A great way for self-employed professionals to enhance their reputations is to write articles. But for many, the thought of writing an article calls to mind your school days of struggling to write a composition, trapped indoors while your friends played baseball without you.
Article writing doesn’t have to be difficult and the rewards are great. Since I started writing articles, my website traffic increased, signups for my newsletters increased, the media has sought me out, and I’ve become what Stephen Van Yoder calls “slightly famous”.
Here is the formula I use to write articles:
First of all, I do not see myself as a writer. You will not find me starving in a garret, suffering for my art. I see myself as a communicator. I have important and useful information to impart that can help people build successful businesses. When you look at it that way, it really takes a lot of pressure off you.
Second, your articles do not have to be Pulitzer Prize quality. They need to communicate information in a way your customer can relate to. If your customer is put off by high-falutin’ langauge, don’t use it. Speak in langauge that resonates with your customer. Remember, your intent is to communicate, not to win prizes or bludgeon others with your knowledge of polysyllabic words.
Next, start out by writing out a sentence or two (no more) that explains what you want to accomplish with your article. Your purpose is two fold: you want to establish your expertise in the eyes of your potential customers and you want those customers to do something. Here is an example for an article I am writing about how self-employed professionals can enhance their reputations:
“I will write an article to give self-employed professionals ideas on how to enhance their reputations which will result in more traffic to my website.”
That statement causes me to focus on achieving a specific result—more traffic…by providing specific information—reputation enhancing ideas. It really is the most important part of writing an article. Without that focus I am likely to head off on a tangent.
From there, develop a main thought and support it with three or four points. Add a brief story, a website to visit for more information, or a quote from an expert (that expert can be you) and you’ve got your article.
Sometimes when I get writer’s—-I mean communicator’s block. I grab my microphone and “talk” my article. This also ensures that my articles have a conversational tone instead of a boring professor monologue.
Give it a try and you'll soon be turning out articles with ease and enhancing your professional reputation.
Caroline Jordan, MBA helps self-employed professionals who struggle to build their businesses, attract clients they enjoy, improve cash flow, and find additional revenue streams. For more success tips and strategies visit http://www.TheJordanResult.com
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