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How to Write an Article: A Proven Step-by-Step Guide

Are you dreaming of becoming a notable writer or looking to enhance your content writing skills? Whatever your reasons for stepping into the writing world, crafting compelling articles can open numerous opportunities. Writing, when viewed as a skill rather than an innate talent, is something anyone can master with persistence, practice, and the proper guidance.

That’s precisely why I’ve created this comprehensive guide on ‘how to write an article.’ Whether you’re pursuing writing as a hobby or eyeing it as a potential career path, understanding the basics will lead you to higher levels of expertise. This step-by-step guide has been painstakingly designed based on my content creation experience. Let’s embark on this captivating journey toward becoming an accomplished article writer!

What is an Article?

An article is more than words stitched together cohesively; it’s a carefully crafted medium expressing thoughts, presenting facts, sharing knowledge, or narrating stories. Essentially encapsulating any topic under the sun (or beyond!), an article is a versatile format meant to inform, entertain, or persuade readers.

Articles are ubiquitous; they grace your morning newspaper (or digital equivalents), illuminate blogs across various platforms, inhabit scholarly journals, and embellish magazines. Irrespective of their varying lengths and formats, which range from news reports and features to opinion pieces and how-to guides, all articles share some common objectives. Learning how to write this type of content involves mastering the ability to meet these underlying goals effectively.

Objectives of Article Writing

The primary goal behind learning how to write an article is not merely putting words on paper. Instead, you’re trying to communicate ideas effectively. Each piece of writing carries unique objectives intricately tailored according to the creator’s intent and the target audience’s interests. Generally speaking, when you immerse yourself in writing an article, you should aim to achieve several fundamental goals.

First, deliver value to your readers. An engaging and informative article provides insightful information or tackles a problem your audience faces. You’re not merely filling up pages; you must offer solutions, present new perspectives, or provide educational material.

Next comes advancing knowledge within a specific field or subject matter. Especially relevant for academic or industry-focused writings, articles are often used to spread original research findings and innovative concepts that strengthen our collective understanding and drive progress.

Another vital objective for those mastering how to write an article is persuasion. This can come in various forms: convincing people about a particular viewpoint or motivating them to make a specific choice. Articles don’t always have to be neutral; they can be powerful tools for shifting public opinion.

Finally, let’s not forget entertainment – because who said only fictional work can entertain? Articles can stir our emotions or pique our interest with captivating storytelling techniques. It bridges the gap between reader and writer using shared experiences or universal truths.

Remember that high-quality content remains common across all boundaries despite these distinct objectives. No matter what type of writer you aspire to become—informative, persuasive, educational, or entertaining—strive for clarity, accuracy, and stimulation in every sentence you craft.

What is the Format of an Article?

When considering how to write an article, understanding its foundation – in this case, the format – should be at the top of your list. A proper structure is like a blueprint, providing a direction for your creative construction.

First and foremost, let’s clarify one essential point: articles aren’t just homogenous chunks of text. A well-crafted article embodies different elements that merge to form an engaging, informative body of work. Here are those elements in order:

• The Intriguing Title

At the top sits the title or heading; it’s your first chance to engage with a reader. This element requires serious consideration since it can determine whether someone will continue reading your material.

• Engaging Introduction

Next comes the introduction, where you set expectations and hint at what’s to come. An artfully written introduction generates intrigue and gives readers a compelling reason to stick around.

• Informative Body

The main body entails a detailed exploration of your topic, often broken down into subtopics or points for more manageable consumption and better flow of information.

• Impactful Conclusion

Lastly, you have the conclusion, where you tie everything neatly together by revisiting key points and offering final thoughts.

While these components might appear straightforward on paper, mastering them requires practice, experimentation with writing styles, and a good understanding of your target audience. 

By putting in the work to familiarize yourself with how to create articles and how they’re structured, you’ll soon discover new ways to develop engaging content each time you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!). Translating complex concepts into digestible content doesn’t need to feel daunting anymore! Now that we’ve tackled the format, our focus can shift to what should be included in an article.

What Should Be in an Article?

Understanding that specific items should be featured in your writing is crucial. A well-crafted article resembles a neatly packed suitcase – everything has its place and purpose.

Key Information

First and foremost, you need essential information. Start by presenting the topic plainly so readers can grasp its relevance immediately. This sets the tone of why you are writing the article. The degree of depth at this point will depend on your audience; be mindful not to overwhelm beginners with too much jargon or over-simplify things for experts.

Introduction

Secondly, every article must have an engaging introduction—this acts as the hook that reels your audience. Think of it as a movie trailer—it offers a taste of what’s to come without giving away all the details.

Third is the body, wherein you get into the crux of your argument or discussion. This is the point at which you present your ideas sequentially, along with supporting evidence or examples. Depending on the nature of your topic and personal style, this may vary from storytelling forms to more analytical breakdowns.

Lastly, you’ll need a fitting conclusion that wraps up all previously discussed points, effectively tying together every loose thread at the end. This helps cement your main ideas within the reader’s mind even after they’ve finished reading.

To summarize:  

• Critical Information: Provides context for understanding
• Introduction: Sheds further light on what will follow while piquing interest  
• Body: Discusses topic intricacies using narratives or case studies
• Conclusion: Ties up loose ends and reemphasizes important takeaways

In my experience writing articles for beginners and experts alike, I found these elements indispensable when conveying complex topics articulately and professionally. Always keep them at hand when looking to produce written material.

How should you structure an article?

Crafting a well-structured article is akin to assembling a puzzle – every piece has its place and purpose. Let’s look at how to create the perfect skeleton for your content.

The introduction is your article’s welcome mat. It should be inviting and informative, briefly outlining what a reader can expect from your writing. Additionally, it must instantly grab the readers’ attention so they feel compelled to continue reading. To master the art of creating effective introductions, remember these key points:

• Keep it short and precise.
• Use compelling hooks like quotes or intriguing facts.
• State clearly what the article will cover without revealing everything upfront.

Moving on, you encounter the body of your piece. This segment expands on the ideas outlined in the introduction while presenting fresh subtopics related to your core story. If we compare article writing to crossing a bridge, each paragraph represents a step toward the other side (the conclusion). Here are some tips for maintaining orderliness within your body:

• Stick closely to one idea per paragraph as it enhances readability.
• Ensure paragraphs flow logically by utilizing transitional words or sentences.
• Offer evidence or examples supporting your claims and reinforce credibility.

As you approach the far side of our imaginary bridge, we reach an equally essential section of the article known as the conclusion. At this point, you should be looking to wrap your message up neatly while delivering on what was initially promised during the introduction. This section summarizes the main points, providing closure and ensuring readers feel satisfied.

Remember this golden rule when writing the conclusion: follow the  “Describe what you’re going to tell them (Introduction), tell them (Body), and then summarize what you told them (Conclusion).”  It’s a proven formula for delivering informative, engaging, and well-structured articles. 

One final tip before moving on: maintaining an active voice significantly enhances clarity for your readers. It makes them feel like they’re participating actively in the story unfolding within your article. In addition, it helps ensure easy readability, which is vital for keeping your audience engaged.

Tips for Writing a Good Article

A persuasive, engaging, and insightful article requires careful thought and planning. Half the battle won is by knowing how to start writing and make content captivating. Below are vital tips that can enhance your article writing skills.

Heading or Title

An audience’s first impression hinges on the quality of your title. A good heading should be clear, attention-grabbing, and give an accurate snapshot of what’s contained in the piece’s body. Here are a few guidelines on how to create an impactful title:

• Make it Compelling: Your title needs to spark interest and motivate readers to delve further into your work.
• Keep it concise: You want to have a manageable heading. Aim for brevity yet inclusiveness.
• Optimize with keywords: To boost search engine visibility, sprinkle relevant keywords naturally throughout your title.

By applying these techniques, you can increase reader engagement right from the get-go.

Body of the Article

After winning over potential readers with your catchy title, it’s time to provide substantial content in the form of the body text. Here’s how articles are typically structured:

Introduction:  Begin by providing an appealing overview that hooks your audience and baits them to read more. You can ask poignant questions or share interesting facts about your topic here.

Main Content:  Build on the groundwork set by your introduction. Lay out detailed information in a logical sequence with clear articulation.

Conclusion:  This reemphasizes the critical points discussed in the body while delivering a lasting impression of why those points matter.

Remember that clarity is critical when drafting each part because our objective here is to share information and communicate effectively. Properly understanding this approach ensures that the writing experience becomes creative and productive.

Step By Step Guide for Article Writing

How do you write an article that engages your readers from the first line until the last? That’s what most writers, whether beginners or seasoned pros are trying to achieve. I’ll describe a step-by-step process for crafting such gripping articles in this guide.

Step 1: Find Your Target Audience

First and foremost, identify your target readers. Speaking directly to a specific group improves engagement and helps you craft messages that resonate deeply. To pinpoint your audience:

• Take note of demographic attributes like age, gender, and profession.
• Consider their preferences and needs.
• Look into how much knowledge they are likely to possess concerning your topic.

