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Writing a Quality Article

Don’t be tempted to pump out a quick and dirty article when you’re guest blogging. Every article you write needs to be the highest quality you can possibly achieve, because each and every article represents you. Not only does the article represent you to the owner of the blog you’re writing for, but also to everyone who reads it. Remember, your name will be attached to the article!

How many people do you think will click the link to visit your blog, website, squeeze page or other page you link to if your article isn’t interesting?

The main point of guest blogging is to get you more traffic, and also to establish your name in your niche. You can’t accomplish either of those if your content isn’t of the highest quality so above all else: make SURE that the article reads well, is relevant, free from grammatical errors and is interesting and entertaining.

Step One: Research

At this point, you should have already done research to see what type of material the blog’s visitors enjoy as well as to find a great topic. Now it’s time to research content.

Unless you already know your topic inside and out, it’s a good idea to do some thorough research in order to be certain you’re providing accurate and relevant information. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but never, ever plagiarize another person’s work! Remember, plagiarism includes ideas as well as actual words, so don’t make your work too close to your research material, and use multiple sources of research for a single article.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should be certain to use only reputable sources for your research. Sites like Wikipedia are not considered reputable because anyone can add information, even if he or she isn’t an expert in the subject.

Try to get your information from true, recognized experts in the field. Look for people who have books published through traditional publishers (not self-published) and from major websites in the field.

Step Two: Outline & Notes

As you perform your research, create a simple outline you can use for your article. Figure out approximately how many paragraphs you’d like your article to be and create a paragraph-by-paragraph outline that includes a few notes about what you’d like to say in each paragraph.

An outline will come in very handy as you write, because it will help prevent writer’s block. If you know what you’re going to say before you start writing, it will make your job go much faster.

Step Three: Writing

The actual writing process will be quite simple if you’ve done your outline and your notes. Make sure your article is in-depth with quality, useful information and is of sufficient length.

Remember, a 300-word article isn’t enough for most search engines these days. Google especially wants to see longer articles. Shoot for around 600 words.

Step Four: Editing & Proofreading

Do not skip the fourth and final step! Too many people think they can simply write an article and send it off for publication, but that simply isn’t true. Sure, you could do that, but then you risk looking foolish if you make a major mistake, or at least not getting asked to guest blog again.

One thing that really helps is to print your article and read it offline. Sometimes it’s easier to catch mistakes in printed material than on a computer screen.

Also, try reading one sentence at a time, or reading sentences backwards. This helps prevent you from scanning and missing items.

Getting the Most from the Article

Okay, so you’ve written (or outsourced) a high quality article and you’ve pinpointed a handful of authority blogs in which to submit your content to.

The next step is to make sure that your article is optimized so that you are able to get the most out of every submission as possible.

Some of the ways to use this traffic include:

1. Link to your blog or website where another article is featured.

2. Link to a squeeze page to collect opt-in subscribers and build a list.

3. Link directly to an affiliate link (This is not generally recommended, because most blog owners won’t allow it. However, some may if you really want to do this.)

4. Increase your authority within the niche with links to additional tools or resources on your website.

5. Promote a book, DVD or other media.

6. Build exposure by linking to your social media accounts (Facebook, twitter, etc.) or by linking to a Facebook page or group encouraging participation.

Here are a few other ways in which you can optimize your content itself in order to generate mass exposure:

1. Create an Info Graphic and post it to Pinterest. Link to the article from the pinned image.

2. Link to a webpage on your site that features exclusive offers, discounts or coupons for products and services that reader’s will be interested in.

3. Offer incentives such as contests and prizes for direct activity (tweet, Facebook like, re-pin content, etc.) on your website and link to it in the article footnote or author box.

Answer Comments

Don’t forget to be an active participant in the comments on your article. This will not only help you get more traffic from your article, but it will also be beneficial for the blog owner.

If he sees an active discussion on your article, he’ll be more likely to ask that you guest blog again. Plus, it’s a great way to get your name out there and to connect with prospects!

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Types of Squeeze Pages

You may be surprised to know that the length of your squeeze page can make a huge difference to conversions. Some people feel strongly that a short squeeze page is best, but long squeeze pages can perform better in certain situations.

Short Squeeze Pages

Short squeeze pages actually do perform better in many cases. You may be tempted to think that “more is better”, but when it comes to squeeze pages, short and sweet is usually the better option.

