How to Write Your Own Original Content and Articles
By Betty Ann Wilkins
Posted Friday, August 13, 2004
Why is it so important to write your own content and articles? It will keep your readers interested in your e-zine, plus they will look forward to receiving your e-zine each week. Additionally, you can receive free publicity by submitting your articles to other e-zines.
In fact, you may even receive requests from other publishers and webmasters asking you if they can use your article.
When writing, you will always want to choose a subject that you know about or have enough interest in to go out and do the research necessary in order to write a truthful and factual article or commentary. Your credibility and reputation is on the line with each and every word you write -- so be sure that you are giving good, up-to-date information or you will pay for it later.
"Ok, Betty, I will give it a shot but how do I decide what to write about?? I know a little bit about a lot of things and I'm interested in a lot of different things too. But I don't have the time to be trying to come up with a topic that my readers will enjoy."
There are a lot of ways to fix this problem. Basically you have everything you need -- you can use a number of different things that you come in contact with daily to develop a topic for your
article. This list is far from complete, but it will give you just about everything you need to start writing informative articles.
1 - Take a look at your desktop.
Have you received any interesting e-mail from associates, customers, friends or maybe even in your junk mail?
Have you run across any interesting websites this week?
What is on your to-do list??? Anything that your readers may benefit from?
Are you involved in any discussion lists? What has the topic been recently? Have you had any good input on the subject? Use it!
2 - Take a look at what you come in contact with each day.
Do you keep getting asked the same questions? Make the answer into an article.
Have you attended a good conference or seminar? I bet your readers weren't there and would love to hear about it.
Do you visit forums? Did you today? There are always interesting topics being discussed in forums as well as many good questions being asked. Forums are a great place to get ideas for an article.
Did you read or see something of interest today?
3 - Take a look at the World around you.
What's going on in the news? Anything that may affect your on-line business? You can write about that.
Find someone to interview -- the founder of a program that you are promoting -- someone highly regarded in your chosen field.
Do you have a new product or service to offer??? Make a special offer that is for your readers only.
4 - Start a Feedback Column.
Yes, this one makes it very easy to write. Encourage your readers to ask questions --- publish the questions and answers. Reader feedback is extremely important to you --- you need it to be able to continue growing. Use your readers' questions and ideas.
Keep a note pad with you at all times. Have a special section in it just for your writing ideas. You will come up with ideas at the oddest times for a new article and you will want to be prepared to make note of it so you can develop it at a later time.
When writing, try to remember to write in the same way that you talk. Picture yourself writing your article to a friend that you are trying to educate on your chosen topic. Doing this will help the words flow more easily and your article will not sound like you are talking at people.
Always proofread your writing yourself and have an impartial party re-check it for you as well. Your first few articles may seem a bit difficult, but after a short time you will get the hang of it and it will no longer be a chore. You should end up having a sense of accomplishment as well as a happy feeling that you have helped someone to understand a topic better than they did before reading your article.
For more resources on writing your own e-zine, send a blank e-mail to
my autoresponder at: <mailto:resources@the-work-at-home.com>.
About the Author:
Betty Ann Wilkins, Publisher/Webmaster
New Business Start-ups - Working from Home
Resources, Information & Tons Of Freebies:
(http://www.the-work-at-home.com/)
