| It's easier said than done to write great
500-750 word articles.
Some of us simply have too much to say. We have trouble
reigning things in at less than 1500 words. Others are on the opposite end of the spectrum
strain to make their articles long enough.
Knowing that a 500-750 word article marketing article has a
greater chance of getting published on a top website like About.com, I consistently try to
get all of my articles to conform to that range. Today, I reveal some of my secrets so you
can get published on more top websites and ezines.
8 Tricks for Writing 500-750 Word Articles That Get
Published More Often
1. Create an outline
I write a lot of how-to's and list articles. They are the
simplest and best articles you can write for online marketing purposes. After I write my
headline, the first thing I do is write down my tips or the steps of my 'how-to.' I make
brief notes of the major points I want to make without worrying about polishing anything
at this point. All I want to do is jot down the skeleton of my article before I start
filling in the paragraphs.
2) Fill in the outline and be brief
Say exactly what you need to say to get your point across
and stop there. Remember, if you give too much of the "HOW," your prospects will
have NO reason to go back to your website to get your special report or buy your products
and services.
3) Save writing the intro paragraph and the conclusion for
the end.
This little trick will cut your writing time in half. Some
of us 'wordy' folks will instinctively go crazy on our intro paragraph and spend huge
amounts of time on it trying to get it just right. Then later, we realize that we've just
spent half of our word count allotment there!
Focus the majority of your words on the "meat" of
the article. This is the part that is in between the intro and the conclusion. For 'How
To' or other 500-750 word list articles, your intro paragraph can be as simple as two to
three sentences that intrigue readers and gracefully lead them into your list. Your
closing paragraph should be 2 to 4 sentences that motivate readers to take action and go
to the next level.
4) Do a word count.
Copy and paste your article into a Word document and then
use the word-count editing tool. This'll give you an idea of how much you need to trim (if
you're over 800 words already) or how much you have to fill in (if you're under 700
words).
5) Eliminate all redundancies
Many writers have tendencies to say something one time, and
then say it again in the next sentence in a different way. Just say it once, clearly and
concisely, and then move on. Look over your article and remove any phrasing that does not
absolutely have to be there.
6) Remove unnecessary words
Here’s a task you should complete even if you are in
the 500-750 word range. Try to cut down your total word count by 10 percent. You can
easily complete this task by eliminating unnecessary words. For example, if you write
statements like, "It seem to me that most people prefer soft baked chocolate chip
cookies rather than hard ones," you've just used up 5 unnecessary words. You
don’t need: "It seems to me that." Don't second-guess yourself by putting
the qualifier "it seems like," "I think" or "I believe."
7) Create 2 articles out of 1.
If your word count is too long and you've trimmed out as
much as you can from each section, you may end up needing to make your "Top 10"
article into two "Top 5" articles. If you follow this tip, make sure you write
each article as a stand-alone article. When you put part 1 and part 2 in the title, you
limit your chances for publication success.
Follow this advice and you will write clear, concise
articles that get published and read more often. Now, I’d like to invite you to take
your article writing efforts to the next level with my A to Z Article Marketing System. |
