Writing Good Articles For Fun and Profit

If writing good articles is something that appeals to you, then by all means you should go with it. Most people get into article writing for one of three reasons.

*They need content to draw people to their website
*They want to write content to draw traffic to someone else's website
*They just like writing and are not necessarily motivated by the opportunity to make money

All of these are valid reasons for writing good articles. The better the content, the more people are likely to read it. If you are in the first or second category but lack writing experience, then here are a few tips to practice that will quickly bring you up to speed.

Providing information is the bottom line rule for content writing. That means that you must know who your intended audience is before you start. The way to reach that audience is to provide information they want or need. If you are not providing something of value to them, they may not even bother to finish the article. Almost certainly, they will not be compelled to go to the desired website. So, your content must be informative.

Write for your intended audience. That is different than providing useful information. You may provide information of interest to a lot of people, but if it isn't of particular interest to your intended audience, you'll lose them.

For example, suppose you are writing content articles to attract people to a website that is promoting tourism in Ireland. You would want to provide information about air fare deals or hotels in Ireland or points of interest that tourists are likely to want to visit. There are hundreds of ways to focus content so that people will be compelled to go to the desired website.

But if your article is about glass blowing techniques developed in the 18th century and you fail to mention that Ireland produces some of the world's finest glass pieces, you may not accomplish much. And if you write a piece on the technical aspects of installing glass windows in structures, you certainly won't find your tourist audience.

Give your audience information that they want and will enjoy reading and that may push them to the intended website. Writing good articles means reaching your audience.

Writing good articles is often an exercise in telling a story. Everyone likes a good story. Pay attention to process; it's invaluable in telling your story. Bring your own personal touches to the content. If you have Irish ancestors, talk about them in your article. While everyone's past history has certain things in common, personal stories are also unique.

Sharing your story with your readers brings a human touch to the article that makes people want to know more. The more you bring your personal experience to your story, the better you get at it.

Paying attention to process also means learning what reads well and what doesn't. If your writing style is lively and you use an active voice, you are much more likely to attract readers. If you use a dull passive voice, you'll just make people yawn. You might even put them to sleep. You must engage your readers so talk directly to them. "You must visit Kerry" is much more compelling than "People often visit Kerry."

There is another writing tip that is worth employing. Tell your reader what you are going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said. It reinforces your basic message and that is a good thing. The more you write the better writer you will become. Writing is like anything else. Practice, practice, practice.

So, know your audience, give them information, tell a lively story that engages them and pay attention to the rules of the road. There is another element to writing a good article and that has to do with putting in website links. But that is another article for another day.

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