How to Write Website Articles That Will Captivate Readers
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 6:07 am
What you need to know about the idea
Imagine: you sit down at your computer to write an article. You already have a topic and the necessary facts. But time passes, and the Word page is still empty. A day passes, and you have only written a couple of paragraphs of the entire article, and you don’t like them. Sound familiar?
In 99 cases out of 100, this happens because you haven't defined the main idea of your article. That very key meaning that you want to convey to readers. You've simply chosen a topic and collected facts, but you have no idea what you want to express with them. That's why you can't formulate your thoughts. You simply don't have these thoughts. You don't understand what to write about .
The topic is not an idea. It simply defines the japan phone number library general content of the article. The idea helps to highlight the key points in this content.
For example, the idea of this article is to introduce the reader to two components of a good text and explain their specifics - that's what we're writing about. No need to wait for inspiration, guess where to start the text - everything is already clear. All that's left is to write.
But for the topic " how to write articles for a website correctly" , we could have chosen another idea - to explain how to structure and format texts, for example. In this case, the content would have changed completely.
Another example: the topic "is it worth buying Tesla shares now?" Such an article can have at least three different messages: convince to buy, convince not to buy, or not convince of anything, but simply talk about the risks and benefits for the investor. And only you, as the author, decide which option to choose.
But you need to choose. Otherwise, you will simply get confused in the flow of information and in your thoughts. Then the work on writing a unique article will go very slowly, and the finished text will be superficial, uninformative and empty. It will not bring many likes, positive comments and reposts.
How to determine the idea of an article
If you are writing a custom text, the client will provide you with the idea and topic. But keep in mind that customers cannot always clearly explain what they want. And sometimes they expect the author or copywriter to suggest something and give advice. Therefore, in addition to agreeing on how much the article costs , it is also important to agree with the client on the idea of the text.
Recommendations on how to work with ideas from Igor Mann
Recommendations on how to work with ideas from Igor Mann, marketer and co-founder of the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber". More advice is in Mann's book "Number 1. How to become the best at what you do".
Those who write in their blog or have an author's column in the media, especially need to think about the idea for each article. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes not. It all depends on the topic and your level of knowledge.
If you are writing on a new topic for yourself, first gather as much information as possible. Don’t limit yourself to Wikipedia or one or two articles published on other people’s blogs — they won’t give you the full picture. Look for additional sources of information, talk to experts, check statements made in the media. The better you understand the topic, the more specifically and accurately you can formulate the idea of your article. And the more interesting the finished article will be.
Also answer the questions yourself:
How is my article useful for the reader? It will help determine what to write about.
Who am I writing for? In other words, who is the target audience — young or old, professionals, newbies, or people “out of the loop”? The answer will tell you how deeply to cover the topic, whether it is possible to use professional or other jargon in the text, whether all the terms need to be explained or not.
What is the most interesting/relevant thing about the chosen topic? It will help to highlight important points and create an article plan.
Is my knowledge sufficient to cover the topic? If not, how can I get more information? It will help you understand what you still lack to deeply cover the topic and idea of your article.
No idea - no introduction
The beginning of the article should intrigue and motivate to read further. The question is how to do it. How to write the introduction of an article for a website correctly ? It's easier than it seems.
To make your introduction intriguing, you need to briefly describe the idea that you plan to reveal in the article itself. No need for long introductions and advertising promises. For example, like this: “ If you are reading this article, then you probably want to know how to write the most exciting texts that grab attention and do not let go until the end. Which “sell” readers an idea, product, service, bring a huge number of likes and reposts, which, in turn, lead to new leads and sales .”
All this is meaningless "water" that is either not read or quickly forgotten. You will spend more time coming up with interesting and colorful turns of phrase than on the article itself.
There are different ways to describe an idea in an introduction:
Problem. Articles are usually read to find an answer to a specific question. That's where you should start your text. Describe the problem you want to cover in the introduction and promise to give an answer. The main thing is, without details. Details are disclosed in the "body" of the article. For example, if you are writing about where to find free articles for a website , directly promise to tell about it. No extra words are needed. We use this approach in many of our articles, including the current one. Another example is an article on Forbes.
Emotion . Mention your own impressions or thoughts if the article format allows it. Emotions always evoke emotions in people, the main thing is to know the measure and not to overdo it. This approach was used, for example, by Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator , in his new article .
Storytelling . Describe a life story, event or fact in the introduction, smoothly leading it to the topic of your article. An example is this article in the Russian Forbes.
