At a loss as to what to write – what types of articles to fill your site with? If so, its time to come up with a system – a tried and true formula that has worked for internet marketers for years. Listed below are the top Eight Most Popular Web Article Formats employed by successful writers. Nearly all of these will work for the web because they’re broken into informational bits and bytes. Any article that can be presented in chunks or steps is well-received by web surfers.
Web Article Formats you can use to create blog posts:
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The How-To
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The “List of Reasons”
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The Q&A
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The Straw Man
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The 5- or 7- Tips
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The Interview
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The Product Review
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The How-To Article
Everybody wants to know how to do something, whether it’s How to Hammer in a Nail Without Busting Your Thumb, How to End an Extramarital Affair, How to Get the Most Money Back on Your Taxes, or How to Write a Fantastic Web Article. Just pick a hot topic that you’re well-familiar with, type in your “How-To” headline, and let it flow.
The “List of Reasons” Article
Convey your passion through the pages of your site. Get charged up about whatever it is that you do, and list some reasons out for them to read. “Six Reasons Why More than Half the US Votes Republican,” “Five Reasons to Start a Business in 2017,” “Seven Reasons Not to Buy Your Child a Pet Rabbit This Easter” or whatever covers your niche area and would prompt a discussion or a share on social media.
The Q&A Article
The Q&A, or Question and Answer, does a perfect job of answering those Frequently Asked Questions posed by your prospects and clients. Write an article and nip those questions in the bud. Post the link on your homepage, in an “FAQ” section of your website, from your Facebook page, and anywhere else where people go online to get good info. Q&A can also be a generic way to show that you have advanced knowledge of a subject.
The Straw Man Article
The term “Straw Man” is taken from the debate world. Straw Man is when you play Devil’s Advocate in your article by listing the opposing view, point by point, and then knocking down each point with your own rebuttal. This one is a little trickier if you’re not used to writing in argument form, but once you get the hang of it, Straw Man is pretty fun. For example, “Six Excuses Not to Get a CSA This Summer and Why They’re Totally Bogus.”
The 5- or 7- Tips Article
This type of article is very similar to the Reasons Why article, except instead of presenting a case for something, you’re just offering some good advice. Since the internet is full of information-hungry prospects, why not make their day with 5 or 7 tips that cover a topic you know inside and out? Five Tips on Keeping Cool in a Crisis; Five Tips on Choosing a Hearing Aid; Seven Tips for Organizing Your Workspace.
The Interview
The Interview Article is a great way to get your name out there in your own field while aligning yourself with other prominent people in the business. Email makes it easier than ever to quickly tap out a few good questions and have your spotlighted guest send back some thoughtful replies in writing.
Select someone who can offer advice that will prove interesting to your target audience. Make it someone who is at least semi-fantastic, even if only to some micro niche of eager nerds who make up a small cult following. It helps to know someone in PR for this, or at the very least, be bold and reach out past your comfort zone. What started out as an interview of your own mother could end up being your next celebrity cook-off starring Rachael Ray.
The Product Review
The product review is the way to go if you intend on earning money via affiliate income, which you really should if you want to go through all the bother of having a website. Social media has made it even easier to push your product reviews further out into the world, which could mean a nice, meaty chunk of earnings for you.
Articles are the building blocks of all your website communication. Don’t think in single articles; think in sets of five articles instead. This will increase the amount of content on your website and drive more targeted traffic so you can move on to promoting via social media. Once you have written 5 to 7 articles, you can repurpose that content into an eBook, a week-long email series, a set of social media posts, and a mini how-to section of your website or blog. Just think of what you can do with 2, 10, 50 or 100 sets of five, topic-related articles.
Photo source: www.freepik.com
A web article is quick and easy to write if you employ tried and tested formulas. Begin by outlining the topic, making your 5 or 7 points. Develop each section. Add an intro, conclusion, summary, and author bio.
Use a writing formula that works. If you’re at a loss for article topics, go for the “5 or 7 reasons,” “top 5 list,” “steps to success,” straw man argument, product review, or interview article.
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