ARTICLE

P R A C T I C A LT I P S

HOW TO WRITE A

B y G o D a t e s . c o . u k

GREAT

What I have written —

and how I came to write it —is most powerfullywhat I am.

CLAUDE S IMON

CHOOSE A TEMPTING TOPIC

NARROW DOWNYOUR SUBJECT

Tackle just one aspect ofone problem where you canoffer an immediate relief.Focus on one step of alarger project and onescenario (for eg. '10 outdoorworkout ideas for couples’vs. ‘staying fit’).

The best inspiration forstories comes from real life.

Think of what happymoments you had, whatmistakes you've made andwhat valuable lessons you'velearnt, that you can sharewith your readers.

Familiarise yourself withwhat others wrote on thetopic of your choice . Thinkof what approach you cantake so you sounddifferent . Humorous?

Sarcastic? Or maybeprovocative?

THINK OF REALLIFE EXPERIENCES

DO SOMERESEARCH

CRAFT A CATCHY HEADLINE

The primary use of your headline is to make users want

to click and read the content of your article.

TIPS FOR A GOOD HEADLINE

Use power words and

adjectives such as 'unique',

'incredible', 'essential',

'shocking' to amplify

emotional impact.

Use numbers.

Use questions that have

an answer which may

solve reader’s problem.

Promise to teach them

something.

Use negative-sounding words:

Odd number is better than even.

'the worst... you can imagine',

'what not to do',

'terrible truth about'.

The bigger thenumber — the better.

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ORGANISE YOUR CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

3–5 paragraphs with main questions and problems raised that

you are going to discuss in the article.

BODY

CONCLUSION

Content should be divided into a few parts with a

subheading for each of them.

End with thought provoking question OR restate your main

point and persuade to take immediate action.

TOP 15WRITING TIPSFROM GO DATES MOST READ AUTHORS

1 .BE UNIQUE

The chances that somebody else

has written on the same topic are

very high and you can check that

instantly by googling it. Your

mission is to think of a new angle

that you can present the topic

from. Try to make it sound more

controversial and unusual. If

everybody writes ‘How to’ articles,

you can write ‘How NOT to’

instead.

2 .DEFINE YOURAUDIENCE

Whom do you want to speak to?

Is it a single woman? A man in a

long-term relationship? Or maybe

a couple undergoing some

hardship? Would your article be

universal or relevant only to a

person of a certain gender/age?

Have your reader in mind when

you start your article and be

consistent till the end.

3 .HOOK THEMWITH THE FIRSTSENTENCE

Start with thought-provoking

question, a quote or some

shocking statistics. You can also

tell a story that recently

happened to you. The more

unexpected your opening

sentence will be, the more likely

it catches the attention of the

reader.

4 .THINK WHATYOU WANT TOACHIEVEVisualise the way you want your

readers to react. If you want your

reader to laugh or smile, create

your content in a way that would

make you laugh. If you want your

readers to take a serious view of

something you are sharing, then

choose powerful words that will

motivate them to pay attention.

5 .RELATE TOTHE READER

You need to get inside your

reader's head and speak their

language. Acknowledge

reader’s pain points, fears and

frustrations. Guide them

through the dilemmas of their

lives and reassure them that

you know what you are talking

about.

6 .BE TRUE TOYOUR VOICE

People like reading articles

written by other people. Imagine

that you are talking to one of your

friends and tell real stories. Make

your voice heard and your

personality shine. There is nothing

wrong with a bit of theory and

general facts or advice, but you

don’t want to sound like a boring

textbook.

7 .HAVE APOINT

Have your own opinion on the

subject and don’t be afraid to

state it. Try not to forget what is

the message that you want to

convey in your article. Don’t lose

the thought thread throughout it.

8 .ADD MOREDRAMA

Use storytelling and emotion to

make your content engaging. You

can use sarcastic or humorous

tone and hyperbolise certain

situations to make readers laugh

or cry (or both).

9 .MAKE EVERYWORD COUNT

It is easy to lose the reader’s

attention, but nearly impossible

to get it back before they close

the browser window with your

article in it. Weigh every word that

you are using, and try to avoid

filler phrases (such as ‘and so on’,

‘and other things like that’). If it

does not strengthen your

argument, it has to go.

10 .KEEP YOURSENTENCESSHORT

If you lose your breath while

reading your own sentence, it

probably has to be shortened.

Short sentences make it easier to

read and follow your reasoning.

Don’t make your readers work

hard, that’s the least they want

to do.

11 .BACK UPYOUR CLAIMS

Ask yourself how you could add

more depth to your article and

make it even more useful and

memorable to readers? Quote

experts of the field to illuminate

your topic and to add credibility

to your statements. Research

some facts and use figures when

available.

12 .ANALYSEAND DRAWCONCLUSIONS

Take an analytical approach:

explore your topic in detail from

different perspectives. Use real-

life examples, narrate your own

or your friends' experiences and

make conclusions.

13 .ADD CALL TOACTION

Human beings are selfish

creatures. Most likely they are

reading your article because they

expect some benefit out of it.

Have a call to action: what can

this person do after reading your

article to better incorporate it into

their lives?

14 .DELIVERYOUR PROMISES

After you finish your article, ask

yourself if your content delivers

what you promised in the

headline. Are the arguments

highlighted in subheadings

sufficient to give the answer to

the question posed or resolution

to the problem outlined?

15 .RE-READAND EDIT

Let your draft 'rest' for a day.

Read it out loud so you hear

how the article flows. That way

you can spot errors and gaps in

argumentation more easily.

THINGS TO AVOID

Expert stance, if you don't have enough of expertise in a

given field.

Generalisations: 'all of us know that...', 'everybody has

been in this situation...'.

Clichés, such as : 'opposites attract', 'time heals all

wounds', 'fall head over heals'.

Extensive usage of upper case. It is considered shouting

and shouting is not polite.

Ending most of the sentences with ellipses. It makes you

sound elusive.

Creativity is a wild mind and

a disciplined eye.

DOROTHY PARKER

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