Are Your Articles Being Read? 6 Secrets To Getting Your Articles Read

By: Shawn Horwood

Most people hate even the thought of having to write papers or articles.
They feel like it is way too much work trying to first think of what to write about, then
try and actually write about it. Many people think that no one is going to read it
anyway so all the time they spent was trying to write was for nothing.
The sad truth is: to many people, reading articles is just as difficult. Many articles that
are published these days are so incredibly boring and hard to read that you wonder
if the person even has the right side of their brain. (The creative side) But isn't the point of
articles to be read?
Articles are supposed to provide interesting and useful information for others
to read. But if watching water boil is more interesting than reading your articles, then no
one will ever read the articles you have written, so your time and effort go completely to
waste.
Now, articles should be written, because people can gain very useful information
from articles written from other peoples unique perspectives. So someone has to
write the articles, and they need to make them interesting so that people will
actually have the desire to finish reading the entire thing, without it being a
burden. The truth is, writing an interesting article doesn't have to be all that
difficult or strenuous.
There are certain components your article must have in order to capture and keep
the readers attention and if you know what these key components are, then you
will have no problem writing an article that will keep people interested the
whole way through. The other thing you need to remember is to write about
something you know about.
Don't try to write on nuclear physics if you are a janitor. You won't be able
to write an interesting, or accurate,article. If you know about the subject
that you are writing about, then you will have no problem writing an article.
In order to make sure that your articles are read and enjoyed, I will now share
with you 6 tips that will get your articles read and enjoyed.
1. Provide an Attention-Grabbing Title or Header.
If your title is garbage, no one is even going to start reading your article.
You need to entice your reader to read more by peaking their curiosity and by
using emotional triggers.
Take my title for instance: It starts with "Article
Marketing for Dummies", this peaks the readers curiosity. Then I have "6 Tips"
this is an emotional trigger that gets you interested and you want to know
those 6 tips now. So my title is designed to entice the reader to actually go
and read my article. (and it obviously worked because you are reading my article
now).
You can also use words like "Powerful", "Secret", "Discover", "Guaranteed",
etc. These words are huge emotional triggers that get people to read your article.
2. Use Short Paragraphs
When people see one big long blob of text the words just seem to get jumbled in
their minds. If this happens they will most likely find it confusing and too much
work to read the text. The reader will disregard the text and move on to other,
more readable articles.
Take this article as an example: My paragraphs are short, there are no long sections
of text. I try to keep every paragraph only a few lines long. This way it is much
easier on the eyes and it much easier to follow, meaning readers are more likely to
read the whole thing. (and you're still reading aren't you?)
3. Use Numbers or Bullet Points
Using numbers or bullet points points out the important parts the reader needs to
digest. Using numbers or bullet points also help the reader to remember the most
important parts of the article. If you provide a certain number of tips then just
number them. Then the reader can find the key points that you most likely hinted at
in your title if you did it right. This also lets the reader know that the article
is related to the title and they will continue to read.
I also have used this technique in this article. As you can see I have the 6 tips
numbered so you can find them easily. Since many people scan through the article
quickly before reading the whole thing, they can see that the key points and things
they need to remember are to: Provide Attention-Grabbing Title or Header,
Use Short Paragraphs, Use Numbers or Bullet Points, Use Sub-headings to
Sub-Divide your Paragraphs in the page, Keep Them Interested From Start to Finish,
Utilize Stats and figures. Now if the reader wants to know how to do these things,
they will read the rest of the article.
4. Use Sub-Headings to Sub-Divide Your Paragraphs
Using sub-headings lets your reader know where you are going with your article. They
make the transition from one paragraph to the next smooth and easy. You will most
likely not lose your readers attention because they know where your article is headed
and since you wrote about something that people actually want to read (right?) they
will continue to read your article.
I have not used sub-headings in this particular article, but if you examine my article
on search engine optimization then you will notice that there I used sub-headings in that
article.
5. Keep them Interested from Start to Finish
Right from the beginning get the reader interested. Give them a little bit of information
to get them interested, but don't reveal it all, force them to want to read the rest. Use
descriptions and metaphors to make your points and help your reader to imagine what you
are talking about. Use real life experiences if possible. This lets the reader know that
there actually was a human writing the article and they will remain interested throughout
the entire article.
I have used my article as an example for these different tips, giving you a real life example
of what I am talking about. This helps you to see what I am talking about. I also have
used descriptions such as "more boring than watching water boil". These keep you interested and
add a little bit of personality to the article.
6. Utilize Stats and Figures
By inputing stats from surveys and using different figures makes you sound authoritative.
Do not make it incredibly formal, and make sure that the stats and figures fit right in
so article just continues to flow.
I am sorry to say that currently I do not have an article that I have written as a good example
of this, but I will be releasing one shortly entitled "Why 99% of Affiliates Fail", so look out
for that one.
If you utilize these 6 secrets to getting your articles read in your article writing, then you
will guaranteed keep your reader interested in your article so that they will read the entire
article, which should be your goal. Generally at the end you will want them to do
something related to what you discussed in your article, so if they appreciated your article they
are much more likely to do whatever you want them to do.
So what do I want you to do? I want you to go write some articles! Go provide some great content
for other people to read! Share your knowledge! You learned how to write an exciting article, now
go and use that information, otherwise you just wasted your time!

Shawn Horwood

Niche Article Directory: http://www.thatsmyniche.com

Shawn Horwood's Blog: top5-workathome.com/blog/ Other Articles Written by Shawn: top5-workathome.com/blog/?cat=4 Product Reviews: top5-workathome.com/blog/?cat=3

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