Seven Tips for Writing
Internet Articles
by Judy Cullins
Whether you write for ezines or Web sites,
online readers love information, but be sure your information is crisp, clean,
clear, and concise.
- Keep your paragraphs short, even a line or two. Online readers will
ignore long batches of words in long paragraphs, whether in an ezine or at
a Web site. That costs the author a lot of book sales. Respect
readers who want material short and sweet.
- Write tips in their correct format. First, use a verb as a command.
Follow it by the cost of not doing it. End with a positive comment. Use
this three-sentence formula to bring the curious to you.
- Make your heading compelling. If you haven't tested it on
associates, or haven't edited it at least five times, it says
"lackluster." People will delete your email or leave your site
to find something new. Which one will you read? "How to Write an
Article," or "Sell More Books by Writing a Short Article?"
- Get to the point quickly in the title and the first line. Long
stories and introductions turn readers off. They want instant
gratification. Keep your introduction and conclusion to one or two
sentences.
- Tell your readers what you want them to do. Without direction you
won't get them to visit your Web site or order your products. They are
waiting for your magic formula to make them richer, healthier, or enjoy
great relationships.
- Target your article to your most profitable audience. Not everyone
will want your information, so include your audience in the title or
introduction. When you target your audience, you write more
compelling, focused copy that your readers will love. They will reward you
by checking out where your book is sold.
- Eliminate all superfluous words such as adjectives and adverbs like
"ly" and passive verbs. Because of a lack of effort, novices
ruin their work with sentences full of "is" and
"was" linking verbs instead of bold verbs. Neither books, nor
articles will sell with these "slugs."
Keep these tips in
mind, so that your article will bring people to you, your service, your Web
site, and your products.
Copyright 2001 Judy Cullins
Judy Cullins: author, publisher, book coach
helps professionals manifest their book dreams.
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