How to Write Truly Effective Articles

Writing articles is a big part of internet marketing and is important for article marketing, web content and even emails. Most people aren?t writers, however, and they will often view writing articles as a chore. Outsourcing is always an option and might be a good idea if you need a large number of orders but you don?t need to be an English major, or even a good writer, to create truly effective articles. I write a lot of articles for other people, sometimes 15 or more a day, so I thought I would share some of my experience and techniques with people who might be struggling to write articles.
The real secret to writing a lot of articles is being able to maximize the amount of time you spend writing and minimize the amount of time spent thinking. If your article flows well while you write it then it should flow well when people read it. Writing is generally considered to be an art but there are also a few technical things you can do to make your job that much easier. Most effective articles will follow a fairly basic formula and if you stick to this formula you will find writing to be much easier.

The first thing you should do is look at your keyword or topic and decide how long you want your article to be. Most of the articles that I write are roughly 500 words or so and I?ve found this to be a good length with which to craft an article. The next thing you should do is figure out the problem or topic you?re addressing and then come up with a few major points that you want to cover. With a 500 word article I generally choose about 3 major points that I think I need to address in the article. Each main point will be covered in about one paragraph and I always include an introductory paragraph and a conclusion paragraph. This should make your 500 word article consist of about 5 paragraphs all together.

As I said before, effective articles follow a standard formula and this is how I will usually structure my articles.

1.Introductory Paragraph
2. First Point
3. Second Point
4. Third Point
5. Conclusion


This is the exact same basic structure I use for all my articles no matter what I?m writing about. This works for articles, reviews and articles with multiple sub headings.

The introductory paragraph is often the most important part of an article as this will be the first thing a visitor reads and it will determine whether the person reads the entire article or heads elsewhere for their information. The introductory paragraph should start with a statement of the problem or topic you?re addressing. The next few sentences should each cover the main points of your article and I will generally use at least one sentence for each point. I can?t stress how important it is to end the first paragraph with a lead out sentence, this keeps a good flow going and will entice someone to continue reading the rest of the article.

Here is an example:


?Flying saucers are the premier form of space travel for all interstellar species but with so many options it can be hard to choose the best saucer for you. Flying saucers will come in a variety of sizes and passenger capacities and can range from a compact sports model to a large family craft. They will also run on a number of different propulsion systems each with their own benefits and drawbacks. In addition, some will be outfitted with a number of different weapons systems that can come in handy in certain parts of the galaxy. Finding the perfect flying saucer can seem like a daunting task but if you consider a few simple points it should be an easy decision.?

This is how I will start the majority of my SEO articles. Notice how the first sentence states the problem, the next three represent the three main points and the final paragraph entices the reader to continue reading the rest of the article. When writing for SEO or for article directories its important to include your target keyword at least once in the first paragraph.

The next few paragraphs should follow the same basic formula. Each paragraph should start with an introductory sentence that states the intent of that paragraph. You should then cover the major elements of the point you?re trying to make with the next couple of sentences. Again, it is extremely important to end each paragraph with a sentence that leads into the next paragraph. I generally try to keep each sentence at around 100 words as I feel this is long enough to clearly make my point but not so long as to appear as a massive wall of text.

Once you have covered your main points in the preceding paragraphs you need to write a good conclusion paragraph. This final paragraph should restate the topic and then summarize the points you made earlier. The purpose of this paragraph is to reinforce the over all intent of the article, usually I am trying to prove why someone should visit a certain site or purchase a certain product or service. This paragraph is also the perfect place to include a call to action or an affiliate link. You want to make sure that your final paragraph represents a good ending to the article and should leave your reader convinced that the information you?ve presented is the best option.

This is the method I use to write almost all of my articles and I?ve found it to be an effective way to create great content in the shortest amount of time. It can be hard to constantly come up with unique articles, especially if you don?t consider yourself to be a writer, but if you follow this basic formula you should have a much easier time. The most important thing to remember is to just stick to the formula, if you follow these basic steps your articles will pretty much write themselves.

I should add that I wrote this specifically for BHW in an effort to give back to a community that has not only been extremely helpful but also quite profitable

Also, I'll answer any questions if I can

You should come and write on my directory, give a few of the mass posting wallies a lesson or two.

Good post,

redfan123 said:

You should come and write on my directory, give a few of the mass posting wallies a lesson or two.

Good post,

Click to expand...

Thanks,

PM me a link and I'll look into it

I wrote this partly because of the amount of pure garbage I see on some websites and directories. I understand that not everyone is a writer but that doesn't mean you can't learn to write better. I've even seen plenty of articles that people have paid for that are just junk and wouldn't pass a high school English class.

I think part of the reason some people have so much trouble with IM is that they aren't putting enough value on the quality of their content and they come off sounding like an adolescent. The way you write is directly related to the way people view you on the internet. You can be an intelligent person but if your articles are poorly written people will look at you rather poorly.

Shadowflux said:

Thanks,

PM me a link and I'll look into it

I wrote this partly because of the amount of pure garbage I see on some websites and directories. I understand that not everyone is a writer but that doesn't mean you can't learn to write better. I've even seen plenty of articles that people have paid for that are just junk and wouldn't pass a high school English class.

I think part of the reason some people have so much trouble with IM is that they aren't putting enough value on the quality of their content and they come off sounding like an adolescent. The way you write is directly related to the way people view you on the internet. You can be an intelligent person but if your articles are poorly written people will look at you rather poorly.

Click to expand...

The same reason why I'm gonna take a private English Academic Writing course this month. My English is good but I have no idea about writing effective English articles.

Thanks for the tips!

You're welcome

I'm actually not revealing any big secrets, its just a typical essay format. If you want to learn more about writing like this maybe you should check out some SAT books. I know the test has changed since I took it but books on writing SAT essays should cover the same information.

Practice really makes perfect and the more you practice writing like this the easier it will be. Eventually the articles will basically write themselves and all you need to do is type.

I must say, however, that this doesn't work quite as well on articles that are really short, like 200 words or so. I find it easier to write 500 words than 200 words, especially if I'm repeating keywords.