5 Simple Keys to Writing Articles That Get Clicked

by Janet B Cole

If you are a newbie to article writing, you will probably find it difficult initially to create articles that get clicked time and time again, but it's not that difficult to learn the techniques required to create articles that others want to read.

Most surfers are looking for an answer to their queries. They type in a keyword or keyword phrase into the browser and hope that the results that come up will answer their important queries. So it is very important that you construct your articles in such a way that readers will want to click and digest the information within your article.

So what I suggest you do in your efforts to create articles that get clicked are the following:

1. Brainstorm an idea for your topic. This step could probably stop you right in your tracks because there's so much that you can talk about, especially related to your particular niche. But what you should do is write a title or a set of titles or write a topic or set of topics about which you can create a 400-word article. If the topic revolves around the query that a lot of surfers have in your particular niche, then that's all the better. To give you some breathing space, think of the one question that people in your particular niche ask the most, and that is a topic you should write about in your article.

2. Draft a compelling title. You do not have to draft a title that you will use now, just draft a title that will conjure up the content of your article. If you could use some numerical information, all the better, such as "The Best 3 Ways to..." or "The top Three ways to.."

Those type of titles are magical and work wonders. But don't forget when you begin to write your article, the content of your article must be reflected in the title.

3. The content. If you have indeed used the numerical example given above, then begin to write the keys now. For instance, the top three ways, write down the three ways to achieve your particular objectives. Content written in list form or bulleted point form is very popular. Make a list of the items you wish to discuss in your article. Now, don't get carried away. This is a short article, and you need to be aware of the word count.

4. After you've completed the content of your article, you need to write an introduction and a closing paragraph. The introduction need not be more than two or three sentences, and this can just introduce the reader to what you intend to write about. And similarly, the conclusion, again, can be one or two sentences, and all that need do is to summarize what you have just said in the main content of the article.

5. Now, what you need to do is take a break. Put aside your article for at least a couple of hours without reading or going over. After your break, come back and read your article with fresh eyes. This is the time to also edit and improve your article if necessary.

Do you want to learn more about article writing to build your list?

Download my free ebook here: Secrets to Article Promotion

Janet B Cole is a powerful coach and online mentor. She has over 400 articles in print and has published several ebooks.

How to Easily Find Freelance Writing Jobs in a Recession

by Yuwanda Black

Have you ever wondered, "Where are all the freelance writing jobs?" Have you ever sent off questions to successful freelance writers, asking something along the lines of:

"I just can't seem to land any gigs right now. What could I be doing wrong?" Or,

"I've sent out so many queries but I haven't heard anything. Am I doing something wrong?" Or,

"Do you have any advice on what I can do to get some work? I'm just not having any luck."

The list goes on.

Yes, the Economy Sucks! But, It Can Be to Your Advantage

We're probably in a recession right now, no matter what the official definition is. But, this can be to your advantage. One of the best things about being a freelance writer is that it is a career that thrives - no matter what he economy at large is doing.

Why is this? Basically because we live in the age of information. Every day, online searches are conducted. What are people searching for? Information. Luckily as a freelance writer, that's YOU! No matter what is happening in the world, it needs to be written about. So, how can you capitalize on the lean times right now? Following are two tips.

2 Ways to Capitalize on the Recession as a Freelance Writer

1. Change Your Mindset: Many freelance writers till think of themselves as, well, freelance writers. A better way to think of yourself is as an information provider. Why is this important?

Because information is where it all begins. Email campaigns, newsletters, web content, blog postings, social media marketing, etc. It is all information. Information that has to be written by someone - preferably you.

Once you start viewing yourself like this, you unclog that mental blog of a "freelance writer looking for work" to an "information provider that can help businesses compete."

In spite of these economic times, commerce goes on. And, luckily for freelance writers - especially those interested in online writing jobs - many companies are pouring more and more of their ad budgets into online marketing because traditional media is just too expensive. Proof?

A survey of 600 marketing professionals were asked how the current economy is affecting their marketing decisions. They responded in the article, Marketers Plan to Cut Budgets, Increase Online Spend. Their responses were summed up as follows:

"MarketingProfs has observed that online marketing is also turning into a venue where marketers can stretch their dollar while accurately targeting leads and customers. 60% of all marketers surveyed stressed that they would be increasing their online budgets while 85% would be reducing their use of traditional marketing vehicles." [Source: MarketingPilgrim, online at MarketingPilgrim dot com]

This presents a wealth of opportunities for freelance writers in the form of web content, SEO articles, blog posts, email marketing campaigns, etc.

