Hi Alvin! Thanks so much for having me here as a guest expert. Before I jump in, I’d like to introduce myself for your readers who haven’t met me yet. I’m Nicole Dean, and I’ve been involved in Internet Marketing since 2004. I dabbled before that, but 2004 was the year that I actually started considering myself in business.

I tell people that I climbed up the learning curve with bloody fingers. I did everything the hard way. It was once I found shortcuts that I realized just how difficult I was making this “Internet Marketing thing” and I finally started to make some real money. Thankfully, I’m doing very well now and am enjoying both the financial goals that I set out for myself, but more importantly the lifestyle that I’d always wanted – working when I want, where I want.

Ok. Let’s talk shortcuts. We all have limited hours in the day, so how can we get more done in less time? PLR is one of my absolute favorite shortcuts for any online business owner.

You sent me a few questions that you’d like me to answer today, so let’s get to it now.

Question #1: What exactly PLR articles are?

Private Label Rights (PLR) articles are written and sold to multiple online business owners to use on their websites, blogs, in their ezines, or to create infoproducts.

For instance, you can find articles on topics from Dog Training to Affiliate Marketing here at Easy PLR Articles.

The great thing about PLR is that you can edit the content, load it up with links to recommended products and services, translate it into multiple languages if you wish, and you can put your own name on them to establish yourself as an expert. They’re fantastic for people who are not prolific writers or who just would prefer to focus on other areas of their business.

Question #2: What are the advantages of using PLR articles?

Let’s compare PLR to a few other popular methods of generating web content.

1. Free reprint articles.

Yes, you can go to EzineArticles.com and grab content there for free, but – you can’t edit it, and you must link to the author in your resource box. Plus, you have to sort through thousands of really awful articles in order to find the occasional gem there. Not my preferred method, unless you can find articles by experts – but, even in that case, you have to link to their website rather than to your own products and services.

With PLR, you link to what you want to, you can make the articles reflect your own thoughts and opinions and experience, and you are the expert rather than endorsing someone else as the expert in your field.

2. Hiring a Ghostwriter

I love Ghostwriters, but they’re much, much more expensive than purchasing PLR. With PLR articles, you can normally get your articles for $1/article. If you hire a Ghostwriter, they can cost anywhere from $5-$50/article or more, depending on the quality that you’re looking for.

What I recommend to my clients is that they start with PLR and then bring in a qualified Ghostwriter to improve/customize the articles if they do not have the time, ability, or inclination to edit them themselves.

3. Writing the Content from Scratch.

Of course, you can write all of your own content, but I personally find that sometimes I run fresh out of ideas, and get stuck staring at a white blank screen. That’s when I’m so thankful for the PLR that I have stored in my blog in “draft” mode. I can open those PLR docs and use them as rough drafts to create blog posts that are original and showcase me as the expert that I am.

Question #3: What are the biggest mistakes most people make with PLR articles?

The #1 mistake that people make when purchasing PLR is not using it. They buy it and let it sit on their hard drive until it’s either out of date or totally forgotten.

The other mistake that I see people making is that they purchase PLR articles and just copy/paste them exactly as they are onto their blogs. Even if you only change a bit of the article, I recommend putting in just a few minutes to make the articles unique to you. Showcase your expertise. Include personal examples. Or even just change the wording slightly to better connect with your market.

By doing those two things – using and customizing your PLR – you’ll be ahead of 99.9% of the other marketers out there.

One final mistake is investing in JUNK PLR – which is old recycled content that has been circulating the web for years and isn’t written with the reader in mind. Be very careful where you buy your PLR, so that you can rest easy, knowing it isn’t stolen, mish-mash, or recycled content.

Question #4: What to look for in PLR articles before purchasing them?

There are several red flags to watch out for. Here are two that I feel are non-negotiable.

1. What is the reputation of the person selling the PLR content?

For instance, I’ve been selling PLR articles on the web since 2006 at Easy PLR Articles and have thousands of happy, repeat customers. I wouldn’t recommend buying PLR articles from just anyone.

2. How many others will have access to the exact same PLR content as you will?

Some PLR content has been circulating the web for years and years. And, other PLR sites sell their content to thousands of people and have no plans to ever pull it off the market. That doesn’t sit well with me. At Easy PLR Articles – we strictly limit the amount of PLR packages that we sell for each topic.

Well, I hope that gives you a better feel for what PLR is and how it can help you with your online business. If you have any questions or comments, please post them below.

Thanks so much, Alvin, for inviting me here!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean
If you’d like to learn more about me, here’s my Internet Marketing Motivation Blog.