My Top Tips on ARTICLE WRITING

Know your audience

Whether you’re writing for a paying market or for your local sports newsletter, it’s essential to create an article that is of interest to the readers and one that is written in a way that can be easily understood. 



In most cases being able to write for your audience only requires a little research and thought before starting the article writing, a little time that if not spent could see your article unprinted.



In many cases a basic understanding of the FOG Index doesn't go amiss either. 

 

Most editors have a very clear idea of who their readers are and won’t print anything that doesn’t suit that demographic. Therefore research well and then write your article, not the other way round. 



This really follows on from the previous article writing tip. If every editor knows their audience it’s highly unlikely they're going to publish something that doesn’t fit their writers guidelines – even if you’re convinced that what you’ve written should be their lead story. 



Also if the editor asked for 900 words don’t send in 750 or 1000. Most publications have a set template the articles have to fit into. Supplying something that won’t fit the template, no matter how wonderful it is, will definitely lessen your chances of publication. 



To get a better understanding of what publishers want read writers guidelines tips. 



Daft as it may sound, don’t forget to send your work in on time either. (Yes, some people are commissioned to write an article but lose the contract because they can’t get the work finished in time.) If you’re given a submission deadline - stick to it. 



Sending your work in late will upset the whole publishing process and lessen your chance of future publication, while sending it in on time will increase your professionalism in the eyes of the editor. 



There is no doubt that we write best what we know best, and in most cases we each know a lot more about one or two topics than anything else. 



Therefore, consider these article writing tips and write on topics that require little research because you already possess the knowledge.



For example a young single mother might easily be able to write about: household budgeting, caring for young children, amusing toddlers, rejuvenating second-hand clothes, but struggle when it comes to travel articles and night club reviews. 



Everybody has topics they know about, writing informative articles on them not only will be quicker but having a selection of articles published relating to one topic will also give you a certain amount of credibility within that arena. 

When you’re becoming a writer it’s often easier to write an article in full than to write a query letter about it. There is no doubt that the former may be easier but when you’ve learned all about writing a good query letter doing so will save you a lot of time and effort, and in many cases provide you with a higher percentage of ‘yes’s from editors. Don’t take the easy way out, learn how to write a query.