What's YOUR Angle?

By Kristi Sayles
Posted Wednesday, August 18, 2004

So how can you make your article worth reading? It's all about the angle.

You are about to write an article. Your reasons are your own. Maybe it's a promotional article to gain publicity. Maybe it's a contribution to a company newsletter or journal. Maybe you just want to write articles for fame, fortune, or both...

No matter why you're writing an article, it's your responsibility to make it interesting.

So how can you make your article worth reading? It's all about the ANGLE.

First pick your topic. For example, let's say your topic is something that many people may find themselves yawning about. We hear a lot about diet pills. How can you "spice up" your topic? You need an angle!

Then you need to decide what aspect of the thing you want to write about. Are you selling diet pills? Lots of people are. Is there anything new or particular interesting in the world of diet pills that people are interested in that you know about? Is it possible to buy pills that actually make you lose weight while sleeping? Do you have the inside scoop on how the average guy or gal can stay at home and make money selling diet pills? Your job is to do the research, use some creativity, and come up with several different angles. Let's take a look at some popular article types:

1. THE HOW-TO

People love how-to articles! They lead the reader step-by-step through how to accomplish their goals. They also sometimes offer resources the reader can contact for more information.

What expertise do YOU have that you could share? Turn that subject into an interesting how-to article. A few examples: How To Get Free Publicity for Your Website, How To Convince People To Join You In Joint Ventures, and How To Make Money With Your Computer.

Think of the titles that you could write about. Everybody knows something that they can share with others. Think about your profession or your hobbies. What are you really good at? Someone out there could use your knowledge.

2. THE MINI CASE STUDY

Raise a provocative question and then answer it with three or four real-life examples. Example: For an article titled, "Can A Stay-At-Home Mom Really Make Good Money?" You could begin with a few stats on how today"s women are making fortunes without having to leave home. Then you could feature a few real cases, each with different outcomes to show all sides of the issue. Forums are excellent sources of information and interviews no matter what your topic.

You could use one similar to the essay in my "Instant Essay Creator." It is called "Should School Uniforms Be Mandatory?" This was based on an actual survey of high school administrators that have mandated school uniforms and swear by them.

3. THE SURPRISE

"Amazing New Product Claims To Erase The Signs Of Aging!"

You hook the reader by getting him interested in this revolutionary idea. For example, an anti-wrinkle cream. The cream is becoming famous because of its claims to allow anyone to erase the signs of aging caused by too much sun.
This is ideal to use when you're discussing the drawbacks of a new practice or method that"s controversial right now. As the reader, you get all excited, thinking you"ve discovered an incredible new product. But the article reveals, point by point, that too much sun exposure is unsafe and that intelligent people will not just throw caution to the winds and risk getting skin cancer. They will purchase "Super Sunscreen Deluxe" from the given website! Now that's marketing!

4. THE TREND

Whenever a trend sweeps the nation, you'll suddenly see dozens of articles covering the topic. From the latest skirt length to the latest exercise gimmick. People want to know all about these trends - their origins, benefits, and limitations.

5. THE STUDY

These articles report the results of a study or survey. If you do a bit of research, you can probably dig up a recent study on which you can base your article. Examples: "More Couples Admitting to Have Met Online," "Religious People Are Happier Than Others," or "Most People Prefer Dogs To Cats."

Now that you've gotten the idea, you should be writing!

About the Author
Kristi Sayles invites everybody to check out her Instant Article Creator Software at (http://www.writethatarticle.com) - It is an interactive, fun program that produces professional articles.
(This article is an example.)