Writing lots of articles is the key to building and maintaining a successful online business because the essence is content. Your first article doesn’t have to be perfect but you do have to get it written so you can write successive articles based on that foundation.
7 steps for writing your first article
1. Select a topic
It’s easier to write about a topic you have passion for or know a lot about than selecting one you have no interest in. To help in that process visit your local bookstore to see what captures your interest. Go online to search article directories, magazines, bookstores or visit forums or blogs.
2. Write an attractive headline
The headline is what a person reads first before reading the rest of the article. Use words that grab the reader’s attention e.g. how to, guide to, simple ways to, tips of, do you, are you…etc.
3. Write an introduction
Your introduction should briefly describe what will be contained within the body of the article. It’s intention is to grab the attention of the reader. One way to achieve this is to ask a question or tell a story. The body of your article expands on the introduction.
4. List 7 tips
Create a list of 7 tips on your topic of interest then write several sentences for each tip. Your article only needs to be 300-500 words long. 3 sentences make a paragraph of approximately 60 words. Seven paragraphs gives you 420 words. If you add an introduction and conclusion you will easily create a 500 word article.
5. Write a conclusion
Your conclusion should summarize what the person read. Use different words from the article body and
make sure it’s a natural transition.
6. Call to action
The resource box at the end of your article is where you place your call to action, who you are and a link back to your website. The call to action should directly relate to the content you wrote. Don’t offer a product or service that is unrelated. You want your readers eager to read more of your future articles.
7. Check your spelling and grammar
Misspelled words, omitted periods, commas or bad sentence construction makes your article appear unprofessional. Run the article through a spell checker and get someone else to read through it before submitting it for publication.
Tip
Don’t worry about getting your article perfect before publishing. It’s more important to spend your time writing more articles than laboring over one article. If you constantly submit your articles to the top article directories you’ll generate a consistent flow of visitors to your web site.
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