In plain language, that means it's your job to provide copy that both informs and entertains.  Don't worry, you don't have to develop expert creative writing skills — all it takes is a little bit of you. Here are three easy ways to add your personality to your content.

Humor

You have a sense of humor, no doubt about it.  Writers run into trouble however when they try to force their sense of humor on others.  Don't tell jokes unless they're perfect for the situation and always pass your jokes by your associates to make sure they're funny, non-offensive, and relevant.

Collect relevant humorous quotations, headlines and book titles and share them with your readers. Again, it is probably a good idea to run your tidbit by someone else to make sure it will be appreciated by your audience.  If there is a situation that is relevant to the content of your article that is humorous, don't be afraid to share it.  Humor is oftentimes one of the best ways to connect ideas and make your point.

For example, if you're writing an article about the care and keeping of cats, the following quote might fit in quite well when you're talking about their intelligence;

Everybody knows that cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.
~ Jeff Valdez.

That's sure to earn a chuckle from your audience both because it's true and because the joke is very visual. One of the great ways to lighten the mood is to poke fun at yourself – self deprecating humor always brings the reader in and presents your content in a comfortable and accessible manner.

Share personal success stories, anecdotes, and failures

Share a story with your audience where you have struggled or failed is an excellent way to humanize the content.  It is also a great tool to show how your product or service evolved or demonstrate its benefit.

For example, if you own and operate an online business dedicated to sports nutrition then a story about how you used to be out of shape or maybe how you came in dead last in your first competition will help readers relate to you and trust you.  If you could go on to say how the products or services you offer helped you win 10 of your last 12 competitions and that's why you had to share them with the world, then you've hooked them.

A personal story humanizes your content, it provides your product or service with credibility, and it enhances your trustworthiness.  All of these are features that will help drive traffic to your site and increase your profits.

Testimonials

While personal stories are an excellent tool to humanize your content, the personal success of someone outside of your organization can actually add more credibility and entertainment to your reader.  This information can be added toward the end of your article and formed as a case study rather than a glowing testimonial.

Using the example above with the sports nutrition, adding a quote from someone who has used the product and has changed from a back of the pack competitor to a three time gold medalist is both inspiring and informative.

When writing your content, take a look at it from your reader's point of view.  Is your copy both informative and entertaining?  Does it reflect you and the mission of your business?  If not, find a way to include just a touch of personality in it, you'll be glad you did.

How do you share your enthusiasm with your readers without coming across like you're making a pitch? How do you sell your products or services without 'selling' them.

No one likes a sales pitch and as soon as a reader senses they're being sold they're likely to click away from your article. Yet quite often, in order to motivate your reader to be inspired enough to visit your website, you need to give them a bit of a pitch. Here's how to motivate a reader to action, without selling them.

The best way to motivate your reader is to provide them with a benefit. One of the reasons tips and how to articles are so popular is that they offer a reader an immediate benefit…

• Ten tips to make more money today
• 3 steps to looking ten years younger
• The secret to retiring early

These are all examples of article headlines that promise a benefit. When your article offers content that follows through on your promise, readers are going to be hungry for more information. You've kept your end of the bargain in your article, they'll trust you to provide more benefit on your website.

Tap into your readers' desires. We all desire to be more attractive, wealthier, smarter, happier, more respected ..etc and when you tap into these desires in your article you immediately have your reader's attention. How does the content of your article help solve their problems and attain their desires?

For example, if your product is an accounting software program and your article is about how to balance your checkbook, you could tap into your reader's desire to be wealthier by keeping track of their money or tap into their desire to be respected or smarter by having their finances at the tips of their fingertips. The headline might look something like this, "Ten Tips to Give You Control Over Your Finances, and more money in your wallet.

When you tap into your reader's desires and offer them a way to attain them, you're a virtual hero and your readers will be excited to visit your website and learn more from you.

Don't give your reader the whole story. Write an article about 3 ways to do something and then in the last sentence of your article tell them this isn't the whole story. Tell your reader if they want to learn more about your article's topic, they can visit your website and learn the whole story.

Note that if you are publishing your article in an article submission site, they may not allow you to plug your website in the body of your article. If this is the case, you can plug it in your author's resource box. However, if you're publishing the article in an e-zine or on another website, this is a great way to draw traffic to your site.

Selling in your article copy is as easy as offering valuable content and solving people's problems. This approach also makes it easy to write copy. Tips and how to articles are amongst the easiest types of article content to write, so go on, get writing!

Article marketing is one of the best tools to increase exposure for your website or blog. The following are three amazing benefits to article marketing.

