How to (Tips for) Article Writing

June 25, 2010

As most people know writing an article and posting it with links back to your site is an excellent way to direct traffic to your site. However, after reading hundreds of articles I have noticed some people need some tips on how to maximize readership and the rate of publication of their article.

Publishers publish articles for two reasons. For fresh content on their site and to generate revenues, often with ads placed on the page with your article. So, with a highly read article the publisher will be more likely to promote your article, which increases your exposure.
So when writing your articles try to make it short and simple. People are lazy by nature and the easier the article appears to read the more likely it will be read.

It's ok to have paragraphs of one sentence... even one word!

When people look at an article and contemplate reading it, if it looks like work, they'll pass. Having an easy to skim article, with lots of whitespace, makes the article look easier to digest.
Don’t worry too much on the writing style. It is your title and the appearance of an article that people use in determining whether or not to even read it. Once they start reading the article, then it's the content and your writing style that will suck them deeper in.
Another good guideline to follow when writing an article is to aim for the 600 word count. Less than 600 words is too low for many publishers, and not long enough to be considered a proper article.

An article that is too long will make the potential reader think it is too much work to read, and as a result not read it, despite how well it is written or the contents of the article.
The ideal length for an article to achieve maximum republication is between 600 and 800 words.
It is a good idea to write an article and then go back through looking for places to break up long paragraphs, simplify the language, and give the article a more personal feel.

Also, look for places where you can substitute contractions for two words to make the language less stilted. More conversational articles are also easier to read and understand.

Also read your article out loud to yourself several times. If you stumble anywhere, you probably need to rewrite that portion.
The same techniques can also be used when writing sales copy, but that is a topic for another article.

The objective of writing an article is to get published. Once published you want your article to be read. Publishers like popular articles. If you follow these simple tips on how to write an article you will increase your chances of both. With a popular article with your name and url attached to it you will be well on your way to expert internet marketer status.

article by Chris Stirling
image from 123rf.com

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