A question for Alexa Smith and MYOB

I use Aweber for all my 8 lists in my 8 niches (customers and potential customers: actually I sub-divide a lot and have more than 8, really).

But not for people in my syndication network (I'd never be able to - or want to - get them to "opt in" anyway. You'd need a self-hosted solution, I think - and though I may be wrong, I'm guessing that's how Paul does his).

It's what we're all made from, ultimately.

I'm looking forward to seeing Paul's replies later ...

She doesn't.

She says stuff like "The better your own on-page and off-page SEO and the longer-established your site, the less likely that is to be a problem" and so on.

As do I.

No, indeed.

My impression is that this tended to be an "issue" for people much more often a year or two ago than it is now, anyway. (Perhaps partly because of the "Panda update"?).

I know when I started, I could put an article on my brand new site and have it indexed there, and then put it in EZA and the EZA copy would immediately outrank me. Now that was annoying. Understandable, but still annoying. It was temporary, of course, and the more you build up your own site the less it happens anyway.

But it was because of that, that people used to think "Eew, well, the EZA copy ranks better than mine, so I'll send all my traffic there instead" and start building backlinks only to that copy (even if they lost 75% of their traffic there because their CTR was 25%!). Whereupon, of course, the ceiling descends on them, and lo and behold they end up with a site which can't even outrank an article directory, typically not realising that they've done it to themselves by accentuating the problem instead of resolving it. :rolleyes:

Indeed. This isn't the reason for doing so at all.

Certainly I don't have the "definitive" marketing method. But I have often tried to share what has worked most astoundingly well for me. As far as the basics, it is really not much different from what Alexa has posted except perhaps in scale, volume and some process automation.

The basic principle is the same: write quality articles, post on your website, submit to selected top article directories for syndication (I only use EZA currently), and market your articles to context-relevant targeted outlets. This is my entire article marketing model in one sentence.

My rapidly growing syndication network currently consists of 62 niches with over 25,000 outlets which include websites/blogs, ezines/newsletters, and offline publications such as magazines, trade journals, newspapers, etc. New outlets are being added daily, and I start another niche about every 4 months. I actually do very little writing anymore, almost all of this is handled by my inhouse staff of full-time researchers/writers.

As far as articles, each niche will receive an average of 1-2 articles per week although, even this varies as some niches will only need one article per month. Nearly all of my syndicated outlets receive articles automatically through RSS feeds, some through autoresponder list broadcasting, and others manually by email, fax or even mail. I do not provide any "exclusive" content; this only hampers production with no real additional benefit. I have a self-hosted autoresponder for the one reason my lists are so huge; any commercial autoresponder has these basic list management features.

An excellent resource I use daily for finding niche ezine publishers is the Directory of Ezines (directoryofezines.com), and for offline publications Writers' Market (available through Amazon or major bookstores) provides listings by market for magazines. By far, the most powerful (but much more difficult) is to get your articles accepted on authoritative and high-ranking websites or blogs. Generally, initial solicitation contact for syndication is through email with a link to my articles showcased on EZA or relevant niche websites.

I think it is significant to point out that neither Alexa nor I actually produce very many articles per niche. It really does not take many articles at all to drive convertible traffic when these articles are appealingly relevant to your target market. Wide syndication has a secondary benefit of providing quality backlinks.

For example, one of my niches is in the medical field. My articles are syndicated in high authority medically oriented medical websites, blogs, ezines, and offline outlets such as clinical journals, health magazines, medical school newsletters, and faculty publications. This is the exact same article syndication marketing model I use in dozens of other niches; targeting real people who read these type of articles. The benefit of such authoritative positioning is buyers tend to nearly reflexively base purchase decisions on recommendations when faced with other competitive options.

This is no "secret" or "magic" method. It is just best business practices and marketing. An excellent ebook which I very often recommend (and for very good reasons) is "Turn Words Into Traffic" by Jim Edwards. The author is a former syndicated newspaper columnist and VP of a SEO company. Although written about 15 years ago I believe, it is even more applicable today than ever before in light of the Panda update. The basics of sound writing and marketing principles seldom change.

