Of all the things that you will need in order to get your internet business going, advertising is one of the most important. Article marketing should be in the mix if you need reliable cost effective way to promote online.

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. First of all you should learn how article marketing works in general. This will involve writing a quality article and then getting it submitted to the best directories.

Article marketing is a process that is more than just sitting down and writing a good article. You have to get it online and start creating viral marketing from it.

2. Learn what goes into to writing a great article. You want your articles to not waste words and to solve a person’s problems in a way that is easy to understand.

By providing quality information your articles can be picked up and published in ezines and blogs of other internet marketers giving you even more exposure. As people begin to find your quality articles and come to know you as a good writer this will happen naturally.

3. Write about things that are current and on the minds of people. You can get ideas just from watching the news and reading newspapers.

You can subscribe to Google Alerts and receive updates as they relate to keywords in the niche your internet business is in. You will always get more readers if your topic is interesting and fresh.

4. Think big and write a lot. Even 10 articles a day is not to many. You do not have to write masterpieces as long as your article solves problems for your reader.

Get a system in place that works for you and then write and submit as many articles as you can everyday. Be consistent and you will really see great results over a period of time.

5. Join a quality submission service such as Article Marketer or Submit Your Article. This can really explode your article marketing efforts and get you published in hundreds of article directories in the same amount of time it takes you to submit to one.

If you do want to submit an article manually do it at Ezinearticles.com. They are the world’s largest article directory and one of the most visited websites on the internet in any category.

These are 5 tips on getting started with article marketing. This should be one of the top strategies you use regardless of other methods you use to promote your internet business.
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Roughly 1,000 magazines are launched every year, according to Samir “Mr. Magazine” Husni, a magazine consultant and chair of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi. Nearly 20,000 consumer and trade publications exist in North America, according to the National Directory of Magazines. These statistics don’t include many of the small, independent start-up magazines.

New magazines can be a goldmine to dig up freelance work. Editors of new magazines are eager to find freelance talent to write regularly or to pitch articles and column ideas for at least four to six issues in advance, depending on the magazine’s frequency. New magazines can offer you, the freelance writer, an easier and quicker way to break into magazine writing.

I use various sources to uncover new magazines. My favorite is Ulrichsweb.com, an online directory of magazine serials. Before a magazine launches, the publisher or publishing company applies for an ISSN # and Ulrich’s records the ISSN #, along with the publication’s information, such as launch date, frequency, category, and contact information. Ulrichsweb.com is useful if you want to locate publications before they launch and before they publicly announce their debut via the newswires.

If you do not want to pay for a subscription to Ulrichsweb.com, you can use other free resources, such as MagazineLaunch.com and MrMagazine.com. These free resources track new magazine start-ups by researching the newswires and subscribing to press release services.

Writing for new magazines has some downsides. Firstly, circulation is usually at the low end and so is the magazine’s exposure in the marketplace. Secondly, the pay rate usually isn’t competitive with similar magazines. Thirdly, editors usually won’t pay you until after they publish your piece, instead of paying you on acceptance. Fourthly, many new magazines fail within the first year and it is possible the magazine could fleece you.

HOW TO BREAK IN AND SELL YOUR ARTICLES

Whether the publication or website has writer’s guidelines or not, your aim is to pitch your query letter, article idea, proposal, or full article to the editor. Most writers prefer writing a query letter and sending it to the editor. Follow this process:

1) Go to the publication’s website. See if the website posts its writer’s guidelines. If not, go to the Contact Us page. Contact the editor or the editorial director. On smaller start-up publications, contact the publisher as he usually plays dual roles. Request the publication’s writer’s guidelines. Make sure you address the editor or publisher by full name. Do not send an e-mail with “To Editor” as the subject. It will get deleted.

In addition to requesting writer’s guidelines, I advise you to make a short sales pitch in your e-mail, and include a brief bio. under your name with any relevant qualifications and skills as a writer. If you have a website, include a link to it. If an editor sees your sales pitch, he may want to know more about what you can offer.

2) If the editor’s response is they don’t provide writer’s guidelines, then you need to take a “marketing” approach. You’ll need to craft a query letter and pitch your article idea (or your availability as a freelance writer).

3) If you can’t break in, don’t move on just yet! Mail (yes, snail mail!) the editor your business card and a brief letter about yourself, your qualifications, references, and where to find samples of your work online. Explain how using you as a freelance writer can increase readership for the publication. Explain some of the topics you can cover, who you can interview, and any exclusive information you can obtain regularly.

Many writers e-mail the editor their information to keep on file; however, I also find that mailing my correspondence to the editor gets results. You force the editor to read and touch your correspondence, and this increases the chances of him remembering who you are and what you can provide.

Convincing an editor to outsource work to you or accept your articles for publication has a lot to do with how well you pitch and present yourself and your ideas. This is why writing a near perfect query letter is vital to getting work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Scott is a freelance writer for http://www.FreelanceWriting.com, a free website offering freelance writing jobs and hundreds of writer’s guidelines to paying magazines. Read his blog for freelance writers at http://workingwritersnewsletter.blogspot.com

As a freelance writer, you will compete against many writers who are just as talented as you are. You will also compete against writers who write poorly and who offer their writing services at ridiculously low fees. These writers can and do get jobs. Many times you will tempt yourself to lower your rates to match or beat the bids to snag the project. Don’t do it! You are a professional. Professional writers don’t lower their rates or work for next to nothing.

