I would also suggest writing press releases about news worthy topics surrounding your business/expertise. Your article could be picked up by several reputable sites related to your field. For example, did you complete a cool project, write a press release that might get picked up by local newspapers. There are a couple sites where you can also get content, i.e., press releases to publish on your site -- http://www.prweb.com/ and http://www.prnewswire.com/. Here are a couple interesting links: http://www.nmoa.org/sponsors/jsart/schult1.htm http://www.nmbiz.com/06-07July/5.htm And a book I've found useful, its short, sweet, and to the point. Essential Managers: Effective Public Relations (Paperback) ISBN: 0789480085
Agree 110% with this statement and if you don't have the time or inclination to write quality, original articles then make sure you have quality writers doing it for you.
I used one of those programs that submits to like 200 article sites I do get backlinks but no where near as many as I would have expected and they disapear over time anyway. Perhaps I should just submit to a few of the top ones and change the content for each one. It takes so long to do this though.
Just make front page worthy story! Find story which are really interesting, stuff that no one knows but is really amazing. Create a collection of that and put it on your website and then you're on your way to glory.