First off, this is a great thread. I have a question, what makes you decide to put your links in? I'm trying to get into the weight loss niche, and none of my articles are selling anything, but if a link to my site from this article would be beneficial without crippling syndication potential, I'm wondering what makes you decide when to and when to not include a link?

(Eg.. perhaps you add links to all your ezine ones, or a particular directory)

Bingo!

I have always been convinced that any content put out on the net should be for humans: real people, real readers. If it's good and visitors come and talk about it (i.e. link to it, refer others to it etc.), eventually search engines will come, too.

Now, if you are in the quick buck "business model" then this might be viewed as time consuming.

Very good description, too: much better to write for people than for search engines.

I don't measure my "keyword density" but am sometimes horrified by forum comments that people should aim for 3%+ keyword density.

At Ezine Articles, anything over 2% gets you an automated rejection from their software without even getting your article in front of a human editor, the very reasonable assumption being that if you mention the major keyword as often as twice in 100 words, it's probably going to be "clunky" to read and look more like "advertorial" than "information".

Paul,

Just a fast question on the distribution method...

When you send people your articles through email, how do you distribute the article?

Do you attach it as a .txt file, include it in the email itself, or in some other manner?

I would think that a private feed for syndication would be adequate, then you could restrict access to said feed to those you have approved to post your content. Or am I incorrect in thinking that a feed can be protected? As far as the issue of control, couldn't the same thing be said about any article you post anywhere by any method?

Will
And I will gladly let the flies in if I can use them to get me a fish like the one your holding

Okay, I could tell you were quite successful, but I almost fell out of my chair seeing these numbers.

What I like about this method is how simple it is. (Notice I didn't say easy. But I do like simple.)

And it relies on nothing gimmicky. It's just pure quality content -- the kind that people have always consumed.

This is extremely exciting -- thanks for this great thread.

Are you sure paul that you average 40,000 new subscribers per day?
So 40k*30 = 1.2 million new subscribers per month

My profit is about $1 per subscriber per month.
If you have same conversion like mine,
you earn $40,000 per day --> $1.2 million per month! and then every month you add another $1.2 million in profits!!


Also with which email autoresponder company you have your list with or have a big dedicated server with autoresponder software installed?

Astron, there's a huge lesson here, besides the obvious one about testing to see what yields the most profit rather than what results in the biggest list.

That lesson is that you can use an opt-in, and the mechanics of your opt-in offer, as a filter. By doing things the way she does, Alexa has figured out how to get those likely to respond to the way she does things to respond, and to get the others to filter themselves out.

This became even more important to the bottom line when autoresponder companies started charging by the number of emails in your database. People unlikely to buy from you, yet opted in from a squeeze page simply to get a freebie (instead of the content you offer) are not just dead weight anymore. They are an active drag on your bottom line.

I know another marketer whose opt-in page is mainly plain text, and his opt-in bribe is a 112 page ebook. It does a good job filtering people, because his newsletters tend to be quite long and he sends them in plain text. If you respond to the opt-in process, you'll likely respond to the content-and vice versa.

I hate to repeat myself but you as well as Alexa and others are giving away info that so many people would pay for. While at the same time making sales since I see a warrior signed up just now lol. It's awesome and genius and perfect and just what I always imagined before the real world of IMing crushed my passion in favor of chasing the "established system"

As still a relatively new IMer who has the jist but hasn't "taken off" by a long, long way this thread alone is shedding light on how syndication done the quality way works. I came to IMing because of a passion to "break the chains" and also because I love to read and write and saw it as an outlet for that while at the same time profitable. Not long into I realized I might have to give up my desire for sharing my real passions and already established knowledge in order to pick niches that were profitable yet attainable....and being the "free-spirited" type I thought "this sucks", but being the "alright I'm in and now I'm not letting this thing kick my @$$" type I wasn't about to give up. I kept digging and digging and getting more and more until finally I've been successful at getting pages positioned through SEO strategies (especially tiered linking).

