Begin with the end in mind. --Stephen Covey                                                                     Finding Quality PLR Products                                                                                               Webmasters and ezine publishers among other online entrepreneurs are constantly in need of fresh content. Any online business will require written communication in a variety of forms, including, blogs, press releases, articles, newsletters and basic web content. If an online entrepreneur is fortunate, he/she will have a knack for writing, with the ability to write content that is grammatically correct, unique and interesting. But obviously, just because you are skilled at one aspect of business doesn’t necessarily mean you can write well. Even if you are a talented writer, when running a business time is of the essence. And what if you decide that you need or want to sell software? Few of us have the technical knowledge required to create a worthwhile program – much less one that others would purchase. So what can you do about that? Of course you can work through affiliate programs, but having your own products is definitely much more profitable. The end result of having your own “stuff” is that you get to keep the profits. Many online entrepreneurs will confess that they not only are not talented writers, but they have no interest in trying to write. The same holds true for developing software. So what options do these folks have? Basically there are three choices; one could use Public Domain content, hire a Ghostwriter, or use PLR products. Let’s get started by discussing Public Domains. Public domain work includes anything for which the copyright has expired and has not been renewed. It also includes any work published prior to 1923, works by the U.S. government and other specific governments. Additional public domain works include work that is donated to the public domain, or any work that has no laws restricting its use by the public. Public domain material is free for public use. You can use bits and pieces of such work or the work in its entirety. When you make the decision to utilize such works you will need to become familiar with copyright restrictions. Basically, copyright is a set of rights granted by the government for a limited time to protect creative or artistic forms of work. Copyleft restrictions are restrictions imposed on a work which state that when the work is copied, modified, or used in a subsequent work, the author of that subsequent work must grant the same copyleft rights (restrictions) to the public. Copyright literally is “the rights to copy" an original creation. Copyright can cover a wide range of creative, intellectual, or artistic forms or "works". These include poems, these, plays, and other literary works, movies, choreographic works (dances, ballets, etc.), musical compositions, audio recordings, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, software, radio and television broadcasts of live and other performances, and, in some jurisdictions, industrial designs. Copyright law is not designed to cover the actual idea, concept, facts, styles, or techniques that might be represented by a copyrighted work. In other words, it only covers the form or manner in which ideas or information have been manifested, the "form of material expression". Copyleft is the practice of using copyright law to remove restrictions on distributing copies and modified versions of a work for others and requiring that the same freedoms be continued in modified versions. Copyleft may be used to modify copyrights for work such as computer software, documents, music, and art. Basically, copyright law allows an author to prohibit others from reproducing, adapting, or distributing copies of the author’s work. Through copyleft law, on the other hand, gives every person who receives a copy of a work permission to reproduce, adapt or distribute the work as long as any resulting copies or adaptations are also bound by the same copyleft licensing scheme. Public domain material can be used to create new products or even sold as they are for profit. Since you’re reading this report I’m going to assume that you are an internet entrepreneur. Being such you probably should consider using public domain works to add to an existing product line…or if you don’t already have a product line, use public domain works to build one. Just remember, you have to make changes to the work, make it your own to claim it, otherwise the author of the work remains the same. However, if you add your personal touches – a bit of your creativity and personality and edit the work, then it becomes yours, and your name goes on it – you can even copyright it! With public domain sources you can easily develop entire product lines of high quality with little effort. Using this process not only saves time, but it saves money that would have been involved in the development and creation process. Okay, so now that you know a little about Public Domain content, how does it sound? If you’re like me, it sounded great until we talked about the copyrights. Then it started to get a little complicated. Hiring a ghostwriter is another option. A ghostwriter is a professional writer that writes for other people. Before you hire a ghostwriter there are certain things you should consider. First, recognize that ghostwriters have different specialties, so not all will be skilled in writing what it is that you need or want. And a very basic consideration is that not all ghostwriters will speak English as their primary language. That can lead to major problems. One of the best ways to make sure that the ghostwriter you’re considering can perform the task you want is to ask for samples of similar work. You could also ask for references. It’s important the ghostwriter understands the project and shares your vision. Discuss it at length to ensure the success of your project. The arrangement should be put in writing. Signing a contract