Our New Additions

Sandi Valentine — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:54:46 +0000

For those readers wondering where I disappeared to - I went off and had a baby! Pregnancy, overall, was incredibly rough on me, and I ended up drastically cutting down on my committments and work. Now we’re home, and hopefully things are back to normal - or as normal as things get with a new little one around!

I’m also in the process of launching a new membership site for WAHM’s with my business partner, Marie Pugh. You can check it out at www.wahmsalliance.com. There’s a free report just for signing up for our newsletter, and the site will be live in a week or so. There’s also a free community area that you can join now, for those of you who just…can’t….wait!

Guest Post…

Sandi Valentine — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:12:00 +0000

If you get a chance, be sure to check out my guest post on bartering and business over at Web Writing Info….tell Courtney I sent you

Cash Crate

Sandi Valentine — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:09:00 +0000

If you’re interested in picking up a little bit of spending money each month, you may want to consider signing up for Cash Crate. They’re an online survey site, where you get paid to share your opinion on products and services. I signed up awhile ago, but never really took the time to fill anything out or try to get any referrals, or, well… anything. However, I keep seeing Amy Bass’s results over at My Debt Free Goal, and am impressed to say the least. So, here goes nothin’….

Finding PLR Topics

Sandi Valentine — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:16:00 +0000

I promised to blog about other ways to find good topics for PLR packs, so away we go…

Keyword Research
An excellent (free) keyword research tool that I use often is Keyword Dig This small, fast utility is easy to use and helps you find popular keywords and niches. There are a variety of keyword research tools available on the internet for free - this one’s just my favorite

eBay Pulse

eBay Pulse is another great research tool for writers. Browse around a bit, and you’ll be able to see what’s hot right now. Many affiliate marketers make their living from eBay affiliate sales, so popular products are generally good topics for PLR packs

Forum Research
Check out trends on popular webmaster forums such as
Warrior Forum
Sitepoint
Digital Point

These are all good places to lurk (or post, if you feel so inclined) and find out what markets are hot, as well as what marketers are looking for.

Recently Requested PLR topics

Sandi Valentine — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:11:00 +0000

I try to keep an eye on the Warrior Forum for ideas for PLR topics that may be in demand, as well as what marketers look for over time. Here’s a list of what people have been asking for/recommending to writers over the past few months…

Real Estate
Dating
Self Help
Weight Loss
Anxiety
Health
Dog Training
Investing
Depression

Later this week we’ll cover other good places to find niche topics for PLR packs.

Where Does PLR go?

Sandi Valentine — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:58:00 +0000

I’ve seen several posts on a variety of WAH message boards where people are curious as to where their writing ends up. PLR articles are generally marketed as a way for internet marketers to get content quickly and easily, allowing them to get a jump start on the competition. They purchase pre-researched, pre-written content and can then rewrite it quickly for use on their own sites.

Affiliate Marketing
PLR material is used in a variety of ways. It can be rewritten and used on content sites, which often promote affiliate products. For example, if a marketer runs several sites that market dog training products, he might be interested in your article pack in the dog training niche. He could change the titles of the articles, flesh them out a bit, and have ten pages worth of content for his site. Alternatively, he could rewrite them, submit them to ezinearticles, and drive traffic to his affiliate site. Affiliate marketers are a great niche market for PLR article writers, as they’re always in need of fresh content for their niche sites.

Membership Sites
Marketers also run membership sites on nearly every topic you can think of. These sites are often small, focused sites targeted to specific interest groups. Webmasters are always on the look out for new content for this type of site. Articles may be used “as is” or rewritten into a new short report, ebook, or other type of content. They may even be converted into a video or audio segment and distributed to members.

Product Creation
This method of “PLR Flipping” is growing more and more popular. Internet marketers purchase PLR, often in the form of article packs. They then rewrite it, rearrange it, and format it into an ebook, report, or audio or video series. This product is then sold for a profit.

Now that you have some ideas of where the PLR material you write goes, you may want to consider holding on to a license for yourself! If you choose to do so, you can put your hard work to work for you, while selling it to clients at the same time. Of course, you’ll have to rework it slightly before use, but we’ll discuss how to do that later in the month.

