Penguin Bio

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May 15th, 2008 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Penguin Bio

Writing Your Way Into List Building Nirvana

You may be saying to yourself, "How can you build a list from just words?" You need a squeeze page, an opt-in box, all those other things that list builders use to get names and email addresses into their autoresponders, right? There is a way to build your list using words, though, and you do it by writing articles.

If you think starting an article is tough, it's not really. You just have to think about what turns you on. It's a little like choosing your niche that we talk so much about, but now, you need to narrow it down. So, let's say that your newsletter is all about hockey stars--hockey stars of the past, like Lemieux, Orr, and Gretsky. But you really like Lemieux, and want to find out more about him.

Well... how do you start?

Before you write you have to do a little research. So, go to Google and type in "Mario Lemieux." Today, I see that the first entry is a Wikipedia article about him. Start there and get some light info, like you find that he was a player for 17 years. But even more interesting is that he owns the team, and that he took it over when the team filed bankruptcy in 1999. Do you think hockey fans might want to know just how that all came about? Well, you're intrigued, so they probably would be interested to learn more, too.

Then, search "Pittsburgh Penguins," and you find another site that tells you stuff about the team, and how they've been around since the 1930s and that they were once known as the Pittsburgh Hornets. Great. Then, you come to a section about Lemieux, and you find out that he took the team over because he was one of their major creditors. They owed him that much back pay. There. You have the answer. But you need more facts. Getting preliminary information online is great, but when you're writing an article, you need to make sure that what you write is the truth.

Go to the Pittsburgh newspapers, like the Post-Gazette or the Tribune Review. Both papers are sure to have the information you're looking for. Type in "penguins +bankruptcy," and at the Post-Gazette, you'll find a whole list of articles from past editions to help you with your work. You can also consult magazines about the story. If you own a library card, most now have Internet services available from your home, which gives you access to thousands of current and past magazine issues. The Internet is the greatest place to research!

When your facts are all in a row, and you know about the situation, decide what your point of discussion will be. Perhaps it's that Mario was such a huge star and wasn't getting paid would be an interesting fact to use. Start writing with something strong to draw readers into your story, like this:

"In 1999, things looked bleak for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They had no money and were forced into bankruptcy. One of the best players ever to hit the ice was one of the creditors. In fact, what the team owed him was so enormous, that he ended up becoming its owner."

Now, I have no idea if this is 100% true because I haven't researched the topic thoroughly. But I hope you see where I'm going with this. Give readers a strong opening paragraph and get them to keep reading.

Here's where you start list building. When people are finished reading your great article, they go to your resource or bio box, and see: "Bob Smith is a raving hockey fan. Read more about hockey stars from the past in his popular newsletter, Bob's Hockey Greats at http://bobshockey.com."

Do you think hockey fans would enjoy your article? If you write it well enough they will. Be sure to write good articles for your autoresponder series, too, and there, lead buyers to the products you're promoting. You'll love the way this works.

Just don't stop writing with only one article. Try to write at least one each week, and upload it to the major directories. Aside from list building, articles also help your site to gain search engine ranking from all the one-way links pointing back to it. The way this works is like magic! Write articles and watch your traffic increase, your opt-ins rise, and get more money. It's just that simple.

About the Author

List building master, Tellman Knudson, is CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc. Learn his step-by-step method of building a massive, responsive list at
MyFirstList.com.