The resource box is the one place in the article where you don't have to worry about being rejected just for including a link to your website and a little self promotion. That's what it's there for and that's a part of what webmasters are supposed to include when they use your article. Otherwise you have the right to refuse them permission to reprint your article.

The resource box sounds pretty simple. Author name... check! URL... check! Promo... check!

You do have all of that, don't you?

Let's start with the author name. Use your real name, not the name of your business. People will feel more of a connection with a name rather than a faceless business. I don't care how cute or how keyword stuffed your business name is. Use a real name.

Now on to the URL. Many sites allow you to have 2-3 links to your site. I personally only use two, because many webmasters don't like how resource boxes look with more links. Just call it a personal preference.

My usual tactic, which you should be able to see in my resource box below, is to have at least one link as a plain URL. If the site permits HTML, the other will be linked through keyword text.

I do it that way because while the article site may allow HTML, sometimes people don't copy things over correctly. A plain URL is at least visible even if only the plain text of the resource box makes it.

One thing I do not do is promote multiple sites within a single resource box. It doesn't matter if both are related to the article; if I want to promote two related sites I will write an article for each. Definitely don't throw in a link to an unrelated site.

Your promo should encourage visitors to visit your site and take action. You can try to build newsletter subscribers or send them to a sales page, offer a free report, etc. Have a goal in mind.

Do not write a long resource box. Some sites limit you to 300 characters, others to 500 or even more. The longer length is generally to allow for HTML. Don't go off topic, don't ramble on. A resource box should be short and to the point.

Your resource box should be an extension of your article. If you can use links that point to something relevant to both the article itself and the particular section of your website, you have things nicely focused, and that is to the benefit of the readers and your potential site visitors.