How to Use Paper.li to Promote your Online Writing and eCommerce Stores

by JoHarrington

Paper.li is a curating site. It acts as a newsletter, lifting links from wherever you ask it to take them. It's a way to gather your output throughout the web in one place.

I write for Wizzley, as you may have guessed seeing as you are reading this here!

I also write for Suite101. I have a gaming blog over on Sal's Realm of Runescape. I have a couple of personal blogs too. I also have a Zazzle store.

As a consummate geek, I haunt social networking sites to keep in the loop with my friends; and to promote all that I'm doing all over the world wide web.

Want to know the latest articles I've written or the newest products in my shop? Then look to just one link - my Paper.li weekly online newspaper.

Paper.li Acts as a Catch All Newspaper Written by You

It aggregates all that you want it to find, then reproduces your links in headline form. It arranges itself into your very own online news source.

How would you like a newsletter, which tells the world all that you've done that week? 

Every article that you wrote, across a range of platforms; every product that you added to your online stores.  This would be the content broadcast around the globe.  Or, at least, that portion of the globe privy to the link to read it.

Paper.li offers all of this.  It's a way of producing just a single website, upon which all that you've created may be flicked through.  Just like reading a newspaper.

It hosts no actual content in itself, but directs readers to the original location.  Like the look of that Wizzley article?  Then click the link and you'll be taken to Wizzley. 

All Paper.li does is collects the links and arranges them into news columns and categories. 

Now your geek friends don't have to plough through the baby clothes to get to the technology articles.  Your shopping friends don't have to be bored rigid by gaming articles. They each just click on the header that interests them.

Though, of course, they might glance at something new along the way, which leads them into unfamiliar territory.  A new reader is attracted; a new customer is found.

Image: The Jo Harrington Times Oct 3rd 2012
Image: The Jo Harrington Times Oct 3rd 2012

The day after I wrote this Wizzley article, Paper.li had a surprise revamp of their online newspapers! 

I really love the new style.  It's even cleaner than before and looks a lot more attractive. 

Image: The Jo Harrington Times Oct 4th 2012
Image: The Jo Harrington Times Oct 4th 2012

Paper.li as a Marketing Tool

Instead of spamming your networks and forums with dozens of articles, you can direct people to one place.

This article has come about because an interested party asked about a link in my Wizzley forum signature.

It led people to The Jo Harrington Times. My weekly newspaper alerts my readers to all that I've written.  The link worked.  It was noticed.

The beauty of using a curated site, like Paper.li, is that you can display that one link. 

There would soon be rumblings of discontent amongst Wizzley's owners, if my forum signature had forty individual URLs in it. 

That is the number of articles and highlighted products in this week's edition of The Jo Harrington Times.  My solitary forum link acts as a gateway to them all.

Built into the Paper.li infrastructure is the option to tell my Twitter channel and Facebook page whenever the latest newspaper is out.  Readers can opt to receive their alert via e-mail. 

I can also embed a widget onto my website, which displays the topmost headlines.  They are generated automatically, but could be tweaked by me.

I expected this to be popular amongst my internet savvy friends and readers, but I also had a pleasant surprise.  It shouldn't have been, as it makes perfect sense, when you think about it.  My newspaper is favored by the older generation. 

My parents and their peers have grown up reading the news in collected columns with headlines. This is a format familiar to them.  They have all been much happier reading The Jo Harrington Times, than keeping on top of my Facebook entries and Tweets. 

Using Paper.li When You Don't Have Much New Content

This could be viewed as the laziest and easiest avenue of gaining some web publicity!

One of my relatives owns a security firm.  The EMK Events Ltd website has all that you might need to know about hiring a team of professionals for close protection.  They are fantastic at crowd control and ensuring the safety of people everywhere.

What that doesn't leave much time for is writing blogs.  Let's face it, if you were being crushed in a mosh pit, you would much rather that my cousin was hauling you out of harm's reach, than pausing to tell Twitter that it's a bit busy here today.

You might think that there is no room on Paper.li for his organization.  But you haven't had me advising you, until now!

Have a good look at The EMK Events Ltd Daily.  Did you spot the 'daily' in that title?  Yes! His paper comes out more often than mine!

The feed that you use for content doesn't have to be from a personal feed.  But it can still be relevant.

In order to keep on top of all the industry news, events and tips, my cousin subscribes on Twitter to a range of security related accounts.  He can easily flick through those for interesting information, while he's on his coffee break.

Those Tweets are filled with links.  They are all relevant to those interested in his company's services.  He asked Paper.li to scan his Twitter contacts, in order to find articles.  Those links - all related to Security and Close Protection - form the content of his daily online newspaper. 

(And incidentally becomes a handy way for himself and his personnel to read the industry news too!)

But what's in it for EMK Events as a company?   Ok, it's useful and took whole seconds to create, without requiring future maintenance, but how is this marketing?

Take a closer look at the displayed profile block.  It tells you all about his company and links you straight back to his website.   It's like a free, daily advertizement going out to the very people who may be in a position to hire them for their events.

Useful AND free marketing.

Books about Internet Marketing

Pick up a load more tips about quick and simple online promotions by reading these guides.

Paper.li Newspapers Owned by Wizzley Authors

Just leave a comment if you write for Wizzley and you want to be added to the list.
Updated: 03/18/2014, JoHarrington
 
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JoHarrington on 12/27/2014

No, it doesn't mean you're barred. I'm bewildered by what they're up to though. I've been signed up since 2011, when it was only access to Twitter, as they lifted the URLs from there. They've had many updates since then, but I've not yet been asked for my Google+ and Yahoo. I hope they're not going that route as standard. :(

Maritravel on 12/06/2014

I was fascinated and decided I'd like to sign up for Paperli but then when I got further into it, it looked as though it wanted to take over my computer, certainly Yahoo and Google + did but as I've had two bad experiences, one with Twitter and one with Google, I am reluctant to allow this. Does this mean I'm barred from using Paperli

JoHarrington on 08/18/2013

Nice one! Let us know how you get on. :)

CeresSchwarz on 08/16/2013

Interesting article. I don't think I've heard of this Paper.li before. It does sound very useful and interesting. I'll have to check it out sometime.

JoHarrington on 06/10/2013

Nice one, thanks! I'll check that out.

JoHarrington on 10/18/2012

Good luck!

Tolovaj on 10/18/2012

O.K., I will. Thanks!

JoHarrington on 10/18/2012

Good luck and let us know if it is. :)

Tolovaj on 10/18/2012

Great to hear that. If Slovene is not listed, I can always use some Chinese too:)

JoHarrington on 10/18/2012

Yes, there are several languages listed. In fact, I once messed mine up that way. I accidentally set it to only display in Chinese. It took me days to work out what was so wrong!


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