those visitors will buy your products and a portion will sign up for your affiliate program (both of which will help your business grow.)

Secondly, you can allow your affiliates to use these articles on their websites with one special alteration. ENCOURAGE them to replace your URL with their link from your affiliate program. The article becomes monetized so the publisher can make money simply by sharing it (and you will, too.) Do you think your articles will be spread like wildfire by enthusiastic affiliates? Oh yes, much faster than you could spread the word alone.

Think about it. The viral aspect of this type of marketing can grow your affiliate program exponentially. All it takes is some research, a little time and some hard work. The benefits? Priceless.

Article Writing: Can it help my Virtual Assistant Business?

Question: I’m a Virtual Assistant. Can I use articles to promote my business?
Signed, Eager VA

Dear Eager VA,
Virtual Assistants are springing up all around the internet. It’s a very viable business option and more work at home moms are jumping on the bandwagon every day. The real go-getters will whip up a “business card” website right away with their contact information, ‘about me’ information, and their rates and services offered.

But, then that website sits and collects dust while they wait for the traffic to roll in. So, what’s a Virtual Assistant to do to generate traffic to their website?

Oftentimes VAs overlook one of the best methods of marketing their websites – article writing. Virtual Assistants can write about all kinds of topics – how to organize emails, customer service, hiring or firing a VA, ways a VA can benefit a business, or accounting among other things. Then, they can share the articles, just like any other website owner to drive traffic to their websites and establish an expert status in their field.

If you’re a VA who’s new to article sharing, it’s actually quite easy. You write a helpful article and include your author bio at the end. (See the end of this article as an example.) Then, you submit your article to Article Directories where hungry website owners, blog owners and ezine publishers eagerly grab your article to publish it on their sites.

Now, there is stiff competition so it’s not quite that easy, but that’s the gist of how article sharing works. And, you know it works because you’re reading my article that I’ve written and shared with article directories. There’s my URL in the author bio and you’ve found my article because someone has published it on their website, blog or in their newsletter. If it works for me, it can work for you, too.

Article sharing is underutilized in the Virtual Assistant field and I hope to see that change in the coming year. Go grab that free traffic and grow your VA business. Not only will your VA business grow, but you can share this method of marketing with your clients and blow them away with your knowledge of internet marketing. Best wishes.

Article Writing: Can it Help Grow my Forum?

Question: I’ve got a forum and it’s a ghost town. How can I get people to my forum? – NobodyLovesMe

Dear Nobody Loves Me,
Building a forum into a happenin’ place is a LOT of work. Don’t be discouraged if your efforts aren’t paying off yet. It does take time.

That being said, there are ways to boost your forum and keep boosting it, without having to spend a lot of money. Let me share one of my favorite ways to get traffic, writing articles.

You may not be familiar with article sharing. Basically, you write and share your articles with other websites and newsletters that need content. They publish your article with your author resource box (including your website URL). This helps both of you. The website publisher needs interesting, informative content and you need the exposure.

But, what does this have to do with building your forum? It can help you in two ways.

1. In your author bio, include a link directly to your forum so people that click through your link can sign up immediately and get chatting with the other members.

2. Or link to your website and have your forum prominently displayed on every page. The more incoming links you have pointing to your website content, the more important the search engines will think your site is – and you’ll get more natural traffic from google, msn, and yahoo.

So, how do you take advantage of this method of generating traffic? You can start today.

1. Choose a topic. You can even use your own forum posts for inspiration. If you’ve recently answered questions in a post on your forum about any topic, turn it into an article. (Of course you may only use the materials you yourself have written and any and all names should be changed.)

2. Include your Author Resource box. Make sure to think about this part a lot. Many people just skim over it and, frankly, have useless resource boxes. What do you offer to the visitors? Do you have a free incentive for joining? Think this one through. Make it enticing.

3. Submit your Articles. Find article directories where you can share your articles.

4. Then, don’t sit and wait for traffic, repeat the process over and over and watch your forum grow.

The results will be long-lasting as your articles will float around the web for years and years to come.

Article Writing: Can it help my Online Store?

Question: My online store can’t make money unless I get traffic, but I can’t afford to keep buying advertising. What can I do? I feel so discouraged.
Signed, Lonely in my Store

Dear Lonely in my Store,
First of all, you are NOT doing anything wrong. Online businesses take time and can get frustrating, especially in the first year.

If your online store is lonely, and you’re watching the dust balls collect, waiting for traffic to come and buy, it’s easy to get discouraged. As soon as the advertising ends, so does your traffic – if you’re even getting any results from your advertising at all.

