Article Writing Secrets For Non-Writers

There is one thing that’s not a secret -- in today’s world, where "Content is King," writing is an important aspect of business. It seems like everything that is done online requires some type of writing.

Content is needed for web pages, articles are needed for advertising, blog entries need to be posted daily. Newsletters and ezines have to be mailed to subscriber lists. There's no limit to the need for content.

The process of writing articles scares some people who don't consider themselves writers. But the process can be broken into some easy to follow steps.

Let’s first determine where we are going to get great ideas for our articles, and then we'll discuss some basic writing and formatting guidelines.

Where to Get Article Ideas
All you have to do to get ideas for articles is be on the lookout for them! The first thing you should do is spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day reading something related to your specialty. Make notes of topics that a short time, you will have more topics that you want to write about than you have time for.

A good way to find topic ideas quickly is to subscribe to RSS Feeds. If you have an account at Yahoo!, you can add RSS Feeds to your Yahoo! home page and easily have access to new articles on a daily basis. (Any other feeder will do just as well, though.) Subscribe to a variety of feeds so you’ll have resources for news items related to your topic, as well as new blog posts.

Then, determine if there is a new twist that you can put on an existing topic, or a story that didn't give enough information. This is a great opportunity for an article because you can reference the original article, state your concerns, and recommend a solution. Viola! You have an easy-to-make article. Industry changes and technology news also make for quick articles; and you can always write articles that quiz people on your topic specialty.

Look at what others are writing about. If you receive a lot of newsletters in your email inbox on a daily basis, start scanning those that have been ignored for a while. They could be loaded with information that is full of article ideas. If there are links in the email, click on them! This will bring you to new sites with new information, and will also give you ideas on what you can promote in your next newsletter.

While you are at the site you clicked on, see if there are any FAQ pages that will help you identify a problem that you can solve with your writing. A list of short tips that helps solve a problem would also make a great article.

Remember - write everything in your own words, don’t just copy and paste the website owner's FAQ.

Blog sites are an excellent way to get new ideas. Search technorati.com or blogsearch.google.com for some interesting blogs. You are bound to find an endless stream of ideas for things that you can elaborate on.

Take another look at your own hobbies and see if there is something you like to do that might be interesting to others. Do you have a different hobby in summer than in the winter? Have you been writing a variety of articles on skiing and forgetting that you also fish? While you are searching the blogs, you may find other hobbies that would be interesting to your target market and fit in with your main focus.

Article sites are another great place to find ideas and get free articles that can serve as templates for your own efforts. Go to ArticleCity.com, Ezinearticles.com or AffSphere.com and see what subjects are being written about.

Writing the Article
After you’ve gone through all of the areas above looking for ideas, it’s time to sit down and write the article. You should now have a good idea for the article, but you need to figure out who is the best target audience for this information.

If you’re writing for a pet-focused group, you do NOT want your article to be about making money or self-help. It should solve a pet related problem. If you are submitting your article to article directories, be sure they have a section that includes your niche. Otherwise, you'll be wasting your time submitting to them.

You should take about five minutes to brainstorm and write out some questions that you want to answer in your article. Don’t worry if you don’t know the correct answers right away — you can do more research later.

In fact, it’s a good hint you are on the right track if you don’t know all the answers. That usually means that you are not just writing on too obvious a topic. You'll likely have valuable information and a different a different point of view to pass along.

After reading the niche articles you found, your mind will be focused on the job at hand. You'll find that after about five minutes of brainstorming, you will have some interesting things to write about.

Now that you have some ideas for the article, and you know whom you are targeting, you need to determine what you want your article to accomplish. Are you writing to give your readers interesting information? Do you want them to click on a link to your website, subscribe to your ezine or buy something from you? Always begin with the end in mind.

Formatting your Article
- Attention Getting Headline (Subject Line)
The headline should sum up the main benefit of reading the article and make the reader want to read more. Make the headline irresistible by promising valuable information, arousing curiosity, or bringing up a problem that might not have been thought of before. (And, of course, you have the solution in your article).

There are quite a few resources that will help you write good headlines, so make sure you have one for your article.

- The Body of the Article Must Deliver on the Promise of the Headline
If your headline is “Easy Ways to Lose Weight Without Exercising,” your article should not include exercising tips. Also, if you promise a number of tips (example: Article Writing Secrets For Non-Writers. . .) there should be four items included.

If you offer a “simple solution” to something, it had better be simple or the reader will no longer trust you and won’t open your emails in the future. Always give the readers what you promise and you will have happy customers for a long time.

- Conclusion - Call to Action
This is where you tell the reader(s) exactly what you want them to do after finishing your article. There should always be a link to your website or a reference box for more information at the end of the article. This will send the reader back to your site, clicking on your links, and helping pay for the time you spent writing your article.

Edit and Review
Always edit your article. Read it over twice, then read it out loud. It’s a good idea to write an article a few days before it is actually needed, to give you time to think of other things to add to it. You will be amazed at how many other ideas you will get after the article is written, and how your subconscious keeps working behind the scenes. At the minimum, wait at least overnight and see what new ideas you have in the morning.

There is a simple trick that will allow you to catch 100% of the errors that are in your article. Simply print out your completed article, and then read it slowly as you follow along with your left hand. You will be surprised at how well it works to engage the other side of your brain when reading the article (if you’re left-handed, follow along with your right hand).

So, there you have it..
Finding Article Ideas, Writing Tips, Easy Formatting, and Catching 100% of your errors.

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