Some articles go viral, generating qualified traffic, while others get lost on the Internet.

Is it a coincidence or a difficult article writing job? It’s definitely the latter. And if you want to be among the best content writers, you might be wondering how to write an article that attracts, and more importantly, sells. 

Luckily, I’m here and ready to reveal that secret and provide you with the best article writing tips. So now, without further ado, let’s get down to business!

How to Write an Article: Where to Start

Before you plunge into the writing waters, it’s essential to have a plan. But, no worries – I’ve got your back. Here are nine key steps of article writing:

1. Do your research 
2. Come up with a catchy title
3. Use a proper article format
4. Make your article scannable
5. Use simple words
6. Be energetic and fun
7. Include visual elements
8. Put a motivating call-to-action
9. Don’t ignore SEO

We can now dive into the details of article writing. 

Step 1. Do your research

Not sure what to write an article about? That’s where research comes in. But if you’re a student juggling homework and deadlines, finding time for thorough research can feel impossible. That’s where Edubrain homework AI steps in—handle your assignments quickly and free up your schedule for research. Of course, you can find an example of a good article on the competitor’s site and rewrite it. However, if you are keen on writing an article that’s unique and engaging, I recommend doing your research.

If you don’t know where to start, these article writing tips will come in handy: 

1. Make sure to identify your buyer personas 
2. Find the article’s purpose (increase subscribers, boost conversions, share expert opinion, etc. )
3. Gather as much information as possible – make sure you’ve checked not 2-3 resources, but at least the top 10 search results
4. Organize the information and compose a brief outline

Step 2. Come up with a catchy title

The headline of your article is the first thing readers will see. And there are two options here: either you’ll get their attention in 5 seconds, or you’ll lose the readers in 5 seconds. 

So what should you do?  First, make sure it’s eye-catching and gives a clear idea of your article. And what’s most important, it should specify the problem and provide readers with a solution. 

An example of a good article opening line would be: “Don’t know how to write an article? We can show you how to do it in five minutes!” It’s short, catchy, and solves the readers’ problem. We’ve already collected a great batch of inspiring headline ideas for your next article.

Step 3. Use a proper article format

The right article format goes a long way. Not only does the article writing format help the readers comprehend the article better, but it also allows you to catch their attention.

To organize your article, you need to understand the basics of an article writing format. Your article should contain:

• Catchy headline (already discussed)
• Author
• Intriguing intro
• Body
• Conclusion

You can make the most out of your article format with these four easy tricks: 

1. Create a kick-ass headline
2. Headings and subheadings are a must
3. Break the text into short paragraphs
4. Use lists

Step 4. Make your article scannable

Studies reveal that people don’t have the time to read through an article. Instead, they scan it. So as soon as the readers open your article, they need to find information, and they need it fast. With that in mind, you need to write an article, combining your subheadings and paragraphs in a way that makes it easy for people to skim through and find the information needed.

So what do you need to do? Easy – Use the KISS strategy: Keep It Short & Simple! 

Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs – that’s the easiest way for your audience to find what they need. Brian Dian is a master of this craft. See how skillfully he structures his articles on Backlinko.

If you need more help making your writing more scannable, try hiring a professional editing service. A skilled editor can help streamline your content, ensuring that it’s concise and easy to navigate. They can assist in breaking up dense paragraphs, refining your subheadings, and enhancing the overall readability of your article, making it more accessible to your audience.

Step 5. Use simple words

Please don’t visit Thesaurus and choose the most intricate words you find to use in your article – don’t exhaust your readers. Instead, cut the fancy jargon and use simple words that the majority of the readers would be familiar with. 

Readers like to be lazy. And since your main task is to please your readers, make sure to use comforting words. And keep in mind a couple of things: complex language will bore users, so don’t be too professional – just use a conversational tone instead.

Step 6. Be energetic and fun

Nobody likes reading boring articles. You’re not trying to impress your high-school English teacher; you strive to give the readers an easy and fun way to learn new information.

Energy is contagious. If your article is monotonous, people will most likely fall asleep. 

Instead, be dynamic and optimistic, awaken readers, and make them want to read more of your content. You can achieve this goal with appealing visual elements and creative content marketing ideas.

Taken from CoSchedule Blog

Step 7. Include visual elements

When you’re talking to somebody face-to-face, you usually use body language and intonation to enhance your statement. 

But in article writing, you only have words. So how can you show your emotions to the readers? In addition to an engaging article writing format, use visual enhancement, such as images, short paragraphs, easy fonts, and white space.

Make sure readers find your article READABLE – that’s your main point. Here are some dos and don’ts:

Do:

• Reduce the content width
• Add white space for a better scanning process
• Add engaging images

Don’t:

• Choose the font that is too fancy and complicated to read
• Make your text too small
• Play around too much with flashy colors

Step 8. Put a motivating call-to-action

Do you think the beginning of the article is the most important part? How about I tell you the conclusion isn’t less important? 

At the end of your post, it’s vital to add a call-to-action to boost the conversion rates and motivate the readers to take actual steps toward becoming a client. Ask your readers to comment, share your article on social media, read your other blog posts, or take any other action. 

Let me use Brian Dean’s article as an example of a post with an engaging call-to-action once more.

Step 9. Don’t ignore SEO

Creating an engaging article is excellent, but what about the one that converts? When you need to write an article that sells, SEO (search engine optimization) comes into play. 

While many people believe SEO article writing is something complex, it’s actually a no-brainer. All you need to keep in mind is:

• Meta description
• Quick-win keywords
• Internal links

Meta description

A meta description is a proven way to make people want to click on your article. It helps search engines understand the topic of your article and place your articles at the top of search results according to specific search queries.

Make sure your meta description follows these rules:

• It contains a primary keyword
• It fits within 150 characters
• Has a  call-to-action (not mandatory but a truly powerful tactic!)

Quick-win keywords

To maximize your article’s exposure on search engine results pages, you need to insert relevant keywords. So, focus your article around one primary keyword phrase. Pick one and insert it in the intro, conclusion, heading, and subheadings.

Of course, don’t forget about additional long-tail keywords which can reinforce your article. Generate a list of the quick-win keywords using Ahrefs (Keyword Explorer -> Search suggestions). However, make sure you’re not making your content too wordy and weird – avoid keyword stuffing!

Internal links

Want to make your article even more engaging and give it depth? Add some internal links to your older posts.

Linking is a fantastic opportunity to give your readers some options for spending more time on your site! Just like selling similar products, internal links will promote your older copy and, at the same time, enhance your content. What’s more, it’s a super actionable SEO tactic.

Conclusion

Congratulations, now you know how to write articles that are going to be engaging and potentially shareable. Was it hard? I bet no. Let our team know whether these article writing tips were helpful and what you would add to the list.

And if you don’t want to write an article yourself, I also have a solution – ReVerb can write SEO-friendly articles for you! Our team uses all the best tactics and steps to write an article that engages and converts. Contact us today to order your first article.