#1 Credibility. Whether your website is designed to sell a product or service or if your website or blog is designed to focus on a particular topic, credibility in the topic is important.

The fastest wand easiest way to establish credibility on a subject matter is to publish. Publishing books isn't an overnight process and the path to book publication can be labor intensive however article publication is significantly easier.

Online article publication is perhaps the easiest path to publication and it can generate tremendous credibility. When you publish your articles online, you're broadcasting your authority on your subject matter.

Say, for example, that you have a website dedicated to the raising of tropical fish. Your website has tons of information on the subject. When you publish that information in the form of articles online you're not only sharing your information, you're building a reputation as a valuable resource and expert on the subject.

#2 Drive Traffic to your website or blog. Articles that are made available on free websites are an amazing way to drive traffic to your website. Posted articles are read by visitors, who then click through via your signature link to your website for more information.

The articles are posted on blogs, which leads to increased website traffic. The articles are also reprinted in newsletters and on other websites, which also provides traffic. It also provides links to your site, which in turn can increase your website ranking with the search engines.

The number of visitors to your website will increase, your lead list will grow, your customer list will multiply, and your bottom line will swell. It's a win-win situation and all it takes is a little time and effort.

#3 Article marketing increases exposure. If one article you publish is distributed to 35 different blogs, newsletters, and websites which are then read by 100 people each, you've now reached 3500 new people and made them aware of your business or personal website.

Now imagine you publish 2 articles with the same distribution and readership statistics. Now you have 7000 people who are now aware of your website. 3 articles and 2100, 4 articles and 2800 the numbers will continue to grow and so too will your exposure.

In advertising there is a rule of thumb, that it takes at least 3 exposures to a company name before it is embedded in their memory. The more you publish, the more your opportunity to become a memorable name and the person they turn to when they need your product, service, or information.

We also look to the internet to help solve our problems.  How many times have you heard someone say they read something online?  Maybe they were researching a medical issue or maybe they were looking for a review on a mountain bike, the point is people turn to the internet to give them the information they need.

What does all of this have to do with you?

If you have a website and are going to promote it with free content and article publication…everything.  In order for your content to be read and perceived as valuable, it must contain a benefit to the reader.  Your content must be relevant and provide value.

How do you create benefit driven content?

Easy… with each and every article put yourself in your reader's shoes and ask - "What's in it for me?"  If you cannot answer that question adequately then rework the article.  There absolutely has to be a benefit to your reader to spend their valuable time to read your article.  The more specific and obvious your benefit, the more people will read, link to, publish and post your content, and the more people will visit your website.

Some excellent formats for relevant, benefit driven content are "How to" articles and "tips" articles.  These articles are easy for your reader to digest, the benefits are immediately apparent, and the content is generally easy to remember.  Here are a few ways to generate quick and easy copy.

List some questions that your clients/customers might as you and fill in the blank using your knowledge about your products or services.

How do I save money using ______________?

How do I save time using ______________?

How can I learn more about ______________?

In general we're all motivated by the same things.  We all want to be happy, respected, smart, healthy, attractive, loved, and rich.  Of course there are variations on the themes.  Some people are looking for happiness through spiritual fulfillment, some are looking for happiness through contentedness.  Some people are looking for respectibilty through education, others are looking for it by driving the latest and greatest cool car.  Some people are looking for health via diet and others are looking for information on how to run a marathon.  It all boils down to the same basic desires and emotional motivators.

When you're consdiering how to create benefit driven content, consider how your product, service, or information can help people find happiness, wealth, attractiveness, respect, ..etc.

One last key when you're writing content, don't be afraid to ask people what they're looking for.  If you, for example, own a website devoted to breeding Pugs, don't be afraid to ask other pug owners yo know what types of information they're looking for.  This is a sure way to make sure you're providing the kind of information people are really looking for.

When content provides a benefit, people will read it, forward it, and link to it. As an online marketer or website owner, product reviews in particular are a great way to drive traffic to your website via linking, reprints, and click-throughs.

Saying that, in order for a product review to be an effective traffic generation tool, it must also be believable. This means that if at all possible, consider actually purchasing or trying out the product. It's pretty much the only way to be completely knowledgeable about a product or service.

You also need to think creatively when reviewing. For example, a great product review for a hair removal system might actually have a series of reviews based on the ability of the product to remove or reduce hair over time. This type of review will most likely be linked to by many people because it is a real and demonstrative review of the product.

Here are a few things you should consider when you're writing a review for a product or service.

Take the time to be thorough in your review.

