How to Make People Read Your Article

How to Ensure People Want to Read Your Articles

Having a blog is great…

But not if no one reads it.

It definitely sucks to put so much time and/or money into writing blog posts, and then hear the crickets. But with the following tips, you can ensure your audience is attracted to your articles and then wants to keep reading through to the end.

5 Tips to Ensure People Want to Read Your Content

Spend Time Making Your Headline Awesome

The headline is the first thing your readers will see, and people see hundreds of headlines every day. So, if your headline is just blasé, they aren’t going to take the time out of their busy day to read your article.

Your headline should present a clear benefit to the reader. They should be stopped by it and say to themselves, “that’s just what I’ve been searching for” or “I’ve been wondering that.”

At the same time, it should be uniquely worded so that it stands apart from all the other headlines on the same topic. Here are some examples of blasé headlines vs. stellar headlines:

Open Strong

The opening of your article is critical for grabbing the interest of your readers and getting them to read the rest of your article. The headline pulled them in, but now you need to give them something that makes them say, “Hey, this is gonna be a good read.”

How do you do that? The easiest way is to tell a personal story that relates to the article topic. It could be a personal experience or a story about someone else. It could also be something that elicits emotion, or something that paints a detailed picture of a situation they can relate to and gets them to use their five senses.

Format it Right

It’s really important to remember that formatting definitely matters. The articles that just contain paragraphs get read the least because they feel tedious to read (even if they are not). That’s why it is so important to break up your articles with headings, sub-headings, bullets, numbered lists, and graphics. You can also use bold and colored text to make certain words stand out.

And keep your paragraphs short, even if it’s not the proper way to write!

Bring in Emotions & Senses

The more you can pull on your readers’ emotional strings, the more they will keep reading. Here are some ways you can do that:

  • Use words that make them feel something emotionally.
  • Reiterate your understanding of their situation with personal experiences or examples.
  • Focus on showing them something instead of telling them about something.
  • Engage them and get them to use all five senses.
  • Bring your sense of humor into the article and give them a chuckle.

Close Strong

Don’t neglect the close of your article. The best way to make a lasting impression is to close strong by coming full circle and bringing a new insight to what you said in your opening which could only have been declared by reading the article. It’s also a great place to include a call to action.

Another option is to have a Next Steps section where you provide them with some action steps they can take to put the ideas in your article to work. I’ll demonstrate that here in my own Next Steps section.

Next Steps

Now that you know the most important aspects that make people want to read your articles, here are some resources you can look into to help you put it all into action:

  1. Do Sticky Blogging – I have taken hundreds of online courses over the years. I mean seriously, I’m kind of a junkie when it comes to that. But by far, the one and only course that stands out to me is Sticky Blogging and Sticky SEO. Well, I guess that’s two, but they are offered by the same person. I learned more in those courses than I did in any other course. That’s honestly where I learned most of the points in this article. She offers a free workshop, which you can get access to here.
  2. Use Coschedule’s Headline Analyzer – This is actually a tool that was introduced to me in the Sticky Blogging course, and it’s a game changer for headlines. It helps you choose powerful words for your headlines so they can grab as much attention as possible. The headline analyzer is on this page, but make sure you also download the Power Words cheatsheet that are available at the bottom of the page because you’ll need to use those while you are using the analyzer.
  3. Start With PLR – Creating a consistent stream of awesome content that doesn’t consume all of your time and money is very possible with PLR (private label rights) content. Use it as a starting point for your articles and then use the tips outlined in this article to make it unique and awesome! Browse my PLR store here.
  4. Have Fun – Creating content that gives people value is pretty cool. These days, we can be our own publishers because we can put content out so easily in so many different ways. Just make sure you are not just adding to the noise, but are striving to make a difference with your content if you want it to actually get read.
How to Change PLR

How to Quickly Turn Your PLR Into Something Unique & Awesome

Looking at a blank screen when you set out to create a piece of content is certainly daunting, even for writers.

PLR removes that issue.

When you purchase a PLR product, you automatically have content to start with. It’s what you do with that content that transforms it into something unique and awesome.

In most cases, you should consider PLR to be a starting point. There are exceptions to this rule, and I will go over them later in this article, but for the most part, it removes that blank screen issue and reduces the time needed to publish content.

Why Change the PLR Content You Purchase?

If you want 100% unique content, the only way to create it is to either write it yourself or hire a freelance writer. PLR content is sold to many people, so, out of the box, it is definitely not unique to your business. But when you make some tweaks and changes to it, you can transform it into something that is unique and therefore makes you and your business stand out.

