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Let Your Writing Set The Tone
As writers we sometimes get caught in writing to an expected style, this can be detrimental to the current piece you are writing. Often you are better just sitting down and letting the words flow and worrying about categorizing the post once you have completed it.
Even those with a reputation for serious informative writing styles occasionally break out with a humorous streak, or vice-versa. Even professional writers understand the need to write in a natural and unforced way. The moment you start to force your writing style you can lose focus and the flow of words becomes stilted and uncomfortable for the reader to read.
Letting the words flow onto the paper is a natural way to write. You do not have to publish your post immediately. If you are not happy with the way you have written the post, save it and come back later. A re-read will often surprise you.
Writing is an art that comes naturally to almost everyone. When someone says they are not a writer and have difficulty in putting words onto paper, the reality is that they suffer from lack of self belief – if you can talk you can write. Writing blog posts is not about writing to college standards, it is about writing for the average everyday reader.
Write naturally without trying to force the words. If the words are not there just now, come back when they are. Your natural writing sets the tone – your knowledge establishes your credibility. There are many bloggers who have English as their second language and it is quite obvious at times. It doesn’t make their writing any less valuable – it does make it a little more natural.
How To Fail With Article Directory Submissions
This is a how to with a difference. Follow these steps and your article is sure to either get rejected, or sit and not deliver any traffic or links. In other words, how to fail with an article directory submission. The opposite may see your article succeed.
- Publishing content that is of little benefit to readers.
People read and use articles from article directories for one reason – they are going to receive some sort of benefit. If they want to reprint it on their site, their benefit is the addition to their site of a quality article which their readers will benefit from. If it is a casual reader, they are after information. Submitting an article about what you had for breakfast is not going to cut it – unless of course you can turn it into something useful or highly entertaining.
- Forgetting who your audience is.
Who is your audience. A publisher or the general reading public? Writing an article for directory submission is not about writing to attract publishers. You are still writing for the general population. Publishers who are going to reprint your article will do so because their audience will appreciate the contents therefore they are looking for articles written with general reading public in mind.
- Keyword cramming and linking.
If you cram your articles with keywords then readers will switch off. Publishers want articles that have an effective use of keywords, not an oversupply. Some directories may even reject your article for keyword spamming. The same can be said for linking. Most directories disallow links within articles. Instead they provide a resource box where you can place your links.
Ultimately, writing articles that publishers can use is the most important approach to article writing. If your article is of little value to a publisher then it will sit there and never be used. Write an article that doesn’t comply with the directories guidelines and it will get rejected.
Five Blog Content Turn Off’s
Writing articles or posts is not that difficult particularly if you follow some of the advice we have provided in previous posts. This post continues this advice with a list of blog content no-no’s – tactics often used that really do turn readers off from reading.
Paragraphs Too Long: While there is no hard and fast rule, paragraphs are best limited to less than 100 words. Any more and the reader is likely to switch off before getting the point. A paragraph should have a single train of thought and make a point or set a scene, then move on.
Links: Limit the number of links within a paragraph. Too many links act as a distraction to the reader. If you think about a link, it’s aim is to point elsewhere. Do you want you reader to finish your article, or to head of elsewhere during the first paragraph. Use links only where necessary.
Content Ads: A big turnoff in this day and age. Advertising companies have become a little too clever to the point they annoy readers. Many reader use the mouse to follow text as they read. In content ads often have attached pop-ups which pop up as soon as the mouse touches the link. One or two links maybe acceptable. Any more and its a nuisance – goodbye reader.
Overuse of Formatting: Use format tools such as bold or italics for affect. Overuse takes away the importance of the affect and becomes meaningless. If you feel that a word or sentence needs highlighting then use one of these tools. If a second block of text also needs enhancing, reword your paragraph so that the second block can be placed into its own paragraph, or consider listing the points.
Yelling: A term that is often used in emails and relates to the overuse of capitals. This can be particularly irksome if also mixed with bold formatting. Generally speaking, a writer should follow the basic rules of English which limit the use of capitals. The occasional yell for effect is acceptable; filling paragraphs with yells will not be.
I am sure you can think of other turnoffs. As you visit other sites, make a note of what you find distracting and a turnoff. Look at your own blog content and ensure that you haven’t included any of those item. The reality is, if you find it distracting or a turn off on another site, readers will find it the same on your site. Blog content is not difficult to produce – it is just finding the content for your content that requires some thinking.
