One of my ezine subscribers recently wrote me complaining that many Internet marketing ezines have degenerated into nothing more than continuous sales pitches. He went on to explain that he was a "newbie" - still struggling to have that first $200 week. He asked for detailed instructions on how to do just that.



His dilemma is not new, and is not one I'm unfamiliar with. In-fact, many of the nearly 400 articles that I've personally written were "attempts" to answer that very question.

The whole key to online success is finding a pressing problem and filling it. People go online seeking solutions to painful, nagging problems, and if you offer those solutions, they will gladly pay you for your assistance.

Finding these painful, nagging problems just means looking around you at the problems you, or your regular contacts, experience (and complain about). Many of these are very persistent problems.

Here's an example. I've been online since late-1996. A problem I've noticed practically EVERY webmaster complain about, and seek a solution to, is not enough website traffic. This has, and will continue to give rise to countless opportunities. I could list a dozen similar problems, but this one is hard to argue with.

Back in 2002, I discussed putting together an encyclopedia of website traffic generation methods with a trusted friend. I purchased the domain name, WebsiteTrafficPhD.com and began compiling a list, and doing research. After a while, I concluded that the project was bigger than I was ready to complete at the time. So I allowed the name to lapse, and then later renewed it. A few years later, John Reese was up to the challenge, and produced his monumental Traffic Secrets Course, which you'll find at http://TrafficSecretsByJohnReese.com John sold more than $1 million worth of copies of this course IN A DAY.

Part of John Reese's success with Traffic Secrets was due to the fact that potential customers were acutely aware of the problem that the course solved! Ideally, you find and market solutions to problems that are just as painful... and that they are just as desperate to solve.

Many newbies that I see struggling are trying to sell products for which there's no market. Others are selling products for which there is a market, but the market is not very aware that this is a REAL problem. This is where I've excelled as an affiliate marketer, and where I honestly believe that anyone can do the same.

MOST of my affiliate sales are driven by simple articles that I write... like this one. My "secret formula" that I use in writing these articles is a classic copywriting one. It's called "problem, agitate, solution.

With this formula, you find a nagging problem that people are desperately looking for solutions to. Then you find a great solution. Next, you write articles that explain the problem. You go on to explain why the problem is "severe" enough that the reader really does want to solve it. Then, finally you explain why the product you are marketing is THE perfect solution. In the article you are educating your reader, the reader appreciates you helping them locate a solution, and they act upon your recommendation.

Many online marketers approach the above all wrong. They come up with a product idea, create the product, and then seek a market. Often, only they think that the product solves a really painful problem. Most of their potential customers do not see the problem, or don't see it as very painful, so the product flounders. That's why you need to locate really severe problems

that your market is already aware of!

The final part of this very simple formula is getting your articles in circulation. You need ezine publishers, and frequently trafficked websites, to run your articles, and give you free exposure.

For the article distribution, you have three basic choices, and I've used all three. You can manually submit your articles to sites and ezines that you locate through research. You can use article distribution services, or you can use software. I currently use the last two options. I don't use option number one because it is too time consuming for the return-on- investment that I get.

There are three article distribution services that I have used and recommend. They are:

http://EzineTrendz.com

http://SubmitYourArticle.com

http://ThePhantomWriters.com

All three of the above services will take your article and submit it to their database of appropriate places. Since they take the time to maintain their databases, and to review the quality of articles submitted, using them is very cost effective.

I also use a piece of software called Article Submitter Pro. It "semi-automates" the process of submitting your articles to over 760 places. The process is not fully automated because many of the article directories and ezines that you can submit to do have unique requirements. You do need to take the time to make sure that you are properly submitting to them, and not just bombarding them with what amounts to unwelcome spam.

Properly submitting ensures that MANY more places run your articles.

My subscription to Article Submitter Pro and the training to properly use it is included in my membership in a site called Content Propulsion Lab. This is a site where I help teach members how to properly develop and distribute their content for maximum results. We teach using not just articles though - we also cover audio, video, and other content formats.

You can read more about Content Propulsion Lab at:

http://CashThroughContent.com

I've just laid out EXACTLY what I've done for years to generate not just $200 per week, but up to $11,000 from a single article that took me 30 minutes to write. This level of success with writing articles wasn't overnight. However, I did find that well-written, informative articles gave me the best "bang for the buck" right from the very beginning.

Since articles are archived in article directories and ezine archives, they can generate traffic and sales for you for YEARS to come. That makes taking the time to research and polish them very worthwhile. Since there are so many low quality articles being produced, it's really not very hard to stand out in the crowd and actually have ezine publishers coming to you asking for more of your work that they can publish.

There you have it! Remember though, it is essential that you identify that really nagging, painful problem that you are going to solve first. Also remember that the market should already be acutely aware of the problem.