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Stop Struggling and Write Your Article
Don't let overwhelm hold you back- follow this expert advice and start writing your promotional article today. As a writing coach, I frequently work with independent professionals who have great ideas for promotional articles, but no idea how to start writing them. Here are the first three of six essential steps to help you get clear about your subject, kick-start your process, and ensure your article is ready to go. 1. Have something you really, really want to say. It seems obvious, but before you write, make sure there's a point you want to make, a story you want to tell, advice you just have to give. You've got to be a little bit burning to write, or your message will ramble, you'll be bored, and there'll be no connection with your reader. Before you write, see if you can state the kernel of what you want to say in one sentence. If you can make it intriguing, all the better: "Here are six guaranteed ways to kick-start your writing." "Here's why my divorce was hell and how you can avoid that experience." "The best way to have a tidy office is to get rid of your office." If you can't state your premise in one sentence, either you're not clear on your message or you have more than one topic. Take some time and get clear on that single thing you want to say. We want one topic in depth, not skimming the surface of several. If you're stuck on your article, or getting bogged down or confused as you write, you can be sure you need more focus. So take a deep breath and put your article away until you can state your one-sentence premise. 2. Create an outline. I used to be one of those "jump in, bang ahead and follow your nose" type of writers. And guess what? Every time I tried to write, I'd run out of steam. I'd lose focus, so I wouldn't finish; or, if I did finish, I'd have to edit a huge, rambling mess. Ugh. The whole process took weeks and was extremely discouraging. You see, I was writing fiction, and I had this idea that it was more "creative" and "artistic" to just jump in. Making an outline seemed so predictable and dull. My awakening came when I began writing non-fiction articles. Here's why: I had to communicate a message, and communicate it clearly. I had to write coherent, logical paragraphs, in strong, simple language. And I couldn't take weeks to write every article, or I'd be, well, pretty darn old before anything was ready. So, give me predictable and dull (for process, that is-not results!). Starting with an outline frees up my energy and attention for the actual writing and saves me one to two complete days of editing per article. A great way to create an outline is to read other people's articles, analyse their structure, and use that structure for your own. Be sure to choose well-written articles by established professionals in your field. Here's an example of an outline I created by deconstructing an article I'd read:
Fill this out in point form, making sure that there's a logical progression of thoughts. Then flesh out your points. You can write a first draft of a 1,500-word article in a day or two, put it away for a day, go back and tighten it up. You're done. Please note-using an article's structure is fine, using someone else's words is plagiarism (theft of their intellectual property). Here's the great part: You can simply use the same structure over and over. No one will notice, or care, because the content will be different each time. 3. Consider using lists. People love to know the 10 best ways, the five secrets, the 12 essentials. Be honest-don't you always take a peek at an article whose title promises "Five ways to enhance your love life" or "10 secrets to financial independence"? There's something almost addictive about reading these lists, like nibbling popcorn or potato chips. Here's my take on what makes lists enticing: Readers love the tidbit form. The items in the list break up your article into manageable chunks of information, and also provide visual clues for skimming the page. Face it, you've done some of the reader's work for her (and who isn't grateful for a bit less work?). Lists create an air of authority and credibility. After all, it takes confidence to promise "the 10 best ways" to do something. This format creates a ready-made action plan for the reader. For you, the writer, a list makes the process much less daunting. It's less stressful to tackle writing your article if you know that you can divide it into five or 12 info-bytes comprising a paragraph or two each. And lists force you to be concise and direct. You can use a list as the structure for your entire article, or you can include a list within a longer, more narrative-style piece of writing. One way to do this is to offer your reader a concluding list of practical tips coming out of your article's premise. This is a great strategy for staying connected with your readers. If you're discussing "big" concepts that threaten to become too vague, give your reader an agenda: "Now that we've discussed the importance of being organized at work, here are five actions you can take. About The Author David Roddis, The Writers' Coach, helps independent professionals write killer marketing copy, promotional articles and information products that attract more clients. Go to http://www.coachdavid.ca/fasttrack1 to join his mailing list and receive a free copy of "12 questions to fast-track your article". For more information, visit http://www.coachdavid.ca.