Knowing this will help you decide what tone, language, and style best suits your readers. Remember, by understanding your audience better, you make it much easier to provide them with engaging content.

Step 2: Select a Topic and an Attractive Heading

Having understood your audience, select a relevant topic based on their interests and questions. Be sure it’s one you can competently discuss. When deciding how to start writing an article, ensure it begins with a captivating title.

A title should hint at what readers will gain from the article without revealing everything. Maintain some element of intrigue or provocation. For example, ‘6 Essentials You Probably Don’t Know About Gardening’ instead of just ‘Gardening Tips’.

Step 3: Research is Key

Good research is crucial to building credibility for beginners and experts alike. It prevents errors that could tarnish your piece immensely.

Thoroughly explore relevant books, scholarly articles, or reputable online resources. Find facts that build authenticity while debunking misconceptions that relate to your topic. Take notes on critical points discovered during this process—it’ll save you time when creating your first draft.

Step 4: Write a Comprehensive Brief

Having done your research, it’s time to write an outline or a brief—a roadmap for your article. This conveys how articles are written systematically without losing track of the main points.

Begin by starting the introduction with a punchy opener that draws readers in and a summary of what they’ll glean from reading. Section out specific points and ideas as separate headings and bullet points under each section to form the body. A conclusion rounds things up by restating key takeaways.

Step 5: Write and Proofread

Now comes the bulk of the work—writing. Respect the brief created earlier to ensure consistency and structure while drafting content. Use short, clear sentences while largely avoiding jargon unless absolutely necessary.

Post-writing, proofread ardently to check for typographical errors, inconsistent tenses, and poor sentence structures—and don’t forget factual correctness! It helps to read aloud, which can reveal awkward phrases that slipped through initial edits.

Step 6: Add Images and Infographics

To break text monotony and increase comprehension, introduce visuals such as images, infographics, or videos into your piece. They provide aesthetic relief while supporting the main ideas, increasing overall engagement.

Remember to source royalty-free images or get permission for copyrighted ones—you don’t want legal battles later!

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing

Regarding article writing, a few pitfalls can compromise the quality of your content. Knowing these and how to avoid them will enhance your work’s clarity, depth, and impact.

The first mistake often made is skimping on research. An article without solid underpinnings won’t merely be bland – it might mislead readers. Therefore, prioritize comprehensive investigation before penning down anything. Understanding common misconceptions or misinterpretations about your topic will strengthen your case. 

Next, sidestep unnecessary jargon or excessively complex language. While showcasing an impressive vocabulary might seem appealing, remember that your primary objective is imparting information efficiently and effectively.

Moreover, failing to structure articles effectively represents another standard error. A structured piece aids in delivering complex ideas coherently. Maintaining a logical sequence facilitates reader comprehension, whether explaining a detailed concept or narrating an incident.

A piece lacking aesthetic allure can fail its purpose regardless of the value of its text. That’s where images come into play. Neglecting them is an all-too-common mistake among beginners. Relevant pictures inserted at appropriate junctures serve as visual breaks from texts and stimulate interest among readers.

Lastly, proofreading is vital in determining whether you can deliver a well-written article. Typos and grammatical errors can significantly undermine professional credibility while disrupting a smooth reading experience.

So, when pondering how articles are written, avoiding these mistakes goes a long way toward producing high-quality content that embodies both substance and style. Remember: practice is paramount when learning how to write excellent material!

How to Write an Article with SEOwind AI Writer?

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence has been a major step in many industries. One such significant tool is SEOwind AI Writer, which is critical for those curious about how to write an article leveraging AI. In this section, I’ll cover how you can effectively use SEOwind AI writer to create compelling articles.

Step 1: Create a Brief and Outline

The first step in writing an article revolves around understanding your audience’s interests and then articulating them in a comprehensive brief that outlines the content’s framework.

• Decide on the topic: What ideas will you share via your article?
• Define your audience: Knowing who will read your text significantly influences your tone, style, and content depth.
• Establish main points: Highlight the key points or arguments you wish to exhibit in your drafted piece. This helps create a skeleton for your work and maintain a logical flow of information.

With SEOwind:

• you get all the content and keyword research for top-performing content in one place,
• you can generate a comprehensive AI outline with one click,
• users can quickly create a title, description, and keywords that match the topic you’re writing about.

As insightful as it might seem, having a roadmap doubles as a guide throughout the creative process. SEOwind offers a user-friendly interface that allows the easy input of essential elements like keywords, title suggestions, content length, etc. These provide an insightful outline, saving time with an indispensable tool that demonstrates the practicality of article writing.

Step 2: Write an AI Article using SEOwind

Once you have a brief ready, you can write an AI article with a single click. It will consider all the data you provided and much more, such as copywriting and SEO best practices , to deliver content that ranks.

Step 3: Give it a Human Touch

Finally, SEOwind’s intuitive platform delivers impeccably constructed content to dispel any confusion about writing an article. The result is inevitably exceptional, with well-structured sentences and logically sequenced sections that meet your demands.

However, artificial intelligence can sometimes miss the unique personal touch that enhances relatability in communication—making articles more compelling. Let’s master adding individualistic charm to personalize articles so that they resonate with audiences.

Tailoring the AI-generated piece with personal anecdotes or custom inputs helps to break the monotony and bolster engagement rates. Always remember to tweak essential SEO elements like meta descriptions and relevant backlinks.

So, whether it’s enhancing casual language flow or eliminating robotic consistency, the slightest modifications can breathe life into the text and transform your article into a harmonious man-machine effort. Remember – it’s not just about technology making life easy but also how effectively we utilize this emerging trend!

Common Questions on how to write an article

Delving into the writing world, especially regarding articles, can often lead to a swarm of questions. Let’s tackle some common queries that newbies and seasoned writers frequently stumble upon to make your journey more comfortable and rewarding.

What is the easiest way to write an article?

The easiest way to write an article begins with a clear structure. Here are five simple steps you can follow:

• Identify your audience: The first thing you should consider while planning your article is who will read it? Identifying your target audience helps shape the article’s content, style, and purpose.
• Decide on a topic and outline: Determining what to write about can sometimes be a formidable task. Try to ensure you cover a topic you can cover effectively or for which you feel great passion. Next, outline the main points you want to present throughout your piece.
• Do the research: Dig deep into resources for pertinent information regarding your topic and gather as much knowledge as possible. An informed writer paves the way for a knowledgeable reader.
• Drafting phase: Begin with an engaging introduction followed by systematically fleshing out each point from your outline in body paragraphs before ending with conclusive remarks tying together all the earlier arguments.
• Fine-tune through editing and proofreading: Errors happen no matter how qualified or experienced a writer may be! So make sure to edit and proofread before publishing.

Keep these keys in mind and remain patient and persistent. There’s no easier alternative for writing an article.

How can I write an article without knowing about the topic?

We sometimes need to write about less familiar subjects – but do not fret! Here’s my approach:

• First off, start by thoroughly researching subject-centric reliable sources. The more information you have, the better poised you are to write confidently about it.
• While researching, take notes and highlight the most essential points.
• Create an outline by organizing these points logically – this essentially becomes your article’s backbone.
• Start writing based on your research and outlined structure. If certain aspects remain unclear, keep investigating until clarity prevails.

Getting outside your comfort zone can be daunting, but is also a thrilling chance to expand your horizons.

What is your process for writing an article quickly?

In terms of speed versus quality in writing an article – strikingly enough, they aren’t mutually exclusive. To produce a high-quality piece swiftly, adhere to the following steps:

• Establish purpose and audience: Before cogs start turning on phrase-spinning, be clear on why you’re writing and who will likely read it.
• Brainstorm broadly, then refine: Cast a wide net initially regarding ideas around your topic. Then, narrow down those areas that amplify your core message or meet objectives.
• Create a robust outline: A detailed roadmap prevents meandering during actual writing and saves time!
• Ignore perfection in the first draft: Speed up initial drafting by prioritizing getting your thoughts on paper over perfect grammar or sentence compositions.
• Be disciplined with edits and revisions: Try adopting a cut, shorten, and replace mantra while trimming fluff without mercy!

Writing quickly requires practice and strategic planning – but rest assured, it’s entirely possible!

Seasoned SaaS and agency growth expert with deep expertise in AI, content marketing, and SEO. With SEOwind, he crafts AI-powered content that tops Google searches and magnetizes clicks. With a track record of rocketing startups to global reach and coaching teams to smash growth, Tom's all about sharing his rich arsenal of strategies through engaging podcasts and webinars. He's your go-to guy for transforming organic traffic, supercharging content creation, and driving sales through the roof.

Table of Contents

• 1 What is an Article?
• 2 Objectives of Article Writing
• 3 What is the Format of an Article?
• 4 What Should Be in an Article?
• 5 How should you structure an article?
• 6 Tips for Writing a Good Article
• 7 Step By Step Guide for Article Writing
• 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing
• 9 How to Write an Article with SEOwind AI Writer?
• 10 Common Questions on how to write an article

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How to Write an Article (the Complete Guide)

• Sarah Neidler, PhD
• February 9, 2021

Did you just launch your new website and want to fill it with content? Or would you like to work as an article writer  and you’re asking yourself, how do I write an article that actually gets results? 

