Write and Outline a Short Article to Market You

Use article marketing, the number 1 kind of free, online marketing to boost your web traffic, bring your targeted audience to your web site's new content, and boost your business profits over the moon.

Targeted visitors to blogs and article directories like www.hubpages.com and www.ezinearticles.com want your free information. They love concise, compelling articles because no one has a lot of time to read. They love to skim your information, so be sure to include headings. And if possible, number your how to points.

Use this "500-Word Article Formula" like the law of attraction to manifest customer trust, confidence, and compel them to become a participant, giving feedback on blogs, coming to a free talk or teleseminar, and eventually to buy your book or service.

How to Outline and Write A Short Article for Big Visibility

1. Create a clear focus or topic for the title, benefit-driven so your target audience will feel compelled to read your article. Put pizzazz into your title. Dare to be outrageous! One favorite is "Boomerang, Don't Rickochet Your Web Targeted Visitors."

2. Create a snappy one to three-sentence introduction preceded by a hook. Make it rich in key words so Google and other search engines will rank your web higher. Let your targeted audience know how your article will improve their lives or business, such as more time, money, sex, communication, or business profits.

3. Know your article's purpose and specific audience and angle it with a particular slant or focus just for them.

This article's audience includes business people who want to market their book or service through a short article. It appeals to home based business people, small businesses, entrepreneurs, coaches and others with a book or service to sell. It appeals to web site publishers, blogs, and ezine publishers who want free articles to attract new customers.

4. Create your article outline with four to six major points you want to make before you write.

My outline and headings for this article include the six ways to write a short article.

1. Write for Your Targeted Market.

2. Write an Outline First

3. Write Each Paragraph to Support Your Outline Headings

4. Write An Outline With Four-Six Sub Points

5. Write Two-Four Sentences for Each Paragraph

6. Create Four to Six Paragraphs from Your Outline

7. Revise Copy Looking for Ways to Tighten Your Article

Remember each sentence must support the thesis statement, or your article's main point and major benefit of how you will solve your reader's particular challenge. In this one, I give you 7 solutions for writing a short article.

5. Break down each paragraph into one to three standard-length sentences (15-17 words each). For drama, write one or two shorter sentences, even a sentence fragment. One paragraph contains around 100 words. Five paragraphs of five sentences of 20 or less words will equal close to 500 words.

6. Create four to six paragraphs from your outline. All sub points must also support the thesis. Write concise, compelling paragraphs that explain and give specific examples.

If you write over 120 words in a paragraph, tighten your copy. Leave out stories or analogies. Shorten examples. Cut redundant sentences, phrases, and words. Drop most "is" verb forms and "ands." They slow the copy and the reader down, a cardinal sin in writing. Bored readers will leave. Instead, use vital, action verbs and colorful nouns.

7. Revise copy looking for ways to improve your article.

• Use bullets to clarify and shorten copy
• Reduce or eliminate quotes and anecdotes.
• Replace -ly adverbs and adjectives with picture or feeling power verbs and nouns.
• Let go of superfluous words like "that."
• Use one or two-syllable words for readable, direct copy.

For your conclusion, write only a sentence or two to either sum up your main points or repeat benefits. When you write under 500-word-articles of about one page, blogs, web master, ezine publishers and targeted visitors to article directories will read them, appreciate them, seeing your as the savvy expert, pass them on, and eventually buy from you.

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