What PLR Does Not Need to be Changed?

While you certainly can always change the PLR you purchase as you see fit, it is not essential that you change it if you are using it for any of the following reasons:

  • When You Are Selling It – If you are selling an e-book that started out as PLR, for example, you don’t have to change it all. You might want to add a page to it that talks about your business and gives people a way to contact you, and you might want to add your logo to the cover, but other than that, products like this can easily be used right out of the box.
  • When You Are Emailing It – If you are using a PLR article in an email, there is no real need to alter it.

What PLR Should Definitely be Changed?

There are definitely times when it will hinder you if you don’t make changes to PLR before you publish it. Here are some examples:

  • When You Are Publishing It on Your Blog – If you want your website to rank on Google, and let’s face it, why would any of us really maintain a blog if we didn’t, it is essential that you make changes to the PLR content you purchase before publishing it. That’s because Google will not rank sites that contain duplicate content, and since PLR is used by many people, using it without making changes is one way to ensure you won’t get good Google rankings.
  • When You Are Using It for Guest Posts on Other Blogs – The same thing goes for guest posts, but even more so because you’ll be hurting the rankings of the website you are guest posting for if you don’t provide unique content. We want to collaborate with other websites and make friends with them, and supplying an article that is not unique content is one sure way to burn that bridge.
  • When You Are Selling It as a Book on AmazonAmazon has a policy that your book must differentiate itself from others in order to be sold on Amazon or Kindle, so you’ll need to make sure you alter the PLR book so that it is different enough from other versions of the book.
  • When You Want It to Match Your Voice – Obviously, purchased PLR is cookie-cutter. It can’t interject opinions or a voice that makes it stand out as your own unless you alter it to do so. It’s a good start, but you have to make it yours.

Tips to Quickly Transform PLR Into Something Unique & Awesome

Now you know that there are times when making changes to your PLR content is essential and there are also times when it doesn’t matter so much. Now, I want to provide some tips that will help you make some edits to it so that it becomes yours.

PLEASE NOTE: You’ll need to use your discretion to determine how many of these tips should be used at once. Sometimes, one method is sufficient and sometimes, you’ll want to do all of them or anything in between.

Add Personal Stories

The number one thing you can do to make PLR yours is to integrate personal stories and experiences into it. Essentially, that is really all that makes things unique anyway. In most cases, information is just recycled, but the people we remember learning it from are those whose stories we relate to the most.

So, if you are writing a blog post using a PLR article, create an opening story that somehow relates to the article. Then, weave in some smaller personal experiences or keep relating back to the opening story throughout the article.

Rearrange It

There are so many different ways you can rearrange PLR content to make it more original. Here are some examples:

  • If you purchased a 10 pack of articles, you could put them together and turn it into an e-book or a longer article.
  • You can reorder lists and paragraphs.
  • If you purchased a report, you can turn it into several articles.
  • You can add headings and change how the article is formatted.
  • You can turn some paragraphs into bulleted lists.
  • You can combine several different pieces of content from different PLR sellers into one.

Add and/or Remove Content

Another fun way to make it your own is to remove sections of the content you don’t like and add pieces of original content into it. Here are some examples of things you can add into the PLR content:

  • Graphs and charts that provide a visual representation of something explained in the article
  • Famous quotes that relate to the content
  • Descriptions of and links to your own content or to affiliate products
  • Call to actions
  • Ideas and points you want to add
  • Worksheets and cheatsheets
  • Helpful resources

Add Images

Adding images will visually set your content apart, whether it’s for a blog post, an e-book, or whatever. Choose images that will speak to your audience and bring out the points in the content.

Change the Cover

If you purchased PLR with a cover, it’s often a good idea to create your own cover in order to make it stand out and so that it matches your branding. At the very least, add your logo to the cover.

Add Info Pages About Your Business

If you sell or giveaway an e-book that was purchased as PLR, you want to make sure you at least add a page or two about you and your company to the book. Otherwise, people might download the e-book to their computer, read it 6 months later, and have no recollection of where they got it from. Always make sure they have a way of contacting you should they enjoy the content.

Add Your Voice

If you are striving to create a brand for yourself, your voice is very important. Your voice is the tone and wording you tend to use on your content. For some people, it’s very laid back, almost as if they are just talking with a friend. For other businesses, it’s much more formal. And then, there’s everything in between. If there are words you tend to use and a tone you prefer, make sure you go through and add that into your PLR content so that you are conveying a consistent message.

