1) Are you planning on writing a series of articles that link together?
2) The desired action (the outcome), what is it you want the reader to do after he/she finishes reading your article?
Only after you have decided on the purpose of your article can you begin writing it. You should aim for at least 500 words and not more than 900. The easiest way to do this is by outlining the main topics of your article. If you have 5 topics then write approximately 100 to 200 words on each topic - this I find usually works well.
When your article is finished you can check for readability and flow by reading it aloud to yourself. If you get stuck on any words or you have to re-read a particular sentence so will the reader. Go back and edit the article until it sounds right.
Something else you should know and always bear in mind People don't like reading words they don't understand. Keep it simple, imagine you're writing to an 8th grade level student then you won't have any problems. It's been proven that people like to read at this level.
Creating a compelling resource box
The resource box is ultimately what drives traffic to your website and is effectively your reward for writing the article. If it's a good article, then readers will check your resource box for more
information. This is where you put your call to action. Depending on how many lines or characters you are allowed, your resource box should include the following...
- Your name
- Your expertise
- Why they should visit your site or subscribe to your autoresponder
- Your website url or subscribe link to your autoresponder
Treat your resource box as if it was a classified Ad - because that's exactly what it is. You are selling yourself here. If you were spending $'s on a classified Ad, how would you word your Ad to maximise clickthru's?
Most people are in too much of a hurry... So in those few moments that you've captured their attention give them a good reason to click on your link to wherever it is you want to send them.
If your resource box is 'bland and boring' - don't expect much traffic..!
Making your article instantly viral
If you want your article to spread virally around the internet then asides from submitting them to the most popular and most visited article directories, include the following message in your
resource box
"This article may be reprinted provided all links and content remain intact"
OR
"You may reprint this article provided all links remain intact"
You see... Not everyone goes to article directories to search out for specific information or content for their sites. So by including that one line you are saying to everyone who reads your article on your site or on someone elses site - 'Take me I'm yours'.
It makes it so easy for anyone who is interested in your article, to reprint your article in full, without having to worry about copyright issues or having to email you for permission.