When all you’re asking for is an email address, and you’re not depending on Google (which isn't fond of short squeeze pages) for traffic, a short-form squeeze page will generally outperform a longer squeeze page by a large margin.
Long Squeeze Pages

Long squeeze pages are required if you’re trying to get a lot of traffic from Google, especially AdWords. They want to see a long squeeze page with your logo, information about what you’re offering and a lot more.

Video Squeeze Pages

Video squeeze pages are increasingly popular these days, because they can be very effective in many niches, and because they allow you to pack a powerful punch in terms of impact. Videos convey information very effectively, and now that most people have fast internet, they make more sense than ever before.

When creating a video squeeze page, you want to have a minimalistic design. If a design is too fancy, it will overwhelm the video and distract attention away from

it, negating the power of the video itself. Instead, use a design that has few graphics and where the colors complement the video without distracting from it.

Many people use a dark background for videos, because it makes the video stand out. However, be sure the text elements on the page are still easy to read, perhaps by putting them on a white background. One easy way to do this is by making the opt-in form appear to be on an index card, piece of paper, post-it note, or other similar element. Otherwise, you may want to make the entire page on a white background.

Remember, you won't need a lot of text if you have a video. All you'll really need is a call-to-action that asks people to subscribe and tells them why they should, along with your privacy statement.

Squeeze Page Elements

There are a number of different squeeze page elements that you can test and tweak to improve your conversions. Some of these elements are critical, and others are not, but still important. However, testing how they interact together can sometimes make elements that aren’t as important much more effective. For example, template colors aren’t generally critical, however when you combine a certain template color with a certain headline, the results might be drastically better than when you use either element on its own. This is why it's so important to test various things.

Headline

The headline is generally considered the most critical element of any sales or squeeze page, because it’s the first thing people usually read. If the headline doesn’t capture attention and generate interest in the first few seconds, you’ve probably lost the visitor for good.

In fact, aside from the type of squeeze page you use and the location of your opt-in form, the headline is the one thing you absolutely must test if you want to get the best conversions possible.

If you think you’ve chosen the perfect headline to convey your message but it just isn’t performing as well as you think it should, don’t be afraid to test subtle variations. Sometimes all you really need to do to a headline is change the wording slightly or change the way the text is highlighted or underlined and your conversions will increase.

It’s a good idea to make your headline into a graphic, because you can stylize the text and add more attractive highlights, underlines and other elements to draw attention much easier than you can with standard text.

Sub-Headlines

Your sub-headline is another element that can make a big difference in conversions. While it’s generally not as critical as the headline, it still plays an important role in converting visitors.

Bullet Points

If your squeeze page contains bullet points, you might want to test not only the content of the bullet points, but also the wording. Bullet points are especially important for letting people know exactly what they’ll be getting when they subscribe to your list, so they need to be good.

If you’re giving away a free report or other freebie, your bullet points should describe the key benefits of obtaining it. Let them know what they will learn inside the report. More importantly, let them know what this information could potentially do for them.

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Limited Time Offers

Perhaps the most common scarcity device is the limited time offer. This method simply has a deal expire at a certain time or on a certain day. You’ve seen these in use for many years.

For example, you’ve probably seen commercials on television that tell you that you must call by midnight to get a bonus item or a lower price than normal.

Sometimes these offers are, essentially, worthless. Often they show the same add daily for months at a time, devaluing the offer entirely. Of course, people seeing the offer for the first time don’t know this. But it kills the company’s credibility once the customer sees the offer several times.

If you’re going to use this tactic, be sure your deal expires when you say it will, and don’t repeat the deal too soon after it ends. Ideally you should wait at least a few weeks before you run the same, or a similar deal.

Limited Quantity

Another very important type of scarcity tactic is offering limited quantity. You probably already understand why this method works so well. Anyone who has ever collected anything that involves rarity should understand this very well.

For example, some car companies will create a “limited edition” model of a popular type of car. They might make only 100 of these, or 1000. They add a few extra features to the model that cannot be found in the standard model, however the differences are usually relatively minor and mostly cosmetic. Then they charge several times the price of the standard model.

Why are people willing to pay so much for a car that is not profoundly different? Because it is a status symbol to know you have a car that many people will never even see in their lifetime, much less own.

Of course, this tactic doesn’t have to be used only on products that make a user feel a level of status. It can also be used with price just to let people know they must hurry to buy or lose the deal forever.

You may wonder why you should use this offer instead of a timed offer. There are multiple reasons, but perhaps the most important is that it may be difficult to gauge how long you should run an offer. You may not know how long it will take to sell out, or how long you should set the offer to run for maximum impact. However, setting a limited quantity, especially a very low quantity, will almost always inspire urgency.