What I've found is that, though I'm someone with a resonable amount of potential as a writer (at least my Mom says so) the content I churn out has been ok....but below the standard I like due to picking topics I'm not comfortable with, but that I know I can SEO and sell.

Now, it works of course and probably even more effectively in the hands of a much more dangerous marketer in terms of conversion (hey I'm learning...give me some time!!!) but I would much rather focus on content and writing stuff that I'm actually proud of while submitting it to places I'm actually comfortable submitting to.

Many marketers hate/fear content becuase they are salespersons, not writers. In my case I love writing and have learned a bit about sales since it has been my full time profession for the last six years. Just like when I was selling on the floor I have always been attracted to the idea of doing it naturally.....without selling (or at least seemingly so) and the syndication method that the Warrior gurus have so selflessly offered does exactly that.

So....this is how people generate traffic and income without spending all their time and effort using shady methods to get their newly made sites positioned above years old sites with hundreds or thousands of backlinks? By writing quality content that interested readers actually read and gain value from....regardless of how SEOable it is???? Well that's abso-freaking-lutely absurd.

I'm sorry if I sound completely stupid, but I probably am.....and that's coupled with the fact that this is very refreshing and exciting and gives me a whole new approach to take with my personal IM journey.....and that's tripled with the fact that I might be a little drunk....proof that you should never drink and post (not that I'm a lot more coherent sober).

Anyway....all that to say this. Been using EZA (as well as other sites of the like) for a while now and after tonight will be completely revamping the way I attack it. If it helps at all here is one semi-likeable real human being who's success you may eventually have been a part of. If that doesn't warm your hearts then maybe it will at least line my pockets....thanks again for taking your own valuable time to share.

Now if I can just get off the forum and spend my time writing something I can actually market.....damn you ADHD!!

John said: That would be me, I expect. Probably not a lot of people using that exact combination.

For those who say that long opt-in pages don't work, I offer the following statistics: 62% of the people who land on that 2000+ word page sign up. Of those, 83% confirm their subscription. Those numbers can fluctuate a few points in any given month, but they're consistent in the long term.

Black text on a white page. The only graphic is the button to submit the form. It's UGLY. But it does exactly what I want it to do. As John points out, it's a filter. It sets expectations that match what they're going to get if they subscribe.

I've seen higher numbers, but not often for a general topic newsletter.

I'm going to test another version soon. A simple border and some font changes, but nothing else. I wouldn't be surprised to see response rates go down on sign-ups, but it's worth the test to see if it affects response to later offers.

This is much like any other form of content marketing, including articles. You need to be somewhat consistent in the relationship of what you offer to what you deliver.

Test and track. If you're using articles to drive traffic, track which sources send you the most traffic, the most subscribers, and the highest converting subscribers. Those numbers aren't always in direct proportion to each other.

Track your author's credits (bio) and links within the content. Some sites don't allow this using query strings (http://.../?a=x&b=z) because they look like affiliate links, so you may want to invest in a link tracking script that uses more standard looking URLs. Or just learn to create PHP redirects. Getting the author's credit/call to action right can make an enormous difference in your click-throughs.

This may not be easy to do with some distribution models, but if you submit articles directly, it's worth merging the site and article info into the mailing or form submission. Or use a PHP variable substitution script to merge it into the text and HTML versions if they get the articles from a page on your site after you email them.

The difference can be multiples, rather than small increments, so it's worth the effort.


Paul

Thank-You^^^

While there has been repeated mention of the simplicity of these methods, I will be the first to admit it too is a touch intimidating, as the writing skills within this thread challenge me to ask; "Am I worthy?"

After all, in the wrong hands knowledge is dangerous.

After searching for months to uncover proper methods to keep writing at the top of my agenda, I became the victim of my own ignorance; learning the wrong way to tackle the SERP's.

All the while, I never realized; the methods I was employing was if fact a method of 'gaming' the search engines, and was taking me away from my passion... writing.

As such, my writing has taken a backseat to the "all-so-elusive" projected need to learn SEO, traffic techniques, etc...

