Article writing. Blogging. Is there a difference? Yes… and no! An article is considered by many to be something that you’d read in a newspaper or a magazine. A blog is a body of words that resides on your website. They are similar. How to write an article is something we are asked quite regularly.
We put together this piece to help you with your article writing which will, in turn, help you with your blog post writing. Great content should always be your goal, no matter where it will be published.
How to write an article
What is an “article”? It’s typically a piece of prose that is at least 500 words, factual in nature and gives a deep dive into a particular topic. Each article should cover one topic only.
The various types of articles include:
- Persuasive – written to convince a reader to buy into your idea or to invest in a particular service. Your persuasive article might prompt the action of a reader signing up for your course or buying your product.
- Expository – an article full of facts and figures about your topic.
- Descriptive — this article does what it says — it describes the topic or your product or service and how it will address a pain point.
- Narrative — in this article type you are telling a story. The story can be about the reason behind your business and the services you provide.
After you’ve decided what type of article you will write, you will begin writing. Here are some guidelines for article writing:
- Choose your topic. One topic per article.
- Craft a compelling, searchable headline
- Write an introductory paragraph that lets the reader know what he is getting when he reads your article
- The body of the article can include bullet points, numbered lists and is an expansion on the title, the topic and the introductory paragraph
- A wrap up. Once the article has been written you want to give it a wrap up. For example, “In this article on how to write an article we have offered the types of article you can write, the structure of an article and now it’s your turn!” Your wrap up reminds them of the bullet points you’d covered and sends them on their way.
There are more steps to article writing (of course). You want to spell check. You want to edit your piece. You want to add subheads, bullets, numbers and other items to make your article easier to read and skim as we are a generation of skimmers to get the point of the article we’re reading.
Do you write articles? Do you struggle with articles and content? Let us know. We can help!