In just the last few years, article publishing as a promotional tool has gained enormous popularity. Article databases have sprung up all over the web.



As a result it isn't unusual for anyone - not just professional writers - to write and submit articles about their products and services in the hopes that readers will be more interested in making a purchase.

Writing articles can help you:

* Brand yourself as an expert in your field

* Get free advertising through your resource box

* Boost your sales and profits

* Promote affiliate programs

* Boost your Pagerank because of the links pointing to your website

* Get more traffic to your site, when it gets published on websites or ezines whose readers you want to target

So, are you using this creative and free marketing tool? If not, it's simple to start. Gather your best areas of expertise and start writing.

Follow the simple steps below to ensure that you are structuring your article correctly:

1) Come up with a catchy title. The title should appeal specifically to your target audience. It needs to captivate their attention and strongly encourage them to read on. Some sample titles are "How to Balance a Family and a Profession" to appeal to working parents, or "Six Tips to Generate Publicity" for businesspeople and entrepreneurs.

2) Write a brief introduction. The introduction for an article should be no more than 3-5 sentences. It should be a very short summary of what the article is going to address without giving away the expert advice.

3) List your points. Whether you want to write a tip sheet, offer your point of view, or discuss a case study, do so right after the introduction. Write directly and to-the-point to avoid prolonging the article and boring the audience.

4) Explain. If you are writing a tip sheet, offer 2-3 sentences to explain each tip. If you're writing an opinion piece or about a particular study or event, elaborate on the case.

5) Contact information. Offer a biographical sentence or two discussing your field and credentials along with contact information. Be sure to include specifics, such as an email address or website name, so that readers can easily find you.

6) Make sure it's the right length. Different publications have different length requirements. Be sure that your article is the right fit for the publications that you send it to.