solidifies the agreement and assures you of a commitment. The contract should include the agreed upon timeframe and fees. Using a ghostwriter can provide you with excellent content, but it can be an expensive and drawn out process. PLR Products. The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. --J. Robert Oppenheimer When online entrepreneurs are searching for content or software many decide to use PLR products. It’s inexpensive and uncomplicated. Actually, the reason many people choose PLR is because they can obtain it free or very cheaply. Oftentimes people are introduced to PLR material because it was offered as a free giveaway to other promotions. A vast majority of internet marketers will never even use this free material. Briefly, PLR, or Private Label Rights products provide you with a complete product that you have rights to. You can make changes to the content as you see fit and call it your own. Of course, it is strongly recommended that you read each and every license that comes with any PLR product, since there are variations on your rights to use. Basically though, with Private Label Rights you are allowed to show another author’s work as if it’s your own simply by making changes to it. The changes can vary from changing the title to writing an introductory paragraph, or completely editing the content and adding your name as the creator. Keep in mind that copyrights are a different matter. Copyrights are granted the moment a document is finished, so obtaining Private Label Rights does not automatically mean that you also have obtained the copyrights. I know, it’s confusing! Remember that other types of rights, such as Master Resell Rights or Giveaway Rights are different than Private Label Rights also. That’s why it is very important that you read each individual license pertaining to any Private Label Rights product you obtain. PLR products can save much, much time that would have been needed to research, develop and create the product. Okay, so it is logical to use PLR products but where and how do you find quality products? If you blindly choose PLR content you may find that your efforts have been wasted. Membership sites are probably the number one source of PLR products. There is no shortage of this type of site. From free or minimal cost, you’re sure to find one that meets your budget. But simply finding a source isn’t always the end of the journey. Not only do you need an ample supply of the products, whether it’s articles or software that you are looking for, but you also need quality. If you use PLR material of poor quality you’ve simply wasted your time….and money for that matter. This report is not about promoting particular PLR sites, but rather, I want to give you some suggestions about the things to look for when you are investigating any PLR site. As I mentioned earlier, the sites are not hard to find, it’s the quality of the material that you have to search for. So with that being said, let me start with a quote by Dan Poynter: If you have a sudden challenge, keep it to yourself. 95% of the people don’t care and 10% are glad. Okay, I admit, I’m not really sure if that quote fits here, but I like it and I wanted to use it. Anyway, back to the topic. It is true that you can find a hundred, if not a thousand very, very cheap PLR sites, and just because the price is low does not necessarily mean that the quality will be lacking. But consider the most likely reason that those sites must be so cheap. It is possible that the owners lucked into some incredible deals themselves and want to pass those deals onto their members. But there is also the possibility that the quality is poor and the web owners are more interested in list building and making a quick buck than providing quality products. So how can you protect yourself? One consideration is the reputation of the owner. But there are other things you need to think about also. Before you start looking for a PLR company it’s important to know what your true needs are. PLR sites come in every variety and specialty. Some cater to particular niches such as health or real estate, and others provide only ebooks, while others specialize in articles, and still others in software. Obviously, if your need is articles you do not want to sign up with a site that promotes only software….even if it is wonderful software at a great price. By the same token, if your website is all about cats you wouldn’t want a PLR membership with a site that focuses on golf. Remember, you have a business. Treat it like a business. Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it. – Marva Collins Make a list of your needs and requirements. Do you need articles only, or do you also need ebooks? What is your budget for this? Be as specific as you can and detail things out before you begin. Consider whether you would benefit more from a membership site, or if purchasing your products individually would better suit your needs. If you have thought about these things before you begin your search you will be ahead of the game. During your actual search the fewer distractions the better….if you’re like me, “great deals” can persuade me to spend my money needlessly sometimes, so planning ahead has its advantages – it can save time and money – two of your major assets! Keep your list handy as you do your search. Use the following criteria to judge the quality of the membership sites. As you do your search, keep a list of what each worthwhile site provides. Try to evaluate whether you would actually use the content that would be provided. As you look over the sign-up bonuses, try to avoid giving extra points to any site that is giving away bonuses that you cannot use. Remember, you are trying to meet real needs. There are some ways to “test” a site before you subscribe to a long-term commitment. Please read on. Before subscribing: 1. Consider the web page and read Sales Copy carefully. Pay attention to: a) Is the sales copy professionally created or does it seem amateurish? b) How long has this PLR website been in business? c) Is there real contact information available? d) Is there a support desk or chat line available? e) Is there a forum attached to the member area? f) Are you told what content will be offered on a monthly basis? g) Is the grammar and spelling correct in the free samples? h) Does the content for month one outweigh the bonuses? i) Is research done to establish a growing or sustained and thriving market for categories offered? j) Will you have a need/use for that content? k) Is there a clearly stated guarantee? l) Are you told how you can cancel your membership? 