As Alexa professes the 'technophobic' aspects of the IM trade/profession, have weaved a web of their own, and taken away a great deal of my time as well. Metaphorically speaking, learning these technical skills is likened to the attempt of learning 2 new languages.

The underlying psychology throughout this thread has had a major effect on the way I will view my business from this point forth. There too, the comfort in knowing; "All Is Not Lost" regarding my previous explorations, research, and practices, as they too can be of great benefit in my future writings, and still be viewed as gains. (*Like the $87 wasted on AMR a day before finding this thread!)

About a month ago, I had actually contacted a well-respected and successful copywriter, and truth be told...I was scared to ask him "how" he had reached his level of success?

However, much like the immeasurable 'selflessness' in which Paul, myob, and Alexa have all but shown us the [innards] of their business model and remain humble doing so, he too passed up a sale, and sent me to an 'affordable solution" to my specific needs at the time.

It is these simple measures (yet, seldom seen practices) that resonate like a silent whisper amidst the screams; "spin articles, automate, submit...to my methods, buy my bs and succeed" that that leave me awestruck and inspired.

Truth be told, I ventured into IMing with a self-interest to market my writing; nothing else!

I tried Helium, some Poetry sites, writing blogs that remain adrift the internet rarely to have been seen by human eyes, let alone 'targeted visitors' and I almost gave up!

In absolution, I wanted to write for an audience that could benefit from my efforts, and if I made money at it seemed the only true way to gauge it's value.

Yet, for the 6 months of hardcore studying all the components (i.e. auto-responders, list building pre-selling, up-selling, down-selling, SEO, building WP sites, buying domains, etc...) I find myself "write back" to where it all starts....feeding my desire to write!

I think what impresses upon me most in this thread is the privilege to know; that others have pursued a similar hunger, tore through the fat, and found the sustenance of their own passions. And not only have afforded themselves the privilege to succeed themselves doing so, but most importantly took the time to share with those (like myself) a key ingredient to unlocking the door to a world of ambition.

Ambition, which it in itself, has clearly suffered greatly by virtue of the smorgasbord of choices one faces learning the ins and outs of internet marketing.

Now that my sentiments and gratitude has escaped me, I can honestly say that if there were such a drug to the natural high this thread has afforded me, might my employer see it as the twinkle in my eyes, as I bare a grin...and know; it's only a matter of time now, and I will be free to be me...(again!)

My apologies if I took anything away from this thread...priceless!

Art

PS - I nearly forgot to ask; How many Pen Names (if any) do you guys use?

And there too, is it necessary to build multiple EZA accounts for each author?

Har har. As a matter of fact I am on his list and have read that book several times. Smart man. A bit wordy for my taste, and as a visual learner, I find his lack of graphics disturbing.

I got a couple of questions myself, for either you or anyone who can answer them.

I've often considered using Site Build It!, simply because it's a all-in-one solution that has a step-by-step program to follow. Plus I like their philosophy to internet marketing. Do you have any experience with them?

Also, a couple of other things.

I love writing, and am a fantasy fiction fanatic. I've even published my own story on Amazon. I'm also going to college soon to study music composition.

I'm trying to find creative ways of monetizing these two niches, but I'm drawing blanks so far.

For example, with the fiction market, it's very common for indie authors to charge the minimum price of $0.99 on Amazon, which leads to a $0.35 royalty per sale.

I've considered publishing my short stories on my own site and charging $10 for them using the $7 secrets script or something like it. Problem is, I have no idea how I'd promote those stories. Most indie authors would consider it outrageous to charge anything more than $1 for a short story, or to publish directly on your website and ignore the Kindle and the Nook. I don't even know if any authors have tried anything like this.

Another idea I had was to do a monthly membership fee and publish a couple of stories a month. I also thought of publishing stories for free on my blog and making others available only to members. I'm thinking this might be the most ideal business model for me to follow.

The problem with that is that I don't know what benefits to offer paid members, as again, I don't have any good examples to model from.

