How to Market with E-Zine Articles
How to
Market with Ezine Articles
Copyright © Charlie Page
Of all the ways that people have invented to sell things over the
Internet, writing free articles to run in ezines is perhaps the most
effective. One great thing about this method of marketing is that
you can do it with NO money. So if you are just starting your
Internet marketing career, put away the Visa and warm up that
keyboard! Article marketing may be the perfect way to market. It’s
free to do. It educates prospects. It gets your message in front of
thousands of interested prospects you would NEVER reach otherwise.
It’s viral. Best of all … it works!
So what is "article marketing" and how can it impact your world?
Glad you asked. 
What we call "article marketing" is simply
writing informative articles and having those articles run in ezines.
If that sounds hard, it’s not. Let’s run the numbers for a moment.
There are over 300,000 ezines out there. Estimates say that over 90%
of them use free articles in their ezines. That means there is a
HUGE market for your articles, no matter what you want to write
about.
We like to say it this way. From cat food to Katmandu, there’s an
ezine out there for everyone. You included.
The Big Picture
The first step is to understand the goal of article marketing. The
goal is to write an informative article and have it run in as many
TARGETED ezines as possible. When people read the article they see
your resource box at the end of the article, click to your website
and buy your stuff. They learn something, and you make money. Very
simple.
Notice the emphasis on targeted? Please, please, whatever you do, do
not waste an editors time with articles that they don’t need. One of
the greatest things about the Directory of Ezines is that you can
use it to find the perfect ezines for your articles … fast. Use
the DOE, but never spam editors with articles they can’t use.
<Getting off soapbox now>
How to Write the Article
You want to write an informative article about something you know.
Once you chose your subject, here’s the magic formula for writing
the article. Five easy steps.
1. Be yourself. Don’t try to write like anyone else. Let your
personality shine through.
2. Tell a story. People love to hear an interesting story.
3. Limit yourself to 600 words. This is an ideal length for most
ezines. Format your article to 65 characters per line with a hard
return at the end of each line.
4. Have a clear opening, make three or five points it the middle,
and have a brief conclusion.
5. THIS IS THE BIG ONE. Give the reader a few steps he or she can
take to make your idea work for them. Tell them what to do first,
second, third to accomplish the task you are writing about.
If the reader can take ACTION based on what you wrote (just like you
can now apply this formula to your writing) you will have delivered
valuable information to them. Do that and, hopefully, they will keep
reading your stuff!
How to Find the Right Ezines
The absolute, 100% effective, surefire way to do this is to use the
Directory of Ezines. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Look for ezines that have these three things. First, the ezine
content matches your article content. Second, the ezine accepts
articles. Third, the reader is someone who would be a good customer
for you. Once you nail down those basics you have found the perfect
market for your articles.
How to Approach the Editor
The BEST way to approach an editor is this.
1. Subscribe to the ezine.
2. Read a few issues.
3. Write a personal note commenting on what you enjoyed about the
issues that you read.
4. Offer your article as one that might fit in.
5. Ask to be informed if your article is run.
6. Thank them for their time.
7. Be available if they have questions.
If an editor chooses your article, the odds are they will run your
articles in the future as well. Stay in touch and you can develop
close relationships with literally hundreds of editors. Remember
that each editor represents thousands of readers that you may never
reach any other way. Also remember that the editor is a busy person.
Keep your email brief.
How to Maximize Your ROI
Include a "resource box" at the end of the article. A resource box
is where you sell the reader on going to your website, subscribing
to your ezine, or taking any other action you want them to take.
Marketing with ezine articles is truly a win-win-win proposition.
The publisher wins because he or she gets great free articles. The
reader wins because your article is informative and tells them how
to accomplish an important task as easy as 1,2,3. You win because
hundreds of thousands of readers see your selling message at the end
of your article.
All of this with no out-of-pocket costs. Now THAT’S a beautiful
thing!
Charlie Page is the owner of the Directory of Ezines, the first
and most comprehensive list of quality ezines that accept
advertising available on the Internet. Charlie can show you how to
sell more products and earn more affiliate commissions using the
Internet’s #1 marketing method … ezine marketing!