In both cases, you want to know how to write an article. 

This is a step-by-step guide that shows you how to come up with article ideas, get started with writing, and edit after writing. The guide is intended for online articles, but most points also apply to offline, print articles. Also, note that the difference between an article and a blog post is marginal, so most recommendations also apply to blog posts. 

Because it’s crucial that your article ranks in Google, we also cover some basics about search engine optimization (SEO). For more detailed information, I recommend you reading our 25 Point Blog Post Checklist for SEO .

1. Come up with a topic and a focus keyword

Before you start writing, you have to decide what you want to write about. That should be obvious. But what makes a good idea for an article?

Writing an article takes a lot of time and effort. Your articles should help you to generate traffic to your website. One of the most important factors that decide how much traffic you get is Google ranking.

Ideally, you want your article to rank for a high volume keyword. If 10.000 people per month type a specific keyword into Google and your article is the first to come up, many people will click on it and thereby land on your website.

When it comes to ranking, you should not only consider the search volume but also how difficult it is to rank for this keyword. A huge search volume is useless when your article appears on page number 256 of the search results.

It’s best to use a keyword research tool to find out the keyword difficulty (KD). We recommend Ahrefs because it provides you with accurate keyword data and many other functions that help you rank in Google.

There are two main ways to come up with article ideas:

• You have some ideas in mind; then you use a keyword research tool to find out if there are good keywords for these topics.
• You do a keyword search, come up with a list of suitable keywords and then decide which ones to cover in an article.

The focus keyword reflects the topic of your article. It can consist of one or two words or multiple words. As an example, the focus keyword of this article is “how to write an article.”

If you struggle to find good ideas, I recommend you read my article about how to find blog topics .

2. Find the search intent behind the keyword

When typing keywords into Google, you have a problem that you want to solve. You might want to learn more about a particular topic, you have a specific question, or you are looking for products to buy. The content of your article has to match the user’s search intent behind the keyword.

“How to” keywords make it easy: They phrase a question, and your article should answer this question. When someone searches for “best Italian restaurant in town,” the person doesn’t want to know what an Italian restaurant is, but how to find the best one.

Google knows this and will display local Italian restaurants with the best reviews. Also, rating websites like Tripadvisor make it to the top search results because they deliver the information the user is looking for: A short review about the best Italian restaurants, explaining why they are the best ones.

Because Google has, in most cases, a good idea about the search intent behind keywords, googling the keyword you want to rank for is always a good idea.

3. Find out how long your article needs to be

How long your article should be, depends on the topic and the competition. Some topics can be covered comprehensively in a short article. There is always the possibility to write more, but more is not always better. Again, keep the search intent in mind.

If the keywords indicate that the user looks for a simple, short answer, it’s better to keep it short. A long, detailed article would instead repel those readers. Take as an example: “How many strings does a guitar have.” This is a very basic question, and the person typing this into Google expects a short, simple answer. He or she doesn’t want to read a 1000-word article to find out.

But many topics are worth covering in detail. Someone who searches for “How to find the best electric bass guitar” would be thankful for a long, comprehensive article that answers all his questions. For these kinds of topics, you need to find out how long your article should at least be to have a realistic chance to rank for it. Googling your focus keyword is the easiest way to find out. Just check how long the top-ranking articles are and write one that is at least that long.

When you notice that your article is getting much longer than planned, decide if the added points are that important. If they truly add value, keep them. Check if they are highly related to the topic. If not, you can always cover them in a separate article.

4. Read competing articles

Take a close look at the articles that rank for your focus keyword. See if you can find good ideas in there and take some notes. This is not about copying your competition. It’s about getting inspired to make your article better.

5. Research the topic

Do deep research about the topic you want to write about. And simply googling your focus keyword and reading the top-ranking articles does not count as research. Ideally, you should already be knowledgeable about the topic.

The less you know, the more research you have to do. But even if you already know the subject in and out, check if there is new information available. For instance, when you write about CBD oil for anxiety, you may already know that CBD oil can help with anxiety and why. But there may still be a new study that you don’t know about. Covering the latest research that your competition hasn’t written about gives you a leading edge.

6. Brainstorm information to include

Once you know what you want to write about and gathered all the important information, you should do some brainstorming about what you want to cover in the article. There may be many points, likely, you won’t keep all of them. But writing them all down helps you to make sure that you don’t forget any vital information.

7. Come up with unique ideas

When you’re done with brainstorming, make sure that you have ideas with unique content that you cannot find anywhere else. If your article summarizes the top 5 ranking articles, you’re not providing value to your readers.

There are many ways to make a text unique, and it depends on the kind of article. If you’re an expert on the topic, you can give an expert opinion with unique insights. When it’s an informational article, try to find information you cannot find anywhere else.

And even if there’s no additional information, you can still provide value. For instance, by explaining a complex problem better than anyone else does. Or by illustrating a point with a story. There are many ways, be creative!

8. Write an outline

Before you start writing, write an outline to give the article some structure. It is not set in stone, and you can change it while writing. But it makes the writing process much more manageable.

No matter what kind of article you write, it should always have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Further, each article should answer three questions in the following order:

• What (is it about)?
• Why (is it important)?
• How (to implement it)?

Answering these three questions gives your article a logical flow.

First, you have to let your readers know what the article is about. When you write about something that not everybody is familiar with, you’ll also have to explain what it is and give background information. For instance, when you write an article about magnesium, you should first mention that it is an essential mineral and review its role in the body.

The next step is then to explain why it’s important and why people should care. You would mention how common a magnesium deficiency is and what symptoms it causes. 

In the last step, you would address the how and tell your readers how they can prevent a magnesium deficiency.

In how much detail you answer each of these questions is very individual and depends on the kind of article you write. When you write a “How to …” article, like the one you are currently reading, answering the “How” is the main part. Readers looking for “How to do something” already know what it is and why it’s important. So you can briefly answer the first two questions in the introduction and then spend the rest of the article answering the “How.”

But you can also have articles focusing on the “Why.” After briefly answering the “What,” you explain in detail why it is important. The “How” can then be a simple call to action, leading the reader to an article addressing the “How” or to a product that is solving the problem.

If you wrote about the detrimental health consequences of eating too much sugar, this would answer the question, “Why too much sugar is bad for you.” After your readers are convinced that too much sugar is very unhealthy, you can end the article with a call to action to your article about how to eat less sugar.

The What, Why and How questions can serve as a template that you can apply to any article.

9. Follow the rule of one

Following the rule of one is probably the most important advice when writing an article, and most writers don’t follow it. Yet, articles that fulfill this rule are the most successful ones. So when you apply it, you write better articles than most others.

The rule sounds simple but is not easy to follow. It means that you should dedicate the content to one single topic and don’t deviate from it. For instance, in the article you are currently reading, I stick to advice about how to write an article. I don’t tell you how to write an ebook .

You might think that many people who write articles also write ebooks, and this information might be of interest to them. This might be true. But it’s also true that people who don’t know how to get started with an article are probably not ready to write an ebook yet. That’s why I don’t include any advice about ebook writing and instead would link to an article about how to write an ebook.

You have to put yourself into the shoes of your readers. Keep the search intent of your focus keyword in mind. Someone who types these words into Google is looking for specific information. By deviating from it, you risk boring your readers and losing them.

That’s the last thing you want. And the good thing when writing online articles is that linking to other articles is very easy. So if you are not 100% sure if the information is of interest to all article readers, leave it out and simply link to the content with further information.

10. Avoid the curse of knowledge

It’s good to write about something you’re knowledgeable about. In the end, you have something to tell and to teach.

But when you write about a topic that you are very familiar with, you quickly fall into the trap of the curse of knowledge.

This can have two negative consequences, and you should avoid both like the plague.

• You tell your readers everything you know about the topic, or even worth, everything that is even loosely related to it

This is related to the rule of one. Many writers throw too much information at their readers, mostly because they want to demonstrate how much they know about a certain topic. They think that this signals credibility. What it really does is deviating from the subject and boring your readers.

• You don’t write in a way that your audience easily understands

The second danger is that you are using words your audience isn’t familiar with and assume your readers know something they don’t. Simply because you know so much about a certain topic, you cannot imagine how it is not knowing it. As an author, this problem can be very hard to spot. This is why editing is so important (see point 20)

But you’re losing people that way. Your readers might think that you’re smart, but they will nevertheless stop reading your content because they either find it not interesting or because they don’t understand it.

11. Include references from reliable sources

You should try to provide sources for the information you include. This makes you look credible and also gives your readers the chance to find out more. How many references you have to provide largely depends on the kind of article and the topic.

When you write about a personal experience, you won’t have to provide many sources, and even not mentioning any might be fine. When you write about how CBD oil can help with anxiety, you certainly want to link to some scientific studies proving your point.

