Top Ten Article Writing Tips

Whether you are writing articles for submission to offline or
online newsletters or magazines, for your blog, lens, hub page or
for submission to article directories, you want your articles to
be high quality so people continue reading right to the end and
do not stop after the opening sentence. Here are some tips to
achieve that result. 

1. Know what you want to write about and the demographics of your
likely audience before you start so that you use appropriates
language. 

2. Use a title that clearly states to purpose and content of the
article and entices the reader to want to learn more. For a
marketing article, use your main keyword in the title. 

If you cannot think of a title, you can always fall back on some
of these tried and tested formats: 

Effective Tips for... 
How to... 
Secrets of... 
The best 10... or the top ten or top five or seven etc. 
Must Know.... 
Things to avoid when... 
Basic Steps to... 
Better ways to... 
Affordable ways to... 
Easy steps to... 

2. Have a short introductory paragraph that outlines the content
of your article. If your article is for marketing purposes, use a
primary keyword in the introduction and summarize the benefits
and not the features of whatever you are writing about in your
article. By mentioning benefits at the beginning, you are
answering the unspoken question "what's in it for me" 

3. Divide the body of your article into sections. A good way to
start is to jot down a list of ideas, sort the list into a
logical order, then enlarge on each idea. Sometimes it is helpful
to do the body of the article before the title, that way you know
exactly what your article is about and how many sections you
have; this can help you select your title. 

4. Keep white space between different points so the article is
easy to read. Bulleted or numbered lists can be very effective,
especially for readers scanning your work quickly. 

5. Use simple words so that those with a limited vocabulary or
knowledge of the language is able to understand what you are
saying. Keep your sentences short and to the point. 

6. Make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Use the spell
checker on your word processor or a dictionary if you are unsure.
Ask someone else to read your work and give feedback. Sometimes
it is hard to see errors and inconsistencies in your own work. 

7. Write to your audience. For example, if you are writing for a
senior audience & reviewing children's toy that a grandparent
might buy, you could stress how much a child would love them, but
if writing for a young adult audience you might stress the
educational or safety benefits. 

8. If the medium supports it, use relevant images to add
interest. 
Although this is not appropriate for articles intended for
article directories, images are very effective in blog posts, 
lenses, hub pages, newsletters and magazines. 

9. Write using a conversational tone. If you are unsure if your
work is doing this, imagine that you are talking to a friend and
explaining the material, then judge if what you have written is
interesting by checking things like this: 

Is it too long-winded? 
Does it sound condescending? 
Is the language used too complicated or overly simple? 
Have you used the same word over and over till it sounds boring? 

10. Beware of making your article purely a sales pitch; nothing
is more annoying or more sure to send your reader off to another
source. 

If you are reviewing or discussing a product or products, make
sure that what you say gives useful information, is accurate, can
be substantiated by real testimonials or other reviews. 

There will always be a need for great articles. 

They might be for your own use, for your blog, copy for your
websites, to promote yourself, your interests, your own products
or affiliate products. 

You could sell private label rights to your articles and earn
money that way or you could upload them to membership sites where
they become available as resources for others. 
Whatever their purpose, following these tips will ensure that the
articles you write are of high quality. 

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