Three Steps to Great Articles
Nothing is worse than staring at a blank screen when you have to write an article for your article marketing campaign and you have nothing to say. This can easily happen to you if you are just getting started with article marketing or if you don’t have a writing schedule (also called an editorial calendar). If your head is filled with keywords, title suggestions, and author guidelines, your brain is probably too confused to write a good article. What should you do if you’re hopelessly confused?
Relax. With some practice you can boil the art of article writing down to a science. The top article marketers all have bags of tricks that they use to make writing articles simple. You can too. Here are three simple steps you can take to write a great article, or even a great series of articles.
Step 1: Brainstorm a Topic & Find Keywords
Brainstorming topics and finding keywords kind of go hand-in-hand. If you’re feeling creative then brainstorming a topic to write about will probably be easy. Write down a list of 2-5 topics that you feel inspired to write about, and then use a keyword tool (like Google Keywords) to find desirable keywords for your topic. Some of the top article marketers suggest that you choose keywords with at least 1,000 hits and low or no competition. Once you’ve found your keywords just keep them handy for later.
If you don’t have a clue what you want to write about, then do what a lot of article marketers do: start by searching for your keywords first. Type some common topics that you know you can write about into the Google Keywords tool and see what comes up that inspires you. For instance, if you often write about health and immunity, type in words like “common cold” or “catching colds.” The keyword lists, especially Google’s suggested keywords, may inspire you and help you find a topic for your article.
Step 2: Pick a Great Title
A solid title can often act as a guidance tool when you actually sit down to write. The title can be funny, how-to, shocking, or revealing. For instance, your title might start with “Three Steps to …” or “Instant Gratification for … ” or “Why You Should Never …” You can also start your title with your keyword phrase like this: “Enzyme Therapy in Three Easy Steps,” where ‘enzyme therapy’ is the keyword phrase. As you write the article, be sure that your article still relates to your title.
Your title can be so funny or interesting that it can actually inspire your writing. The best article marketers are also masters at crafting great titles. If you’re stuck on title ideas, just visit any popular article directory and browse through articles that others have written. You’ll get some great ideas in a very short time.
Step 3: Write Your Article and Insert Keywords
This step is where a lot of new article marketers get hung up: inexperienced article marketers try to write their articles around their keywords. Trying to fit keywords into your article as you are writing can really stop the flow of words. Instead, just write your article first and then go back and insert the keywords where appropriate. You might have to rewrite a few sentences and replace some phrases in your article, but overall you will probably find that adding the keywords in afterward is easier than trying to fit them in as you write. Just be sure to hit your keyword density target, no matter if you put the keywords in while you write your article or after you’ve already written it.
Bonus Round
Here are some great resources to get your article marketing efforts started on the right foot:
Article Marketing & Copywriting Secret: How To Make Your Article TITLE Sell
How to Keep Your Article Content Fresh and Interesting
Keywords to Use to Write a Great Article
How About You?
Got any ideas to help out the newbie article marketer? How do you inspire yourself for your article marketer campaigns?
photo credit: Three Steps
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