Every review must answer these questions:

• What does the product promise?
• How well does it achieve those goals?
• Is it a good value?
• What are the drawbacks of the product?
• Is the product easy to use?
• How does the product compare to others on the market?
• Would you buy or recommend the product? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Compare multiple products for more effect

Sometimes it's easier to compare products than to simply evaluate one single product. When comparing products, it is important to remember a few things:

• Compare the same types of products.
• Compare similar attributes and features.
• Be honest about any preferences you have for one or the other.

Demonstrate information in a variety of ways

Can you incorporate graphics, pictures, or statistical data in your review? The more comparative information you can provide your reader, the better. Often, statistics are more easily understood when they're conveyed in a graph, a chart or a simple photo.

Put yourself in your reader's shoes. What would you want to know about the product or service? While it is important to be diplomatic in your reviews, it is also important to be tactfully honest. If your reviews are all positive all of the time, you're going to loses a bit of credibility. People want the drawbacks pointed out to them too. They want both sides of the coin.

Write your reviews conversationally. This means using language most people understand. Skip the jargon and tech talk. Use language that is friendly. Break the review up into easily digested sections.

Keep to one point per paragraph and keep the paragraphs short and easy to read. Taking the time to write your review for online reading makes it easier to read, and thus easier to print, publish, and link to.

In order to make sure your copy is internet friendly here are a list of do's and don'ts.

Don't jargon or tech speak;

Each industry has its own language.  However, people new to the industry will not be familiar with the language.  Use jargon and you run the risk of alienating prospects before they've even had the opportunity to see what you have to offer.   Additionally, articles that are written using words that people are unfamiliar with may make you seem condescending, and I'm sure that isn't how you want your potential customers to feel.

Do write the article as if you were speaking to someone you just met at a social outing;

Someone who has no idea who you are and what you do.  Assume that person is of average intelligence and write in a conversational, friendly tone.

Do pay attention to the length of your article;

When writing for the Internet, an article that is too short runs the risk of being dismissed by readers and potential customers as not having much valuable content.  An article that is too long overwhelms.  Most people, while they spend a good amount of time at the computer, don't want to spend too much time reading a single article.  A good rule of thumb for an article on the Internet is about 500 to 600 words for an article.

Don't forget to send them to your website;

When using the free article sites to draw business, don't forget to include some sort of hook or selling piece in your article.  For example, if you wrote a book on sports nutrition, then you could publish an article on the many causes of muscle wasting.  The closing for your article might read like this,

While muscle wasting is difficult to completely avoid, proper nutrition, a balance of lean protein and carbohydrates can take you a long way toward building muscle rather than losing it.  For more information on treatment options visit www.sportsnutritionwebsite.com

Do include a link in your signature;

Many article submission sites will not let you directly promote your website or products in your article.  This is why it is important to always utilize the signature or bio box at the end of your article.  If your reader likes your article and information it is likely they will click on your link for more information.

Don't use long paragraphs, long sentences, or even long words;

If your copy is going to be scannable, you'll want to make it easy on the eyes.  A long paragraph is difficult for the eyes to pull out pertinent information.  Long sentences and long words are also less easy to read for many.

Do use bullets, numbered lists, bold fonts, underlines and italics;

These will emphasize important words or ideas in the body of your article.  This formatting will help readers scan your copy for the highlights. Don't go overboard with the formatting.

Do use headlines and subheadings;

These are great for separating ideas in your article and make it much easier to understand. If you have an article that's talking about how to potty train a puppy the first section of the article may talk about general rules for potty training, the second part may talk about secret strategies for faster success, and the third section may talk about how to handle the inevitable accidents.  Each section, if broken up with a subheading, will make it easier for your reader to glean the information that he needs quickly and easily.

Online copy is also generally written in an informal and conversational tone.  Experts like to say that online copy is infotainment.  It is both informative and entertaining.  That doesn't mean you have to tell a joke but it does mean that friendly conversational copy is generally better received than dry text book style copy.  Have fun with it and your reader will too.

Outsourcing your copywriting needs is an excellent way to get top notch writing while still maintaining control over the voice, quality, and content.  Here are 5 tips to help you find the best copywriter for your needs.

Tip #1: Use your network to find a good writer.

Referrals are the best way to find a writer, check with your friends, family and associates to see if they know of anyone or have worked with anyone they can recommend.

If this approach leaves you empty handed, consider your on-line network. The internet has made outsourcing a copywriter easy and possible with tools that enable you to exchange content and contracts online as well as pay your provider online.

Again, if you're still empty handed, check with advertising agencies and public relations firms in your area.  Chances are they outsource some of their content needs and will be able to recommend someone.

Tip#2: Look for a writer with experience in your industry.

