uess what my fast-start recommendation is? You got it -br
write articles for other publishers. Why is this suchbr
a common suggestion? Could it be because - it works?br
br
This is the fastest and easiest way by far to getbr
a following of people who recognize your name and listenbr
to what you recommend. br
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When I was newly online and learning about online business,br
clicking on the links in articles, forums, and discussionbr
groups signatures was my primary method of finding goodbr
information. br
br
I reasoned that if the person was published, odds were thatbr
they were somewhat of an expert on that subject. And, if theybr
were experts, the products and services they sold orbr
recommended were likely to be good. Those were the peoplebr
whose products I bought and whose lists I joined. br
br
If you include a signature with each article, includingbr
a line or two about your business and your website URLbr
and/or email address, you may be very amazed at the trafficbr
it will generate for you - the best kind of targeted traffic,br
too! br
br
Are you having trouble just getting started? I understand.br
And I can't tell you that writing isn't hard work.br
It certainly is for me. But once you write the first articlebr
it gets much easier. In fact, you may discover, as I did,br
that you have a hard time stopping! br
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Here's a "jump-start plan" to get you going: br
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1. Get a notebook and pen, or if you are a "cut and paste"br
writer like me - a word processor or computer, and justbr
brainstorm ideas for articles. If you are at a total loss,br
go and read some articles in other's e-zines or websites.br
That may spark an idea for a different approach to the samebr
subject or remind you of your own experiences in that area. br
br
Think about what You need or want to know. What have you learnedbr
from experience that might help others? Once you get started youbr
will come up with many ideas. Write each one down. If you think ofbr
a good title for that article, write that down too. Make it "catchy." br
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2. What you should do next depends on you. There are several waysbr
writers work, depending on their personalities. You may like to orderbr
and organize your points first by making an outline of the informationbr
you plan to include or the points you intend to make. Then all you havebr
to do is go back and "flesh out" the points, adding useful facts or linksbr
to more information. br
br
Or, you may be a natural teacher, and write just as though you arebr
explaining the subject to the reader in person. Either method is fine,br
just do what is comfortable for you. One method may work best for onebr
kind of article and the other for another kind. br
br
3. In either case, don't forget to add "personality" to your writing. Sharebr
some of yourself with your readers, make your writing uniquely yourbr
own. It's fine to read e-zines and others' articles to see whatbr
people may be interested in and spark your own ideas, but don't patternbr yourself after someone else. People want to feel that they know You -br
Your knowledge and personality. This is what builds loyalty. br
br
If it fits with your subject, don't be afraid to mention your product orbr
service and give the URL or email address, but DON'T write abr
"glorified ad" and call it an article! That can offend a publisher so thatbr
they won't even consider articles from you in the future. br
br
4. After you've finished writing your article, read it through aloud,br
preferably to someone else who will ask questions if they don'tbr
understand some point. br
br
5. Run a spell checker! If you own Microsoft Word or something similar,br
run the grammar checker also. Have someone else proofread it for you.br
Even professional proofreaders will tell you that they try to havebr
someone else proofread their own writing, because it is next tobr
impossible to catch your own mistakes. br
br
6. Once you finish your article and make any necessary changes,br
you will need to submit it to as many websites and e-zines as you can.br
Search the web for "article directory" and you will find many places tobr
submit your article for free. There are also, of course, paid services andbr software that will do the submissions for you, but you may want to waitbr
until you have successfully written a few articles before you choose to brpay.
brbr
As I said earlier, writing is hard work for me, and I reworked my firstbr
article many times before I was satisfied. But if you persevere you maybr discover that it can be loads of fun as well as a great promotion methodbr
and a quick path to "web-guru-ness."