10 Tips For Avoiding Writers Block
by Melody
If you have days where you can’t think of a single thing to write about, these tips can help:
1. Some days are more creative than others. Always keep a notebook with you to jot ideas as they come to you
2. If a notebook isn’t handy, try using a mini recorder. They’re inexpensive and small enough to fit in your pocket or purse.
3. Write a review of a product or service you’ve recently used that would benefit your readers
4. Encourage your readers to submit questions so you can pull them from the “mail bag”
5. Post some feedback from a client and expand on the topic
6. Review previously written “tips” articles and expand on the individual tips
7. Create a “top” list. For example, “Top 10 Reasons to Outsource”
8. Read a newspaper, online news site or some articles in your industry for ideas
9. Review transcripts or recordings of interviews or seminars you’ve given in the past. Expand on the topics discussed.
10. Call a friend or family member. Simple conversation can sometimes get the creative juices flowing.
Article Submission Guidelines
by Melody
Article submission sites have specific formatting requirements & rules. Following these tips below will help get your article accepted and published.
· Words should wrap at approximately 65 character length
· Do not use carriage returns.
· Leave lots of white space for easy reading.
· Do not copy/paste from Microsoft Word. Word contains hidden formatting that may cause your content to be rejected, or at the very least, look weird. Instead, copy from Note Pad or Word Pad.
· Article titles are usually limited to 150 characters and cannot be ALL CAPS.
· Ideal article length is between 200 and 700 words.
· Your bio or author resource should be about 50 - 100 words. Some places will only allow three lines so if you have a long bio, be sure to create a more condensed version to use for those sites.
· Many sites do not allow links in the article body so save links for your bio. Occasionally you can recommend a site/product & include a link but it must not be self-promoting.
· When typing hyperlinks be sure to include the entire URL (http://…) to ensure the link is activated. You can also create an anchor link using html like this <a href=http://www.YOURSITE.com>The Words You Want Linked</a>
· Articles should be informative NOT self-serving. If your article sounds, too much like an advertisement it will be rejected. Please save your promotions for your bio.
· Many sites require a one to two sentence description of the article. This should not be a word-for-word copy of the first part of your article. Instead, try to make it compelling as this is what will first be viewed when someone is searching the article topic.
If you plan to have someone else submit your articles, please keep in mind that making changes while trying to submit is very time consuming and frustrating. It’s best to have all changes competed before you start the submission process. Always read the submission guidelines before submitting to ensure your article has the best chance of being accepted and published.
Cool Tip – I found this site which will automatically do the formatting for you. http://www.web-source.net/format_text.htm I haven’t tried it out but it looks simple enough.
Article and Press Release Submission Sites
by Melody
There are hundreds of directories, news sites and other media outlets these days where you can submit your articles or press releases and more being developed each day. The great thing about these is most are free and only require you to register before you submit. Here is a short list of online directories that accept articles and press releases:
Submit Articles
http://morganarticlearchive.com
Submit Press Releases
If you find that you don’t have time or simply dislike submitting your content to these and other sites, we would be happy to do it for you… http://www.essentialofficesupport.com/contact-us