Writers tend to specialize and writers with experience in your industry will not need to be educated.  This not only saves you time, it gives you comfort knowing that your market and your needs are understood.  Additionally, they may be able to offer strategies, advice, and content ideas to build your business.

Tip#3: Choose a writer who writes in a voice that resembles your own.

Each and every writer has a different style, while some are very talented at being a chameleon and matching your voice, others have a very strong voice.  Either is fine as long as it matches the tone, style, and voice you want for your website.

Tip #4: Hire a writer that fits your needs.

Hiring a writer who specializes in sales copy is different than hiring a writer that specializes in writing SEO copy.  That isn't to say that you can't hire a sales writer to write your articles however, you may find that you're paying a higher premium for that article.

Define your goal for your content before you begin seeking a writer.  If you need a sales piece then a world renown sales copywriter may be exactly what you're looking for and the price tag will likely be worth the cost.  However, if you simply need a few articles to post on your website, look for someone who specializes in that type of copy and save yourself a few dollars.

Tip #5: Determine a method of communication and a timeline before you sign an agreement with your writer.

It is important to be able to give a copywriting project to your writer and sit back and wait for your copy with confidence it will be on time.  However, the first time you work with a writer, this may not be an easy thing to do.  Establish a timeline with your provider that works for the both of you.

For example, if you've hired them to write 40 articles, ask to see the first two so you know that they're on track and you've communicated your needs effectively.  Upon approval of the first two, you can sit back and wait for the remaining articles to be delivered together on an agreed upon deadline.

Also establish the best way for your provider to contact you if they have questions.  It is important to be available to your provider if they have questions or concerns about the project.

Webmasters call it duplicate content and it can hurt your business rather than build it. This need to avoid duplicate content while making the creation of content something that is easy and beneficial has prompted the creation of several copywriting tools.

Here are a few tips to help you create content that brings traffic to your website and increases your search engine ranking;

1. Most experts will tell you that in order to not be penalized by the search engines, your article must be at least 30% different than the original article you wrote. This can be accomplished by changing the title, headlines, subheads, and at least one or two sentences in each paragraph. This isn't the easiest process but it is an inexpensive one. You don't have to buy any content duplication software.

2. Speaking of duplicate content software, this is a fairly straightforward way to ensure that your article is different than the original. In fact, you can use this software to generate several 'original' versions of the same article. The software generally works by highlighting specific phrases or sentences you have to change. You type in a new sentence and it will generate a percentage difference between the two articles. Many software programs will mix the results to offer you a series of differing articles.

3. Duplicate checking software. Online you can find several programs that will allow you to cut and paste your content into their analyzer and it will tell you how different they are. This can still be a time consuming process, however it eliminates getting banned by the search engines.

4. Consider using material that you've written like a book, a report, or even an interview that you've done and restructuring part of it into an article. Your books, guides, and reports are not published online as content so you're not duplicating anything online, the content will offer value, and it saves you the time of writing many, many articles. A few minutes of restructuring a bit of already written copy is all it will cost you.

5. Article submission software. You may be familiar with article submission software but did you know that, due to the demand of website owners, there are now programs that will not only submit your articles to the article directories and submission sites, they will prompt you to change sentences, words, and phrases so that you're not submitting duplicate content.

Article writing and submission to free article websites is a fantastic way to build your search engine ranking, your credibility, your brand, and awareness of your company. New duplicate content guidelines have been adopted by the search engines to prevent businesses and other websites from unfairly flooding the web with duplicate content and consuming search engine results.

These guidelines do not come at a cost to the average businessperson either. Now you have to take extra steps to ensure that the content you post is different enough from your other content that you don't get penalized. Fortunately, there are many tools and strategies to create content quickly and easily while at the same time abiding by the rules of the web.

1. instantly grab your reader's attention
2. compel them to read more of the article

and they usually need to do it in 15 words or less.

No small feat, but there are some fundamental considerations, which if you understand them, make it a whole lot easier.

First, have a clear idea who your reader is. Second, understand what the important features of your product or service are, and third, think about why your reader would want to buy your product or service — list the benefit of reading the article, i.e. what's in in for them.

For maximum readership, try to write your headline as if you were creating short, curiosity-arousing teaser copy on an envelope. Try to strike a balance by compelling your reader to find out more without being so blatant as to turn them off.

Here are ten ways to create effective headlines, all the while taking into consideration your answers to the earlier three points: who your reader is, what the important features of your product or service are, and what benefit does reading your article provide?