When you change your mindset from freelance writer to mindset, there's one more thing you need to do - capitalize on hot trends.

2. Recognize and Capitalize on Trends: This is easy to do. Simply watch the news and read major newspapers (online or off). What are some hot topics in the news right now that you can think of?

Some right off the top of my head are foreclosures, bank failures, green (as in environmentally friendly) topics, etc. You can capitalize on all of these by offering content to websites, newsletter publishers, magazines and blogs that specialize in these niches.

For more "hot" freelance writing niches, get the 2008-2009 Freelance
Writing Jobs Report . It's an in-depth analysis of all the sectors that present a wealth of freelance writing opportunities - now and for the next couple of years.

It also offers advice on how to recession-proof your freelance writing career, as well as some ideas for creating your own information products to sell.

You don't have to look hard to find freelance writing jobs, you just have to "look smart!"

Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com : The Authority Site on How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career. Site features freelance success stories, e-courses, ebooks, marketing advice and more! Want to make money online today as a freelance writer? The e-report How to Make $100/Day or More as a Freelance Writer! tells you how.

How Can Writers Survive the Global Economic Crisis?

by Nick Daws

The world seems to be in a topsy-turvy state right now, with banks folding left, right and center, or else being propped up awkwardly by national governments.

The knock-on effects of the 'credit crunch' are hard to predict, but one thing that's for sure is that sadly many more jobs are going to be lost in the coming months.

I'm no economist, but I'd like to offer my two cents worth here on how writers can best survive and even prosper in these difficult times. In particular, I'd like to offer two pieces of practical advice...

The first is to diversify. In times of recession (which is where the world seems to be headed right now) no business is safe. And in the publishing world, many are already feeling the pinch as people cut back on 'luxuries' such as books.

So it must make sense to have a variety of sources of income. If books are your main writing interest, then, consider trying your hand at articles and short stories as well. Conversely, if you're mainly an article writer, why not look at other options as well, e.g. writing an e-book and selling it on the Internet?

In my view, every writer should have a broad portfolio of projects. This might, for example, include books, articles, short stories, Internet writing, comedy writing, TV scriptwriting, advertising copywriting, and so on. That way, if a particular market vanishes or a regular client goes to the wall, you still have plenty of other irons in the fire.

And, of course, there is no reason why you can't have some non-writing-related sidelines as well. When I started out as a full-time freelance writer, many moons ago, I also sold copyright-free artwork packs by mail order. That business eventually died as electronic clip-art became the norm, but in my early days I was very grateful for the extra income it generated. Nowadays, the Internet offers lots of potential sideline-earning opportunities -- just check out some of the 'home-based business' articles on EzineArticles.com, for example.

Moving on, my second piece of advice is to invest in the best and safest repository available -- yourself!

In uncertain times, you need to build up your palette of skills, to increase your employability (if you're seeking a job) or offer a wider range of services (if you work for yourself). Learning new skills can also provide a means for earning extra cash in its own right.

So it's important to invest some time -- and, yes, money as well -- in developing your skills. A writer seeking to diversify might want to build (or improve) their skills in other areas of writing, such as comedy writing, self-publishing, TV or movie scriptwriting, copywriting, travel writing, and so on.

It's also worth developing skills in related areas, e.g. HTML and website design. These days I do a lot of work writing content for company websites. While I'm never going to be an expert web designer, I know enough HTML to insert formatting codes, repair broken hyperlinks, and so on. Allying this with my writing skills has helped to generate a lot of extra work for me. There are courses you can take at many local colleges, or by distance learning, or online. One free resource for learning HTML I recommend is PageTutor at http://www.pagetutor.com

But whatever method you choose, the returns from this 'investing in yourself' can be far greater than any stock market investment, and far less risky. I believe the twin methods of diversifying and investing in yourself should be at the heart of every writer's strategy for surviving the current economic crisis.

Nick Daws is a full-time, UK-based freelance writer. As well as over 80 non-fiction books, he is the author of the top-selling courses Write Any Book in Under 28 Days and Quick Cash Writing. Visit his freelance writing blog at http://www.mywritingblog.com

Write Based on Your Passion, Not Obligation

by Dominic Tay

As article marketers, there is always a need for us to write fresh content. The trouble is that more than often, we 'run' out of steam. Have it ever happened to you?

