For many of us, writing an article just feels like it’s too much work or takes too much time. Not only that, many of us also fear all the work they’ve put into their articles goes to waste because no one reads them anyway. Or so they think. And then there’s those of us who feel reading articles is too much work or takes up a lot of time. In my opinion, there are inherent flaws in both the likes of thinking.
Articles and blog posts are supposed to be read. And when articles and blog posts aren’t getting read, then and only then does writing an article or a blog post becomes a waste of time and energy. I receive comments from time to time asking for marketing tips that take less time than writing articles. And I have none. This is because all types of marketing, free or paid, require your time. And, to my knowledge, there’s no getting around that.
That’s not to say there aren’t steps you can take to make the most use of your time. Writing a great article doesn’t have to be strenuous or take a ton of effort. But there are some guidelines you can follow to streamline the process and make the most out of the time you do spend writing.
First of all, you have to know something about what you write about. This applies to your blog posts as well as your articles. If you write about something you don’t have personal experience with, people can tell. Just as they would if you were speaking to them in person. There’s just no other way I know of anyone could make creative or interesting blog posts or articles without having some knowledge of the subject matter in question.
Another way to make writing not such a chore is to use short paragraphs. With long paragraphs, words can become jumbled in your reader’s mind and make what you have to say difficult to read. Readers will then become disinterested in what you write and move on. Remember, a paragraph can be as short as a single sentence and in many cases, a single word.
Making use of numbers or bullet points is another great way to keep yourself motivated to write and keep your readers attention.
Formatting your bullets and/or numbers with indentations adds a great deal of style to your articles and or blog posts and is sure to keep readers focused on what you have to say.
The use of subheading to break up your paragraphs divides each point into sections but still keeps your entire article incorporated.
This makes it easy for your readers to go from point to point, making the transition smooth and easy for them. This ensures you never lose your readers attention.
Put just as much of your attention into the title of your article as you go into the body of your article. It’s the title that will grab people’s attention and make them want to read your article. Use bold statements or use questions that utilize keywords that people are searching for and keep them short and concise.
Most importantly, be realistic about what you write about. Write as though you’re talking to a friend. You want to reach out and touch your readers. After all, your whole purpose should be about establishing relationships with your readers. That’s the best way to market yourself, a product or service.