Make The Most Of Free Article Submission

Free article submission is only effective if you use the marketing tool correctly and to its full potential. The way to do this is simple, but often ignored. Four basic principles of effective free article submission include:

* Correct format

* Informative content

* Grammatically correct

* Full author contact information

Ignore any of the above characteristics and your free article submission marketing tool will fall far below its potential.

Correct Format

Formatting is a tricky thing when it comes to free article submission. Each site has its own special rules and regulations but you can't go wrong when you keep one word in mind: simple. Your article will be viewed through every web browser imaginable and each one has certain glitches and quirks that will take your fancy formatting and turn it into a mess. With a bare bones basic article formatting scheme, you can easily format your articles to suit the requirements of the different article directories to which you will submit them.

Some basic formatting 'no-no's' include:

* Avoid writing words in all capital letters for emphasis in the article body.

* Avoid writing words in all capital letters in your article titles.

* Avoid background and font colors or highlighting.

* Avoid using automatic bullet functions.

* Skip two lines between paragraphs.

* Avoid inconsistent headline and font size choices.

* Avoid groups of characters to separate paragraphs or sections.

All of these translate into HTML badly and can cause a crazy final display in some browsers that will be less than advantageous for your article's success.

Informative Content

Fluffy articles that are thinly veiled disguised advertisements won't be picked up by ezine publishers and other webmasters. Truly helpful articles packed with information that the consumer needs, however ? these are the articles that will not only capture the attention of bloggers and those who can put your work out there but also impress the potential customers who read your work. Informative articles will establish you as an expert in the field. Flimsy articles will establish you as a fraud.

Grammatically Correct

This should go without saying but, unfortunately, it always bears repeating. Word processing programs like Microsoft Word have grammar check and spell check function that will quickly go over your article for you. These only work if you use them, of course, and when you use the wrong word (a correctly spelled wrong word), no spell checker will catch it. Read over your work carefully. Spelling and grammar mistakes make you look unprofessional. If you can't catch tiny errors like these, how can you be trusted with taking care of mistakes on a larger scale?

Full Author Contact Information

The last section of your article is the key to the success of your free article submissions. If they can't contact you, the reader won't be able to check out your site and purchase your product or service. Too much information or a bio that's irrelevant or too personal will undo the magic that your article just worked.

Write your contact information in third person, as if you were writing about someone else. Avoid personal information and note only the most essential business contacts like your website address. Keep it short and sweet, but include an incentive to get people to your site, like a discount or a free download. It can't hurt!