With so many articles being produced every day you may need help to stand out from the crowd.
Here are some tips to develop you from producing the ordinary to producing outstanding articles.
You need to know to whom you are writing.
You remember when you were being directed in the school play? The director said that you should speak to that one person in the audience, and that one person was sitting in the middle of the back row.
That's specific.
You need to have a specific reader in mind when you start to write your article.
What is this reader looking for? What can you do to help him? Although you are writing to one person his problem, or his need, should be shared by the greatest number of other people.
The article needs to attract the largest audience.
You are giving something to them, but you have the right to expect something in return.
What is it that you want from your audience? Well you are going to want them to respect you as an authority on the given subject.
In this way he can recommend you to his friends.
He can search out other articles that you may have produced on the same subject.
Soon your opinions can become respected.
You can't accept the mantle of authority figure lightly.
You are going to have to do some diligent research but the rewards are immense in that you will become aware of what it that the group genuinely wants.
If the original reason for the article was for you to market a product to a particular group then you are going to need acceptance by that group.
This may need you to make some variations to your proposed offer or product.
With some testing you should soon be able to make an accurate forecast of a genuine solution.
When you know what it is that your audience needs or wants, give it to them.
I deliberately said "needs or wants" since I am sure that we are all well aware that Henry Ford sold a lot of his model T motor cars to people who in fact only wanted a faster horse.
However the motor car did fulfil their need.
This is what you must do.
Fulfil the need.
This fulfilment may be information in the form of an e-book or the like, or perhaps a physical product.
The reason that the reader now becomes a customer of a product is because they have a need to take action to fulfil their desire.
Where are you going to find the customers for the product? Producing an effective article is one thing, but how are you going to come across the audience that most appreciate your message? Well of course you are going to have to find them.
You are going to have to go wherever it is those that would benefit most from your message hang out.
Find out where they hang out online.
Join in their forums with your opinions.
Do take care to use the terminology that the members of the group use.
You want to be considered to be at one with them, not to give the impression that you are an outsider.
The purpose is to be accepted and not to be seen as an intruder.
Although your online presence must be strong you should not ignore an offline one.
Article writing in the publications that your target group read is always of value and frequently pays very well.
You really don't have to get many articles published offline to find your work being reviewed.
That gives some serious credibility to your online presence.
Your article should lead your reader to want to read more from you and ultimately become your customer.
To get to this position you have to make the journey and hold their attention.
The research that you carry out into this specific niche, whether it's from forums or magazines, will provide you with the current opinions or general beliefs.
Whilst you may choose to confirm present thinking you will go above and beyond if you give your personal opinions.
Add a few more details, get you audience thinking.
You can really get people to sit up and take notice if some of your views fly in the face of current opinions.
Get a little provocative sometimes; it will get you spoken about.
That's seldom a bad thing.
On the other hand it can be counter-productive if you go on a rant for too long.
You certainly don't want your readers to leave through boredom.
For this reason, if the subject permits, you can introduce a little humour.
Humour is often useful to lighten the mood or to clarify as point, but do try not to deviate too far from the subject.
Getting your audience left wanting more is perhaps the greatest thing that your first article in this niche can produce.
You can get your writing career off to a flying start by interviewing an accepted authority on your subject.
This can lead to a whole series of articles where you interview other authorities or celebrities.
If you can't get an interview with your authority figure then a well written profile can be well received.
Indeed you can often find the profile that you produce will be picked up and repeated in magazines and on many web sites.
The benefits here can be enormous.
Firstly you have succeeded in establishing yourself with your original target group.
They will look forward to further articles from you, as well as accepting your advice on a multitude of associated offers and products.
Secondly, publishers of article directories are more willing to look at established authors.
Especially if the publication in which you previously appeared was one of their titles.
The time between submission and publication, in these cases, will almost always be shorter.
Web site owners are always on the look-out for quality content.
Not surprisingly they prefer that content to be new and up to date.
Thus taking your time, knowing your market and completing your research can provide you with a successful career in writing articles.
I look forward to seeing yours.