Complete Rewrite

There are definitely times when complete rewrites are important, and that’s okay – you’ll still save time by not having to come up with all the ideas and by not having to do much research. In those cases, use the PLR content as your starting point as if it’s the research you found on your topic, and then rewrite it in your own words, adding any personal stories and ideas you want to add along the way.

PLR Goldmine

Why PLR is Your Goldmine

If you recently stumbled across PLR, you just discovered a goldmine for your business! You’ll be excited to find out all the benefits of using PLR to make more money and improve your business. Here are 6 of the best benefits:

6 Benefits of Using PLR

It Puts Money in Your Pocket

PLR is one of the fastest ways to put money in your pocket. You can literally purchase a PLR product and list it up for sale on your website within an hour or less. You can make a few simple tweaks to make it your own, add some information about your business, brand it with your logo, and you’re done. If you want to keep your online store filled with fresh digital products, PLR is the fastest way to do it (as long as you’re buying high-quality PLR).

It Saves You Time

PLR saves so much time! Whether you use it as is or even if you just use it as research and you rewrite it completely, it still saves you numerous hours in content development. Every business owner these days knows how time-consuming it is to maintain a blog, do email marketing and social media marketing, and create new digital products to sell. With PLR, it’s sooooo much easier and cuts that time down drastically.

It Saves You Money

As busy business owners, we often outsource certain projects like content development, article writing, and other writing projects because there simply isn’t enough time in the day for us to keep up with it all while running our businesses. But hiring a freelance writer can be expensive, especially if you want quality work.

Writers are a dime a dozen, but the large majority of them cannot create the level of content business owners are looking for. I know this because I am a freelance writer and I only produce high-quality content. To give you some perspective, I see job posts all the time from people who want to pay $20 for a 1200 (or more) word article. That’s a great price for the business owner, but the only writer who is going to do that is someone who just throws together some crap. Because to write a well-researched 1200 word article that is professional and makes someone actually want to read it, it usually takes me about 4 hours, and I’m certainly not working for $5/hr.

My clients want my expertise, experience, and creativity, but many of them simply can’t afford it on a regular basis. That’s why I started my MindBodySpirit PLR. I saw the need for high-quality content at a much cheaper price, and that’s what my PLR products offer.

It Gets You More Subscribers

Many people use PLR to create a digital product that they can give away on their website in return for an email address. This is one of the best ways to use PLR, and as long as you are giving away something valuable that your prospective customers feel would benefit their lives, they’ll be happy to opt in and subscribe to your list.

It Creates Raving Fans

Once you have people on your email list, it’s important to consistently provide them with more valuable content. This helps them view you as an authority on your topic, and if you keep giving them more and more of what they want, they will become raving fans. And raving fans are what every business wants because those are the people who talk about your products and services to everyone, they promote you, LIKE your stuff, comment on it, share it, and they buy everything you put out.

But being able to offer a consistent stream of high value content to your list is really difficult, especially for small businesses who can’t hire someone to manage their email and social media marketing on a daily basis. PLR makes it a snap – simply purchase some PLR articles to email out every week, and maybe grab a PLR e-book that you can send to them as a free gift every now and then.

It Keeps You Inspired

PLR creators keep up on the latest trends and content opportunities, and they put out a steady stream of content that you might not have even thought of until you see if coming from them. Using their latest products can help you keep things fresh in your business, and it gets your creative juices flowing as well.

How to Brand PLR Covers

How to Brand PLR Covers

Many PLR writers provide editable e-book covers, which is really great as long as you have the design program it was designed in.

I find, however, that most people who are using PLR often don’t have the software they need to edit the cover and they don’t really even want to be bothered. That’s where brandable covers come in.

What are Brandable Covers?

One thing’s for sure – you want to have your logo on your e-book covers. Brandable covers allow you to add your logo to them so that the product is branded to you and your business.

I often provide 5 different brandable covers with each of my e-books. That way, you can choose the cover you like best and add your logo to it, and poof! It’s done lickety split!

How to Brand Your Covers

While I did go to college for fashion design, and art and design are certainly some of my strengths, I am not a graphic designer. I do have Photoshop, but designing highly professional-looking covers and graphics is just  easier for me in Canva.

