Write 100 Articles In 100 Days Challenge – The 10 Lessons I Learned

Writing 100 articles in 100 days was not an easy challenge even though I’d completed it several times before in previous challenges. I decided to make the commitment to do it a fourth time because it forced me to focus, overcome my laziness and reap the benefits of building a list of prospects and generating traffic to my website.

Why build a list with article marketing?

I’ve been writing content for websites and products for several years so I knew I could write and wanted to improve with more practice. Articles submitted to article directories, blogs and ezines remain there forever constantly attracting new readers and bringing in new subscribers. It’s more productive than pay-per-click advertising and it’s free except for the investment of time.

The second reason to write 100 articles in 100 days is article content can be re-purposed into a report, ebook, video or podcast. It’s a great way to develop a new product one article at a time and sell it for profit.

The 10 lessons I learned

1. Have a goal

My goal was to complete writing 100 articles in 100 days, be one of the top 3 writers in my category and develop a new product to sell. I accomplished all 3 goals.

2. Create a list of topics

Before embarking on this 5th article writing challenge I did a brain dump of all the topics I could think of regarding “Autoresponders” …the subject of my focus. I also visited forums, blogs, downloaded free reports related to my niche to get ideas I hadn’t thought about. I also did keyword research to find the most popular keywords people were searching on and searched yahoo answers to find the most frequently asked questions related to my subject..

3. Write at your most creative time

My most creative time is first thing in the morning before I check my email, write a blog post or send a Tweet. If I do it the other way around I lose the inspiration for writing and take much longer to get started.

4. Visit article directories to generate new ideas

Towards the end of 100 days was the most difficult time to write new articles because I had exhausted all my topics and sometimes was looking at a blank screen wondering what to write about. To stimulate my creative juices I visited some of the top article directories in my niche. After reading several articles I would write about the topic from a different angle.

5. Write articles for related niches

Although my main niche was “Autoresponders” related niches included list building, email marketing, ezine publishing, article marketing and traffic building. This helped me to create similar content from different angles so the articles would be unique.

6. Just start writing to overcome inertia

I must admit I sometimes stared at a blank computer screen with no idea what to write about. To overcome this barrier I would just start writing about anything and my creative juices would kick in. It’s a great way to overcome the inertia of writing an article.

7. Write more than one article when inspired

There were some days where I felt more inspired than others. During the writing process I sometimes got ideas for several new articles. I used this inspiration to write a second or third article after completing the first one because there are some days where you don’t have the time or inspiration to write.

8. Submit your article immediately

Don’t make the mistake of accumulating articles for submission because it takes time to submit them correctly. As soon as you’ve finished proof reading your article to eliminate spelling and grammar mistakes, submit it for publication. It’s more important to get it published than trying to make it perfect.

9. Submit articles correctly

Submitting your articles correctly will get more people to read them. Spend time creating a captivating, keyword optimized title. Avoid the temptation of using your first paragraph for the article description. Write a unique description that encapsulates your content and motivates readers to check out your article. Create a resource box that includes a call to action (e.g. “download my free report”) and a link back to your website.

10. Monitor your statistics

Make a note of articles that receive the most clicks and get picked up by ezine publishers. Because these articles generated the most interest, create more articles related to these topics to attract a larger audience and get more subscribers.

Related article
Write 100 articles in 100 days: Top 10 Lessons I Learned

************************
Learn how to attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to your website by picking up a copy of Article Marketing Strategies.

Herman Drost is the CEO of Web Design Maryland