Taking Jason's Software for a Test Drive...

I'm referring to Jason Potash, of course - and his newest software program & training guide: Article Announcer . I actually listened to the training portion, which was a huge perk. (It would be nice if ALL courses came in audio!) The audio is Jason Potash and John Reese going into great detail about: writing articles, creating compelling bylines (or signatures), directories & submissions, outsourcing (ghost writers, elance, etc), content & keywords... everything to do with articles, and how to benefit from this marketing strategy.

I did print out the User Guide so that I could refer back to it. It's very well written, by the way - and includes a lot of great tips & resources in addition to details about the software program (including step-by-step instruction & screen shots).

It's really all fool-proof because in addition to the Blueprint, Swipe Files and detailed User Guide... Jason shows you everything step-by-step in easy how-to videos! You'll find videos on:

- Choosing topics
- Optimizing your articles
- Setting up your Resource Box
- Increasing Profit Potential with Articles

... and a lot more. Jason really has covered it ALL in this series!


The Toolbox

You have a Keyword Density Analyzer, an Article Formatter, a Spam Checker, copy & paste Redirect creator (to fix those long, ugly links), an Article Tracker... and a "PageRank Booster" which is a nifty little tool that lets you search out web pages with specific PR, based on keywords (Great for content submissions & link exchanges!).

The Software

The software program is very easy to use. What I like most about it is that it is customizable - you can easily add ezine publishers or directories to your lists, remove them, file comments for later, etc.

The software allows you to either paste in your article collection, or create articles right within the program. Each screen is self-explanatory and gives you directions for each field. It will allow you to format your articles with hard breaks, selecting the characters per line - and will even give you a word count as you're writing.

You really cant go wrong with this process!

When submitting your articles to ezine publishers, it allows you to select ezines by category so that you can target your audience precisely. No "blasting" or worries about sending material to publishers that have no interest in your topic.


YES, YOU CAN DO ALL OF THIS WITHOUT THE SOFTWARE...

In fact, most of us have been submitting articles for years. It's no secret that this is a very powerful marketing strategy. That said, the process has always been quite lengthy and frustrating - and most webmasters would rather spend their valuable time doing something else altogether.

Several months ago I gave in and hired someone to submit articles for me. I simply didnt have time to mess with it as I was busy launching new sites, writing the articles and working out deals. I paid him $7 an hour to hand-submit my articles... with 3 articles in hand to start, and directions to search for directories, submission lists and any site that accepted related content.

I knew what he'd run into... which is the very reason I hired it out. Some forms didnt work, some sites were no longer accepting articles, many sites required registration and even email confirmation... It's a very long and tedious process. I'm sure he was glad I paid him by the hour instead of the successful submission (LOL).

Two full days and $112 in labor later... I had a handful of successful article submissions. 15-20 if I remember correctly, and most of those on pages in directories with low or no PageRank. I finally put him on another task and made a note to pick up on it later. Which, to this day, I havent found (or made) the time to do.

Imagine how much easier it will be now: With ArticleAnnouncer I can easily input the articles and make my selections... and let the program do all of the work! Once I get my options set within the program, I could easily outsource article submissions again - allowing my assistant to use the new automated software. He could accomplish 100x the results... for a tenth of the pay :-)

Jason recommends that we sit down at least once a week to promote our articles and get them out there in front of ezine publishers and webmasters that have the potential to send us a lot of very warm and targeted visitors.

Doing this without ArticleAnnouncer is going to make the task fall at the very bottom of your list of priorities. Doing it with ArticleAnnouncer is going to make it EASY on you... which means you're much more likely to actually do it!

Content Exchanges really are an important key to making your website(s) successful. Whether you are posting helpful responses on high-traffic discussion forums, getting your articles published on high-ranking websites, or partnering up with other webmasters to bring unique related content to your visitors... there really is no better way to establish your credibility, and to get your content and website address in front of your target market!


Article Announcer

I'm VERY happy with this package - cover to cover - and looking forward to the results!