Whether you are writing a blog post, sales copy, or a product review there are some things you need to focus on to come up with an interesting and compelling article. While doing this may seem easy for some people, it is quite an uphill task for others. Regardless of where you fall, applying the following article writing tips can help you produce more meaningful articles.
- Create a Catchy Headline
The headline is a very crucial feature in article writing. You may have the best piece of writing but if your title is weak, the text may easily go unnoticed. Thus, you have to come up with a title that is simple, benefit-driven, and easy to read. This means that you should put just as much effort in creating a title as you would in developing the content.
- Be Natural
With the many attention-grabbing articles published on newspapers, magazines, and the web every day, one may be tempted to pick another author’s style and use it as their own. However, unless you give it your own twist, your sentences may end up being awkward and incoherent. Writing naturally—as you speak—is always the best way to go because this way, the flow of ideas will be consistent and the reader will be able to keep pace with you.
- Avoid Jargon
English is a rich language, and each English word is meant to be used in one way or another. However, when it comes to article writing, you want to make sure that your readers understand your message without trying too hard. Using the hardest words you can find is, therefore, not sensible. If you can get an equivalent everyday term or phrase for a technical or scientific word you may want to use, there’s no point of using a difficult word.
- Use the Active Voice
The active voice can do a lot to strengthen your writing; it makes your text punchy and also gives the reader a clear idea of what you are speaking about. For instance, saying ‘The goods were carried by the truck’ doesn’t hold as much weight as saying ‘The truck carried the goods’. The effect created in the second sentence is more desirable. Thus, once you finish writing, you can go ahead and identify passive sentences in your work, and then change them where it’s sensible to do so.
- Pay Attention to Detail
Making mistakes is normal in article writing, but the last thing you would want to do is leave any of those errors in your final text. Spelling mistakes, capitalization issues, and missing a word in a sentence are not excusable. Besides, they are repulsive and may keep people from reading your article to the end. You have to proofread and double-check your writing to ensure that you only relay your message as you intended to. It may take you some time to do this but in the end, everyone who reads your article will appreciate it.
