Using PLR articles

PLR = Private Label Rights

On the Internet, we find thousands upon thousands of PLR articles. Many marketers sell them in packages, of 10, 25, 100, or even thousands. For low prices most of the time.

You can post one on a site and claim you are the original author.

Should you use these PLR articles for your business ?

There are many good ways to use a PLR article.

• Rewrite parts of it, about 75 %, and submit different versions to serious article directories
• Take the ideas and write one with your own style

However, some marketers simply submit the article as it was originally written.

It is ok. It is ethical. But...

1. Is it a good business practice ?
2. Can it help your personal branding ?
3. Will it help you become a good, or better writer ?

Let me give you my opinion on these questions.


Is it a good business practice ?

Some people might not care that you do that. However, serious marketers might wonder why you don't take the time to rewrite at least some of it. Especially since with a good article spinner, you can go through the result and make it readable again. It doesn't take that much time.

Let's review some excuses for not writing:

• "I'm not a good writer" : like everything else, practice makes perfect, and perfect is not necessary in the IM world, unless you're looking for a job as a professional writer. Most people won't care if you don't write a Pulitzer-prize worthy article, many people only want to know WIIFM => What's In It For Me
  
• "I don't like to write" : there are sites like elance.com who will do the writing for you, at low cost and good quality
  
• "I don't have time" : if you don't take the time to do things right at the beginning of your business, you will hurt it in the long run
  

Treat your business like a hobby, you will get low results.

It's better to always think long term.


Can it help your personal branding ?

For some time, I don't know, maybe months, or a few years, submitting PLR articles might not hurt too much. But this is the Internet. Word gets out like wildfire. Do you only want to sell to newbies ?


Will it help you become a good, or better writer ?

Writing is a skill. The only way to develop that skill is to write, write and write some more.

You're afraid people might mock you, despise you, or ignore you ?

I have good news for you. The ones who mock or despise you, you wouldn't want to do business with them anyway. The people reading their comments will prefer talking to you than dealing with them. We all have to begin somewhere. If the info you write is good and interesting, people will start to notice your other articles, you will get more and more feedback, the naysayers will stay away from you.

The ones who ignore you ? Sorry to say, it will happen. But, by definition, you won't know. So, if one person or 1,000 ignore you, it doesn't change a thing, right ?

Chances are, the more you write, the more recognition you get, the more those who ignored you will take notice.

This is business. Most people you will deal it on the Internet, you've never met them. Don't take things personally. You will make yourself suffer, and worse, you will waste valuable time you could use to write more articles.

Let me repeat : think long term.