Is it worth it to do public requests?

[lunixer]

Hello everybody! I'm new here, just got my first article accepted! Woohoo!

Anyway, the article that was accepted was for a public request. It was about an obscure piece of software, this article http://www.constant-content.com/MoreDet ... tility.htm if you care to look. Unfortunately, by the time the article was accepted the requester had already purchased enough other articles. So I guess my questions are, how should I handle this (both this now-useless article and future public requests)? I thought of a few things I could do:

1) Only do public requests that are widely applicable
2) Transform this article a bit and put it on a revenue sharing site (I could probably make it a "review" of the software, but that would never sell here, since the software is so obscure, and probably wouldn't even do well on a revenue sharing site)
3) Try to write public requests in a broad way so that they can be used elsewhere
4) Not do public requests at all

So what do you do, and do you have any advice for someone new to the site? Thank you very much.

Also, this is not intended to bash the CC approval process. I do understand that it is only one person approving hundreds/thousands of articles and that he can only go so fast.

[jadedragon]

Sometimes the same buyer needs more articles later for article marketing. If the software has an affiliate program the market is wider.

Public requests are a great way to build a book of articles up. Some sell right away and others go into your inventory. Just keep writing for them and don't be upset you did not sell your first article immediately.

[Antonia]

I wouldn't be so sure that it won't sell to someone else. I took a look, and while the software may be obscure, the issue (customer privacy) is not. I could see this ending up on a website geared towards nurses, hospital admin, business, new business owners, etc. The article identifies a real problem and then solves it, something every article tries to do to some extent. My only suggestion is to change the title, which currently doesn't hint at the problem. A potential buyer who doesn't know about and isn't interested in Screensaver Lock Utility may very well be interested in "How to Protect the Privacy of Your Customers" or "Why Your Office Screensaver Could Be Putting You At Risk For Lawsuits."

At one point last year, I challenged myself to write to EVERY public request that appeared. It was a great exercise. It removed the indecisiveness and made it easy for me to simply start writing (no more "What should I write about?"). It broadened my knowledge base and expanded my portfolio very rapidly. Many pieces sold to the original requesters. Some sold months later. Several garnered requests to write more. I think that period marked a turning point for me. It was great fun as well.

[lunixer]

Oh, thanks. I'll definitely change that title.

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Update your article keywords too, meaning the keywords in the C-C system that a customer may use to find the article. That keyword box is *very* valuable. I.e. you write an article on online banking, you might also include "online savings account" "online checking" "check book" "banking" "personal finances" etc. etc. Even if those keywords aren't IN the article, your article may still be useful because the person has a website about personal finance etc.