I'm beginning to despair and thinking that it may not be possible to create a living from writing fiction by applying "traditional" IM methods.

As far as the music thing goes, that's a totally different story. Bleagh. Didn't mean to put a pun there.

Thanks for your time.

Am I the only one who just heard echoes of James Earl Jones?


Paul

Actually, I had not.

Also, the reminder that not everyone is a competing marketer...sorta escaped my own common sense for a minute there:rolleyes:

Great read - Thanks!

To think, I have been busting my hump to re-write or create unique articles for each of my sites/campaigns... because prior I foolishly believed all-the-spun-up-hype.

Live and learn!

Okay so in this instance are you saying that I should write an article that's totally different to the review. Then direct them to the review that also has an optin so I can follow them up later. That's going to mean a lot of extra content due to the fact I can have up to 40 reviews on some sites. What would the article content be if it's not the same and not re-written?

Also if you're using this syndication method on your articles do you just use it to direct to the homepage or just relevant products which suit your article?

There is a powerful nuance of article marketing which is difficult to convey. Before you attempt to sell a product, first sell yourself to your target market. The articles I write seldom even mention a specific product, but rather focus on a specific problem, weakness, hazard, liability, industry legislation, or events affecting bottom line profit which can be remedied or optimized with a particular course of action. They are written to be readily and widely accepted for syndication.

For example, if you sell security or alarm systems, position yourself as a security specialist by writing generic articles for businesses on crime statistics, how to secure their premises, protect their employees, internal procedures, community resources, etc. Having demonstrated your knowlege within this niche, you can then boldly claim in your resource box the esteemed "security specialist" title, with a more subdued reference to your website for "additional resources, tips, product reviews, etc."

If done in a non-salesy approach, it will happen frequently that readers will visit your website, read and/or optin for product reviews, and even sell themselves through your affiliate links. And you'll know you've arrived when they email you and ask, "What product would you recommend?". That's how you beat the competition all to hell.

Thanks for the answer, very helpful!!
I`m in a big and competetive niche which has plenty of subniches, but I only concentrate on 1 subniche now. I found in some of the submission guidelines that they only want articles in particular subniches / topics ( I guess because they have 1000s of articles, so they can be selective) Just like you said, it`s more difficult to find suitable websites in a competetive niche, I can confirm that Also, about 25-30 websites has specific submission guidelines..


Not at all. Nobody mentioned backlinks as well.. All I want is to syndicate my articles to as many websites as I can in my niche. Without modifying them for god knows how many different needs, guidelines. That`s not syndication. That is article writing for my competitors, putting unique articles on my competitor`s websites. Well, for good traffic I would do that in some cases, but again, I`m looking for article syndication opportunities.

Okay, I have to say you guys have opened a whole new world to me.

Back in the stone age (2007 or so), I had a blog devoted to MMORPG players, which I did just for fun. At its peak, it was linked to by most of the major corporate-owned blogs targeted at the same demographic, quoted on many of them, and had nice traffic.

I had three different offers from people wanting to republish some of my posts on their site, and never...said...yes.

Sigh.

I still kick myself about that to this day.

The way it became fairly well-known? I connected with most of the other leading bloggers in the niche, got to know them, and linked back and forth with them on a regular basis.

And now...there it sits.

Having said all of that, I think it's time I put some effort into this syndication model.

This is one of several reasons why I hesitated at first to give these figures in answer to a specific question regarding what is the potential for article syndication. Figures of such magnitude always seem to be more distractive in explaining this model than instructive. The actual internal processing varies widely by niche, and is not relevant to this discussion because nearly all of my subscribers and sales really do come from using this article syndication model.

As mentioned in the post from which you obtained the quote clip, I generate about 40,000 subscribers daily. After a 4 month selection, selling, and sorting process, about (80-90%) are either eliminated or sold as leads. Building lists need not be the only reason for article syndication. The upshot is that with perhaps millions of websites, blogs and ezines as potential publishers for any given niche, the leveraging power of article syndication is untapped. And the possibilities for marketing to targeted readers are seemingly equally as endless.