This guide offers practical advice for new article writers, drawing from the experiences of a seasoned author who understands the initial challenges. It’s designed to help you overcome common hurdles and start publishing your work.
1. Embrace Necessity Over Desire:
In today’s digital landscape, articles and blog posts are crucial for search engine optimization. While writing might not always be enjoyable, remember that everyone faces similar struggles. Think of it as a necessary task, like housekeeping for your website.
2. Just Start—It Gets Easier:
The hardest part is often getting started. Many writers struggle to find a topic and write the first few lines. Don’t overthink it. Once you have a starting point and overcome that initial resistance, the writing process usually flows more smoothly.
Choose a subject you know well and begin writing. You’ll be surprised by how easily ideas come to you. Remember, not everyone shares your knowledge.
3. Aim for Good, Not Perfection:
Don’t worry about writing a perfect piece. Focus on being clear, accurate, and to the point. Perfection is rarely attainable, and excessive detail can overwhelm your reader. Similarly, lengthy articles can lose the reader’s attention, regardless of the importance of the content.
4. Blog Length vs. Article Length:
Most publishers prefer articles with a minimum of 600 words, though some may accept 400. Blogs can be shorter and often benefit from images and embedded links.
Be cautious with visuals and links. Too many can slow down loading times, irritate readers, and potentially lead to a ban from the host website. Articles, in contrast, usually have stricter guidelines regarding these elements.
5. Formatting:
Prepare your article in plain text format (ASCII). Numerous free ASCII or plain text editors are available online. WordPress is also a popular choice. If needed, Notepad can also be used.
6. Spelling and Grammar:
Always use a spell checker and grammar checker. Microsoft Word is a helpful tool, but use its suggestions to correct your plain text copy. While MS Word can work for blogs, other editors are often preferred.
Like any skill, article and blog writing becomes easier with practice.
7. Publish and Announce:
Once your blog post is ready, use tools to publish and announce it. Search for blog hosts that suit your needs, join one or more, and publish your blog there. Then, use blog announcers and RSS announcers to increase visibility.
For articles, use an article wizard to submit to free publishers. Automatic posters allow you to publish to many hosts quickly.
8. Patience:
Be patient after submitting your articles. Some hosts review submissions quickly, but others may take days or weeks. Avoid dating articles to prevent rejection.
9. Rejection Happens:
Be prepared for rejections. They’re often not personal and may not reflect the quality of your article.
Some databases reject articles for minor or perceived errors. Others may have outdated processes. Don’t be discouraged.
10. Keep the Faith and Keep Writing:
Keep writing and submitting articles. As more of your articles are accepted and published, you’ll drive traffic to your website and build valuable backlinks.
It’s not necessary for every host to accept your work. Search engines may penalize you for excessive postings on the same topic. Focus on getting published by hosts with high Google PageRank.
Bonus Tip:
Rejection notices often include suggestions for improvement and a request to resubmit. However, it’s often more efficient to write a new article. Move on and save yourself time and effort.
Capture your ideas as soon as they arise. Don’t procrastinate, or you might lose them forever.