Benefits of Ghostwritten Feature Articles
Are you aware of one of the most effective, yet inexpensive ways
to get exposure for your business? To get in front of your most
valuable customers and prospects? And gain a lot of respect in the
process?
Bylined articles in magazines and newspapers can be a goldmine
of free publicity—if you do them right. By partnering with
an experienced ghostwriter you and your business can benefit from
professionally-written articles, placed in industry publications
with your own byline.
Stretches
Your Marketing Dollars
It costs nothing to place a bylined article in a respected
publication. Buying that much advertising space in the same
publication will set you back thousands of dollars (see sidebar
for examples). And because an ad must be viewed several times
before it "registers" with a customer, multiply
that cost times several months.
People read publications for the articles, not the ads. Get
your exposure where it's going to be seen, not where it might
be skipped over.
Enhances Your Credibility
A well-written article will have much more impact on your
audience than an ad, which everyone knows you paid the publication
to run. An article presents you as an expert in your field—someone
with important ideas worth reading. The magazine's editor
wouldn't run an article by someone who wasn't an expert, right?
That's the impression the magazine's readers get, not just
from what the article says, but also from the fact that the
article exists.
There's one big "gotcha" that will blow away all
the credibility you've worked so hard to achieve. Self-promotion.
Don't try to push your own products and services in an article.
It's not the appropriate place. Chances are, self-promotion
won't even make it past the publication's editor, anyway.
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The Dollar Value of Feature
Articles
Wondering what topics you could cover
and how much you would save? Here are some real titles
from industry publications, along with the costs for
full-page, 4-color ads.
CEOs and the Health Care Challenge,
Chief Executive, (ad: $21,855)
A Wake-up Call to Senior Management,
Target Marketing (ad, $8,320)
Time to Talk Business, Corporate
Meetings & Incentives, (ad: $9,385)
Your Seven Responsibilities,
On Wall Street, (ad: $12,700)
Got Sludge?, Pollution
Engineering, (ad: $6,820)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Rising
Statistic Among Laboratory Workers, Bioscience
Technology, (ad: $10,400)
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Saves Precious Time
Have you ever wondered how an important executive found the time
to write a thoughtful, well-researched article? It's a little-known
fact that many of the articles you see in professional publications
are actually ghostwritten by professional business writers. You
might think that magazine editors seek out executives and get them
to write articles. In fact, busy executives work with business writers
to choose an appropriate topic, target a publication, get the editor's
approval, and research and write the article.
Lets You Focus on Your Strengths
Perhaps you've had some great ideas for articles over the years,
but never thought you were a good enough writer to follow through
with them. Or you read an article bylined by someone else in your
industry and thought, "I could have said all that; I'm as smart
as that person."
A lack of writing ability doesn't have to hold you back. You're
an expert in your area; you're not expected to be a great writer,
too. When you use ghostwriters, you do what you do best and the
writers do what they do best. The end result is that your ideas
and expertise are presented in a clear, compelling article that
makes you look like the expert you are.
Sets You Apart from the Competition
Publishing bylined articles sets you apart from the crowd. Lots
of companies have glossy literature, but how many companies employ
published authors?
And if you've got some higher-ups to impress within your own organization,
think of how good a published article is going to look on your next
performance review!
Allows Follow-on Marketing
Want to get repeat exposure and impact from your bylined article?
Many publications offer official reprints of articles, along with
their cover artwork and your photo. Adding reprints to your corporate
marketing or press kit will reinforce the effectiveness of your
corporate literature and show customers that you're well-respected
in your industry.
Makes Things Easy
The writer does all the work. You get all the publicity and exposure.
How much better does it get?
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