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 Amazon – Amazon 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.
