May 2003
Authors & Experts Online the newsletter

**** How to Write Successful Content for Online Promotion ****

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to Authors and Experts Online
A FREE newsletter brought to you by Net Connect Publicity
Online Content Management and Placement Services
May 31, 2003

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to our newsletter for authors and experts who are interested in promoting their work through the powerful medium of the Internet. Given today's technology, an Internet campaign can make all the difference between books that go unnoticed and ones that create an impact. An Internet presence offers some valuable features you can't get in any other form of publicity and that's why it works! We hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it valuable enough to pass on to your colleagues and friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm a great believer of luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it!"
- Thomas Jefferson

Unfortunately, most authors and experts have to work very hard to create a demand for their products. We are very fortunate to be living in an era that offers the Internet, thereby reaching millions of people without having to knock on the doors of every organization and bookstore from coast to coast. Here are some of the reasons the Internet can be so powerful:

** Repeated exposure - Due to the ongoing content changes on prominent websites, there is a tremendous opportunity for repeat postings by an author, thereby getting their name out on a consistent basis. This is a crucial key to success.

** Articles and content are sought after - People go to the Net specifically to read and research topics of interest. By placing content on the proper sites, authors and experts have a much higher "contact rate" with their audience. Television and radio audiences are often not involved with the shows they have on.

** Expert status - The opportunity to become an expert is high with the Internet due to the vast numbers of sites available. This can help increase your credibility, exposure and provide content for further projects.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read USING CONTENT TO ESTABLISH A MARKETABLE PRESENCE ON THE INTERNET
By Anne Leedom
http://www.netconnectpublicity.com/articles/EstablishingYourPresence.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEATURED AUTHOR

Every issue we feature one of our clients who is enjoying success through various channels, including Internet placements. This month we are cheering on Janet Levine, who just released her new book, Know Your Parenting Personality, John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Based on the enneagram, or e-model personality types. Ms. Levine constructed and field-tested the nine parenting personality types found in her new book. These form the foundation of a wide variety of parenting moments, including communication, motivation, discipline and spiritual growth paths to provide daily tools to interact with kids without the stress of unnecessary conflict. Ms. Levine is being approached by editors and freelancers of both online and traditional media based on a revised website offering strong content, and an aggressive article outreach campaign. We are looking forward to great success with Janet. You can learn more about her work at http://www.JanetLevine.com or http://www.enneagram-edge.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

How to Write Succcessful Content for Online Promotion

There are many components to a successful Internet campaign. In this issue we will focus on the critical element of the author's or experts content. Virtually every author I work with has dealt with a publisher or publicist who insists they utilize their website to promote their books. Splash it all over the home page, they are told. Sadly, this is a critical and often costly mistake. Not only is it crucial to place quality content on your home page, but let's take a look at the nature of the content.

** First, the content needs to be very diverse. If your target audience is parents, and behavior is your area of expertise, that doesn't mean you have to limit the content to articles for parenting websites and media. You can adjust the content to appeal to men's websites, financial websites, home and decorating websites - virtually anyone that might be a parent.

** Second, offer a variety of content in terms of articles, quizzes, and surveys and tip pieces. Placing an ongoing and unique form of content on your website that is very brief and changes often can be very helpful in securing an ongoing placement with a website who might find that a desirable feature for their website.

** Create an identity. Place content on your website that makes you unique in relation to your peers and colleagues. Answer the question, "Why is this something I need?" Too often websites offer a nice array of articles, but they are not structured in a way that creates a unique identity with a sense of urgency for the customer or media to respond. People respond to something new and different. Package your content to peak interest.

** Make your content as interactive as possible. The Internet is fun. Take advantage of that by providing online quizzes, links, contests, games, and chats whenever possible.

** Change your content on a regular schedule and promote the fact that you do. This is what helps keep people coming back for more.

** Offer content teaser. Promote the article and offer part of the article on your home page and link to your bookstore for the rest of the article!

** Provide articles approximately 600-900 words in length, formatted in Ariel type and single-spaced. This is the format most websites utilize.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TIPS TO REMEMBER

** Keep current events in mind. Its important to have a stable of evergreen content, however, when news breaks that relates to your topic, placing an article on your home page immediately can mean you will be first on the search engines when the media and the public hunt for the topic.

** Package an article and send to the media on a regular basis. They may not use the article, but they will begin to remember your name and what your work is about. Over time you will create an awareness that will encourage them to look to you when they need your expertise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHAT WE OFFER

Utilizing our services completes your publicity campaign. We offer a wide variety of services allowing you to gain the results you need in one stop. We offer a complete package including:

*** Search engine optimization and submission for top rankings on all the major search engines
*** Web design and consultation
*** Article outreach campaigns
*** Linking campaigns
*** Book reviews on Amazon and B&N
*** General marketing support for external marketing campaigns.

These services can be provided as a complete package or they can be provided individually.
Our goal is to work with you on a long-term and ongoing campaign, introducing and supplying your content on an ongoing basis to strategic sites on your customized "wish list" we create with your input. Review our success stories at http://www.netconnectpublicity.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Annie Leedom has been extremely helpful in helping me find targeted information of interest for our network of Web sites. She's made my job easy, and the authors she represents offer really valuable advice to our site visitors."
~Nancy Price, Editor, ePregnancy, ChefMom, GeoParent, Myria.com and ePregnancy magazine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PARTNER WEBSITES
Here is a partial list of sites we supply content to on an ongoing basis:

iVillage.com
BeliefNet.com
iparenting.com
Crosswalk.com
Child.com
Parents-Talk.com
Womenof.com
BabyCenter.com
CandianParents.com
Myria.com
PregnancyandBaby.com
Spirituality.com
Selfgrowth.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

******* Sign up with us today as an expert! We have requests from prominent websites looking for experts and contributors. You might be just what they are looking for. Contact us to discuss your marketing needs and how an Internet campaign might work well for you.


To add new people to the subscriber list or provide any other feedback go to http://www.netconnectpublicity.com or send an email to: anne@netconnectpublicity.com.

Copyright 2003 by Anne Leedom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne Leedom, editor, Authors and Experts Online Newsletter
Founder, Net Connect Publicity and Parentingbookmark.com
916.939.8246
anne@netconnectpublicity.com
http://www.netconnectpublicity.com
http://www.parentingbookmark.com