12. Link to further information

No matter how long your article is, there is always more information about this topic. An easy way to provide value to your reader is to link to useful information. This can be to another article on your website or an external source.

Linking internally to other articles is also a valuable tool to stick to the point. When you catch yourself covering something that is not directly related to the topic, write a separate article about it and link to it.

Here’s an example of a link from one article to another.

13. Make it “snackable”

People who read online are often looking for quick information. They don’t sit down for three hours to read about a specific topic as they might do with a book. When they click on a Google search result, they skim through the article to see if it provides the information they are looking for. And even if they decide that the article is worth reading, they don’t want to read large text blocks.

For these reasons, you should

• Write short paragraphs
• Use many subheadings (as a rule of thumb, you should have at least one subheading every 300 words)
• Use bullet points where it makes sense
• Bold important information
• Use supporting infographics and pictures
• Summarize the most important points after a paragraph covering a lot of information

14. Make it an easy read

This point is related to the advice to make the content “snackable.” Furthermore, you should use uncomplicated language. Try to keep your sentences short and simple. Write in an active voice.

And avoid technical terms unless you’re 100% sure that your audience is familiar with them.

How “easy” the content is, depends, of course, on your audience’s background knowledge. To be precise, it should be an easy read for your audience, not necessarily for everyone.

15. Use the language of your audience

When you write an article for medical doctors, your tone and language differ from when you write for laypeople. Always keep your audience in mind and try to adopt their language. This way, your content relates to them, and it is easier to connect to them and build trust.

16. Write a compelling introduction

The introduction should explain why the article is relevant and how it solves the reader’s problems. You should keep it short and come straight to the point. The intro helps readers decide whether the article answers their question and it’s worth reading or whether they should look further.

For this reason, your introduction should raise the reader’s interest, but it should also reflect the content of the article. If you make false promises in your intro, you’ll disappoint your readers, and you risk that they won’t read your content in the future.

Mentioning a statistic, a quote, or an interesting, relevant fact is also an excellent way to start an article.

I personally prefer to write the introduction after writing the body of the article. I may write some notes before writing the article and then write it out later. Once the article is written, you have a clearer picture of the article’s content and how to lead into it.

17. End with a strong conclusion

It is a good idea to write the conclusion last. But when writing the article, you should already know what the conclusion is so that you can build up to it. As for the introduction, you can write down the points you want to mention and write them out later.

There are many different ways to write the conclusion. In many cases, it’s a good idea to summarize the article and emphasize the main takeaway. A call to action is also an excellent way to end an article.

I n the end, your article has a purpose, and you want your readers to do something after reading it.

You can guide them to further content, your products or ask them to sign-up for your newsletter, enquire about a product, service, or read an article. These are just a few examples; there are many more!

Here’s an example of a clear call to action for ketogenic meal plans.

18. Remove non-important and redundant information

Some people say that they try to shorten their text by one third once they are done writing. How much you have to shorten your text depends on your writing style. If you tend to write very wordy, include non-relevant information, and even repeat information, you’ll have to shorten a lot. When you already write concisely, removing a little bit here and there will be enough. But in general, shortening your text during the editing process will make your article a better read.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot write long articles. But they should be packed with information. That means that to fill a long article, you need a lot of information. Take this article as an example. It’s 3,500 words +, but it provides 21 useful tips, and every single one is valuable. So, your article should have substance. The worst thing is reading an article that says nothing. It’s a waste of time for your readers (and also a waste of time writing it).

19. Edit, edit, edit

Once you’re done writing, the editing starts. Editing can take as long as the writing itself or even longer. You often find the advice not to edit while writing because writing and editing are two separate processes. I don’t think this applies to everyone and largely depends on your writing style.

When you try to get everything perfect in the first draft, writing takes much longer, but you save time editing. When you write everything down as fast as possible, you’re done writing in no time, but editing will probably take longer than writing.

20. Ask someone for feedback

Having someone to edit your article and to provide feedback will always improve your article. This person will likely notice a few language flaws, even if you are a native speaker and your grammar and writing is very good.

The person can also tell you if the article’s structure makes sense and if the transitions are easy to follow. Most importantly, the editor can tell you whether everything is easy to understand. For this reason, it can be an advantage to have a non-expert. This is especially important when writing for lay people.

21. Make a final grammar check

Once the article went through some rounds of editing, you should do a final grammar check. Grammarly is a popular choice that detects most grammar flaws, suggests synonyms, and also checks punctuation. This is especially important when you’re not a native English speaker. But even if you’re native, a grammar checking program can make the text better.

The bottom line

Writing an article may seem simple, but it involves many steps. It’s not only about the writing; it’s also about finding ideas, doing research, and editing the article. Altogether, they can take more time and effort than the writing itself. 

Outsourcing articles can save you a lot of time and lets you focus on other parts of your business. Writing Studio has expert writers who can take care of all these steps. They know how to write articles that rank in Google and drive high-value traffic to your website.

Don’t forget to share this article!

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• Article Writing

Article Writing Format: Explore How To Write, Example Topics and Tips

Have some great ideas, opinions and suggestions you wish you could share so that it could reach readers all around the world? One of the best ways to get your thoughts across the globe is by writing an article. There are techniques you can use to write the different types of articles. This piece on article writing will give you all the tips and tricks you need to master before you start writing your article.

Table of Contents

The art of writing an article, how do i write a good article – tips and techniques, article writing samples, faqs on article writing.

An article is a piece of writing which explicates ideas, thoughts, facts, suggestions and/or recommendations based on a particular topic. There are different kinds of articles, namely:

• Expository article – The most common type of article which allows the writer to put out information on any particular topic without the influence of their opinions.
• Argumentative article – An article in which an author poses a problem or an issue, renders a solution to the proposed problem and provides arguments to justify why their suggestions/solutions are good.
• Narrative article – An article in which the author has to narrate mostly in the form of a story.
• Descriptive article – An article written with the aim of providing a vivid description that would allow the readers to visualise whatever is being described. Using the right adjectives / adjective phrases is what will help you write a descriptive article.
• Persuasive article – An article aimed at persuading or convincing the readers to accept an idea or a point of view.

Writing an article takes a lot of effort on the side of the writer. Content writers/creators, bloggers, freelance writers and copywriters are people who have mastered the art of article writing, without which they would not be able to make their mark as a writer of any kind.

In order to be able to write an article that makes sense in the first place, you have to keep a few things in mind.

• The first and foremost thing that you have to take care of when you are sitting down to write your article is to check if you are well aware of the topic you are going to write on.
• The second thing that you have to ask yourself is why you are writing the article.
• The next thing that you have to focus on is the kind of audience you are writing the article for because unless you know your audience, you will not be able to write it in a way that makes them want to read it.
• The language you use is very important because, without the right spelling, correct grammar , punctuation and sensible sentence structure , the article would not be able to sell itself.
• Use keywords so that you get a good number of reading audiences.
• Maintain coherence within and between paragraphs.
• Double-check the data and information you provide, irrespective of the type of article.
• Keep the title and description as short and catchy as possible.
• Edit and proofread before it is published.

To help you understand better and practise the art of article writing, read through the articles given below:

Can I write a good article?

If you know all the information about the topic you are going to write about, a good hand over the language, a knack to keep it simple and interesting throughout, you can write a good article.

What is the format of an article?

The article should have a title/heading and a description that states what the article is about. The body of the article can be split into 3 to 5 paragraphs according to the volume of content with respect to the topic you are discussing. You can have subheadings and use bullet points wherever possible. Make sure your introduction makes people want to read the whole article and your conclusion leaves them satisfied.

How many paragraphs should there be in an article?

An article should have a minimum of 3 to 4 paragraphs. The writer is, however, given the choice to present the content in more than four paragraphs, if it would be better for the article.

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How to Write a Good Article: 7 Tips

Want to learn how to write a good article? Craft attention-grabbing titles? Pull readers in and keep their focus?

Knowing how to say something is as important as knowing what to say. The following seven tips will help you create articles that engage readers from beginning to end.

<div class="tip">Need help with content creation? Hire writers through our content marketing platform and receive high-quality content for your site.</div>

1. Create a catchy title.

A title is the first thing your reader will see, and it's the first chance you have to convince them to continue reading your article. You don't need to resort to clickbait-style titles to get readers interested. There are many different strategies for formulating good titles . Here are a few suggestions to help you formulate one that is perfectly eye-catching:

• Promise a solution. What problem are you going to solve for the reader? Draw them in with a promise of answers. For example, start out with phrases like "how to" and "tips for."
• Be succinct. Blog posts with 6- to 13-word titles get the most traffic , so make sure your titles aren't too wordy.
• Ask a question. Write your title in the form of a question to which you know the answer will be "yes."

2. Start strong—write a strong hook.

You only have, at most, a few sentences to draw a reader in. Let your reader know that this is going to be an article worth taking the time to finish. The first sentence is the most important of the entire article and should be carefully crafted. You want to hook your reader in and not let go from that point forward. Here are a few tips:

• Pose a question. What's the driving question behind your article? Start there and make your reader want to stay for the answer.
• Present a surprising fact. Right out of the gate, the reader knows they will learn something new in this article.
• Start with a controversial statement. Get the reader invested immediately.

