Dear Christen:

I have been reading about publishing articles and press releases for my home business, to promote it but I am not a writer.  I saw some ads for people to write them for me but I do not know what to look for in a writer or how much I should pay.  Do you think it is even worth it?  Does it actually help?

Thanx.

Hi there!  Okay well first off, I do think it is worth it to write articles and press releases!  It will bring you a lot of traffic!  However, I think the best articles are those written by you.  You can write on your expertise in your field and plug your business in the author bio.  This entertains the reader and gives them good information on what you are offering without "selling."  For example, say you sell a great new health product that contains an herb. You can write all about how wonderful this herb is and what it can do for you.  You do not have to be an award winning writer.  You can just keep it simple and state the facts.  You'll know this information better than anyone because selling it is what you do for a living.  Then at the end you can give information on how readers can order this product for themselves.  If you make handcrafted items you may want to write articles for others about what you do.  For example, tips and tricks on sewing.  This will make you appear as an expert in your field (which you are if you have a business doiing it!).  Then, at the end of the article will be a link to your website that readers can follow.  If you represent an MLM, you can still write about these products and include your referral link.  If you sell all natural cleaning products, you may want to write about the benefits of using them by comparing them to chemical products.  If you sell Tupperware, you may want to write about how it keeps food fresher longer and the benefits of such.  Alice Seba gives away a great product called the Article Writing Sweetie that is listed on the Untrodden Road Toolbox page.  It gives you a good step by step, easy to follow way to write quick articles.  She also has a press release sweetie that can be found there.  If you are still not confident or do not want to have to deal with the writing aspect of things, a good place to find people to do your writing are the same companies that pay writers to post on message boards.  Most of these companies also offer article writing services.  Or you can check the freelance boards, post the job you need done, and have people bid on it.  You can have a professional writer write up your press release for a fairly low sum of money.  The same goes for articles.  And the exposure it gives you is definitely worth it!

Here are some places to publish.  Some actually pay you for the content so you benefit twice:

Business Baazee- http://www.businessbaazee.com/ -You share in google adsense income.  You can also submit FREE PR'S TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS!!!! 

Associated Content- http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html?refer=24766  They pay you for your articles and submit them elsewhere for publication (which means more people will see them!).

Ezine Articles- http://www.ezinearticles.com (I get the most traffic from them)

The All I Need- http://www.theallineed.com

Article City- http://www.articlecity.com

Wise Orb- http://www.wiseorb.com/?A=440 You earn roylaties from your articles

For Press Releases you can also submit for free to PR Leap.