Write Articles And Captivate Your Readers

To get your name out there, write articles and allow them to be freely reproduced (with a resource box pointing back to you.)

A well-written article can:
- help build your profile
- draw traffic to your site, and
- help build a database of clients through associated e-courses or newsletter.

How do you write the article? You can come up with the content - How do you grab those readers and make them come back for more?

As you can construct and edit an article (it has a beginning, middle and end; and you can check the grammar and spelling); if you want to WIN readers - think about what they want to know.

Put your readers first. Give them what they want and they'll be queuing up to read anything you produce. A blueprint for writing articles that captivate your readers - whatever the topic - is a follows:

1. What Do Your Readers Want

You may know what they want because you're an expert in the field. If you don't know the subject well, you'll have to research. Look for forums on your topic and see what people are discussing. What are the problems? Can you provide an answer?

2. Start With An Attention-Grabber

Work on your opening. Try to avoid trite questions like "Have you wondered why people find it difficult to lose weight?" It's dull and it's not targeting the person reading the article - what do they care about the difficulties "people" have losing weight? They care about THEIR weight problem!

The opening paragraph should give the reader that warm "Hey, this is about me!" feeling. - "This could be the answer I've been looking for..."

Example:

"Diet gurus make it all sound easy: To lose weight, all you have to do is expend more energy than you take in. Huh!

If it were that simple, the "Big People" stores would be out of business. For those of us tired of diets, gyms and dull group meetings, there is a back-to-basics way to tackle this. It won't cost you a fortune or leave you feeling deprived."

3. Write As You Speak...Then Edit!

The sample opening above illustrates the importance of the tone used in your article. You need 'meat' to make it worth reading.

Write your article in a natural style that's akin to normal conversation. If the first draft is too informal - fix that when you edit. Readers may want facts, tips, and strategies, but they want entertainment too! Let your personality shine.

4. End On A High

Most articles fizzle out! Writers often don't know how to end on an upbeat note. They either stop dead or come up with a trite ending like: "So what are you waiting for? Get started today!"

The beginning and the ending of your article are the parts that make the biggest impression. Creat a feeling of anticipation... and leave them feeling satisfied (or excited) when you finish.

Offering advice to help solve a problem gives your readers a reason to feel optimistic about themselves. Don't make promises... but offer hope.

If you are giving hints on marketing or business, sum up the benefits. Experiment with using a humorous quote, or giving readers a specific action to get them started. Be creative.

Here's a final tip: create a cheat-sheet. Divide it into beginnings/middles/ends and add more strategies as you think of them. (For example, using the tips in this article, you might write:

ENDINGS - end on a high, offer hope, use funny quote, suggest action to get started.)

Do this, and you'll be cranking out articles everyone wants to publish!

Related Articles

How To Make Fast Quality Articles
... expert. People read your thoughts as if you have a thorough knowledge of the topic you are dealing within your article. So writing an article puts whole lot of responsibility on your shoulders, the responsibility of being true and genuine. If you want to have panache in your writing, ...  (more >>)

Your Key To Success
... knowledgeable. You also establish credibility and trust. Your words can create your own brand for your website and business. The written word has clout, so you can clinch your point. Writing brings personal satisfaction. There's a great sense of accomplishment from sharing your ...  (more >>)

Article Writing Tips
... can be taught by SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends. When you write for your newsletter, blog, or website, which character are you most like? Squidward: Squidward is B-O-R-I-N-G. When writing articles, are you a Squidward? Do you just get the words down on paper or are you finding ...  (more >>)

How To Write A Good Christian Article
... towards telling the reader what to do next such as learning more or getting started with whatever your article topic was. 4. Add a bio or resource section at the end of your article. Give a one-sentence bio of yourself, perhaps where you live and your specialty or expertise, and ...  (more >>)