Writing articles is a great way to promote your book, as well as other products and services. Online articles are typically brief, often 250 – 500 words. You can quickly and easily write effective articles by using one of these simple templates.
Tips. List five to ten tips on your topic, with a few sentences of explanation for each. For example, six ways to save money on gasoline, or seven ways to get free publicity.
Steps. Tell how to do something. List the steps to writing a resume, installing a water heater or whatever your readers might want to do.
Q&A. What do people want to know? Use frequently asked questions to create an informative article.
Quotations. Assemble brief quotations about a subject, and add a bit of commentary. For example, I wrote an article called, “Marketing Wisdom from Thomas Edison.” I collected several quotations from Edison and after each wrote a few sentences about how the advice in the quotation applied to marketing your business.
Problem and Solution. Describe a problem, then offer a solution, as is done in advice columns such as Dear Abby.
Top Ten. Make a list of the top ten in some category, such as top ten restaurants, books for new parents, movies about college life, etc. Offer a brief comment or summary for each entry.
Checklist. Give readers a list of what they need to prepare for something, such as what your family should do to prepare for hurricane season, or questions to ask when hiring a babysitter.
Reviews. Write a review of a book, movie, Web site, product or service that your readers should know about.
Pros & Cons. List the advantages and disadvantages of a choice readers may be facing, such as starting a new business vs. buying a franchise or existing business.
Start with one of these templates and you can quickly have an article written. Then, write another. You might try writing another of the same kind of article (for example, two Q&A articles) or address the same basic topic using multiple templates. For example, write an article on the pros & cons of preparing your own tax return vs. hiring a CPA, then write a review of a tax preparation software package, then list the top ten deductions for home-based businesses, then a checklist for assembling the information needed and preparing your taxes . . . well, you get the idea.
Once you have your articles written, post them on your Web site and use them in your email newsletter. Then, submit them to online article directories to get links to your Web site and more traffic.
Copyright Cathy Stucker. As the IdeaLady, Cathy Stucker helps authors, professionals and entrepreneurs attract customers and make themselves famous. She has successfully used articles as a marketing tool for many years. Get more marketing tips from her at http://www.IdeaLady.com/
