Pen Names and Aliases

By Chris McElroy aka NameCritic on October 21st, 2007
Posted in Article Marketing |

A lot of authors use a pen name or alias when writing. The practice is completely acceptable, but what are the pen name strategies you should be using?

Pen name strategy? Sounds strange hunh? We have Internet marketing Stategy, Blog Marketing Stragy, PPC Strategy, and a number of other things that requiore a strategy, but a pen name strategy?

Yes. Many of you have more than one business and more than one topic you write about. I have heard clients that say they use a different pen name for each topic because if they put out articles on a lot of topics and all under the same pen name, they feel people will not think they are focused on just their topic.

They feel that these potential customers will view them as a jack of all trades and an master of none.

This is sound reasoning right? For some people it might be the answer. It only applies to people that find your articles by typing in your name or your pen name though.

Most people find your articles due to the generic search terms you used in the article. So when they find your article about chrome reverse muffler bearings, they have no idea you also wrote an article about the use of blinker fluid in 2007 mercedes benzes.

The use of several pen names also makes your branding more difficult. Your name or the pen name you choose is just like a brand. You want a lot of search engine results for your brand. If you try to promote 10 different brands, you will be less successful at branding than someone who only promotes one brand.

Using the same pen name all the time gets you more search results for your brand. Choose whether or not you will use your name or you will use a pen name and stick with it and you’ll soon see thousands of results for your brand.

Now, for larger companies, this advice might not apply. You don’t want your employees using their names on articles they are writing to promote your buisiness.

What if they quit? What if you fire them? You alloowed them to brand their name to your company. It can be messy.

So for larger companies, you need to create a fictional name. A fictional author of all articles you write or have written for your company.

The better method is to use the owner’s name if the business is owned by one person. But even CEOs leave comnpanies, so you don’t want it in their name either.

SO you see? There is really such a thing as Pen Name Strategy. remember you heard it here first.