This won’t be the first article I’ve published on how to make money publishing on Triond, but it will be the completed version.  As I have learned the marketing techniques, I have tried to share them, as I think we all should.  As I learn more, I share more.  So here, fellow writers, is the final chapter.

      First, I am not the most successful publisher on triond by any means.  I could get closer than I am now, but I’m simply not willing to commit the necessary amount of time required to reach that plateau.  Without that, however, I average between 2,500 and 5,000 hits per day, and will break $200.00 this month.  And I am neither an exceptional writer or promoter.  I have simply spent the last several months listening, talking, and experimenting.  Virtually none of what you find here will be ideas I originated… but rather things I have picked up from fellow Trionders.  So here, my fellow writers, is the bulk of my knowledge on the subject of marketing your Triond works.  May it serve you well.

The Writing

     This is where it all starts and ends.  There are a few hacks who will publish garbage and try to market it, but in the long run, garbage doesn’t sell.  And the pennies at Triond aren’t near enough that publishing mass amounts of garbage (which, I assure you, people try as well)  will prove worthwhile.  You don’t need to be Hemmingway, but you do need to at least have a bit of writing capability.  Try to stay within your areas of comfort.  If you are a sports fan, write about sports.  If you fancy yourself a poet, write poems. (although you will find that poetry is even less lucrative than general publishing.)

     Informative articles tend to do well, if they are well written, and, in fact, informative. Don’t write an article about the top 10 soaps you prefer, because no one cares.  When you find a subject, research it.  Make sure before you even begin writing that you are familiar with the information you wish to share.

     You need to publish a quality product, so take the 5 minutes to use spell check and check your punctuation.  Use photos and such to accentuate your presentation… you want your article to be as professional as possible.

     The title and tags of your article are of the utmost importance… remember, these are the magnets that draw traffic to you.  Try to be as detailed with your tags as possible… better too many than not enough.

     Keep in mind that you will not get rich at Triond.  If you are spectacularly successful, you might make several hundred dollars in a given month, but to do so requires  long hours of work.  If you are here with visions of quitting your day job for this, think again.  And the odds of being ‘discovered’ here are infinitesimal as well.  it is possible, but for all intensive purposes, you are a very small needle in a vast haystack.  Most people come here for the love of writing, and it is my hope that you will keep that as you become a member of this community.  So many come here to write, and become so caught up in the conquest of profiteering from their writing that they forget to write just for the sake and love of writing.  It is possible to write and make a bit of extra  money.

Promoting

     Now that your article has been written, accepted and published, It’s time to promote.  The first step is to promote here, at triond.   Rule #1… Do not place a link in the forum with a request for people to read you article.  It won’t work.  No matter how original your reason or request is, rest assured half a dozen people have already tried it.  And more to the point, it doesn’t accomplish much; the few views you will get won’t get you a nickel. 

     To get people to read and show an interest in your work, you must show an interest in theirs.  You will find, in the “Explore” section, a list of articles on the ‘hot list’ (popular articles) and ‘new articles’.  Take the time to read, and comment on their work.  Send a private message informing them that you have done so, add them as a friend, and in most cases, they will reciprocate.  This is not a necessary step, but if you are here to improve your writing skills and to network, it is infinitely valuable.  This is a forum of aspiring writers, like you.  And as I said… the vast majority of the ideas I am presenting were taught to me by others.

     Once this is done, it is time to take your article outside of the boundaries of Triond.  This, if you’re here for profit, is where pennies turn into dollars.  On your ‘Content’ screen, towards the right hand side, you will find the ’share’ icon, which looks like this….

     If you click on to this symbol (do so now, and then come back) you will see a list of nearly 50 sites where your article can also be displayed.  I use virtually all of them.  By clicking onto the share icon on your content screen, and then the site you wish to use, you will be taken directly to that site.  There is a brief sign up for each one,  and to sign up for them all will take you appx. 90 minutes.  Time well spent, I assure you.  Each individual site provides step by step instructions. 

     Once you have signed up for all of them, the process of listing your article with all of them takes all of 15-20 minutes, at most.  This is the difference between a few hits and dozens to hundreds of hits.

The Next Level

     I would strongly suggest that you wait until you are comfortable with the steps prior to this before you try the next level of triond marketing.  It can be a bit overwhelming otherwise, and you need to fully understand the nature of internet publishing before to do this effectively. 

     The internet is a huge place, and the secret to generating the kind of views that will make you a reasonably good amount of money and land you on the ‘hot list’  is to expand yourself as much as is possible into the cyber realm.  There is no ‘one size fits all’ method for this; it has to be done on a piece by piece basis.  One of the biggest tools available to us is other forums and chatrooms.  Rather than go into a generic explanation of how this works, I will explain how I promoted several of my articles. (you can click on to them if you so choose… I am not above a bit of shameless self promotion)

http://www.authspot.com/Poetry/Metallica-a-Retrospective.860195

(Metallica, a retrospective)

Obviously, this is an article about the band Metallica.  I placed the article in every Metallica forum and chatroom I could find, as well as appx. a dozen different heavy metal and similarly themed rooms.  I submitted a link to the band’s official website, and placed a link as a comment on their myspace page. (this article is also full of photos and video clips, if you want to see how that is effectively done.)

http://www.authspot.com/Poetry/Sarah-Palin-a-Genuine-Idiot.852931

(Sarah Palin… A Genuine Idiot?)

An article, obviously, about what an idiot Sarah Palin is.  I Threw this one into a variety of different political forums, both republican and Democratic alike.  Also to a number of News forums.

http://www.authspot.com/Poetry/Give-Me-Your-Tired-Your-Poor-But-Not-Your-Gay.845129

(Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor…. But not your Gay)

This was a touchy subject, and nothing breeds views like controversy.  I put this one in a variety of gay forums, and a variety of religious forums as well, focusing on the more conservative denominations I guessed would be anti gay marriage.

http://www.socyberty.com/People/Michael-Jackson-Was-Not-a-Hero.831289

(Michael Jackson was not a hero)

I published this the day he died… highest viewing article I’ve had by far.  Tens of thousands of hits.  With a subject like this; one that dominates the news… I put it everywhere.

     Now, the thing to remember about forum spamming is that you cant simply come in, sign up, drop a url, and leave.  At least not if you want it to work.  Take the time to sign up, and create something of a profile, even if it is just for show.  At least look like an active member of that forum… i will even throw a picture up.  And stop in once in awhile.. I have about 50 forums that I use on a regular basis, and I take one evening a week to visit them… Stop in, pick a topic, drop a few comments.  I have found that doing so exponentially increases my views.  Doing this requires a bit of insight and creativity, and most importantly, time. 

     There is one exception to this rule, and that is a forum called Topix.  This is one of the bigger forums out there, and you will find discussions fro nearly anything.  I have on occasion, dropped a url with a brief description here and pulled hundreds of hits.  This is, due to the size and variety, a great forum to cut your teeth on.

     Another tool that works very well for me is studying those who are very successful at Triond.  If you see an article that stays in the top ten for some time, Google the title.  You will be effectively handed a list of the places where these people promote their works.  Explore.  Dig.  There are a nearly infinite number of these places out there; If you write an article on John Deere tractors, google John Deere Tractors.  You’ll be spoon fed thousands of possibilities.

     The most important aspect of this for me is still the networking.  Trade notes with the people in the forum; the exchange of ideas is what can make this work.

     So there you have it.  It isn’t all that complicated… it simply requires a bit of dedication and diligence, and the willingness to work as hard at promoting as you do writing.  It works for me, it works for the people I got the ideas from, and hopefully it will work for you.  Good Luck.