The Article Is Not the Ad!

By Kevin Needham

I receive over 20 a week. Articles that is. Articles written by knowledgeable people who have something to share. I read each and every one of them and make a judgement call as to what would be good content to share with our readers.

If you are a writer, here are a few good guidelines to follow to better your chances of getting published.

First, it is important to remember the many benefits of writing articles for e-zines and Web content. To establish creditability is the number one reason. To have the privilege of speaking to the publishers subscribers. When readers digest your content and follow your guidelines, you become the expert. You convince the reader that you are knowledgeable in that topic and your name will, from that point forward, be recognized as a specialist in your field. So don't blow it.

Too many writers blow their creditability and destroy their chance of being recognized as an industry expert by advertising themselves.

So many times I have read through articles, enjoying the content, having a good feeling that the writer does understand and has an insightful vision of their chosen content. Then wham, they tell me to go view their URL to see an example of their message. Right there, I know the only reason the article was written was to drive traffic to their Web site. They did not want to teach or inspire me; they want to sell me something. I stop reading and trash.

The article is not the ad. The article should be informative, inspirational and thought provoking. It should not include, at anytime, in the body of the writing, a direct link to the writers page or an invitation to join a business opportunity or any other commercial message. An advertisement disguised as an article is just not acceptable. Web readers are much too intelligent for that.

Where do you advertise? After all, you write to gain creditability, and you must give contact information for readers, correct?

Yes, in the SIG file, at the end of the article. After you have signed your name. This is most acceptable to include your contact information, a brief one or two line plug for your business and a URL and/ or e-mail. This way, after reading the content and deciding on its usefulness, the reader may choose to interact again with you, by visiting your site or reading other content you have published. Don't scare your readers away by advertising before you have gained their trust.

Reprinted with permission from Kevin Needham, publisher of AIM E-Zine. http://www.memail.com. Though MeMail.com has always been a virtual business, Kevin attributes its success to a personal touch. "Successful e-businesses," he says, "need to remember that people come first – technology second." Kevin can be contacted at kevin@memail.com

Published in Networking Today, September 2000.