MORE RESOURCES:
Writing-Articles - Google News |
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Write Articles Geared to Your Local Market to Bolster Your Local Search Visibility The Shortest Distance to Your Home Town Enterprise is Over the InternetCombine two dynamite online methods for bringing your business to the attention of buyers - Local Search and widely posted articles you write. Doing both gives you a jump on your local competition, plus additional credibility and exposure to your market. How to use Articles to Boost Your Online Presence Writing articles is one of the best ways to get free targeted traffic to your website and isn't as hard as you may think!You don't need to be an expert on the topic you are writing about. Just pick an area that is related to the theme of your website, do some research using a search engine and before you know it you will have more knowledge on that subject than most. How to Create High-Quality Backlinks the Search Engines Will Love One great benefit of article marketing is the generation of high-quality backlinks.Simply put, a backlink is a link to your website from another website. Article Marketing: Know your Topic Everyone knows an expert is just a drip under pressure. I want to share a little story, rather innocent on the part of one person that made a difference in the life of a rather well known preacher. Promote Your Home Business with Keyword Rich Articles Do you wonder what easy, cheap, and fast way you can attract your targeted audience to your Web site? You probably have heard about Web optimization with pay-per-click key words. But, there's a much better, more natural, much cheaper, more lasting kind of Web optimization for search engines--Writing and submitting key word rich articles to the opt-in ezines or the top 20 or so Web sites. The Benefits Of Article Writing For Your Home Business Once you learn the benefits of article writing, you may want to open a home business based on your writing skills. The road to riches may be yours when you identify the basic elements required for writing top-notch articles, reports and other written material. Writing Articles for the Search Engines This is precisely what I am doing here today (and every other day in my life)! I am writing to share my experience and hopefully, my knowledge and information can help some others who are in need of such information and advice. Writing is a very powerful way to connect with people and we can use it to not only share information but promote ourselves. How Article Marketing Will Make You a Fortune Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article and submitting it to various sites-is the surprise online marketing medium of the past year. For a couple years, new marketers have been advised to promote their businesses by writing and distributing articles. From Idea To Published Book ... How To Self-publish The Easy Way! I've been involved in publishing for over a decade now as an author, editor, and project manager; however, it wasn't until just a few years ago that I decided to move into self-publishing. Indeed, my first few projects involved consulting for others and, now, I am involved in my own, personal projects. 10 Tips For Promoting Through Ezine Articles What's the most powerful marketing technique on theWeb? Search Engine positioning? Perhaps. But did youknow that some of the most successful web marketersdon't bother much with the Search Engines?They put most of their effort into another techniquethat's just as powerful and is much more under theircontrol. What to Write About This is a perennial question among writers and wannabe's.Many of us dream of writing a book. Be in the Trade Publications Your Customers Read Your publicity dreams may include being featured in Forbes, Fortune, Time, Inc., and other magazines read by millions. Want to Put Your Names on My Article? There's a new sort of ghost stalking the digital landscape.They let several people pay them for the right to put their names as authors to some articles and, maybe, other types of written work that they write. Five Reasons You Should Write to Help Your Business Most business owners are overwhelmed with the day to day running of their businesses that they dont have time to put into business promotion. I encourage you to take time and write a quick article now because even one article can give you many lasting benefits in the future. Need to Write an Article? Three is a Magic Number! Writing articles for magazines, the Internet or the local community paper needn't be a headache. Providing they are informative, reasonably short and to the point, readers and publishers will welcome your articles. How to Use Articles to Generate Free Traffic to Your Website Writing articles that are available for reprint is an excellent way to generate traffic to your website. Webmasters,ezine publishers, and bloggers are always looking for quality content. Why You Need an Article-Marketing Strategy before Posting a Single Article Online II This is Part 2 of a 2 part article - Read Part 1 athttp://www.promotewitharticles. Marketing Articles: Promoting Your Site Twice! I recently became aware that promoting your web site in Search Engines can instantly be double within Google! That's right, you can instantly promote your site 2 times at once!So how do you Market Your Site twice?Simple.. Powerful Article Marketing Tips If you have submitted your articles to EzineArticles.com you have made a wise choice. Four Tips For Getting More Mileage From Your Articles It has become common knowledge that the smartest and most effective free method of advertising your business and services is to write and submit articles to the over 400,000 e-zines currently on the 'net. There are even several e-books written on the topic, including mine, that will help you take advantage of this effective technique.
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