| By:  Penny, EzineArticles Managing Editor Are you earning the respect of your readers? Think about it - there is an almost infinite number of articles on the web - so what should you focus on in order to compete with this massive amount of knowledge? In a nutshell: Earn the respect of your readers. Regardless of whether you write about Multi-Level Marketing or selecting the best toaster for the money, your primary objective should be to educate and enhance the reader's knowledge by using your particular expertise on a specific subject. When you make this your primary goal when submitting articles, you will undoubtedly earn the respect of your targeted reader. You'll provide them with a great user experience and leave them with a long-lasting positive impression that will no doubt bring them back for more. Surprisingly, many authors don't realize this simple truth. They submit articles without considering the reader first, resulting in keyword-stuffed derivative content that is not only hard to read but also holds no value (aside from SEO purposes) for the reader. We firmly believe that the reader's experience should come first and foremost in your mind anytime you write an article. So we've come up with (3) tips that will help steer you to making reader-centric decisions when writing your articles. Understanding these concepts will bring you one step closer to earning the respect of your reader. 1. Inform the Reader (It's not called "Informative Content" for nothing!) Let's say you are writing an article about pizza. It is your duty as the author to actually inform the reader about pizza. You do not want to write 400+ words of content that essentially says, "Pizza is good. Many people like pizza. Some toppings people like on pizza are pepperoni, olives, sausage, anchovies, etc." In other words, don't provide basic knowledge on your subject that any 5 year-old could spit out just to promote your site. You need to challenge your reader. Prove your expertise on the subject by keeping them engaged with entertaining and thought-provoking content related to the subject - content that few people know. If you're writing an article on pizza, tell them some factual history of the food and its origins. Discuss strange recipes that other countries around the world use when making pizza. Have content like "Many people are unaware of the fact that the first pizza delivery man actually worked for Julius Caesar in 57 B.C. He delivered the emperor his favorite anchovy and olive pie during his long nights of ruling the Roman Republic." Obviously, I made that up, but hopefully you get my point. Use your expert knowledge to truly inform your reader with your articles. Speaking of making things up, my fabricated statement on Julius Caesar actually brings me to my next point, which is... 2. Don't Insult the Reader's Intelligence (You're not automatically smarter!) When writing an article, do not think that just because you are the author and they are the reader, that they will believe anything you tell them. Writing an article does not give you permission to make things up just to validate your point. You never want to insult the reader's intelligence by trying to convince them of something that doesn't have any factual grounds just to get your idea or product across. In other words, don't say that there is a scientific study that says 97% of the world's population prefers herbal remedies over visiting a doctor when you know that the information is false and there was no such study done. Or don't say you're a doctor just so the reader takes you more seriously. In most cases a reader will know by what you're saying and how you're saying it if in fact you have a PhD or not, regardless if you put it after your name in the resource box. You want to take the reader, and your obligation to them, more seriously. You don't have to be a doctor or have a Master's Degree for them to benefit from what you have to say. Remember, you obviously have key information that they can benefit from or you wouldn't be submitting an article in the first place. Use your writing skills and experience to win them over, not false titles and fictional attributions. 3. Don't Stop With the Article (The user experience goes on long afterwards.) So, you've written a great article that is sure to provide thousands of readers with useful knowledge on a particular subject. That's great! But to truly earn the respect of your readers, you can't stop with the article. Don't submit an exceptionally well-written piece only to provide links to poor websites that result in a poor reader experience. Your links should direct your readers to websites that are just as informative and useful as your articles. The site's content and subject matter should correlate with that of the article. Link to sites that are both visually appealing and informative. Remember, if they're reading your article, they are interested in your area of expertise and what you have to say, so don't let them down by sending them to a spammy affiliate page or a site full of ads. And don't forget to double check your links! Make certain that they are all working correctly and the sites are functioning properly. No matter how great your article is, it does you no good if it leads nowhere. Article Marketing is so much more than a method of driving traffic to your site. It's also an opportunity to touch the heart and mind of your reader while also building your credibility as an Expert Author. In the end, earning the respect of your readers benefits everybody. Your readers gain new information and insights while you gain exposure, credibility, traffic and conversions. Just make sure you keep up your end of the deal. Now take a few moments to stop and think about what you can do to earn the respect of your readers. Then put those thoughts into action by writing and submitting a fresh set of original, respect-earning, expert articles. As always, we'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment:
http://blog.ezinearticles.com/2010/02/from-my-desk-to-yours-9th-edition.html | 
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