When should you not use this particular scarcity device? When you don’t believe you will get a significant amount of traffic quickly. If someone comes to your deal page and sees 144 of 150 left and they return several hours later and see 143 of 150 left, there isn’t much call for urgency.

However, if they return hours later and se 28 of 150 left, you better believe they’re going to act quickly!

Dime Sales

A dime sale raises the price of an item with every purchase or every certain number of purchases. If you get a decent number of sales in a relatively short time period, this can be a big motivator for people to take action quickly.

Let’s say you start the price out at $7 and increase the price by a dime with every sale up to a maximum of $14. The first person gets the product for $7. The second person pays $7.10. The next pays $7.20, and so on. Finally, the price hits $14 and it stays there for any remaining buyers.

As people reload the page and see the price going up, up, up, they are likely to buy right away, not wanting to wait and end up paying more. Just keep in mind that later buyers may be very demotivated to buy, because they will feel unhappy that they could have got the product for the initial price but missed it.

Time Interval

Another type of tactic that is very similar to a dime sale raises the price in time intervals instead of with sales. This is effective when you want to have a dime sale but may not have enough sales to effectively inspire urgency.

The price may go up every 15 minutes or every hour or even every day until it hits the maximum price and stays there.

Occasion Promotions

Holidays and other special occasions are great for running deals. This could be any holiday, but it is helpful to tie the occasion in with the product.

For example, you might want to run a deal on a product that might appeal to men around Father’s Day, or a deal on a product that appeals to students near the end of summer right before back-to-school time.

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You’ve seen those affiliate offers where the bonuses seem even more valuable than the product itself, right? They are everywhere for one reason -they work! Incentives are great for making a deal “too good to pass up”.

Let’s say you’re marketing a weight loss product that sells for $19.95. Maybe it’s a month’s supply of a particular diet pill. You could offer a whole package of weight loss guides and such to go with it, increasing the full value of that $19.95 product to hundreds of dollars!

For example, you might include:

1. A 100-page guide to losing weight without counting calories that normally sells for $77.

2. A 50-page recipe book of healthy weight loss recipes that normally sells for $17.

3. A 20-minute workout video that normally sells for $27.

Those three bonuses alone increase the value of the product by $121! When using incentive marketing, be sure you keep two things in mind:

1. The incentive should always match the general niche of the product.

2. The incentive should be something one would consider valuable, not something they could get free elsewhere.

Choosing Products to Promote

One major mistake the average affiliate zombie makes is to choose products blindly and promote them just because they look interesting or have a high commission. Don’t do this! It’s a trap!

Think about it. As an online marketer, the most valuable asset you have is your reputation. If you ruin it, you may never get it back! If you do, it could take many months or even years to restore. And yes, promoting a bad product can ruin your reputation even if you have absolutely nothing to do with the product itself!

Before you promote a product, try it out yourself. Either use the product, or at the very least inspect it thoroughly to be sure that it is quality and does what it promises it will do.

Also, be sure the company’s customer service is top-notch. If a company is going to upset your buyers, they aren’t going to be your buyers for very long! They may start complaining to you, and if you don’t do something they are going to be mad at you, because you recommended the product. In other words, if they can’t get a refund from the other company they bought from, they may expect you to offer it to them!

It’s best to just avoid that hassle altogether by ensuring you only promote quality products that will really benefit your visitors. Never, ever just promote a product blindly and hope it turns out okay!

Don’t Be a Product Zombie Affiliate Apocalypse

When it comes to choosing affiliate products, quality is vital. However, the actual products you promote can be just as important. For example, stop promoting the same old stuff everyone else is promoting. Don’t be a product zombie!

Clickbank products can be great, but if that’s all you ever promote, you aren’t likely to get wealthy. Instead, look for something unique to promote. Find small, individual affiliate programs that promote unusual products.

Promote physical products and not just information products. Sure, info products have very high profit margins. They can also be a tough sell, because many people don’t believe they have as much value as a physical product. Or people have been burned by low-quality info products and don’t trust them anymore.

It’s fine to promote some virtual products, however adding some physical products to the mix can greatly increase the chances that you’ll find something that will interest your list members and blog visitors.

If you can’t find anything interesting to promote, you might consider creating your own product. You can always outsource this if you need to. Just remember to create something people will actually want to pay money for. You may be in the HDTV niche, but not many people would be willing to pay money for a 20-page guide on how to choose the right HDTV. That might make a great freebie to get people to opt in to your list, but it’s not a great product to sell!