Article marketing has been used by professionals for nearly as long as mass print has been available. In paper-print form (as opposed to online forms), article marketing is utilized commonly by business owners as a means of obtaining free press space. A business provides useful content to the newspaper and in return the newspaper prints the business contact information with the given article. Because newspapers and other traditional media are expected to present content on limited budgets, this arrangement is generally advantageous for all parties involved.
For example, an accounting firm may market itself by writing an article titled "The Top 10 Ways to Avoid Being Audited" and offer it to the local newspapers several weeks prior to tax season. Similarly, a roofing company may offer radio stations a concise article titled "How to Avoid Ice Damage to Your Roof this Winter" shortly before the winter season.