Writing articles, and promoting them for publication, is one of the most productive long-term promotional tactics available. Well researched and written articles... which provide valuable, useable information are highly sought after by newsletter publishers, magazines, ezines, etc. It is a marketing truth that "Content Is King". Good, keyword rich, content is what drives online traffic through search engines and gives the visitor a reason to keep coming back to a website. This is often referred to as "sticky content". As a traffic-generation tool it is unsurpassed. Webmasters and publication editors have an insatiable appetite for tightly written "niched" articles that are relevant to their web sites or publications themes. This need is your opportunity...An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has a never-ending need for good content. Each issue they publish must be filled with useful, relevant content that will appeal to their readers or subscribers self-interest. A publication that cannot provide great content will not long survive. -------------- ---"An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has a never-ending need for good content.----------- By regularly supplying the media with well written articles, you build a never-ending supply of links and traffic to your own websites. How? Well, the secret is in the bio. Each article you submit for publication has your own "author's bio" that gives full attribution and links to your site. This is the payment you receive for having supplied the articles... it is a payment which gives you long-term dividends! Not only will your article be presented to many thousands of subscribers initially... but those same articles (with your bio and links) will be archived on the publications websites. Those archived articles become fodder for search engines which not only provide on-going traffic to the publishing site... but to YOU as well. It is truly a Win/Win proposition. NOT A WRITER? NO PROBLEM...There are countless freelance writers who will "ghost write" articles for you and... Giving you the copyrights I know of many well-known names in the industry who have articles plastered all over the internet...and they have never written a word themselves. I know this because I have written some of their articles. :-) If you need such services try Elance or do a Google search for "ghost writing" or "freelance writers". There are many highly educated, English speaking, foreign-based professionals who will write articles for very nominal feedstock... YOU HAVE AN ARTICLE... NOW WHAT? Having a good article is only the first part of the equation... now you need to get the articles distributed to those editors and publications that will welcome your contribution... and publish your work. There are three primary means of promoting your articles:==> Article Directories==> Article Announcement Lists==> Your Internal List==> Paid Distribution Services & Software Here is a breakdown of each... and a list of resources to get you started...ARTICLE DIRECTORIES...Article directories are websites which categorize and archive your articles... and promote them to editors and publishers. Most are free... but some are fee based. They all provide a submission system for you to provide your articles to them. In addition, most have their own internal list of editors and publishers that they announce your new article to. TIP: The simple act of listing your articles in the directory archives will provide you instant incoming links to your website which could increase your site traffic and page ranks. Here is a partial list of article directories. (Please note that companies go out of business occasionally and you may run into a link which no longer works ANNOUNCEMENT LISTS...Announcement Lists are email newsletters, lists, or ezines, which allow you to "announce" your new articles to thousands of editors and publishers instantly. Most of these announcement lists are sent out daily to their subscribers. This means that you can have your article circulating to key editors and publishers within hours of completion. Here are a number of important Article Announcement Lists that will give you a simple and fast mechanism for distribution of your articles INTERNAL, IN-HOUSE, DISTRIBUTION LIST...Over time you will begin to build a list of editors and publishers, who have used your articles in the past, and find them to be relevant. This list is "your private goldmine". Each time you finish an article the first step you want to take is to send it, in a private mailing, to your in-house user list. You might want to consider doing a "mail merge" to this list and personalize your submission to the specific editor by name. Remember, this list could be worth thousand of dollars to you over the coming months and years. Do not treat it lightly. This list is truly a center-of-influence list that you will want to spend time and effort nurturing. Remembering them at holidays and on special occasions goes a long way to building a profitable relationship. Pick up a phone and call them. Let them know that you appreciate your relationship... and let them know you are available for special writing assignments. (Here is an example of how strong and beneficial this simple act can be... About two years ago I sent a small holiday gift [a screen-saver of tropical Hawaiian images] to a magazine editor who had used a number of my articles in the past. I waited until the package had time to arrive and then I picked up a phone and called her. She was delighted with the thoughtfulness of the gift and then stunned me with the news that one of her regular columnists had been forced to resign... and "would I be interested in replacing him?? So... that simple telephone call resulted in a regular column in a print magazine that serves one of my niche marketplaces. A marvelous result that may not have happened if I had not "nurtured the relationship? Ask them What Articles Do You Need and listen closely to their answers By doing so... you will develop a sense of what materials are needed and wanted in your marketplace. Write specifically to those needs and you will develop a strong editorial following that will pay off in huge traffic flow, increased sales and profits, and an enhanced image and reputation. These are pretty hefty benefits for some time spent researching and writing articles! PAID DISTRIBUTION SERVICES...Two recent innovations that have burst on the article marketing scene are: (1) custom distribution software (Article Announcer) and (2) web-based article distribution services (Article Marketer). My experience with these systems are that the web-based service is much more cost efficient, easier to use, and has the built-in advantage of having the most current and up-to-date database of publishers seeking your content