But did you know that publishers can do a similar thing within article itself? They can turn any word within your article into an ad! They use programs like TextLinkAds to turn select target keywords into hyperlinks to advertiser's website. When a reader clicks on a link, advertiser's website opens within same window. In other words, page is 'hijacked' and your article disappears!

Gasp! As authors, we spend a lot of time planning and writing content designed to hold reader's attention. Surely we should condemn anything which hijacks our audience?

The answer to that question is most definitely, “NO!”

As a heavy Internet user, I'm personally not a fan of text link ads. However, as an author of free reprint articles, I think they're great. Before I explain why, though, let's cover off a few basics...

Text link ads – some FAQs

Like every other form of advertising, text link ads have their detractors. The most common questions asked are:

Q: How can I tell if it's a text link ad? A: Although text link ads look same as text links, you can identify them very quickly simply by mousing (hovering) over them. When you hover over a text link ad for about a second, a popup displays details of advertiser and ad content. Check out this example.

Q: Are they ethical? A: Text link ads are more covert than regular pay-per-click ads like Google AdWords. They look like normal text links, but they don't actually jump where you expect them to. For example, I clicked on a text link ad with anchor text “MSN” expecting it would take me to MSN's search, but instead it took me to website of some sort of SEO service provider. As we all know, it's quite common for people to link to their site using unrelated anchor text. That's all text link ads are doing. So, by nature, text link ads are no more misleading than any other kind of link.

Sure, content has to be worthwhile; it has to be helpful, informative, and not just a sales spiel. And there’s no denying that a well written article can be very compelling. But if your headline doesn’t cut it, article won’t stand a chance. The best article in world will never see light of day without an effective headline.

Now, more than ever, article submissions need a good headline. But it's not just reader you have to worry about. In fact, reader is secondary! When it comes to reprint article headlines, your main focus should be publisher.

You may think requirements of a good headline haven't changed over years, but they have. Unlike headlines for traditional newspapers, magazines, etc., which target only reader, online article submission headlines target first publisher, then reader.

So how do you write a headline for an online publisher?

Here’s a few tips...

1) State your domain

No matter what your business, you can be sure that potential publishers of your article are inundated with information every day. Imagine hypothetical 'Publisher Pete'. He’s webmaster of a high PR site. He receives hundreds of article submissions every day. Additionally, he farms article submission sites (aka 'article banks', 'article submit sites', 'free-reprint sites') for articles on a regular basis. Because so many of article submissions he sees are spam or unrelated, Publisher Pete is quick to dismiss anything that isn't obviously – and immediately – relevant to his website. So make sure your headline signals general subject area of article submission, not just exact topic.

2) State your argument