3. Write succinctly.

Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Long, dense paragraphs can be intimidating. You don't want your reader to open the link, see a block of text and think. “I don't have time for this.” Shorter sentences pull the reader along and encourage a quick reading pace. Here are some suggestions for how to trim your sentences:

• Avoid excessive words. You're a writer. You like to write. But don't get too caught up in creating flowery prose. Make sure that your writing isn't getting in the way of the information you are conveying.
• Check your adverbs. If you find adverbs paired with weaker words, use a stronger word to convey the same meaning instead. Is something “very important” or “critical”? Cutting out adverbs not only saves you a few words, but it also makes your writing stronger.
• Watch redundancy. Adverbs are often at fault here too. Something is just “harmless,” not “completely harmless”. Something is “blank,” not “totally blank”.

<div class="tip">What about the length of an article itself? It's a common question, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Follow these guidelines about how long a blog post should be.</div>

4. Edit your work. And then edit again.

In other words, don't be afraid to edit. It's common to feel that every word you write is crucial, and it can be painful to cut things out. However, editing is just as important—if not more important—than the actual writing.

When you've finished your first draft, go back over it with a critical eye, deleting anything unnecessary or repetitive. If a sentence doesn't function to strengthen your argument, give it the ax! After this initial and brutal editing phase, read over your piece again to ensure that every sentence feeds naturally into the next.

5. Pay attention to visuals.

It would be nice to think that only the quality of your writing matters, but the truth is looks matter too. Learning a few tricks allows you to use this to your advantage.

Variation in sentence length, paragraph length, text size, and text type breaks up the visual landscape in an appealing way. This variation also serves to guide the reader to the most important parts of your article.

Images can also serve to break up the text, and they are another way to draw in the reader. A catchy title draws clicks, but an enticing image piques readers' interest enough to continue reading. Remember, it's important to consider which images will work best for your article and how to access them.

• Keep paragraphs short and visually appealing.
• Use bullet points to break up blocks of text. Since 43% of readers skim blog articles , it's important to highlight your main points.
• Bolding is another way to break up your text, directing the skimmer's eyes to those ideas that you want to stand out.
• Use images to break up the text and draw in readers.

6. Use the appropriate format.

Not all articles are created the same. It's important to be aware of different types and to consider which format is the best fit for what you're writing. Will your topic work best as a numbered listicle ? Keep in mind that titles with numbers generate the most clicks.

Formatting your article as a how-to is also a good way to generate clicks . Consider your topic and what will work best in terms of the presentation of ideas.

7. Use keywords strategically.

Keywords are an important part of search engine optimization (SEO). However, keep in mind that Google penalizes sites for keyword stuffing . We are still aiming for quality content and the appropriate use of keywords. Include the primary keyword in the title of your blog post. Secondary keywords should be featured in the subheadings and the body of the text.

Last Thoughts

There are two additional tips that will drastically affect how you write an article: practice and read. The more you practice writing, the better you will get. Actively practice implementing these tips in your writing. Then when you read other articles, engage with them as a writer. Were you drawn in by the opening? Is the layout visually appealing? Thinking critically while you read is another way to improve as a writer.

Happy writing!

This article was written by Compose.ly writer Grace Neveu.

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How to Write an Article

 THE CRAFT OF ARTICLE WRITING

Writing is a complex skill. A very complex skill.

Not only do we put students under pressure to master the inconsistent spelling patterns and complex grammar of the English language, but we require them to know how to write for a variety of purposes in both fiction and nonfiction genres.

On top of this, writing is just one aspect of one subject among many.

The best way to help our students to overcome the challenge of writing in any genre is to help them to break things down into their component parts and give them a basic formula to follow.

In this article, we will break article writing down into its components and present a formulaic approach that will provide a basic structure for our students to follow.

Once this structure is mastered, students can, of course, begin to play with things.

But, until then, there is plenty of room within the discipline of the basic structure for students to express themselves in the article form.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING NEWS REPORTING IN 2022

With over  FORTY GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS in this  ENGAGING   UNIT, you can complete a  WEEKLY  journalistic / Newspaper reporting task  ALL YEAR LONG  in  2022  as classwork or homework.

These templates take students through a  PROVEN  four-step article writing process on some  AMAZING  images. Students will learn how to.

WHAT IS AN ARTICLE?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines an article as, “a piece of writing on a particular subject in a newspaper or magazine, or on the internet.”

An article’s shape and structure will vary depending on whether it’s intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or online.

Each of these media has its own requirements. For example, a magazine feature article may go into great depth on a topic, allowing for long, evocative paragraphs of exposition, while an online blog article may be full of lots of short paragraphs that get to the point without too much fanfare.

Each of these forms makes different demands on the writer, and it’s for this reason that most newspapers, magazines, and big websites provide writers with specific submission guidelines.

So, with such diverse demands placed on article writers, how do we go about teaching the diverse skill required to our students?

Luckily, we can break most types of articles down into some common key features.

Below we’ll take a look at the most important of these, along with an activity to get your students practicing each aspect right away.

Finally, we’ll take a look at a few general tips on article writing.

KEY WRITTEN FEATURES OF AN ARTICLE

The headline.

The purpose of the headline is to capture the reader’s attention and let them know what the article is about. All of this in usually no more than 4 or 5 words!

There is an art to good headline writing and all sorts of literary devices (e.g alliteration and metaphor) can be used to create an eye-catching and intriguing headline.

The best way for students to learn how headlines work is to view some historical samples.

Newspaper headlines especially are known for being short and pithy. Here are just a few examples to whet the appetite:

• Hitler Is Dead
• Lincoln Shot
• Men Walk On The Moon
• Berlin Wall Crumbles

You could encourage students to find some pithy examples of their own. It’s amazing how much information can be condensed into so few words – this is the essence of good headline writing.

Headlines Practice Activity:

Give students opportunities to practice headline writing in isolation from article writing itself. For example, take sample stories from newspapers and magazines and challenge students to write new headlines for them. Set a word limit appropriate to the skills and age of the students. For example, younger, more inexperienced students might write 9-word headlines, while older, more skilled students might thrive with the challenge of a 4-word limit.

THE SUBHEADING

Subheadings give the reader more information on what the article is about. For this reason, they’re often a little longer than headlines and use a smaller font, though still larger (or in bold) than the font used in the body of the text.

Subheadings provide a little more of the necessary detail to inform readers what’s going on. If a headline is a jab, the subheading is the cross.

In magazines and online articles especially, there are often subheadings throughout the article. In this context, they let the reader know what each paragraph/section is about.

Subheadings also help the reader’s eye to scan the article and quickly get a sense of the story, for the writer they help immensely to organize the structure of the story.

Practice Activity:

One way to help organize paragraphs in an article is to use parallel structure.

Parallel structure is when we use similar words, phrases, and grammar structures. We might see this being used in a series of subheadings in a ‘How to’ article where the subheadings all start with an imperative such as choose , attach , cut , etc.

Have you noticed how all the sections in this ‘Key Features’ part of this article start simply with the word ‘The’? This is another example of a parallel structure.

Yet another example of parallel structure is when all the subheadings appear in the form of a question.

Whichever type of parallel structure students use, they need to be sure that they all in some way relate to the original title of the article.

To give students a chance to practice writing subheadings using parallel structure, instruct them to write subheadings for a piece of text that doesn’t already have them.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

Writing good, solid paragraphs is an art in itself. Luckily, you’ll find comprehensive guidance on this aspect of writing articles elsewhere on this site.

But, for now, let’s take a look at some general considerations for students when writing articles.

The length of the paragraphs will depend on the medium. For example, for online articles paragraphs are generally brief and to the point. Usually no more than a sentence or two and rarely more than five.

This style is often replicated in newspapers and magazines of a more tabloid nature.

Short paragraphs allow for more white space on the page or screen. This is much less daunting for the reader and makes it easier for them to focus their attention on what’s being said – a crucial advantage in these attention-hungry times.

Lots of white space makes articles much more readable on devices with smaller screens such as phones and tablets. Chunking information into brief paragraphs enables online readers to scan articles more quickly too, which is how much of the information on the internet is consumed – I do hope you’re not scanning this!

Conversely, articles that are written more formally, for example, academic articles, can benefit from longer paragraphs which allow for more space to provide supporting evidence for the topic sentence.

Deciding on the length of paragraphs in an article can be done by first thinking about the intended audience, the purpose of the article, as well as the nature of the information to be communicated.

A fun activity to practice paragraphing is to organize your students into groups and provide them with a copy of an article with the original paragraph breaks removed. In their groups, students read the article and decide on where they think the paragraphs should go.

To do this successfully, they’ll need to consider the type of publication they think the article is intended for, the purpose of the article, the language level, and the nature of the information.

When the groups have finished adding in their paragraph breaks they can share and compare their decisions with the other groups before you finally reveal where the breaks were in the original article.

