Do you find yourself needing to write more and more?
Here are 7quick tips to get you writing effective articles:
1. Select a good topic.
There's no sense writing an article if no one wants to read it. Before you launch into an article, think about your target market and what their wants and needs are - what keeps them awake at 3am? If you're not sure, go hang out in some forums and see what they are discussing.
If you are writing for an audience larger than your target market, I recommend you visit some article directories (such as www.ezinearticles.com) to see what the most read topics are.
2. Choose your title wisely.
Once you've written a good, strong article, don't ruin it by giving it a weak title. The title is your headline - this is the first thing people will read and, in this day of instant decision making, could easily turn people away if they are not hooked.
And if you're on Facebook or Twitter, your title becomes your post/tweet and the one thing which your friends will base their decision on in deciding whether or not to click through.
If your article includes a list, include that number in the title so people know what to expect. For example, this article is titled "7 Tips to Writing Great Articles for Your Ezines and Blog Posts" and you know what you're getting.
3. Think bite-size.
Online readers have very little patience for long paragraphs, so break your article down into various sections. Notice how this article is broken down into small paragraphs with subheadings. It's easier for your readers to digest -- especially if they are reading it online.
4. Write for your audience, not for yourself.
If you want people to read your article, write it in a way that is easy for your readers to understand - don't use acronyms without explaining them, keep the techno jargon out unless you are writing for an audience that understands it and keep the vocabulary simple. There's no sense writing an article if no one is going to understand it.
5. Read, review and then read again.
You MUST proofread your work. Do it once, go do something else and then do it again. If possible, ask someone else to read it for you - he will undoubtedly pick up things that you miss.
6. Tell them who you are.
You want your readers to know who you are and how to reach you. Include a call-to-action resource box at the end so potential clients and other e-zine publishers know how to get in touch with you. You want them to visit your website to learn more about you and what you do.
7. Get it out there.
Now that you've done all the work to write a great article, parcel it into pieces, proofread it and write a compelling resource box, you need to get your article out there. I recommend www.ezinearticles.com yet again as well as www.submityourarticle.com as great article directories to submit your article to. If you prefer to build relationships with e-zine publishers personally, then I highly recommend Charlie Page's Directory of Ezines at www.directoryofezines.com for a wealth of information on e-zine publishers.
Your Coaching Challenge
Whether you currently have a newsletter or not, I challenge you to write 3 articles for your target audience.
If you have an ezine, GREAT! you can pull these out when you are pressed for time and need to send it out. If you don't, you can submit them to associations for their newsletters or post on article directory sites for your industry.
The important thing is to practice writing valuable content to build your credibility while getting you increased exposure.
excellent summary, Sandra. I especially have to work on bite-size chunks and not too long. What have you found is the audience reaction to photographs in articles or blog posts? Esp wondering since I am a photographer and my photos facilitate other work that I do.
Posted by: twitter.com/lizschneider | October 08, 2009 at 12:48 AM