What if you could get visitors to your website – free? And, not only that, but the visitors keep coming for years? One of the best methods of generating traffic to your website is by writing and sharing articles. This is not ‘get rich quick’ and it’s not a scam. It’s just plain old fashioned marketing with a twist.

Now, even if you aren’t a writer, you can use this method of getting traffic. It doesn’t take a degree in Literature to succeed in article marketing. All it takes is a little time and energy. If you have that – you can get traffic to your website.

So, how does it work? Well, it’s working right now. Look at the bottom of this article and you’ll see … me. I didn’t pay for this advertising, but you’ll see a link to my website right there, plain as day, just for writing and sharing this article with website publishers.

It’s actually quite simple, and it is underused, especially in work at home mom businesses.

All you need to do is write a short, simple, helpful article about something related to your online store. If you sell makeup, then write an article about how to choose a foundation color, or how to care for your skin during the winter. Then, after you’ve written your article, you submit it to the article directories.

Article directories are libraries of free articles. They are collections of articles that website and blog owners can use on their sites for free. The only stipulation is that everyone who publishes your article must include your author bio at the end which is where you include your website URL and some fascinating information about your wonderful online store.

So, now that you see how simple this free method of generating traffic is, I hope you give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose and much to gain.

Article Writing: Can it Help my Direct Sales Business?

Question: How can I get long-term advertising for my Direct Sales website without spending a fortune?
Signed, Direct Sales Mom

Dear Direct Sales Mom,
Very often, people in Direct Sales don’t realize they can benefit from the same methods of internet marketing that other online businesses use. Writing and submitting articles is one of those methods of marketing that is extremely effective for Direct Sales businesses.

If you’re unfamiliar with the way article marketing works, basically, you write and give away helpful, informative articles. Why would you work so hard and give away your information? Look at the bottom of this article. There you’ll see my name and a brief bit of information about what I do. I didn’t pay for that advertising. It’s free.

So, how does it work? You write an article about a topic that you are interested in – usually one that relates in some way to your business. If you sell makeup, there’s no point in writing about forest fires. So, show your expertise and share your love of what you do in a brief article. Then you’ll want to find article directories that will accept your article. You’ll submit your articles to the directories, including your author bio and a link to your website.

Website publishers, blog owners, and ezine publishers will search the directories and find interesting articles to share with their readers. When they use one of your articles, they’ll include your author bio at the end with a clickable link to your website. Voila. You just scored some free traffic.

As long as your company allows you to link to your website, (and I realize that some don’t) – you can use article writing to grow your customer list and your team.

If your company does not allow links to your website, you may be able to set up a lead generation page to get people’s information. Or you can send them to a newsletter sign up page where you can get them on a list where you may talk more freely about your products in your newsletter. Just be sure to check with your company policies and procedures before investing too much time and energy into writing articles.

Now get writing!

Is it Really this Easy to Get Free Advertising?

One of the best ways to get free advertising is to simply write articles and give them away. It’s a foreign concept to many in online business, but it’s one of the best ways to get traffic, improve your search engine ranking, and sell more products.

Why Should You Write Articles?

Newsletter and website owners are desperate for content. As someone who owns websites and publishes several newsletters, I can vouch for this. I regularly search article directories, looking for quality information that will help my readers. And, every article I use from these resources gets published with the author’s information and a link to their site.

Why Give The Articles Away?

How much would you pay to include your ad in a newsletter or popular website? Anywhere from $5 to $80. Wouldn’t you prefer to have your ad placed for free? It’s easy to see the financial reward. Look at the bottom of this article. Right there, plain as day, you can see a resource box with my website included, so you have proof that this method works.

How do you write an article?

Take another look at the article that you’re reading right now. It’s short. It’s simple. I’m not a Literary Genius. I’m just being me.

Start by picking something you know about, or a problem that you can solve, and start writing. Just do it!

What should you include in the Author Bio?

Your Name
Something interesting about you or your website
Your website link – Don’t forget this one!
Special offer – Mention a freebie or special offer if you have one.
Don’t use this area to *sell*. Just get them to your site.

May you have lots and lots of free advertising!

Article Writing Tips from SpongeBob SquarePants

Wisdom can be found in the most unexpected places. Today, wisdom bubbled up from a pineapple under the sea. I suddenly realized that everything you’d want to know about writing articles for your website can be taught by SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends.

When you write for your newsletter, blog, or website, which character are you most like?

