How To Guarantee Your Article Gets Published

How To Guarantee Your Article Gets Published
By Kim Haas

There are literally thousands of article submission sites on the net today. Merely submitting your article to article directories does not guarantee that it will be accepted. Many article sites have publishing guidelines that are fairly general in nature. Most of the larger, more popular sites, are strict about what gets published and what gets rejected.

If you want ensure that more of your articles are accepted by online directories you need to make sure your article meets the publisher's guidelines. As a owner and publisher of online article sites for many years, I am amazed at how many authors don't take the time to read through submission guidelines.

Many sites will accept any article submitted, especially if it is a new article directory, as a means to build up their article count. However, sites that are more established with high Alexa and Google rankings, tend to be more selective in what is posted in their directory.

The most common mistakes authors make in submitting their articles include:

1. Not following the formatting requirements.

Word wrap and HTML formatting preserve the page layout of the web site. Articles submitted with word wrapping on is one of my biggest reasons for rejecting articles. Forced breaks at 60 characters may be acceptable for sites that primarily feed ezines, but it is not very appealing on a web page. Posting HTML articles on sites that accept only text articles is also quite frustrating for an editor to remove.

2. Microsoft formatting.

Copying and pasting from a Microsoft Word document does horrible things to a page design and layout. Quite often this type of formatting can appear within the text of the article and can also reek havoc on online forms.

3. Affiliate links and ads.

Many article sites do not accept articles with affiliate links in them. This is normally allowed in the author's resource box but many authors insist on adding their affiliate links in the body of the article or the article sounds more like a sales pitch. This type of article is often rejected. Be sure to make your article informative to the reader.

4. Improper category selection.

While most editors will simply take a second or two to place an article in the proper category, editors are finding this too time consuming and will often just delete the article. Sites that receive 50 or more articles each day normally do not have the time to edit each article and select an appropriate category. Be sure to select the most relevant category for your article at the time of submission.

5. Email links in articles or resource boxes.

Although many editors are not concerned with email addresses in articles or in a resource box, authors should be aware of the problems that can arise from using them. Article directories are constantly being scanned by not only search engines but by mail harvester bots as well. Listing your email address in any online web page opens the author up to receive an enormous amount of spam and is generally not a good idea. Email addresses also change from time to time, leaving you with possibly thousands of articles on the web with an email address that no longer works.

6. Author names not capitalized.

While many authors are rushing to submit articles to hundreds of sites as quickly as possible, many don't take the time to capitalize their first and last name in the author profile area. It seems to me that if Susan Smith enters her name as susan smith, it somehow makes her seem like she is minimizing herself as a person. Be proud of who you are and tell the world you are Susan Smith!

7. Punctuation and spelling errors.

Editors don't have the time to check each article for spelling errors or punctuation. If you want to ensure that your article is picked up from these article directories and used on web sites, you will want to make sure that you have thoroughly checked your article for errors. Ezine and newsletter editors often acquire material for their publications from these article directories. If your article is not well written or contains a lot of errors, your article is most likely not going to be used for any purpose other than to provide you with a free link to your web site from the article directory.

8. Word count is low.

Not all directories put word count restrictions on articles. Personally, any article that is less than 400 word is merely written in order to get a link back to the author's web site. Articles that range between 600-800 words are usually better written and actually contain some value for the reader. Make sure your article meets the article count guidelines to help increase acceptance rates.

Each article directory has different requirements for article submissions. If you want to increase the exposure you receive for your articles, make sure that you familiarize yourself with the requirements for each site that you submit articles to. By following the author guidelines, you not only increase your chances of having your article accepted, you also establish yourself as a credible writer and increase your web site traffic as well.

Kim Haas has been working online since the Internet was a series of BBS systems. She is a successful writer and owner of http://www.article-host.com

Copyright 2006 Kim Haas

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Capturing an Editor's Attention: How to Increase the Odds of Getting Published

Capturing an Editor's Attention: How to Increase the Odds of Getting Published
By Jonathan Kranz

Writing an article or press release is one thing; winning an editor's favorable opinion is something else -- and far more important. Editors are gatekeepers: If your message doesn't resonate with them, it'll never reach their readers.

Put yourself in the editor's shoes.
The economics aren't complex. The more readers, the more ad revenue; the greater the ad revenue, the greater the likelihood the editor will keep her job. She needs to fulfill her periodical's promise to provide meaningful, relevant content to her readers. You want to be in her pages? Help her with her mission.