PLR - An Introduction

Sandi Valentine — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:01:00 +0000

When you’re first breaking into the web writing business, all of the alphabet soup style acronyms can be a bit overwhelming. PLR, put simply, stands for Private Label Rights - a type of license that you sell along with your content. Depending on the individual restrictions you set, you are giving buyers the right to edit your content, redistribute it, submit it to article directories as their own, etc.

A pack of PLR articles is generally written with a specific theme in mind. They can be keyword based, or they can simply have the same general topic, such as dog breeding. You are essentially selling webmasters and article marketers a “skeleton” that they can use for their business writing. The articles are generally used as a branching off point for blog posts, new articles, - even ebooks and short reports. You’re saving the buyer time, as they are purchasing quality content that has already been researched - eliminating the most time consuming part of the writing process.

When you begin marketing PLR, be sure that you understand what rights you are selling along with your PLR packs. Take some time to browse through other products being offered - the WSO forum on the Warrior Forum is a great place to do this. Many marketers include their rights statement in the sales letter, allowing potential customers the chance to see what rights they are purchasing.

Another factor to consider when selling PLR article packs is how many licenses you will offer. The more limited the quantity, the more valuable the content. Consider limiting your offer to 50 packs or less for the best rate - marketers are very concerned about how many people will be starting their project with the same basic content.

Ten Reasons I’m Glad I Work at Home

Sandi Valentine — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:25:00 +0000

10. Working in comfortable clothes. The more pregnant I get, the more important this becomes
9. Being able to work with my daughter in my lap if necessary. She’s teething, and all she wants is mama. If I had to pry her off my leg every day to go to work, I’m not sure I could handle it.
8. Being able to take breaks when I want/need to. Again, the more pregnant I get, the more important this becomes.
7. I can schedule my work around playdates, doctor’s appointments, and naptimes.
6. Not having to choose between my family and my job on a daily basis.
5. I can watch Harry Potter and check my email at the same time - doesn’t get much better than that!
4. I rarely have to answer the phone, as I do most of my communication via email. My last job involved answering the phone for 8-10 hours per day and speaking to psychiatric patients who needed emergency treatment, so this is a biggie!
3. I don’t have to rely on cold sandwiches or takeout. I worked throughout my last pregnancy, and gained 50 pounds from the takeout lunches and potluck. At 24 weeks, I’ve gained….dare I post it for the world…2 pounds. Of course, the puking for four months could have had something to do with that
2. No pantyhose. Ever. In fact, if I have to dress up for some other function, I’ll have to go out and buy a pair, as I threw them all out when I left my last job.
1. I’m my own boss! This means, among other things, that I don’t have to explain my sarcasm, my casual dress, or why I seem to be unable to roll out of bed before 10 AM. I can be as “unique” as I want, practice the parenting styles and religion I want without being criticized or isolated, and take the day off when I need it. I don’t have to spend every day in an office with four other women, the majority of whom need their heads examined. Life got a lot better the day I decided to work at home

Upcoming Events!

Sandi Valentine — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:28:00 +0000

I occasionally post on a few message boards for writers, and several topics keep cropping up again and again. Therefore, I’ve decided to blog on a monthly writing theme, providing a mini e-course for my readers as they launch their writing careers.

Coming up for May - PLR, PLR, and (you guessed it) more PLR! You’ll learn what it is, how to write it, where to market it - tons of great information to get your business up and rolling as you begin to market for yourself. I’ll be answering any questions asked in the comments or via email, as well, so feel free to drop me a line.

To Your Writing Success -

Sandi

I’m still alive….

Sandi Valentine — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:25:00 +0000

For those of you who have been wondering where I’ve been….I’m still here. I’ve just been very, very ill.

We found out we were expecting baby #2 shortly before Christmas. Right around the holidays, the morning sickness hit. Then it became all day sickness. It never let up, and in fact became progressively worse. Two months later, I’m finally lifting my head out of the toilet to say hello. My lovely condition is known as hyperemesis, and has caused me all sorts of grief for the last few months - I’m on my third prescription medication in that time.

Finally entering the second trimester has offered me some relief, for which I am ever so thankful. So now, back to work! I’m crazily behind after being incapacitated for two months, but hopefully you’ll be hearing from me more regularly now that I’m feeling a bit better. It’ll be a few weeks of long, late nights before I dig myself out of this hole, I think.