Mr. Krabs: This crustacean is focused on one thing and one thing only, making more and more and more money. Only a cartoon could actually have dollar signs drawn in his eyes. He thinks of no one, only how he can benefit. Are your articles focused on you or on the reader? Are you providing information or do you have blinders on, thinking only about how you can make money from the article you are writing? If your article reads like an ad or is self-serving or full of affiliate links, you might write like Mr. Krabs.

Plankton: The smallest creature in the sea is also the sneakiest. He’ll do anything and hurt anyone to steal someone else’s work (the Krabby Pattie secret formula). Write your own material. Don’t be Plankton. Don’t copy and paste someone else’s work, edit it, and try to pass it off as your own. You will be caught, and it just isn’t worth it. Take the same amount of effort and work on your own thoughts and ideas. Plankton never gets away with his schemes, either. He’s on Plan “Z” and is still pathetically failing at his attempts to steal the secret formula.

Patrick: SpongeBob’s best friend, the starfish, has a good heart, but isn’t the brightest creature in the sea. Do your articles make you sound like an expert? Are you providing valuable content or just pushing out sloppy articles as fast as you can? Always double check for typos and grammatical errors. If you’re challenged by spelling and grammar, hire a Virtual Assistant or Copywriter to proofread and submit your article for you. Or slow down, set your article aside for a day and then reread it before you click the “submit” button.

Squidward: Squidward is B-O-R-I-N-G. When writing articles, are you a Squidward? Do you just get the words down on paper or are you finding a fun twist to entertain your audience and keep them coming back for more? Take time to make your articles stand out from the thousands of other dull articles out there by including personal stories or just having fun while writing. For instance, this article could be entitled “How to Write a Good Article”, but would it stand out from the hundreds of other articles about article writing? Probably not.

SpongeBob: This little guy always tries to do the right thing, and is a hard worker. He may not always end up getting the results he hoped for, but he bounces back and tackles his work with a renewed vigor. SpongeBob works very hard, he’s a good friend, he always thinks of others, and tries to have fun no matter what he is faced with. Hardworking, friendly SpongeBob is the guy to be when writing articles.

Although this is a silly lesson in article writing, I hope you’ll remember the important messages our underwater friends have taught us.

1. Write articles to help others, not with dollar signs in your eyes.

2. Write your own material. Don’t copy others.

3. Proofread your articles carefully, and provide valuable information.

4. Be entertaining. Not boring.

5. Be a SpongeBob! Hard work and persistence pay off.

Before you know it, you’ll develop a following for having informative and entertaining articles and you’ll be King or Queen of the sea.

How to be Rejected by the Article Directories

Article writing is one of the best ways to increase your traffic and get more sales. You’ve heard it a million times so you decide to finally just do it. You write an article and submit it to the article directories, eagerly anticipating the flow of traffic. Instead you receive the dreaded rejection letter.

What did you do wrong?

1. Did you proof-read your article before you submitted it?

Popular article directory sites receive hundreds of submissions each day. It’s much easier for the owner to click “decline” than to edit your typo-filled or unformatted article. Before submitting, proof the article and proof it again. If grammar and spelling make you sweat, then hire a Copywriter or ask a friend to help you before you click that submit button.

2. Is it an Advertisement or an Article?

Article directory sites are looking for informative, useful content, not press releases or ads. If your submission reads like an ad, it will not be accepted. And, think about it — even if was approved on a fluke, do you think that website owners will be clamoring to publish your 500 word advertisement? Not a chance.

If your goal is to write and submit a press release, then check out places like prweb.com.

3. Did you read the Submission Guidelines?

Each article directory has a different culture. Glance through the Submission Guidelines before setting up an account to make sure your article will be welcome before you submit it. If an article directory is based around a niche like gardening, then please resist the urge to submit your Mesothelioma articles. There are plenty of article directories that want your articles. It’s not an effective use of your time to submit unwanted articles to a niche site.

4. Is your article PG-rated?

Don’t submit sex-related articles, profanity, or general nastiness. Article directories are businesses and, therefore, exist to make money. This means they generally receive income through affiliate sales or advertising. So, if your article includes sex or contains words stronger than “darn”, don’t be surprised if

your article is rejected. Of course, if your article contains nastiness or anything illegal — don’t even bother.

5. Is your Article original and written by you?

Submit only original articles. Please do not copy someone else’s article, edit it, and submit it. That’s stealing and you will be caught. And, do not submit articles from shared content sites. Article directories want original, unique content. Public domain is ‘public’ but think how ineffective article directories would

become if there were 500 versions of the same public domain piece. Instead of wasting your time figuring out how to reinvent other people’s content, just write your own.

Now that you know what not to do, start writing the kind of articles that article directories dream of — and watch your business grow.