Most article writers I know make the mistake of writing articles based on the market needs, not on their personal passion. This is what I term, writing on obligation. The problem with this approach is soon enough, you'll find yourself running out of steam and giving up writing altogether.

Of course with that said, it does not mean you should ignore the needs of the market and write what you want to write. You must also consider writing articles that people wants to read. Know what I mean?

The bottom line is to strike a balance between your passion and 'obligation'.

You see, when you are passionate about your topic, you can talk about it endlessly with your friends. Ideas come easily and quickly and in less than an hour, you'll probably churn out twice more articles than you usually can do in one sitting.

I've never heard of people becoming successful writing books, articles or magazines they do not have an interest in.

When you write an article based on obligation, your readers can tell the difference. You sound incongruent - that you're saying something that contradicts your previous points - you give merely sufficient examples just to stuff up your articles. All these subconscious signs you send out through writing your article by force keeps your readers away.

Research the 'hot' topics in your industry and write on those that interests you the most. The key is to enjoy what you write and write what you enjoy. Only then can you give your best in writing your articles and giving the most value to your readers.

In fact, this is one of my keys to writing articles. Promise yourself never to write another article unless you enjoy writing it. Only then will you last long enough to see the results from your article marketing journey.

Like what you read? Listen. I've compiled a report, Three-Step Article Marketing Secret Blueprint, specially for my valued visitors (You). You won't get this guide anywhere else. Download the Three-Step Article Marketing Secret Blueprint Report (it's free!) at http://www.autosubmitarticlemachine.com

5 Steps to Write Fast and Make Money Faster

by Angela Booth

Want to make great money writing articles? You can. In this article we'll discuss five steps to increasing your income by writing fast.

Firstly, let's discuss why articles are such money spinners online. Everyone wants articles. Why? That's simple. Article are content and content brings traffic to a Web site. The more traffic, the more sales. So in a nutshell, articles spell money.

You can write articles for others, and you can write them to promote your own services and products too. While successful Web writers love articles and consider them money for jam, many writers flag. They get stuck, because they get lost. They don't have a process.

The following process will help you to write fast.

1. Pick Your Audience

Everything starts with an audience and with what that audience needs. It's easy to discover audiences online: just check any of the keyword tools, and assess the number of searches for a particular keyword.

For example, when I checked the "dog grooming" keyword, I discovered that in August 2008 there were around 250,000 searches. That's a large audience, and one it's well worth writing for.

So I know that writing "dog grooming" articles will be profitable.

2. Plan Your Articles - Who's Looking for What?

Once you've found your starter keyword, your keyword tool will show you what people search for in that topic. In dog grooming, for example, people search for:

* Dog grooming equipment

* Mobile dog grooming

* Dog grooming tips

Each of the above keywords has a good number of searches, and I could write several articles on each keyword.

Just by checking a keyword, not only have I discovered an article topic which will sell, I've also discovered what I need to write about.

3. Outline Your Articles in a Batch

Once I've discovered what to write about, I write five to 10 article titles. Under each title, I make a list of what I want to cover in that article. That's my outline - a simple list.

4. Focus - Close Your Office Door and Use a Timer

I usually outline my articles on one day, and write them on another day. Once I'm ready to write, I close my office door.

Now it's just a matter of writing fast. I'm not concerned about word choice or grammar, I just want to get those articles done in rough draft form. Once they're on the computer screen, I can tinker with them.

5. Revise Your Articles and Check Your Spelling

The next and final step is to revise the articles.

Firstly I revise for information and logic. Are the articles useful? Do they contain good information? If they don't I add information.

Finally, I revise for word choice, spelling and grammar.

The result? Great articles which are profitable, and which were fast and easy to write.

Discover how to make money online today with Angela Booth's Sell Your Writing Online NOW at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html You'll learn how to write and sell articles, blogs, ebooks and Web sites for profit, and you'll get complete training in how the Web works, so you can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities.

For free weekly writing information sent to your Inbox, subscribe to Angela's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine at http://fabfreelancewriting.com/ezine/fab-freelance-writing-ezine.html and receive "Write And Sell Your Writing: The Power-Write Report" immediately.

7 Tips For Finding Time To Write Every Day

by Connie Ragen Green

Many people would like to write articles but they believe they just do not have enough time. If you work at a full time job, commute to and from this job five days a week, and have a family to care for you may be finding it almost impossible to make any time for writing. I was experiencing this until I figured out these 7 tips for finding time to write every day.

