Thanks to everyone who submitted article marketing questions to me last week in response to my birthday request (it was in the Idea Generator update newsletter on August 11th).

Congratulations to the winner of the free 30-minute article marketing strategy session with downloadable MP3 recording. I notified her this morning and I’m just waiting for her to claim the prize and to give me permission to share her name with you. [Update, August 20: Our winner was Lydia Dean-Reese.]

The best present of all? There were exactly 10 questions!! Perfect for someone who just loves Top 10 lists 🙂

Here is a list of these juicy questions, which I look forward to answering over the next few weeks:

1. When you don’t really have time to blog or write an article, what is the most time-efficient way to complete the task? And the related question: How do I make the time to put article marketing at the forefront of my To Do list?
2. How can I feel like what I’m contributing is fresh and new?
3. How can I use article marketing to tempt the local media?
4. How can I combine article marketing and social networking to build a following?
5. Are there any tricks that will improve my “open rates” when I email articles to my newsletter subscribers (most of whom are women)?
6. What is article marketing and how can it help my business? (I pointed this subscriber to: https://www.contentmasteryguide.com/2009/07/article-marketing-takes-the-prize.html and https://www.contentmasteryguide.com/article-marketing-fundamentals/.)
7. Do you have a system for writing an article, creating a blog post, creating your newsletter and possibly using social media…all based on the same article? (I pointed this subscriber to: https://www.contentmasteryguide.com/2009/07/three-part-strategy-article-marketing-magic.html.)
8. How can I manage my article marketing efforts? Specifically, what are the best sites to post on and how do I monitor what’s working/not working so that I can determine where I am getting my best ROI and focus my efforts on posting to those sites or writing about those topics?
9. How can I use different bios for my different projects without creating more confusion for the readers? (I can definitely relate to wearing different hats, though this description of my hat collection is a little outdated now.)
10. How do I make the leap from splashing free content all over the Web to getting it to generate money for me? Do I link each article to a product? (I actually used that strategy with the “Featured Article” page at Genuine Coaching Services.) Develop a subscription model for my articles site?

Are there any questions you would add to this list? I promise I won’t be upset if there are more than 10 🙂 Please add your questions by posting a comment below.

An author resource box is a short section at the end of your article, where article submission sites allow you to share biographical information and links back to your website.

In many ways, these few words at the end of your article are more important than the body of your article (Christopher Knight of EzineArticles.com suggests that the perfect resource box is no larger than 15% of your total article).

In Chapter 20 of The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write, "Writing articles," I wrote:

Author resource box: Address your readers and let them know that you have more to offer when it comes to solving this particular problem. Invite them to take the next action, whether it’s to access a free report (best), subscribe to your free newsletter (great), visit your website (ok) or contact you (weakest).

Here are some key reasons that a free report is the best way to go:

• Offering a free report is a pressure-free way for both you and your reader to build your relationship
• A well-written and targeted free report demonstrates to the reader that you understand – and can solve – their specific problem
• Publishing a free report reinforces your credibility as an expert in your niche

Getting people to visit your website is one thing – building a long-term, trusting relationship is another. Does your website do that for you? If not, please join me and Linda Claire Puig for a free tele-class called, "Help! My Website's Not Working!" on Tuesday, August 11, 2009.