Many individuals who lack writing skills drive down rates, way below what professional writers can rightfully charge. If the true professionals do not keep up their prices, this will become an even bigger problem. Just because writers from other countries want to work for eight or nine American dollars per hour, this doesn’t mean you should. As a writer, you can earn far more than many freelance writers — and certainly more than freelance writers who speak little English but still bid on the English-speaking jobs at much lower rates.

Visit any writer’s marketplace and scan through the projects. You will discover all types of bid prices and proposals. What you won’t see is how these writers came up with their bid prices or how they decided what and what not to include in their bid proposals. Often times these writers don’t know how they came up with their fees for bidding either. It becomes obvious when you see the same project posting listed under different genres or price ranges. Some of the same writers will bid on the same projects with a large spread in proposed bids. It is quite comical.

If you want prospective clients to take you seriously, you need to do three things: 1) You need a website that lists your rates; 2) You need to be consistent with your rates; and 3) You need to collect a retainer up front before you start.

Freelance writers need to know what they can charge based on the job at hand. This can vary depending on the marketplace. When it comes down to freelance writing, here is the truth in a nutshell: You can charge whatever it is you want to charge. You can base your fees on whatever you want to base your fees. The trick is finding someone to pay it who believes it is a fair price.

Freelance writers are a rare breed. Many of them are quite difficult. There is no need to be one of them. Decide on your fees and stick to them. Keeping your fees consistent enables you to keep your bookkeeping simple. You are a writer, not an accountant. Simplicity in accounting should appeal to you. Regardless of how much work you find, keep yourself grounded. Make your job fun. Take things in stride. The money will come.

The following information will help you set your rates. These rates may vary according to your experience and specialization.

WHAT TO CHARGE

Many writers will charge way too much for their services while others will charge way too little. You can find current market rates in Writer’s Market. You can also use the following as a guideline until you feel you have a good sense of what you want to charge. Remember, you can charge anything you want to charge. Always ask yourself what your time and skills are worth. More importantly, do clients feel you are worth what you are charging?

Take a look:

• News Articles ( web related ): $15-50 per page
• E-books:$15-25 per page
• Novels and Books: $75 per page
• Radio Commentary: $200 per hour
• Magazine articles: Expect anywhere from $600-$2000 per article
• Articles for web content, not related to news: $10-$50 per article based on word count and other aspects of the job (such as keywords, etc.)

Some writers prefer to charge by the word too. This is slightly different as it varies on several factors. If you are going to charge on a per word basis, decide how much that is and stick with it on all your projects of varying lengths. Often the rate per word charge fluctuates by writer depending on what the writer is writing (article, book, and web content).

Whatever you choose to charge, consider the time you spend creating the work. Remember, if you are an educated writer in your field, you should be able to realize anywhere from $30-$75 per hour.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER ABOUT RATES

You cannot please everyone all of the time. You will find publishers, editors, and clients who hire you on a fast turn around. Even though they expect quality, they also expect you to write top-notch, award-winning material.

If a client tells you up front the deadline is important, be realistic in your talents and realize you are at a disadvantage before you start. If you have a demanding buyer with demanding deadlines, then realize you may feel you cannot craft the best copy you can. You should know your own pace and when you know you can’t deliver your best manuscript. If this is the case, then ask the client for more time.

Also watch for up and coming savvy trade book publishers who hire writers to write an e-book and fully intend to market it as a trade paperback. Know this before you take the job. In fact, when you bid on e-books, expect it. If you want to charge more based on that possibility, then build it into your bid. Often, if you approach a potential client by e-mail, they will respond with a request for an author to pen an e-book for them. Many times this ghostwritten book will end up on the shelves. As long as you did your job and you got paid, what do you care? Sure, the client may have used a less than honest approach, but as a writer, you will see this every day on the freelance postings. These clients are trying to save money and this is why they do this. You can’t really blame them. The client wants to turn a book over quickly too. If they were to present a ghostwriter with a writing opportunity to write a manuscript for publication, it would take much longer and cost a lot more for their manuscript.

Even though many people work with a rate sheet as their guide, others realize it is sometimes impossible to stick to their rates. You should establish some parameters when varying from your rates if you decide to offer a discount to a client. If you are working within a tight deadline, don’t vary much because 18 hour days can be part of your reality when you’re up against a tight web content deadline. By the end of those jobs, you want clients to pay you. Writers should stick to a rate sheet for their services. When pushed to turn out a job quickly, you should never discount a project, but instead raise your rates!

Another subject has come up in many incidences on the subject of whether the writer should charge for re-writes. Many writers do charge for re-writes, especially if the client is unreasonable. If you provide re-writes for a client, make sure the client has paid you in full for the project.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Scott is a freelance writer for http://www.FreelanceWriting.com, a free website offering freelance writing jobs and hundreds of writer’s guidelines to paying magazines. Read his blog for freelance writers at http://workingwritersnewsletter.blogspot.com