1. Carry a letter size spiral notebook with you at all times. I have two of them – one that I keep in my car and the other that I keep with me at all times. I use the ones that have a straight edge when I tear the paper out instead of having little pieces of paper all over. I also use the college rule lines instead of narrow rule so that I have lots of space to add words or sentences.
2. When you have an idea, write it down immediately. If I am driving I pull the car over as soon as it is safe to do so. That way you won’t ever forget something that could turn into a good article later. I write down as much as I can so that I can go back later and write more details.
3. Make a schedule for when you are going to write. For a time I was leaving my house at 5:30 every morning to drive almost an hour to work. I started leaving at 5:15 instead and was able to beat most of the traffic. That way I would arrive early to my job. Instead of going inside early I would park my car down the street and take out my notebook. I wrote for thirty minutes each morning. When I went inside to my job I felt like I had already accomplished something that was important to me. You may be able to write for a period of time early in the morning at your house. Maybe writing later in the evening works best for you. Whenever the time is, make it part of your schedule and set goals for yourself. I like to write one article every day, five days a week. In the beginning you may set a goal of writing one article each week. Break it down into parts. Perhaps you will make notes about what you will write on the first day, write two paragraphs the next day, and so on, until your article is finished.
4. Wait until your article is finished before you give it a title. When you are first writing your articles will tend to get off track. By waiting until the end to give it a title you won’t be constantly working to get back to your original article idea. If your article ends up a little different from what you originally envisioned it is alright. Finishing the article is the most important thing to focus on in the beginning.
5. Remember that writing becomes faster and easier as time goes on. If you set goals for yourself, stick to them, write every day, and let the writing just flow you will be able to write an article more easily than you ever imagined. The quality of your writing will also improve over time.
6. Read other articles in the niche area that you have chosen for yourself. By reading other, related writings you will spark ideas that you will want to write about. There may be areas within your niche that you had not even thought about writing about in your articles.
7. Celebrate your accomplishments! Tell your friends and family what you are writing about, when you finish an article, when you submit an article and when you have an article accepted. They will come to think of you as an author and feel like you have included them in the process.

About 85% of those who write articles never write more than 10 of them. Be part of the 15% who have disciplined themselves to take the time to write each day. After you get going for a few weeks and see what can be accomplished you will be happy that you made the time.

Connie Ragen Green is a writer and speaker living in southern California. Visit her athttp://www.SmallBusinessUnMarketing.com

3 Greats Tips to Put Personality Into Your Writing

By Steven Wagenheim

Why does every article I read have to be so darn bland and boring? If I want plain regurgitated facts, I'll go turn on the evening news and be bored to death. Look, just because you're writing an article on some terrible disease doesn't mean it has to be as dry as a 10 day old turkey sandwich. Well, if you're struggling with putting some personality into your article writing, these tips should help you greatly. Please make a note of them so I don't have to read anymore bland and boring articles.

Tip number 1. Tell a story. Hey look, I don't care what you're writing about. If it's something that you're familiar with, you MUST have some kind of story to relate to it. For example, maybe you're writing about breast cancer. Well, certainly you must have known somebody in your life who has had breast cancer. Maybe you went to a breast cancer rally or walk. We don't live in bubbles. Everything we write about, if we're writing about something close to us, has a story connected to it in some way. All you have to do is find it and relay it.

Tip number 2. Associate a related fact or opinion. Look. everything you write about has some opinion tied to it. Some of the opinions are pretty close to fact, though some might argue that. Fine, but everybody has opinions. Certainly you have yours. Okay, let's take that same topic of breast cancer. Maybe you've just written about how often they say to have an examination. Certainly you must have an opinion on that, either for or against. Express it. People want to know what YOU think. They can read facts anywhere. Give them something more.

Tip number 3. Think of a more interesting way to say something. We get lazy when we write. We use the same words over and over again. We sometimes even bore ourselves. Well, why not get out a thesaurus and look up some substitutions? It's never too late to expand your vocabulary. The more words you learn, the more colorful your writing becomes. That's why a first grader is never going to write like Hemingway. He just doesn't have the vocabulary yet.

Put these three tips into practice and you'll be putting more personality into YOUR writing.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to write articles that get people's attention and can earn you up to $200 per article written? Then check out my Complete Article Writing And Marketing Guide that you can find at http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/tcawamg.html - This is my own book that I wrote from over 30 years of writing experience.