Imagine: you sit down at your computer to write an article. You already have a topic and the necessary facts. But time passes, and the Word page is still empty. A day passes, and you have only written a couple of paragraphs of the entire article, and you don’t like them. Sound familiar?
In 99 cases out of 100, this happens because you haven't defined the main idea of your article. That very key meaning that you want to convey to readers. You've simply chosen a topic and collected facts, but you have no idea what you want to express with them. That's why you can't formulate your thoughts. You simply don't have these thoughts. You don't understand what to write about .
The topic is not an idea. It simply defines the japan phone number library general content of the article. The idea helps to highlight the key points in this content.
For example, the idea of this article is to introduce the reader to two components of a good text and explain their specifics - that's what we're writing about. No need to wait for inspiration, guess where to start the text - everything is already clear. All that's left is to write.
But for the topic " how to write articles for a website correctly" , we could have chosen another idea - to explain how to structure and format texts, for example. In this case, the content would have changed completely.
Another example: the topic "is it worth buying Tesla shares now?" Such an article can have at least three different messages: convince to buy, convince not to buy, or not convince of anything, but simply talk about the risks and benefits for the investor. And only you, as the author, decide which option to choose.
But you need to choose. Otherwise, you will simply get confused in the flow of information and in your thoughts. Then the work on writing a unique article will go very slowly, and the finished text will be superficial, uninformative and empty. It will not bring many likes, positive comments and reposts.
How to determine the idea of an article
If you are writing a custom text, the client will provide you with the idea and topic. But keep in mind that customers cannot always clearly explain what they want. And sometimes they expect the author or copywriter to suggest something and give advice. Therefore, in addition to agreeing on how much the article costs , it is also important to agree with the client on the idea of the text.
Recommendations on how to work with ideas from Igor Mann
Recommendations on how to work with ideas from Igor Mann, marketer and co-founder of the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber". More advice is in Mann's book "Number 1. How to become the best at what you do".
Those who write in their blog or have an author's column in the media, especially need to think about the idea for each article. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes not. It all depends on the topic and your level of knowledge.
If you are writing on a new topic for yourself, first gather as much information as possible. Don’t limit yourself to Wikipedia or one or two articles published on other people’s blogs — they won’t give you the full picture. Look for additional sources of information, talk to experts, check statements made in the media. The better you understand the topic, the more specifically and accurately you can formulate the idea of your article. And the more interesting the finished article will be.
Also answer the questions yourself:
How is my article useful for the reader? It will help determine what to write about.
Who am I writing for? In other words, who is the target audience — young or old, professionals, newbies, or people “out of the loop”? The answer will tell you how deeply to cover the topic, whether it is possible to use professional or other jargon in the text, whether all the terms need to be explained or not.
What is the most interesting/relevant thing about the chosen topic? It will help to highlight important points and create an article plan.
Is my knowledge sufficient to cover the topic? If not, how can I get more information? It will help you understand what you still lack to deeply cover the topic and idea of your article.
No idea - no introduction
The beginning of the article should intrigue and motivate to read further. The question is how to do it. How to write the introduction of an article for a website correctly ? It's easier than it seems.
To make your introduction intriguing, you need to briefly describe the idea that you plan to reveal in the article itself. No need for long introductions and advertising promises. For example, like this: “ If you are reading this article, then you probably want to know how to write the most exciting texts that grab attention and do not let go until the end. Which “sell” readers an idea, product, service, bring a huge number of likes and reposts, which, in turn, lead to new leads and sales .”
All this is meaningless "water" that is either not read or quickly forgotten. You will spend more time coming up with interesting and colorful turns of phrase than on the article itself.
There are different ways to describe an idea in an introduction:
Problem. Articles are usually read to find an answer to a specific question. That's where you should start your text. Describe the problem you want to cover in the introduction and promise to give an answer. The main thing is, without details. Details are disclosed in the "body" of the article. For example, if you are writing about where to find free articles for a website , directly promise to tell about it. No extra words are needed. We use this approach in many of our articles, including the current one. Another example is an article on Forbes.
Emotion . Mention your own impressions or thoughts if the article format allows it. Emotions always evoke emotions in people, the main thing is to know the measure and not to overdo it. This approach was used, for example, by Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator , in his new article .
Storytelling . Describe a life story, event or fact in the introduction, smoothly leading it to the topic of your article. An example is this article in the Russian Forbes.