Why is this important to my readers?
That's the key question asked of every release and article that comes over the transom. Your job is to answer it. So skip the hyperbole about your company's importance, the significance of your vision or the excitement surrounding your new product. Instead, go straight for the why: Why does your message matter to readers?

In press releases:
Be sure to articulate the significance of your announcement by the standards that matter -- those of your audience. Suppose you're announcing a new software release. What does it offer, or what need does it fulfill, that hasn't been offered or fulfilled before? Announcing an event? Then articulate the value of attending: What will participants get by coming?

In your query letters:
When you submit an article for an editor's consideration, be sure your cover note connects your article's message to the readers' interests. There's no need to extensively summarize the article beyond a sentence or two. Instead, articulate the article's significance. Perhaps it addresses an emerging trend. Or offers a contrary perspective to conventional wisdom. Or helps readers do something practical, like save money on taxes or lower cholesterol levels. Whatever your subject, your cover note must complete this thought: Readers will appreciate my article because...

The greater the relevance, the greater the reward.
Look, editors are overwhelmed with writers who want space in their pages. But they don't have enough who understand their needs. Be one of the few who really get it -- who understand who the editor's readers are and what they want -- and you stand a good chance not just of making that one-shot hit, but of being a favored source for future publications.

Jonathan Kranz is the author of Writing Copy for Dummies, http://kranzcom.com/book.html, and the principal of Kranz Communications, http://kranzcom.com, a marketing communications and public relations writing firm specializing in B2B and consumer services marketing. He offers customized in-house and on-site marketing and PR seminars, and is a popular speaker at professional association events, meetings, workshops and conferences, http://kranzcom.com/speaking.html

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Become a SelfPublished Web Content Writer

Become a Self-Published Web Content Writer
By Brandi Rhoades

Web content writing is one of the fastest-growing areas in the writing industry. It helps potential writers from living the starving artist life, but it requires a huge commitment of time and a willingness to put aside ones creativity for the sake of the clients wishes. There is a way you can live both dreams, however, but you will need to work hard and be willing to make an investment to do so. You can self-publish your web content and reap all of the financial benefits from your writing!

That sounds great! How do I get started?

Well, the first step is to select a project. Brainstorm a few ideas that interest you. If youre an animal lover, put that on the list. If you have an eye for decorating, put it on the list. Once you have compiled a good list, visit a keyword tracker site. The easiest one to find and use is Overture. It tracks how many people searched Yahoo! for a particular phrase in the last month. You can find the site at http://inventory.overture.com/. Type in the basic topics you picked and see how often theyre searched.

The target numbers depend on how much you want to make with your site. Select the topic you want based on the hits it gets. At this point, you want to think about the selected topic. You will need to be able to create at least 100 pages, or articles, about the topic. Jot down some ideas. If you can come up with a good 40 to 50 ideas, then youre in business.

Now that you have a topic, its time to create the site. Look around for a web host. If you are new to creating sites, let the host do everything for you. Try to find a hosting company that charges less than $10 a month for their service as you will not need the luxury services available for higher prices. When you sign up, you will need to pick a URL. Think about your sites topic and select something catchy, short, and easy to spell. Have a couple of ideas in mind just in case your first choice isnt available.

Once you are set up with the web host, then you can begin building your site. Many hosts have free site builders, but it is rarely advisable to use these programs. First, many of them limit your design possibilities, and second, if you decide to change hosts later, you often have to rebuild your site. Either learn HTML coding by hand through free online tutorials or purchase design software, such as Front Page.

You will make money through your site by using advertising links. Look online for tutorials on affiliate marketing and Google AdSense. These tutorials will walk you through the process of setting up step-by-step. You will be offering your visitors good content and making money through your own site. Be careful, though. Content sites are addicting, and you may find yourself overwhelmed with the possibility of creating your own host of sites!

Brandi Rhoades is a full-time freelancer who writes primarily web content. She has penned more than 1,500 articles for various websites. You can visit http://www.pureawakenings.com for her booklet, The Basics of Web Writing, or email her at brandi@pureawakenings.com.

This article is copyrighted and is the property of Brandi Rhoades. You may reprint the article for free with the byline intact and active links to the author's email and website. You may not change the article in any way.

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