Article writing is not what it once was for SEO, but it provides some really good. However, GOOD articles still help improve your position as an expert, and it also can be a great source of leads, especially if you address an important problem that many people are having trouble solving. This workshop presented by Chris Wechner of The Ultimate Analyst at WCCCD gave people an overview of articles, article marketing, and places to hire writers for those who prefer to pay for the benefit.

1. Online Marketing Workshop:
Article Writing & Submission
Chris Wechner
Director of Marketing
The Ultimate Analyst

2. This Workshop: My Perspective
• Childhood
• College
• Post-College Career
• Today’s Business

3. This Workshop: My Objective
• Help people gain basic “how to” instruction
with different marketing fundamentals via
– Conceptual Explanation
– Live Demonstration
– Participant Hands-on Practice
• Disclaimer: Everyone is welcome, but this
workshop is designed for people who brought
their laptops.

4. Online Articles: Coming Clean
• Articles are not as strong a Black Hat SEO
method to promote business as in 2010 or so
• HOWEVER…
Articles still have plenty of value.

5. Tonight’s Outline
• What is article marketing?
• Ways article marketing is effective?
• Places to Submit Articles Online
• Additional Places to Submit Articles
• Tips for Article Titles
• Places to Pay Writers for Articles
• Tips for Interviewing Writers
• Tips for Giving Writers Good Instructions

6. What is Article Marketing?
• Articles:
– pages that have encyclopedic information on it
(Source: Wikipedia)
• Article Marketing:
– Writing articles to gain an advantage and improve
an online presence, either through branding or
lead generation
(Source: Chris Wechner)

7. Ways article marketing is effective
• Establish Expertise
• Lead to Website
• Prompt People to Call
• Provide a Backlink to Website (SEO)

8. Writing Articles: Guidelines
• Writing Length: 500 Words MINIMUM
• Cite Sources (for info you get elsewhere)
• Do not negatively misrepresent anyone
• Do not make obvious attempts to sell
(Articles are NOT Sales Letters to the Public)
• Images are Nice (but not usually required)
• Videos are Better (but not required)

9. Types of Article Writing Approaches
• Evolution (how something changes over time)
• Perspective (from the customer, user, etc.)
• Interview (Q&A write up)
• About Products or Services
– Reviews
– Features or Benefits
– Common Usage Mistakes
– Common Misconceptions

10. More Article Writing Approaches
• How to Instructions
• Introduction (something new to the industry)
• Expert (writing like the subject expert you are)
• Lists or Outlines
• Current Event Response
• Rumor/Expose

11. Parts of an Article
• Title
– Lure in the Reader
– Use Keyword, if possible
– 99 or Fewer Characters (Less Than 66 is best)
• Summary/Byline
– 250 or Fewer Characters (Less Than 140 is best)
– Include Keyword or Keyword Variation
• Text Body
• Keywords
• Contact Info/Boiler Plate (About Us)

12. To read this entire article, visit http://ezinearticles.com/?3-Tricks-to-Make-Writing-
Articles-or-Blogs-Easier&id=8730986

13. Places to Submit Articles Online
• EzineArticles.com
• GoArticles.com
• ArticleCity.com
• ArticlesBase.com

14. EzineArticles

15. Go Articles

16. Article City (Part 1/2)

17. Article City (Part 2/2)
They do not make
this easy to find.

18. Articles Base

19. More Places to Submit Articles
• Local Paper
• Guest Post on Other People’s Pages
• Blogs
• Squidoo.com
• HubPages.com

20. Ideas for Article Titles
• The Best Way to…
• A Big Mistake That…Make
• 6 Ways to …
• Is…really a scam?
• How…is like…
• 4 Tips for…
• Something People Don’t Realize about…
To get more title ideas, visit http://chriswechnermarketingideas.blogspot.com/2013/01/6-great-headline-
ideas-that-make-people.html

21. Places to Pay Writers for Articles
• Fiverr
• iWriters
• HireWriters
• eLance
• ODesk

22. Fiverr: Searching for Writers
• Articles are often called “content” rather than
articles (also used for website material)
• Sort by High Rating
• Check Number of Buyers
(Not just Average Rating)
• Check Lead Time
• Check Standard vs. Add-on Service Charges
• Check Comments

23. ODesk: Searching for Writers
• Check under Blog & Article Writing
• Adjust Feedback Rating
• Adjust Hourly Rate (Sliding Scale)
• Check to see if an “Agency Contractor”
• Check Types of Jobs Completed
(and feedback connected to that job)
• Check “Jobs in Progress”

24. ODesk: Posting Job for Writers
• Can pay Hourly or a Fixed Price
• Make Title Clear
• Describe the work as completely as possible
(without giving away proprietary info)
• Skills Needed: Be liberal – attract more people
• Give them a set of directions to follow
(including asking for previous work samples)

25. More Tips: Posting for Writers
• Ask how much (labor) time it takes
• Ask for lead time (in days)
• BONUS: Ask them which topics they most
enjoy writing.

26. Tips for Evaluating Writers
• Look at reviews, if possible
• Interview Candidates
– Ask favorite things to write
– Ask familiarity with SEO (if you need it)
• Try more than 1 writer at one time

27. Tips for Giving Good Instructions
(for Your Writers)
• Identify the Keyword or Topic (or both)
• Identify the MINIMUM word count
• Provide URLs for background
• Is there anything that is needed

28. Final Questions for You
• The Lesson:
– What is something new you learned?
– What did you find to be interesting?
– What important reminder did you get
(of something you already knew)?
• The Action:
– How can you benefit from what you learned?
– How soon will try to do it?

29. For Questions or Comments:
Chris@TheUltimateAnalyst.com
Chris Wechner
The Ultimate Analyst
http://www.TheUltimateAnalyst.com