Article Writing Tips – Writing
Article Writing Tips
Laura Hickey
3 Tips when Writing Articles
Do you love to write Do you want to put those writing skills to good use Perhaps you want to see your name published whether it be in a newspaper, magazine, e-zine or other forms of publication. Heres 3 tips to start off your New Year.
1. Brainstorm
Once youve decided what your writing is going to be about, brainstorm. Think of a new angle for your article. For example: If youre writing for your local newspaper about an author, dont necessarily write only the obvious details. Is there something about this author that makes them unique What is so great about the book theyve written, can you tie it with a current news event and or holiday
2. Removing the Fluff is a Must!
When writing a first draft, its expected to h ave at least some fluff. Fluff is words, sentences, certain aspects of your article that dont necessarily add to your article. An example would be:
Top 10 Reasons Why I Reject Article Submissions – Diet
Top 10 Reasons Why I Reject Article Submissions
Chris Yates
Each week I receive dozens of article submissions to my websites from aspiring authors, website owners, and entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, I can only use a small fraction of the articles I receive because the writers are making one of the crucial mistakes listed below.
KEY POINT: When you submit articles to a newsletter/ezine publisher or a website owner, you have to remember that we arent going to publish YOUR article for OUR customers and visitors unless it is a high quality article that gives something of value.
If youre writing articles like crazy, but getting very few of them actually published, then you might want to re-evaluate your approach. Are you making one of these crucial mistakes
1. Poor Subject Matter:
If youre going to bother to write an article, write about something that were interested in reading about. In other words, address a problem and provide a solution. Articles that approach an old problem in a new way or with a new twist work well too -- you dont have to necessarily discover a whole new problem that no one else has ever though of before If you discover a whole new problem and have the solution you better be thinking of product creation not just an article!.
2. Write with personality:
No one likes to read text books. Put a little of your own personality into your writing and make it engaging and entertaining as well as informative. If you have a sense of humor, use it. You have a good chance of being published on one of my sites if you make me giggle... Belly laughs are nearly guaranteed to be published.
3. Write for your audience:
Dont send an article about the value of protein in the American diet to a Russian Political website or the publisher of a podiatry newsletter... They dont care.
4. Write a decent sized article:
I would much rather an article be a little bit too long than very short. Four hundred word articles just dont have enough meat in them. Im not suggesting that you ramble, but youve got to give me some details if you want me to publish your piece.
5. Break up your article:
Dont write your article in three long paragraphs. Break it up into smaller paragraphs with a few single lines, bullets, etc. to make it easier and more enjoyable to read. Again -- no one likes to read text books.
6. Spell Check and Grammar:
I dont mind correcting a couple of mixed up letters now and then, but lets be reasonable -- spell check your articles. Grammar is another thing that bugs me. I know that I dont always get it perfect myself, but your grammar has to be reasonable. Some of the people sending me articles need to take a high school English class.
One last point in this category is word usage -- dont use words in your article unless you actually know what they mean. Using big words doesnt necessarily make you look smarter. Did you know that newspapers are aimed at a sixth grade reading level
7. Stop sending sales letters:
No one will publish an article that reads like a sales letter... period.
8. Forget about affiliate links:
Use your head... why would anyone use your article if its full of your affiliate links Ever hear of the "Golden Rule" This is kind of the "Golden Rule" of writing articles -- dont expect someone else to do something that you wouldnt do. Would you publish another writers article if it were full of his affiliate links I doubt it.
9. Create a reasonable resource box:
A resource box should tell me who you are, what you do, and how I can get in touch with you. Its not unlimited advertising space for you to describe every website you run and each product you sell. Dont bother sending an article where the resource box is half as long as the article itself. That "Golden Rule" thing applies to resource boxes too.
10. Only write about what you know:
Even if youre writing an opinion piece, get your facts straight. Dont write an article filled with advice that you have no business giving.
If you take nothing else away from this article, remember that good copy always answers "Whats in it for me" When youre writing articles to send to newsletter and website publishers, you have to answer that question on two fronts...
Whats in it for the publisher Why should they show your article to their customers and visitors Does it give something of value
-- AND --
Whats in it for the people who will ultimately be reading your article when its published
After all, the idea is to provide some worthy content that compels readers to visit your site, subscribe to your newsletter, or buy your product. So next time you send an article, whats in it for me
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© Chris Yates - All Rights reserved.
http://www.YourSiteSupport.com
About The Author
© Chris Yates - All Rights reserved.
http://www.YourSiteSupport.com
12 Top Tips For Up And Coming Article Writers – Writing
12 Top Tips For Up And Coming Article Writers
Ken Hill
1. Make your articles available on your site.
Youll have an easy way to get more sales by showing your visitors that your are an expert on the topic your visitors are interested in.
2. Use lots of white space. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and to the point.
3. Write for your target audience.
Youll have a better chance of attracting people to your site that are interested in purchasing your products.
4. Use numbered lists.
Your numbered lists will help you to effectively share your tips with your readers while making your article easy to read.
Use your numbered lists to share points on your articles topic, list your directions when writing a how to article, or to deliver the content of your article if you wanted to write a list article.
You can also use numbered lists to share resources related to what you talk about in your article along with your descriptions of those resources.
5. Use the active voice.
With the active voice the subject does the action while with the passive voice the subject receives the action expressed by the verb.
For instance:
Active voice: The dog bit the mailman. Passive voice: The mailman was bitten by the dog.
Use the active voice to keep your sentences from being awkward or confusing and to liven up your article.
6. Make your writing more personal by using the word "you" a lot within your article.
A simple way to accomplish this is to write your article to one person.
Youll naturally use the word "you" a lot within your article, and your readers will feel like youre talking directly to them.
7. Dont be afraid to share your personality with your readers.
You could inject a little bit of humor into your article, or share an opinion, story or anecdote that relates to the topic of your article.
8. Offer a subscription to your e-zine or a freebie in your resource box.
Writing articles will help you to get your site promoted on relevant sites and e-zines at no cost to you.
Maximize the profit you get from writing your articles by giving your readers a subscription to your e-zine, or a freebie that theyll find valuable enough to go back to again and again.
9. Once youve written your article, wait a couple of days, and then reread your article.
You might be able to add new points that you might have missed before, add more detail to information you covered in your article, or reword parts of your article that are unclear.
10. Use current topics whether online or in the "real world" to get ideas for your articles.
Your articles will be cutting edge and newsworthy, and will have an excellent chance of being published by e-zine publishers and webmasters.
11. Always check and double-check your articles for errors.
Use your spell checker and go over your articles for words you might have omitted, run-on sentences and for faulty punctuation.
Also look for words used incorrectly; for instance, if you used "effect" when you should have used "affect" or if you used "there" when you should have used "their."
12. Submit your articles to article directories, article announcement lists, and to e-zine publishers.
Your submissions, although time consuming if done manually, will help you to successfully get your articles published.
Be sure to submit your articles to my article directory at http://www.netpromarketer.com and to visit http://www.netpromarketer.com/directoriesandlists.html where youll find a list of article directories and article announcement lists.
For a handy listing of e-zine publishers that want article submissions check out http://www.ezinelocater.com.
Also search other e-zine directories for publishers that want article submissions and submit your articles to e-zines that you are subscribed to that accept article submissions from their subscribers.
About The Author
Article by writer, Ken Hill. Save loads of time promoting your articles with this powerful, promotional tool for e-zine publishers and article writers. Learn more at: http://www.scstats.com/r.cfmi=4604.