Internet Tip of the Week - by Bob Osgoodby
Overnight MiraclesMany of the pundits say that a good way to get known on the web
is to write articles. I agree and this can help your online
business as you gain name recognition.As a publisher of four online newsletters, I get a number of
articles submitted to me every day. While most of the articles
have merit and are interesting, there are a few things that many
of the authors don’t take into account.No – I’m not talking about spelling or grammatical mistakes.
Serious authors seldom submit an article with these types of
errors. But even the best do so on occasion. As editor of our
publications, I will correct an occasional error. If the
submission contains multiple errors, it quickly gets put in the
“round file.” Face it – we publish six days a week and simply
don’t have the time to rewrite submissions.So, what is important and will give you as an author a leg up.
If your article is simply a rehash of something that has been
covered in the past, the odds are it will not be published.
Articles should be timely and cover things that are of current
interest. The topic of starting a home business, for example, has
been “done to death”, and unless you have a fresh approach,
forget about it. Above all, don’t date your article. What I mean
is that an article that is built on a certain person or event,
may have only short term interest. If it isn’t picked up
immediately, it will most likely be trashed.Never discuss religion or politics. You will immediately
alienate a portion of your potential readers. If you use humor
irony, or innuendos be very careful, because some people may
take offense.A good source of ideas is your local newspaper or browsing the
web. There are many topics of current interest that could get the
attention of a publisher. And don’t limit yourself to just
business. Personal improvement is always a good topic. Don’t
trust your memory. I carry a pen and notepad with me at all
times. When an idea surfaces, jot it down. It may or may not
prove to be worthwhile when you try to “flesh out” the article.
If you are struggling to write the article, it usually isn’t a
good topic.The next thing to consider is the length of the article. Shorter
articles have a better chance of being published than longer
ones. While an article of 1,300 words or so might be excellent,
it has little chance of being published. It is simply too long.
The author must realize that their article is just one piece of
an online publication. If the article is too long, it won’t be
read. Subscribers to newsletters are looking for quick
information and not scholarly tomes.If you don’t know what you’re talking about – don’t. There are a
lot of people in this world who may be more knowledgeable than
you on a specific subject. Write about things that you know, and
if there is a doubt on a fact or a date, research your facts.Don’t be discouraged if your submission is not immediately
published. Many newsletters are written around a current theme,
and at that time, yours may not be a fit. My library of articles
goes back about 6 years. Very often when I am looking forsomething specific to publish, I go back into that library. If
the article is not out of date, it is a good candidate for
publication.Finally, when you submit your article include a short description
and a word count. Never make a publisher “jump through hoops” to
read your article as they won’t. Don’t make them go to a web
site or an auto-responder to get your article. Include it in the
body of your email so it can be read immediately.If you follow these simple rules, you will be published. As you
gain name recognition it will improve, but don’t expect overnight
miracles.-----
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