2. Join the mailing list: Most PLR websites will offer an opt-in to a mailing list and along with this you usually receive a few PLR articles or perhaps a PLR product. This goodwill gesture provides you an opportunity to check out the quality offered and judge them. Of course, some sites will send higher quality products than usual as a way to impress you, but you will still have some idea of what they have to offer and what to expect. 3. Check and Compare Prices: For comparison you probably will want to do a search and compare other similar sites. 4. Join The PLR Website on a Trial Basis: Any reputable site will offer a limited 100% Money Back Guarantee period, so this provides you with an opportunity to try out all the features of the site. During this time attempt to utilize as many features offered as possible in order to gain a real understanding of what is being provided. Sales copy has a way of disguising negative aspects so it often becomes necessary to actually use a service or product to know if the ad you read was an accurate description. If you are uncomfortable with some aspect of the service you should feel free to contact the website owner. And if those concerns cannot be alleviated during the trial period, then you may want to consider canceling your membership. Let’s assume that you find a site that offers what you deem to be quality PLR content. What’s next? Well, there are a few things you should consider before signing up. By its nature PLR content will be used by others for the same purpose that you have in mind. Some sites will have a limit on the allowed number of memberships. That is a good thing. That preserves the uniqueness of your PLR content to a degree. Of course, it’s always nice to know that in reality, very few people that have access to PLR content actually use what they have. That’s good for you also. As for the sites that sell products on individual basis, there should be a limit on the number of times any one product will be sold. There are membership sites that offer niche packs. This can be an awesome way to build your internet empire. But again, you must be cautious. Most sites will provide keyword analysis data at minimum. If you are working with a high quality site you will also receive header graphics for your site and related affiliate programs to use as well. It is definitely preferable that the articles be available to you in various formats (i.e., .doc., .txt., etc.). In the end, if you are paying the fee for a niche pack of PLR content you want to check that everything related to your service is in fact being provided. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people ready to take your money at every turn. Do your research to prevent getting burned. One of the best ways to research the many membership sites is simply to do a search on Google or any of the major search engines. Check out a few and compare the notes on what you find. Read any reviews that you can find. Some sites do not update their content regularly, although their sales copy promises otherwise. Always check for a guarantee. Don’t necessarily assume that the free sites are not worthwhile. Some of them actually have some nice quality products. Also keep in mind that you should not use PLR content “as is”. What do I mean by that? Well, remember when I mentioned that this content is of course going to be used by others, just like you, for the same purpose? Is a light bulb going off? You definitely need to change the title. Go through the article and make it your own. Add a touch of you – your personality. Think of PLR content as a time saver. Original content is always best but PLR material just makes sense. It saves so much time…time that you can be using for any one of the many, many other things necessary to run a business. Even if you choose to completely rewrite an article, the basic research and formatting is done for you so your time will be cut down tremendously. Do what you love and the money will follow. --- Marsha Sinetar How To Manage Your Content. After making a carefully choosing a PLR company to work with you will need to develop a system to storing and tracking your content. Will you download each piece separately, or will you use a download manager? Your first responsibility is checking the policy is at the site that you are using. Some sites do not allow download managers. There are free download managers available, simply put in a search at your favorite search engine. I suggest that you separate the content into different files. One for PLR only, one for Master Resale Rights, one for GiveAway Rights, etc. The more specific you are the easier it will be to find what you are looking for when you need it. You may want to break the content up into niches, then break it out into the different categories. Being organized now will definitely save you time later. I will mention at this point just how important it is to backup any files that you download. You should make a habit of doing that at least weekly. Computers do crash – it’s happened to me! Okay, now you know about Public Domains and Ghostwriters. You also know the basics about PLR. I’m sure you can see why PLR stands out as the number one choice for content and products. In simple terms it’s due to the cost and time saving factors. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. --Marianne Williamson