8 Tips to Format Your Articles to Success Your audience is hungry for information. But they want it in the right format. The format must be easy to read, easy to digest and easy to apply. If you deliver your articles the way your audience likes it, they will reward you by reading every article you publish. They will even visit your website, sign-up for your ezine and eventually visit your product page just to receive more of your helpful information. By writing short articles you can capture attention, gain more traffic, create more sales and most importantly, be helpful to people when they need it. Here are seven quick tips to help you format your articles and make them go the extra mile: 1. Question/Answer. This is a popular format for everyone wants their questions answered in a 123 fashion. If only all questions could be answered in a numbered method. Discover your audience’s burning questions that you have the answers for. List the questions; write a short paragraph that answers each question. Write a short introduction and even shorter summary. There you have it. An easy to read and easy to digest short article answering your audience’s most pressing questions. 2. Problem/Solution. I absolutely love this format. I myself have gotten tons of problems solved with this format, after reading someone’s problem/solution article. Therefore, many of my business problems that I solve become guess what kind of article? Yes. You are right; they become problem/solution articles. Simply describe the problem in one short paragraph and offer the solution in a one sentence paragraph below it. Or vice versa, describe the problem in a one sentence paragraph and give the solution in the longer paragraph. 3. Myth/Truth. The myth/truth format is another format that I use often in my writing. I guess because there are plenty of myths to destroy in any field. No, really I don’t see it used as much as the other formats. So it becomes one of my attempts to be different. Also, you can easily convert other formats of yours or your favorite writer. For example, if you are inspired by another writer’s topic instead of plagiarizing their work simply turn their list of mistakes into secrets or solutions. Simply present the facts in your own voice and viewpoint. 4. Tips/Advice. I think you know by now. I love writing short articles that help people. I mention that because I felt myself wanting to write, the same words at the beginning of this tip. You know, ‘I love the tip format.’ This article is a great example of the tips format. I listed eight tips and short advice on how to accomplish the tip. So, list out your tips and write a short paragraph of advice to explain the tip. 5. Top Ten List. A variation of the tips format is the top tips list. Your top tips list may consist of the Top Five, Top Ten, Top Seven or practically any number of ten or less. I have even written the single most important tip to… Sometimes, that one gets more attention than the other numbers, because it answers a desire in all of us that want it as easy as possible. It’s great if I can achieve it in a single step or even the 2 most important ways sound better than three or seven. 6. How To. Just as we all want to achieve anything in the easiest way possible, we also like to be shown how to do anything and everything. My clients have often said to me, ‘Just give me 5 easy steps or 3 easy steps and I know I can do it.’ I’m the same way, aren’t you? Format your article to teach something and offer easy steps to accomplish it. Again, list them and write a short paragraph explaining each step. 7. Ways/Secrets/Habits. Another variation of the How-to article can be written in ways, secrets, habits, or things. I have even formatted one of my articles into weapons called “7 Weapons to Conquer the Giant Procrastination.” The weapons became how-to tools to overcome procrastination keeping you from writing your best book now. 8. Reasons. Most people can understand any given topic better if they can know the whys or reasons that support it. Websites are becoming more and more popular across the globe. As a website developer, I wanted to help my clients understand strong reasons for them to get a website now. Yes. The article became, ‘10 Reasons You Need a Website.’ Think of something you want to convince your clients of and write an article doing so. For a software developer wanting to sell more of his ebook creation software, his article became ‘18 Reasons to Write an eBook and Give it Away Free.’ Every one loves bite-sized, useful information. Why not join the Information Revolution, by writing short articles to promote your ezine, website, product or service. Your readers will enjoy receiving your expertise. They will make sure your articles go the extra mile by telling all their friends about your informative, helpful service. ================================= © Earma Brown, 11-year author, entrepreneur and web developer. Helps service business owners, infopreneurs and writers create effective articles. Send any email to easyarticleswritetowin.org and receive free 7 lesson mini-course “Putting Your Articles on the Speedway to Success” or visit .articlespeedway.com for more article writing help.

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