What makes a great article?
It’s not just an article that people want to read; it’s an article that people want their friends to read; a post that they’ll share on Facebook, Twitter and all the rest.
Anyone (well, almost anyone!) can string a few sentences together but to actually engage your audience is a little more complicated. The following tips will help you get started, whether you are submitting test pieces to magazines you’d love to write for, have a journalistic deadline looming or simply want to get your new blog off to a great start.
1.Choose your subject wisely – get chatting.
It should be a given but many writers seem to ignore this vital piece of the puzzle. If you have free reign over the subject matter you’re lucky. Write about what interests you – your enthusiasm will shine through and you’ll find yourself happily typing away rather than looking for any distraction to drag you away from your desk.
If you are writing for a particular publication, you may be somewhat restricted on what you can write about. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a little creative though.
My top tip here is to visit a few online chat rooms or forums relating to your topic.
I know, I know, I should be telling you to avoid chatting online; just get your bum in gear and start writing! However, chat rooms can provide a wealth of ideas. What are people currently talking about in your chosen sphere of interest? What are the hot topics? Are there any new controversies or is there a particular line of questioning that keeps cropping up?
For example, when I was blogging about birds, I discovered that people were frequently talking about how to avoid birds flying into their windows. It became clear that advice on how to prevent this was something that would interest a lot of folks. When I was writing about veganism, one subject that kept appearing in groups and chat rooms was the question of vegan role models so I did a bit of digging around and dedicated an article to that topic. Because I had tapped into a current trend, my article was shared widely and prompted many more discussions.
That said, if people are talking about it, it’s likely that you’re not the only writer lurking who has grabbed onto the same subject matter. It’s important to put your own spin on things. No one will read your article if there are already 20 identical pieces floating about. Find an angle that hasn’t been covered and make it personal to you.
2.What’s in a name? Choose your title wisely.
You have probably about 5 seconds (if that!) to convince someone to click on your link. So give your article a damn good title. Questions are always good; you’ve got your reader formulating their own answer to the question before they’ve even read your piece. And they want to know if your answer matches theirs!
A controversial title can work in your favour too but only if it’s actually relevant to the body of the text.
3.Be flexible.
As you delve further into your subject matter, be prepared for your opinion to change. Before you even put pen to paper you probably had a good idea where you were headed with your article. You may even have had a conclusion formulated in your mind. If that’s where you end up, then fine. But sometimes the best articles are the ones where your readers join you on your journey and you end up somewhere completely unexpected by the time you finish typing. As long as the journey is cohesive and easy enough for your reader to follow, this is not a problem. And be sure to write down any unexpected thoughts that pop into your mind as you work your way to your conclusion – these could well be fodder for related articles further down the line.
4.You’re boring me now.
Don’t go on for too long or you’ve completely lost your audience. Keep it to the point and no longer than strictly necessary.
On that note…
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