Article Photos and Captions

Photos and captions aren’t always necessary in articles, but when they are, our students must understand how to make the most of them.

Just like the previous key features on our list, there are specific things students need to know to make the most of this specific aspect of article writing.

  The internet has given us the gift of access to innumerable copyright-free images to accompany our articles, but what criteria should students use when choosing an image?

To choose the perfect accompanying image/s for their article, students need to identify images that match the tone of their article.

Quirky or risque images won’t match the more serious tone of an academic article well, but they might work perfectly for that feature of tattoo artists.

Photos are meant to bring value to an article – they speak a thousand words after all. It’s important then that the image is of a high enough resolution that the detail of those ‘thousand words’ is clearly visible to the reader.

Just as the tone of the photo should match the tone of the article, the tone of the caption should match the tone of the photo.

Captions should be informative and engaging. Often, the first thing a reader will look at in an article is the photos and then the caption. Frequently, they’ll use the information therein to decide whether or not they’ll continue to read.

When writing captions, students must avoid redundancy. They need to add information to that which is already available to the reader by looking at the image.

There’s no point merely describing in words what the reader can clearly see with their own two eyes. Students should describe things that are not immediately obvious, such as date, location, or the name of the event.

One last point, captions should be written in the present tense. By definition, the photo will show something that has happened already. Despite this, students should write as if the action in the image is happening right now.

Remind students that their captions should be brief; they must be careful not to waste words with such a tight format.

For this fun activity, you’ll need some old magazines and newspapers. Cut some of the photos out minus their captions. All the accompanying captions should be cut out and jumbled up. It’s the students’ job to match each image with the correct accompanying caption.

Students can present their decisions and explanations when they’ve finished.

A good extension exercise would be to challenge the students to write a superior caption for each of the images they’ve worked on.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR ARTICLE WRITING

Now your students have the key features of article writing sewn up tightly, let’s take a look at a few quick and easy tips to help them polish up their general article writing skills.

1. Read Widely – Reading widely, all manner of articles, is the best way students can internalize some of the habits of good article writing. Luckily, with the internet, it’s easy to find articles on any topic of interest at the click of a mouse.

2. Choose Interesting Topics – It’s hard to engage the reader when the writer is not themselves engaged. Be sure students choose article topics that pique their own interest (as far as possible!).

3. Research and Outline – Regardless of the type of article the student is writing, some research will be required. The research will help an article take shape in the form of an outline. Without these two crucial stages, articles run the danger of wandering aimlessly and, worse still, of containing inaccurate information and details.

4. Keep Things Simple – All articles are about communicating information in one form or another. The most effective way of doing this is to keep things easily understood by the reader. This is especially true when the topic is complex.

5. Edit and Proofread – This can be said of any type of writing, but it still bears repeating. Students need to ensure they comprehensively proofread and edit their work when they’ve ‘finished’. The importance of this part of the writing process can’t be overstated.

And to Conclude…

With time and plenty of practice, students will soon internalize the formula as outlined above.

This will enable students to efficiently research, outline, and structure their ideas before writing.

This ability, along with the general tips mentioned, will soon enable your students to produce well-written articles on a wide range of topics to meet the needs of a diverse range of audiences.

HUGE WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

TUTORIAL VIDEO ON HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE

The content for this page has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh.  A former principal of an international school and English university lecturer with 15 years of teaching and administration experience. Shane’s latest Book, The Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing , can be found here.  Editing and support for this article have been provided by the literacyideas team.

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How to Write Article Summaries, Reviews & Critiques

Writing an article summary.

• Writing an article REVIEW
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Links on this guide may go to external web sites not connected with Randolph Community College. Their inclusion is not an endorsement by Randolph Community College and the College is not responsible for the accuracy of their content or the security of their site.

When writing a summary, the goal is to compose a concise and objective overview of the original article. The summary should focus only on the article's main ideas and important details that support those ideas.

Guidelines for summarizing an article:

• State the main ideas.
• Identify the most important details that support the main ideas.
• Summarize in your own words.
• Do not copy phrases or sentences unless they are being used as direct quotations.
• Express the underlying meaning of the article, but do not critique or analyze.
• The summary should be about one third the length of the original article. 

Your summary should include:

• Give an overview of the article, including the title and the name of the author.
• Provide a thesis statement that states the main idea of the article.
• Use the body paragraphs to explain the supporting ideas of your thesis statement.
• One-paragraph summary - one sentence per supporting detail, providing 1-2 examples for each.
• Multi-paragraph summary - one paragraph per supporting detail, providing 2-3 examples for each.
• Start each paragraph with a topic sentence.
• Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas.
• Summarize your thesis statement and the underlying meaning of the article.

 Adapted from "Guidelines for Using In-Text Citations in a Summary (or Research Paper)" by Christine Bauer-Ramazani, 2020

Additional Resources

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How to Write a Summary - Guide & Examples  (from Scribbr.com)

Writing a Summary  (from The University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center)

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• Last Updated: Aug 16, 2023 11:47 AM
• URL: https://libguides.randolph.edu/summaries

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How to start writing an article: step-by-step guide.

Jacqueline Luberto

The ParagraphAI Team

• Updated on  09/12/2022

Want to write an article but are unsure ofow to adequately convey a message to your intended audience? Getting started can be challenging, especially if you’re still organizing your thoughts or deciding on an appropriate tone. If you find yourself struggling with how to start writing an article, following a few simple steps can streamline the process. With the right strategies on your side, you’ll be creating well-written articles in no time.

Using an established strategy makes the business of article writing a smooth journey rather than a daunting task. However, if you want to make the steps for how to write a good article a breeze, then it’s time to leverage AI. Exploring the endless opportunity that lies within a free AI writing tool like ParagraphAI can streamline the techniques behind what makes a good article, giving your readers the  information they need.

What is an Article?

What is article writing ? Article writing is a form of written communication aimed at engaging a wide audience through various media outlets. In the context of article writing, these media outlets encompass publishing entities such as newspapers, magazines, journals, and more.

Articles are written works intended for a wide audience to view, and traditionally are published in magazines, newspapers, or journals. Therefore they are typically shorter than other forms of writing, such as books or essays.

If you’re contemplating how to write a great article, a key point to remember is that it can be about any topic, from current events to personal experiences. They are intended to inform, educate, or entertain the reader. As you gain proficiency in organizing your thoughts, understanding your audience, and building a coherent structure, you will inevitably learn how to write articles fast, a skill that improves over time.

What Should Be in an Article?

As with any medium designed to deliver any type of information, there should be coherent follow. Regarding articles, it can begin with how to start writing an article and then transition into a logical structure that introduces, explores, and delivers the main point of the article. You can achieve this by creating the following sections:

• Title: Something that will make the reader want to learn more about the topic.
• Introduction: Where you present the topic and summarize the main points of the article.
• Body: The main argument, made up of supporting paragraphs.
• Conclusion: Summarization of the argument and call to action.

By following this structure and these article writing tips, your articles will effectively communicate their arguments in a clear and concise manner to your audience.

How to Write an Article

Here is a quick list to get started on articles: 

Find a topic.

Find your target audience., perform research on your story to create trust., write an outline., get a rough draft together., create the subject matter., read and or share with friends for any errors..

Before proceeding, one should first consider the topic of the article and what its objective is. Is the article meant to be informative or entertaining? Perhaps you are making an argument to convince the reader of something. This would be a good starting point if you’re wondering how to start writing an article.

With your topic in mind, also consider your audience. What might draw them in? If you were someone with less knowledge on this topic, what questions would you want this article to answer? This is where tips for writing an article can be really useful. Think about your writing from the perspective of potential readers. This process will help you communicate your ideas are clearly and make your content a good read.

Research will be a necessary step for most articles intending to inform or argue a certain topic, as supporting evidence allows you to write with more credibility. Drawing from your experience can also provide unique insights, as people might find value in your anecdotes. Seeking out statistics, quotes from interviews, and references from academic publications is an important step in creating a well-informed argument.

(Source: Wings )

You will also have to come up with a title for your article, which should be eye-catching while accurately reflecting the content of your writing. It can be helpful to brainstorm a few ideas and consider which one fits the main idea while being the most engaging to a potential reader looking to learn more about the topic.

When writing an introduction, you will want an interesting hook that draws the reader in and a brief overview of your article. This is where you can set the tone for your article and deliver the thesis statement that the following paragraphs will support.

The body is then made up of paragraphs that each will support the main point that was laid out in the introduction. This is where you will dig deeper into your arguments and answer any questions that you anticipate readers may have going into the article. The paragraphs should ideally be short and concise to retain the reader’s interest.

For your conclusion, you should summarize the main point as a means of tying up all of the points made by the article. With an effective call to action to close out your argument, you will leave the audience reflecting on your writing.

How to Write an Article in ParagraphAI in Two Easy Steps

While developing techniques for how to write an article more efficiently, learning to make use of a free writing tool such as ParagraphAI is a worthwhile way to increase your productivity. If you’re curious about how to write an article using AI, this is the perfect place to start. If you’re looking to brainstorm ideas, structure your thoughts, or come up with words and phrases to use in your articles, ParagraphAI has you covered. This tool can provide help in a variety of ways. Here’s how you can get started.

