Ryan on EzineArticles.com

Have you heard of EzineArticles.com?

It's a giant repository of articles that are available for ezine publishers to reprint and distribute. It's also a great way to get traffic to your site.

I've written 11 articles now and have posted them on EzineArticles.com. Sometimes I write completely original articles. Other times I "swipe" myself. I take a short blog post, add to it, and convert it into an article.

Article marketing is a great strategy for growing your reputation, your traffic, and your business. The trick is, it won't do you any good to just write an article or two. You have to be consistent and publish a lot. (One guy, Lance Winslow, has published 10,001 articles! He's the #1 author on the site.)

Anyway, if you'd like to read a few of the articles I've published, please go here:

  ==> Ryan Healy - Expert Author at Ezine Articles

Comments

[Dave Coyne]

Ryan,

I have to disagree with the effectivness of this strategy.

The vast majority of people who visit these article banks are small business people who have no money to spend on copywriting or consulting. They're looking for free advice.

I use to submit a lot of articles to article banks. Did they bring traffic to website? Yes, a dribble here and there. But no one ever contacted me about using my services.

Busy marketing managers who have the budget to hire copywriters simply don't have the time to surf the internet reading through articles.

As John Anghelache says "For the most part, the Internet attracts people who have little money to spend on promotion. There are people who have lots of money for promotion, so target them. If you want to work for big time clients you will have to contact them or get referred probably offline."

Regards,
Dave Coyne

[Rob in Denver]

I have to agree with Dave. I'm in the business of getting paid for my ideas and words.

[Ryan Healy]

Like I said, I think article marketing works only if you're in it for the long haul. Certainly, different people will have different results.

I have a friend who makes $20,000+ a month--from a single product--due in large part to articles.

Rob - Why then do you blog? ;-)

[John A. Manley]

I did some serious tracking of the time it took for me to post articles compared to the amount of traffic it brought, and wasn't too impressed.

Not at all.

I spent 2 hours posting and received 4 sign ups.

Using a special tracking link for your articles shows whether it really works or not for you business.

Like everything, it's not a matter of whether it "works" or not. Just whether it works better than another method.

I've found direct mail to be much more powerful for getting better quality prospects to my sites (albeit not quite as much traffic).

That said, I think maybe quantity is not the answer anymore.

It seems like you can go onto ezinearticles.com and hear all the same copywriting subjects being recycled. Nothing new.

It's becoming a cest-pool of copywriting info. Who needs AWAI? It's all FREE! Not that I'd trust most of it.

But I think the secret to article marketing -- if there is one -- is GETTING THROUGH THE IMMENSE CLUTTER and do something totally unique and original. One that ezine publishers grab. One that people read. One that gets spread like the black plague (not like the bird flu).

I spent two months brainstorming ONE idea.

I've spent hours putting together the piece.

This month I'm going to release it. I'm putting a lot of time into distributing it.

I don't know anybody else has released a piece with this angle.

I think I might create a bit of stir in the niche (and no it's no the IM niche).

Wish me luck,

John

http://www.RealityCopywriting.com/true_stories

[Pam K Gitta]

John, I have to ask: was "cest-pool" a typo, or intentional? Because it's bloody brilliant.

:)

Pam

[Pam K Gitta]

And Ryan, I just looked at your list of articles at the site and I have to say, it's intriguing to see which one is totally outpulling the others in number of views.

It may be because your audience is skewed toward folks who are "online savvy," but I suspect it's more because that is (as objectively as I can judge them) the most intriguing of your article titles.

As Arte Johnson would say, "Veddddddy interrrrresting."

Pam

[Ryan Healy]

Pam - Ssshhhh! You're not supposed to point out these things. ;-)

You know, Eric Graham has an article that's received over 2,000 reads. Very impressive for an article.

Also, just so you know, I've experimented with another media that's produced many more reads and clicks. In fact, I just wrote one for a client in November that got over 100,000 reads.

So the numbers can vary widely depending on your media.

[Rob in Denver]

Ryan wrote:
"Rob - Why then do you blog? ;-)"

Good question and my statement begs clarification.

My blog is just a blog. And for the most part, it's just for me... apart from my business.

Your premise was using articles as a means to generate business and traffic. If I'm going to spend that much time writing to generate business, it needs to work better than article marketing does. My time is better spent keeping in touch with my network because it converts better.

[Joseph Ratliff]

Ryan,

I actually have to disagree with David in the first comment. I have written over 15 articles for Ezine Articles, and received several calls from qualified business owners as a result of reading those articles. These calls have translated into very profitable assignments for me as well.

Granted, we are not talking about a guaranteed 3 assignments a month here...but I have invested maybe 3 hours total in writing my articles (all original content) and have received 4 copy assignments from those articles.

Ok...

Now the key?

It isn't the article itself. Anyone can write good content if they sit down and think a little.

The key is the resource box and how you use it to market yourself. Ezine articles allows you to place two links in the resource box, and three total when you include the article itself.

So, what does your resource box contain? Would to compel a reader to want to learn more about you? What about a free report offer?

Those are things to think about for your resource box. If you have not yet had any responses...just like marketing using other means, you have to tweak it until it pops! =)

[Ryan Healy]

Great observations, Joe. I personally have been testing what I put in the resource box. My most recent test produced more clicks to my blog than all my previous articles combined!

[Joseph Ratliff]

Ryan,

Spot on.

Testing...the age - old key to marketing.

I just realized though...I gave away THE SECRET of an effective resource box in my earlier comment.

I won't repeat it...but to all that are fortunate to read Ryan's blog and all the comments (a thousand dollar course on copywriting and marketing) I will give a hint:

Are you selling in your resource box or providing value for the readers?

Oops, might have done it again... ;)

Joseph Ratliff
Author of The Profitable Business Edge at http://profitablebusinessedge.blogspot.com

[Ben Settle]

Hey Ryan, this is a really cool blog.

Anyway, when you get more of your articles up at ezinearticles.com I think you will find the joint venture opportunities alone will be worth the time and effort.

I have well over 100 copywriting articles up there. And while most traffic I get from them are probably freebie-seekers, I have made at least two joint ventures with people who found me through my articles that have made it well worth the time and effort financially.

Plus, all those articles are easily compiled into a book you can use as a lead generating tool or even (as I have) a bribe to get people to give me personal information about what they want to be sold.

Just something to think about.

Ben