How to write articles that look good and are good.

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How to write

Don't try to persuade people, that's advertising. Educate like a fun school teacher

Write like you're talking to a smart mate

People want inspiration not persuasion

People (especially mature people) want contact and conversations not conversions

Your articles and videos are like the start of a conversation

 

1. Start writing about how you solved a problem. The one your audience want to solve

2. When you get writers-block after 1 minute or 1 hour, stop. Start again tomorrow.

3. Repeat previous step several times

4. When it doesn't sound-right, read the idea aloud. Use that instead

5. Write 3 pages then edit it down to one page, over a few days/weeks/months to make it clearer. Now it's 1 page. ​
    

Maybe you could phone a few writers to edit your writing. Hire the one that 'gets' you. Make sure they don't use formal / stiff language to impress you.

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People don't ‘read’ online, they scan. So short words, sentences and paragraphs are generally better

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Don't aim for perfection, there's no such thing. Get the reader to have Aha! moments (like the Japanese poet in Paterson by Jim Jarmusch)

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'Gated' content is when you ask for and email address in exchange for information. Don't do this. When you're starting-out you want to influence as many people as possible. Asking for an email makes people leave.

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Here's the weird thing.

Articles have to be good AND 'look' easy to read

Unfortunately, an average article that's easy to read, gets read more, than a great article that's hard to read.

 

How to make articles, easy to read

• Article titles with numbers in them, are easier to read

  • ​7 ways to surf better beats How to surf better.

  • 3 mistakes I made ... The reader saves time and money learning from your mistakes

  • How to ... in 4 steps, explained quickly and clearly

  • 3 pros and cons of ..... Allows the reader to decide for themselves

• Shorter words. Help not Assistance. Often not frequently. Built not constructed. Show not demonstrate. I'm not I am

• Shorter sentences

• Shorter paragraphs, 2 to 4 lines long

• Lots of White Space (tiny paragraphs).

• Headings.

• Bolding.

• Bullet points and sub-bullet points (see above)

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Your articles should have great content

• Rare. If your content is easily found elsewhere. It's not great. 

• Trust is built slowly, over time. Educate don't sell. Persuasion makes you untrustworthy quickly

• Features before benefits. This is controversial. ‘Benefits’ (persuasion) are things that may happen in the future. Listing benefits, makes you assume (ass out of u and me) you know what your customer values - you don't. So, write the features-first, then ASK them what they feel is a 'benefit' to them

• Your point-of-view, e.g. 'My controversial opinion about ...', because this information is found nowhere else

• Be personal not 'professional'. Write like you talk. Being 'clever' may confuse people

• Explain the downside of what you sell AND how to avoid it. Example. Article Title - 'The 3 pros and cons of using CRM software and how I help you avoid the cons'.

• Use 'visual' words. 'free shipping, both ways' = visual = you can see it. Not 'easy ordering'.

• Plain English beats Corporate Speak. Example, “Try different ways to contact people” beats “Leveraging multiple vehicles of communication.”

• Don’t Hype. Example “We are the Best / Premier / Award Winning / Exceptional.” Make your customer feel good, instead of making yourself feel good.

• Don’t flatter or exaggerate. It’s trickery

• Don’t empathise. How can you if you don’t know them

• Be useful.

• Edit it a lot. The more you rewrite it, the better it becomes

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Next Article - Your first Website

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