Writing Newsletter Articles that have Appeal
by Pino Shriver
Are you verbally challenged? Most people claim that they can't write well. While we could diverge on a long discussion about the American school system, let's just take a three minute tour of what it takes to write a newsletter article that will appeal to readers. Just follow these simple steps and you can write an article about your work or hobby for a newsletter.
1. Know your audience. If you are writing about your work, for example, and the audience is your colleagues, you can use all the technical jargon you wish. However, if you are giving a tutorial to a general audience, keep it simple and focus your article on less technical points. If you are writing for a market segment, presumably you have some information about the demographic group that is your audience. For example, your approach would be different if you were writing about the latest options for a BMW versus the features of a modified street rod. The target audience would be quite different.
2. Select your topic and outline your material. Out of all your knowledge about the topic, what is it that you want to write about? Avoid selecting a topic that is too broad. Focus on one issue that will be of interest to your readers. Once you've selected a topic, verify your facts and make an outline of the major points you wish to make in the article. Put the points in the correct order so that the ideas flow naturally from one point to the next. Take time to complete the outline; if you are having trouble getting the outline right, you will have more trouble writing the article without a good outline.
After you know your material, find a twist or special appeal. This in the newspaper industry helps make the article newsworthy. For instance, how will this article make a difference?
4. Write an interesting title and first line. First impressions make a difference. The title and first line are the "hook" that brings the reader in to read your article. Get the reader's attention with your title and first line. The title should accurately reflect the content of your article. The first line should arouse the reader's interest. A question, a play on words or a quote may be the right thing to pique interest.
You're not out of the woods yet. Your reader may put down your newsletter if the first paragraph doesn't clearly state what the whole article will cover. A quick introduction in the first paragraph lets the reader know what to look forward to from beginning to end.
A good article intrigues the reader with its title, tells the reader where its heading in the first paragraph, and finally gives the reader information. With a little knowledge and planning you can write a newsletter article about your favorite topic.
Copyright 2005 Pino Shriver. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pino Shriver is the owner and operator of F S Newsletter which one of the best resources for information about newsletters on the internet. For further info visit his archive of articles: http://www.fsnewsletter.com/archive/
Are you verbally challenged? Most people claim that they can't write well. While we could diverge on a long discussion about the American school system, let's just take a three minute tour of what it takes to write a newsletter article that will appeal to readers. Just follow these simple steps and you can write an article about your work or hobby for a newsletter.
1. Know your audience. If you are writing about your work, for example, and the audience is your colleagues, you can use all the technical jargon you wish. However, if you are giving a tutorial to a general audience, keep it simple and focus your article on less technical points. If you are writing for a market segment, presumably you have some information about the demographic group that is your audience. For example, your approach would be different if you were writing about the latest options for a BMW versus the features of a modified street rod. The target audience would be quite different.
2. Select your topic and outline your material. Out of all your knowledge about the topic, what is it that you want to write about? Avoid selecting a topic that is too broad. Focus on one issue that will be of interest to your readers. Once you've selected a topic, verify your facts and make an outline of the major points you wish to make in the article. Put the points in the correct order so that the ideas flow naturally from one point to the next. Take time to complete the outline; if you are having trouble getting the outline right, you will have more trouble writing the article without a good outline.
After you know your material, find a twist or special appeal. This in the newspaper industry helps make the article newsworthy. For instance, how will this article make a difference?
4. Write an interesting title and first line. First impressions make a difference. The title and first line are the "hook" that brings the reader in to read your article. Get the reader's attention with your title and first line. The title should accurately reflect the content of your article. The first line should arouse the reader's interest. A question, a play on words or a quote may be the right thing to pique interest.
You're not out of the woods yet. Your reader may put down your newsletter if the first paragraph doesn't clearly state what the whole article will cover. A quick introduction in the first paragraph lets the reader know what to look forward to from beginning to end.
A good article intrigues the reader with its title, tells the reader where its heading in the first paragraph, and finally gives the reader information. With a little knowledge and planning you can write a newsletter article about your favorite topic.
Copyright 2005 Pino Shriver. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pino Shriver is the owner and operator of F S Newsletter which one of the best resources for information about newsletters on the internet. For further info visit his archive of articles: http://www.fsnewsletter.com/archive/
posted by Passer Indicus at
3:28 AM
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