What Article Publishers REALLY Want
By Heather Reimer
If you write articles to promote your business, you've probably wondered how to get
publishers to gobble them up. It seems so hit and miss at times, doesn't it? I've been
writing articles to plug my content writing services for three years. A few of them
bombed, a few were picked up by major publishers and distributed to hundreds of thousands
of readers, and the vast majority landed somewhere in between.
So what separates the flops from the faves? Here are a few of my findings:
 Short tips articles
aren't hot tamales. The majority of publishers still want articles in the 400 - 800 word range.
The REALLY big,
influential publishers seem to be looking for how-to articles that explain and/or clarify
a process and that offer lots of links to resources, especially free ones. If you can fit
all that into one article, along with a pinch of personality, you've got yourself a winner.
Don't be shy about
including a little of yourself in your article. Notice I said "a little". Whenever I've
strayed into rant and rave mode about some pet peeve, my articles have suffered. But when
I offer observations and useful advice gained from my own experience and good research,
publishers and readers respond.
Metaphors aren't just
for poetry. Your writing becomes more colorful and accessible if you draw parallels. For
example, I once compared the aggravation caused by poor website navigation to a bully teasing
little kids on the playground. Readers remembered that one because they could relate to the image.
Keep an eye on trends.
Noticing more pop-ups lately? A decline in spam? (I wish!) An increase in hype on the web?
Whatever it is, chances are good other people have noticed it too - or will soon - and your
article on the subject will make you appear like a sage visionary. Or just a clever person.
Recycle ideas. I
constantly have to remind myself that just because I wrote an article on search engines
a year ago doesn't mean that topic is forever off limits to me. The most prolific article
writers often regurgitate the same ideas over and over, altering them slightly for new
audiences. And the audience is always being renewed so plagiarizing yourself is not a crime.
(Unless you send the same article twice to lists that prohibit it... that IS a crime!)
Don't spend a lot of
time distributing your article to the smaller ezines unless their audience is your ideal
target market. Article announcement lists and syndicators will get your article in front
of more publishers with less time and effort on your part.
Obey the rules. Each
list has its own submission guidelines. Run afoul of them and your efforts will hit the
round file and you'll become known as the first writer who couldn't read.
I've stressed the importance
of proofreading in so many previous articles that I'm not even going to mention it here. Oops.
Don't bother blitzing the
lists with articles during holiday periods, as I did, thinking all the other writers will be
snoozing and there'll be a shortage of good articles out there. The publishers are snoozing too.
The fact is that article writing, like any other form of writing, is an imprecise art not
a science. There are no guarantees. You could knock off an award-winning item in ten minutes.
Or you could expend gallons of blood, sweat and tears writing the most insightful,
entertaining, pertinent and timely treatise ever conceived and have it land, thud, like an
overripe coconut on a deserted beach. Keep writing, keep submitting, keep shaking that tree
and eventually good things will shake loose.
Heather Reimer is the owner, head writer and editor of The Write Content. Get a FREE content
and design analysis on your website from: www.TheWriteContent.com.
The Write Content delivers action-inspiring web content, sales letters, newsletters, press
releases and more. Painless pricing. Money-back guarantee. Fast, personal service.
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