Step 1: Enter Your Topic

By supplying ParagraphAI with the topic of your article, it generates an introduction paragraph and two body paragraphs. This gives you a strong starting point with which you can work off of to write the rest of your article. However, the article produced is unquestionably incomplete as it lacks a conclusion—and in the case of this Macbeth article, body paragraphs exploring the other two themes mentioned in the introduction need to be addressed. This is a good thing to remember and understand to utilize the tool effectively. Luckily, this can be remedied.

Step 2: Prompt Using Specifics

For any paragraphs left that you may need to complete your article, you can enter the topic of that paragraph specifically and plug that result into your article to fill in the gaps. 

In the case of a body paragraph, you would enter one of the supporting ideas that help to make up your overall point, while with a conclusion paragraph, you would enter the thesis from the introduction in order to summarize the whole article. With everything assembled, you have a complete article to revise as needed!

With the right understanding of how to write an article and the importance of one’s structure, style=”color: #EC693F”ParagraphAI can help you create articles more efficiently than ever before. 

Once you’ve decided on your topic, you can start your article off strong with a click of a button and similarly create the rest of your paragraphs as you go along.

So if you’ve got an article to write, consider getting some assistance from ParagraphAI’s free AI writing tool. You may be surprised at how quickly you’ll be able to organize and present your thoughts.

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How to Get Started with Article Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

So you've always had a way with words, and you've finally decided to dip your toes into the realm of article writing. Congratulations, my friend! Whether you're itching to express your thoughts and insights or aiming to make a career out of crafting captivating content, writing articles can unlock a world of creativity. But where do you begin? Fear not, for this step-by-step guide is here to help you embark on your journey as a budding wordsmith.

From finding your niche to perfecting your writing skills, let's dive in and uncover the secrets to kickstarting your article-writing adventure. Get ready to unleash your inner storyteller and captivate readers one word at a time!

What is Article Writing?

Article writing is the craft of creating written content for various purposes. It involves conveying information clearly and engagingly to a specific audience . Starting with a compelling introduction, an article provides valuable insights and knowledge on a given topic. It is essential to include relevant facts and examples to support your ideas. A well-structured article typically comprises of short paragraphs and uses headings and subheadings to guide readers.

Strong article writing requires good research skills, excellent grammar, and proper formatting. By mastering the art of article writing, beginners can effectively share their ideas and opinions with a broader audience.

Benefits of Article Writing for Beginners

Start for free

Article writing is an excellent starting point for beginners. It helps develop writing skills and boosts creativity. Writing articles enhances critical thinking by requiring research and analysis . It also enables the writer to share knowledge and ideas with others. The process of writing articles improves communication skills and helps build a writer's portfolio. Moreover, article writing allows beginners to explore different topics, positioning them as experts in a specific area.

Step 1: Choose a Topic

Finding a topic that interests you.

Finding a topic that interests you is crucial when starting your article writing journey. Think about subjects you enjoy or have knowledge about. Consider your hobbies, passions, or areas where you excel. It's important to choose a topic that you genuinely care about, as it will make the writing process more enjoyable and help you connect with your readers. Don't be afraid to explore different angles or niches within your chosen topic to make it more unique and engaging.

Remember, the more interested you are in your topic, the more likely it is that others will be interested too. So, choose wisely and have fun!

Researching Popular Topics

Researching popular topics is an essential step in article writing. It not only helps you stay updated with current trends but also enables you to create content that resonates with your target audience . Here are some tips to streamline your research process:

• Identify your target audience : Define the demographic and interests of your readers to understand what topics are most likely to engage them.
• Utilize online tools : Leverage search engines, social media platforms, and keyword research tools to identify popular topics in your niche.
• Analyze competition : Explore articles and blogs written by competitors to gain insights into what topics have performed well for them.
• Stay updated : Follow news websites, industry publications, and influencers in your field to keep up with the latest trends and topics that are gaining traction.
• Engage with your audience : Pay attention to comments, feedback, and questions from your readers to identify what they're interested in and shape your content accordingly.

By conducting thorough research, you can ensure that your articles are relevant, engaging, and resonate with your target audience.

Narrowing Down Your Topic

When choosing a topic for your article, it's important to narrow it down to something specific. Start by brainstorming all the potential ideas and then consider which ones interest you the most. Once you have a general idea, try to make it more focused by asking yourself questions like "Who is my target audience?" or "What aspect of this topic do I want to explore?" This will help you create a clear and concise angle for your article, making it easier to write and more engaging for your readers.

Remember, specificity is key!

Step 2: Understand Your Audience

Identifying your target audience.

Identifying your target audience is crucial when writing an article. Who are you trying to reach? Start by defining their demographics - age, gender, location. Dive deeper to understand their interests, needs, and pain points. Are they tech-savvy or more traditional? What challenges do they face? Consider their motivations and desires. By analyzing their behavior and preferences, you can tailor your content to resonate with them.

This will help you engage and connect with your readers on a morepersonal level. Remember, understanding your target audience is the key to creating impactful articles. So, take the time to do your research and get to know them well.

Understanding Audience's Needs and Preferences

In order to be an effective article writer, it is crucial to understand the needs and preferences of your audience. This means taking the time to research and analyze your target readers, their interests, and what they are searching for. By doing so, you can tailor your content to meet their expectations, making it more engaging and relevant.

Whether it’s providing informative guides or entertaining stories, remember to keep your writing concise, easy to understand, and free of unnecessary fluff. By doing this, you will attract and retain your audience's attention, building a loyal readership over time.

Step 3: Conduct Thorough Research

Gathering information from reliable sources.

When writing an article, it is crucial to gather information from reliable sources. This ensures that your content is accurate and trustworthy. Start by identifying reputable sources, such as reputable websites, academic journals, or expert interviews. Use multiple sources to get a well-rounded perspective on the topic. Check for citations and references in the sources you find, as this indicates the information has been substantiated by other experts.

Avoid using sources that lack credibility or have a biased agenda. By gathering information from reliable sources, you can provide valuable and accurate content to your readers.

Organizing Your Research Findings

When it comes to organizing your research findings, it's crucial to have a systematic approach. Here are some tips to help you make sense of all the information you've gathered:

• Create a clear and logical structure for your article, outlining the main points you want to cover.
• Determine the most relevant and valuable findings from your research and highlight key data or evidence to support your claims.
• Categorize your findings into different sections or subheadings, making it easier for readers to navigate through your article.
• Use bullet points or numbered lists to present concise information or important details.
• Consider creating an annotated bibliography or reference list to keep track of your sources and ensure correct citations.

By organizing your research findings effectively, you'll be able to present your ideas in a coherent and structured manner, enhancing the clarity and impact of your article.

Step 4: Create an Outline

Structuring your article.

Structuring your article is essential for effective communication. Start with a compelling title that grabs attention. Divide your article into clear sections using subheadings to guide the reader. In the introduction, present the main idea and provide context. Keep paragraphs short and focused, each discussing one key point. Use bullet points or numbered lists for easy comprehension. In the conclusion, summarize the main points and conclude with a thought-provoking statement.

Remember to edit and proofread for clarity and coherence. A well-structured article enhances readability and ensures your message is conveyed effectively.

Outlining Main Points and Subtopics

When starting an article, it is crucial to outline the main points and subtopics you want to cover. This helps you maintain focus and structure throughout your writing. Begin by identifying the main idea or argument you want to convey. Then, list the key points that support or elaborate on this idea. Make sure each point flows logically and sequentially.

Next, break down these key points into subtopics that provide further details or examples. This way, you can organize your thoughts in a clear and coherent manner, ensuring your readers will easily follow your train of thought.

Step 5: Start Writing

Developing a strong body.

Developing a Strong Body is essential for article writing beginners. Regular exercise is key. Start with simple activities like walking or jogging to improve stamina and overall fitness. Include strength training exercises to build muscle and boost metabolism. Focus on workouts that target different body areas such as squats for legs, push-ups for upper body, and planks for core. Consistency is crucial, so aim for at least 3-4 times a week.

Alongside exercise, eat a balanced diet rich in proteins, vegetables, and whole grains to fuel your body and aid in muscle recovery. Hydrate adequately to stay focused and energized during writing sessions. Prioritize self-care and get enough rest for optimal physical and mental performance. With a strong body, writing will become effortless.

Creating an Engaging Conclusion

In order to create an engaging conclusion for your article, consider leaving the reader with something to think about or a call to action. A thought-provoking question or a compelling statement can keep your readers engaged and encourage them to explore the topic further.

Additionally, you can summarize your main points briefly and end on a strong note. Remember, a good conclusion should leave a lasting impression and leave the reader wanting more.

Step 6: Edit and Revise

Checking for grammar and spelling errors.