The only negative about Canva is that I can’t provide you with the Canva file so that you can edit it yourself. That’s why I provide different options for your PLR covers. Here’s what I provide:

  • Multiple cover choices so you can choose the one that works best for you
  • PNGs of each cover that you can upload into Canva, and then you can add your logo to them
  • PDFs of the covers, so that if you prefer to use Photoshop, you can place your logo on the PDF
  • I also provide cover options that are laid out so that no logo is necessary for those of you who are not concerned with adding your logo

I’m not going to go over the steps to add your logo using either of those programs because there are plenty of blogs out there that provide that info. For example, you can click here to read about placing a logo using Photoshop, and you can click here to read about adding your logo in Canva.

NOTE: With each of my covers, I always include samples of where you can add your logo to the covers, so you can look at those to get an idea of where to place your logo on each cover.

Ways to Use PLR

10 Ways to Use PLR in Your Holistic Business

PLR is a marketing solution that allows you to save a lot of money and still have a steady stream of content and products running through your business. The ways in which you can use PLR are almost endless! To get you started, I’ve compiled my top 10 ways to use PLR.

10 Ways to Use PLR in Your Holistic Business

Use It as a Starting Point to Create Unique Blog Articles

This is definitely my favorite way to use PLR. Yes, even writers like me use PLR to speed up their research!

There are many ways to use PLR as a starting point for writing blog articles. You can use the content as research and write your own unique content from it (that’s what I have done in the past when I used it). You can mix and match parts of different PLR articles to create your own article. You can use the article as is but add in personal stories and ideas.

When using this technique, just make sure you rewrite some or all of the content to avoid duplicate content issues for SEO purposes. That’s not an issue when you are using PLR for email marketing or digital products, but when it is published on your website, it is essential that your content is unique so that you have a chance of ranking well.

I go over how to turn PLR into something unique and awesome in this article.

Create Products to Sell on Your Website

Using PLR to create and sell your own digital products is one of the fastest ways to produce your own products. You can use PLR products as they are or you can make any changes you see fit. It’s always nice to give it your own flair, but if the content is high quality, selling it without making changes is certainly an option as well.

Some Tips: Always add an “About the Author” page into PLR e-books so that you can promote yourself and brand it to your business. Consider adding a “Next Steps” page to promote your work further, and provide links they can visit on your website or certain actions you would like them to take.

Use the PLR Content as a Free Giveaway

Every business needs some kind of free giveaway that they can use to entice people to opt in to their email list so that they can stay in touch with them. PLR is a great way to create something quickly.

But that’s not the only way you can use PLR for free giveaways. You can also email it to existing customers as a thank you for their loyalty or use it as a bonus when someone purchases one of your own products.

Repurpose the PLR Content

Repurposing content is one of the best ways to save time and money. There are so many different ways to provide content and by repurposing it, you can reach more people and get the most out of your content. Here are several ways you can repurpose PLR content:

  • Split up e-books into articles.
  • Turn several articles into an e-book or report.
  • Use the content on a membership website.
  • Rewrite the content to create a unique guest post on another site.
  • Create an e-course with the content.
  • Create videos and audios from the content.
  • Use it as an upsell.
  • Rewrite it and turn it into a book and publish it on Amazon.

Enhance the PLR Content

PLR is best when you make it yours by enhancing it. For example, you can add your own worksheets, cheat sheets, checklists, or infographics to the content. You can add your own voice into the content. I always say it’s best to think of PLR as a great starting point and then enhance it and make it your own from there.

Tweak the PLR Content to Fit a Different Niche or Current Event

By making tweaks, it is often very easy to use PLR for a different niche or current event. For example, an article about how to relieve stress can be changed into an article about how to have less stress around the holidays. An e-book about general nutrition can be turned into an e-book about how to eat when you have fibromyalgia.

Monetize the PLR Content

It’s, of course, a lot of fun to earn money from the PLR you purchase. Here are some strategies for monetizing PLR:

  • Add affiliate links or links to your own products/services into a PLR e-book or article.
  • Create digital products from the PLR to sell on your website.
  • Turn the PLR into a book to sell on Amazon (make sure you rewrite it because Amazon does not allow PLR to be sold as books without altering it).
  • Turn it into a video series to sell.
  • Turn it into an online course to sell.
  • Use it as content on a membership site.

Use PLR for Social Media Marketing

PLR can also be used for your social media marketing content. For example, you can pull out short blurbs of content to post on social media. You can pull out quotes and create graphics out of them. You can turn the content into an infographic to post on Pinterest.

Use PLR for Email Marketing

Finally, you can use PLR to create email autoresponders and broadcasts. As we know, it’s important to stay in front of your potential clients, and using quality PLR to provide your email list with valuable information is a great way to do that.