1. State a benefit. For example: "Learn how to potty train your dog in 3 easy steps."
2. Use words that help the reader visualize. For example: "Keep your socks dry. Eliminate doggy carpet puddles and smelly wet socks in 3 easy steps."
3. Highlight your offer in your headline. For example: "Learn how to create an award winning aquarium."
4. Use numbers and statistics.
5. Make it newsworthy using words like: new, introducing, or announcing.
6. Make a guarantee.
7. Make a big promise. This is used a lot, for example: "Lose 20 pounds in 20 days."
8. Use reasons why. For example: "10 reasons why you're losing money in the stock market."
9. Anticipate and address your reader's fears.
10. Pique their curiosity.

Naturally, there are many ways to produce a good, attention getting headline. Psychologists and skilled copywriters will both tell you that people don't buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional ones. We're talking fear, greed, curiosity, benevolence, jealousy, lust, insecurity, pride, and frustration.

Those feelings are among some of the more effective emotions that copy writers tap into, and the same holds true for article headlines. If you can provide a headline that appeals to your reader's emotions, not only will you have more people eagerly reading your article, you'll have more websites, blogs, and ezines linking to your article.

When writing your headline, a good tactic is to write several headlines and choose the most effective, or to write your copy first and let your copy dictate the headline.

Regardless of how you write your article headlines, experience and reading other eye catching headlines will help you explore the process. Visit an article directory and take a look at the articles that catch your eye. Browse through the articles with the most readership and examine the different headline styles.

Doing this will help you create your own article headlines that generate the same readership numbers. The end result will be more traffic and visibility for your website.

Have you got any favorite attention-grabbing article headlines you'd like to share?

P.s. Rich Schefren has just made available his list of phrases to keep your reader's attention. It's a free download, no sign up, and well worth getting hold of to accompany your attention-grabbing headlines. Let me know if you find them useful.

When you know these guidelines in advance, it makes it easier to create quality content that will not only get accepted by the article directory but will be picked up and distributed by many websites, newsletters, and blogs. The following are the ten most common requirements.

#1 Your article must be original content. This means you may not plagiarize content or publish content written by another person without attaching their name and contact information in the bio box within the article. This also means PLR content and public domain articles may not be allowed. If you hire a ghost writer to write your articles, you will need to have an exclusive licensing agreement that only allows your name to be associated with the articles produced for you. Don't submit articles from article packs that have non-exclusive licenses as almost all directories will reject those articles.

#2 You are generally required to include your first and last name as the author of the article. Each directory has their own guidelines, and most require you to only have one account with them however many will allow you to submit under different author names. This can be helpful if you have several different websites or businesses. Your biography box generally allows you to link to your website, if it doesn't consider using a different article submission site.

#3 Linking. Linking guidelines vary from submission site to submission site. Some welcome and encourage embedded links while others strictly prohibit it and will reject your article if you link to your site or any other site within the body of the article. One idea is to write different versions of your article, one that contains embedded text links and one that does not. The majority of submission sites do not allow affiliate links and only allow you to link to sites you own.

#4 Article content. Most article submission sites will reject your article if it is a sales piece. The intent of these sites, and your article's purpose, is to provide benefit to readers – not to sell a product or service. Take care to not pitch your product or service in the body of your article. That's what your author's resource box is for.

#5 Article quality. Take care to read your article thorough to make sure there are no spelling, grammar, or formatting mistakes. Your article could be picked up by hundreds of websites, blogs, or newsletters and if there are mistakes it will be published all over the internet, reflecting poorly on you and your business. Additionally, objectionable material of any kind is not allowed.

#6 Article length. There are generally minimum and maximum article length requirements for each site with the medium requested length being between 400 and 700 words. The easiest kinds of articles to read on the internet are generally broken into manageable steps, tips, mistakes, bulleted lists or numbered lists. This provides your reader with a benefit, the ability to read your article quickly and easily, and an easy way for you to structure an article to meet your word count requirements.

#7 Some article submission sites allow HTML formatting in your article, others do not. If you do not know basic HTML, don't worry. The HTML that is generally allowed is extremely basic and there is usually a quick tutorial if HTML is allowed.

#8 Keywords and SEO. All sites enable you to optimize your content for maximum exposure and search engine ranking. This means including your keywords in your title, opening paragraph, closing paragraph and sprinkled logically throughout the body of your article. Many also enable you to tag your article to help people find your information.

#9 Your author's resource paragraph. Most article directories separate your resource box from the content of your article. Your resource box will generally contain your name, a bit of your history or experience, an email address and a link to your website.

#10 Take care to read the submission site's duplicate content guidelines. Some sites explicitly state that you do not post your article on any other directories or submit the same article with minor changes. This is a good practice to avoid because the search engines tend to look unfavorably upon duplicate content.

Have you got any questions on article submission, or tips of your own that you'd like to share?