The Top 10 Steps to Market Yourself With Articles on the Internet

Originally Submitted on 4/5/2002.

1. Start a newsletter.

Play with formats until you find one that works for you. Twice a month should give you a good supply of articles. (For distribution, make a list of everyone you know and send the first issue to them. Always ask your readers to ‘pass it on’).

2. Write, write, write!

There are two ways to approach writing. (1) Make a master list of possible topics. When you need an article, read through your list and pick one to write about. (2) Pay attention to your life, your insights, your lessons, your ‘ahas’ and write about them soon after they happen. These tend to be the best articles, but when I’m dry, I go back to the master list I created. Something usually clicks.

3. Find your own voice.

I always planned a ‘short and sweet’ newsletter (which is why I called mine The 3-Minute Coach). As I developed my own voice, however, it got longer and longer. I used to worry about this, but have now let it go. It allows me to keep it to twice a month, which is easier to maintain than weekly. And it’s truly mine!

4. Prepare and organize your supporting information.

(a) Create a BIO document. Most articles have information concerning the author. Create a document with alternate descriptions on you, your newsletter and your services. I have choices from 50 words long to full pages.
(b) Create a LISTINGS document. Keep track of all places that you link to or include newsletters for future reference.

5. Advertise Your Newsletter.

Surf the internet for “Free Newsletters” or “Free Ezines”. Add your newsletter to all the free ones (Start with http://www.new-list.com) . There are also some pay-for-subscriber sites as well (http://www.worldwidelists.com; http://www.ezinecentral.com)

6. Post Your Articles on “Content” Sites.

Surf the internet for “Free Content” “Personal Development Articles” “Web Development Articles”, etc. Make a list of these and submit articles as you create them for your newsletter.

7. Get included in other newsletters.

Subscribe to lots of other newsletters. Surf the internet for “xxx newsletter” where xxx is your industry or niche. Read archives to see if they include the work of others and to get a sense of whether or not this is somewhere you’d like to be included. The more frequent the newsletter, the more likely they will include the writings of others. Once you identify a potential newsletter, email the owner with an “Article for Consideration”. Many times, an offer to exchange articles is most appreciated and responded to most readily.

8. Identify your personal favorite authors on the net.

As you get into ‘surfing with a purpose’ you’ll begin to see some of the same names again and again. Start searching the internet for some of the more prolific web authors on your specialty. See where else they have articles and submit yours there as well.

9. Exchange links with many others from complementary areas & businesses, including other individuals doing the same kind of work as you.

Once people get to your site, make it easy for them to sign up for your newsletter. If you don’t have a site, get one. Your newsletter is your message. Your website is you.

10. While your long-term goal is to get clients, your short-term goal is to get subscribers to your own newsletter.

Every article you write strikes a slightly different chord and impacts people differently. Not every potential client is looking for or needs to hear the same chord at the same time. By playing many chords over time to the same audience you create a lot more impact. And when they’re ready for your product or service, perhaps 6 months down the road, they’ll have had a chance to read many of your articles and feel like they’ve already built a relationship with you. This definitely makes the process easier.

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