Do you want to write articles that will earn
you millions of readership while you also earn from it? What if I told you that
I can teach you how to write compelling pieces that can be posted on the best
blogs available today and shared by thousands on social media? Someone once
said that everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die. Nothing
could be further from the truth. As you follow my lead on these four important
tips for writing a great article, it is my prayer that you will religiously
follow these steps way after you are done reading this article. So help you,
God!
Research your Foundation
Most aspiring, even seasoned writers face 'writer’s block'. Writer’s
block can be defined as a creative meltdown process where a writer can no
longer have a lucid, free-flow of ideas to pen down. Nevertheless, you won’t
spend the rest of your life having a pity party and fall apart like a
two-dollar suitcase.
Great article writing demands that you spend a reasonable amount of time
expanding your pot of ideas. You may not be a fun of cricket, but at the same
time, you can’t write the compelling piece about the game if you don’t
understand its’ rules.
Brainstorm on your topic, do a proper research and get your facts right.
Come up with sub- headings that serve to link the readers to the key topic.
Visit libraries, speak to people knowledgeable in that field and use online
resources to dig out collaborative sources of information to make your article
authentic. Essentially all work is done here at the preparation stage; proper
research will lead to the great article.
Go for topics that you are passionate about but also worthwhile to your
target audience. An enthusiastic approach to your article will engage the
audience and prolong its shelf life way after the writer has moved on.
The title tells it all
The title of your article has the potential to either make you or break
you. It doesn’t matter if you write your title first before you do the story or
vice versa. You must have a catchy title that draws in your reader, in business
terms, this is called the USP- Unique Selling Position.
Of what value is it to the reader if he takes his time to read through
their article? An effective headline is a teaser that tells us what the article
is all about without giving away much but promises a particular value to the
reader.
Presenting your idea
LEAD
The article should begin with a hook, this is crucial to get your
readers glued to what you are talking about. There are various methods to
introduce your article and this includes but not limited to the use of shocking
statistics or facts, posting a thought- provoking the question, debunking
conventional myths or sharing some personal information.
PAINT
A PICTURE
Novelty to your article is the definition of your artistic ability to
tell the story. Any great article must be written in a creative, coherent and
sequential manner that is easy for the reader to read, comprehend, learn and
also be entertained. This is where you prioritize events/ actions, choice
of words and their timing on when and where they appear will have an overall
effect on your article.
A little bit of humor can go a long way in making your article
interesting although this should be used sparingly. Too much of humor can water
down its intended effect to the reader. The same applies to the use of vocabularies
and terminologies. Not unless you are writing a scientific article and you are
compelled to write terminologies not known to the average reader, stick to
words commonly used in our day to day conversation. Whatever it is you are
writing about, etch a mental picture into the mind of the reader as they read
along.
CALL
TO ACTION
The essence of writing an article is to want people to respond in a
particular predetermined manner. This is the call to action and it comes to the
conclusion to your story. What lessons do you want people to take away from
your article?
AN
IMAGE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
If you really must use a picture as part of your story, employ emotional
intelligence while selecting it. Photos or pictures should minister to the
subconscious and amplify those aspects that you could not put in black and
white. It should largely contribute to the overall tone of your article drawn
from its artistic perspective which could be humor, or a sense of urgency,
curiosity or creativity.
Write! Write! Write! Repetition is the mother
of learning. Being a great article writer is not an overnight success. You must
practice time and again by writing more articles until you perfect the art.
Don’t be discouraged by naysayers, keep researching, keep reading, keep asking,
and keep writing. I repeat, repetition is the mother of learning.