When you finish writing your article, take a moment to check for grammar and spelling errors. Read it aloud or use a spell-check tool to catch any mistakes. Pay attention to punctuation, capitalization, and word choice. Double-check names, dates, and statistics to ensure accuracy. If possible, ask someone else to proofread your work. Give yourself time between writing and proofreading to identify errors more effectively.

Taking these simple steps can greatly improve the quality of your article and make it more professional.

Improving Sentence Structure and Clarity

To enhance your article writing, focus on sentence structure and clarity. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Avoid lengthy, convoluted sentences that confuse readers. Use active verbs to make your writing more engaging and dynamic. Break up long paragraphs into smaller chunks to improve readability. Use transition words to create smooth transitions between ideas. Lastly, always proofread your work to eliminate any grammatical errors and ensure clarity. By improving sentence structure and clarity, you can make your article more concise, engaging, and enjoyable for your readers.

Ensuring Coherence and Flow

Ensuring coherence and flow in your article is crucial for keeping the reader engaged. Start by using clear and concise language to express your ideas. Break your article into short paragraphs and vary their lengths to maintain a smooth flow. Use transition words and phrases to connect your ideas and guide the reader through the article.

Additionally, make sure each paragraph focuses on a single point to avoid confusion.

Finally, read your article aloud or ask someone to read it to ensure it flows naturally and is easy to understand. Remember, coherence and flow are keys to effective article writing.

Step 7: Proofread and Finalize

Reading and re-reading your article.

Once you finish writing your article, take a moment to step back and give it a read. Look for any typos, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing. This initial read-through allows you to catch any obvious mistakes or areas that need improvement.

After this first pass, take a break. Give yourself some distance from the article before coming back to it for a second read. This time, focus on the overall flow and structure of your piece. Does it make sense? Is the information organized logically? Take note of any areas that feel disjointed or confusing.

When you're satisfied with the structure, read it through one final time, paying attention to the details. Check for consistency in verb tenses, formatting, and citation styles. Ensure that your article flows smoothly and that each sentence serves a purpose.

By actively reading and re-reading your article, you can catch errors, improve clarity, and deliver a polished final piece that engages and informs your readers.

Formatting and Styling

Formatting and styling is crucial when it comes to writing an article. A well-structured article enhances readability and grabs the reader's attention. Start with a catchy headline that summarizes your content. Use subheadings to break up the text and make it more scannable. Keep your paragraphs short and to the point. Bullet points and numbered lists are great for conveying information concisely. Incorporate relevant images to engage your readers visually.

Lastly, proofread your article for grammar and spelling errors. Taking the time to format and style your article properly will greatly improve its impact and readability.

Reflecting on Your Article Writing Journey

As you near the end of your article writing journey, take a moment to reflect on how far you've come. Think about the skills you've acquired, the topics you've delved into, and the challenges you've conquered. Remember the moments of frustration and the triumphs that followed. Embrace the growth you've experienced and the knowledge you've gained along the way. Appreciate the progress, no matter how small, and use it as fuel to continue honing your craft. Remember, every step counts and every article is an opportunity to improve. Keep writing, keep learning, and keep pushing yourself to new heights.

Taking Next Steps to Improve as a Writer

Now that you've taken your first steps into article writing, it's time to take the next ones in order to improve as a writer. One way to do this is by reading extensively. Pick up different genres and styles of writing to broaden your horizons. Another crucial step is to write consistently. Make a writing schedule and stick to it, even if it's just for a few minutes each day.

Additionally, seek feedback from others. Join writing groups or ask friends to read your work and provide constructive criticism. Remember, practice, exposure to different writing styles, and feedback are key to becoming a better writer.

Wrapping up

Writing articles can be a daunting task for beginners, but with this step-by-step guide, you'll be well on your way to becoming a proficient article writer.

First, choose a topic that interests you and conduct thorough research to gather all the necessary information. Then, create an outline to organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow in your writing. When crafting the introduction, aim to grab your readers' attention with a compelling hook. In the body of the article, present your ideas clearly, providing evidence and examples to support your claims. Use subheadings and bullet points to enhance readability. Once the main points are covered, wrap up your article with a conclusion that summarizes your key takeaways and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Remember to proofread and edit your work to eliminate any errors or inconsistencies. With practice and perseverance, you'll develop your own unique writing style and become an accomplished article writer.

Steps of Article Writing

Article Writing Format: Suppose you have some opinions regarding a topic and you want to tell people about it. How will you do so? You can tell the opinions to persons near you. But what if you want to tell not only those people but, say, the world? How will you do so? You will write those opinions, isn’t it?

Many a time you have seen some writers or people write their problems and suggestions in some newspapers, magazines, and journals or in their blogs. They are writing their opinions and beliefs in the form of an article. In this section, we will get ourselves familiar with article writing and the article writing format.

An article is a piece of writing written for a large audience. The main motive behind writing an article is that it should be published in either newspapers or magazines or journals so as to make some difference to the world.

It may be the topics of interest of the writer or it may be related to some current issues. The topic can either be serious or not-so-serious; Same goes for its tone and language.

Browse more Topics under Article Writing

• Definition, Essential Elements of Article Writing

Objectives of Article Writing

An article is written with the following objectives

• It brings out the topics or the matter of interest in the limelight
• The article provides information on the topics
• It offers suggestions and pieces of advice
• It influences the readers and urges them to think
• The article discusses various stories, persons, locations, rising-issues, and technical developments

The Format of Article Writing

An article must be organized in a proper way so as to draw the attention of the readers. The basic outline for an article writing format is

• Heading / Title
• A line having the writer’s name
• Body (the main part of the article, 2 – 3 paragraphs)
• Conclusion (Ending paragraph of the article with the opinion or recommendation, anticipation or an appeal)

Steps for Article Writing Format

Think of the topic you want to write the article about. Only after you’ve decided your topic you can go ahead and undertake the further steps in the process one by one:

• Target Audience: Identify the concerning reading group
• Purpose: Find the objective or aim of writing the article
• Collect & Select: Gather as such information as possible. Also, identify the details that are most significant
• Organize:  Arrange the information and the facts in a logical way

Once you’ve taken care of all the Above steps you move forward to the final step- Writing.

• While writing an article, always use proper grammar , spelling , and proper punctuations
• Use vocabulary skill
• Keep the introduction of the topic catching, interesting, and short
• Discuss the opinion and the matter in an organized and descriptive manner

Common Mistakes in the Article Writing Format

Now that you know the steps of article writing and the article writing format, the occurrence of mistakes becomes obvious. Some of the common mistakes are:

• Not using facts or quotes or similar cases
• The language should not be too formal
• The article must be in easy language for better understanding
• The title of the article must be catchy and clearly understandable
• No use of paragraphs
• Expressing personal views is fine but the author must never talk about himself/herself

Points to Keep in Mind for the Article Writing Format

• The topics of the articles should be unique and relevant
• The article has to get attention
• It has to be interesting
• It has to be easy to read
• The reader is identified
• Find the main goal of writing an article. The goal can be anything from providing information, entertainment, and advice or for comparing, etc.
• The title must be eye-catching, clear, and interesting
• The introduction or the starting paragraph must be highly attentive. Use your vocabulary skills or try to use some interrogative words for the start
• Use clear statements and make assertions
• Avoid repetition and over the top logic and reasons
• Use the style of paragraph writing and write the contents uniquely and unambiguously
• Avoid using the points which interest you only and not for the general public
• Write a good and logical ending

Solved Example on Steps of Article Writing

Problem: Classify the following into Do’s and Don’ts in article writing.

• Write very lengthy articles
• Add the writer’s name
• The title should be lengthy and clear
• The heading of the article should be short, clear and informative
• Only the introduction and the conclusion should be attractive and attention seeking
• Target the audience
• One can advise, suggest and give the solutions to a problem in any paragraph other than the starting one
• The language and the style of writing should be according to the concerning readers
• There must be only three paragraphs in an article – introduction, middle one, and conclusion
• Use proper punctuations
• Use any tense , person, voice, as many abbreviations , and self-made words while writing an article

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Article Writing

• Updated on  
• Nov 8, 2023

There is so much to read and learn these days. Have you noticed how your favourite bloggers or writers come up with unique content on new topics almost every day? In the digital era, writers have to be extra careful about how they present their ideas. It should be collated in such a way that it influences a larger audience at the same time. However, article writing is not everyone’s cup of tea and needs creative thinking .  Whether you want to pursue Content Writing courses or want to flourish your Journalism career , adhering to the structure along with presenting ideas in a well-structured way is what a writer needs to take care of. Yes, even articles have a distinct structure. Before delving into how to write an article should look, let us first understand the basics of it. 

How To Be A Content Writer? [Step-by-Step 2022 Guide]

This Blog Includes:

What is article writing, objectives of article writing, tips for writing a good article, heading or title, byline or name of the author, body of the article, step 1: find your target audience, step 2: select a topic and an attractive heading, step 3: research is the key, step 4: write and proofread, step 5: add images and infographics, sample of article writing, article writing on covid-19 for students, article on my vision of india in the future, article writing topics, common mistakes to avoid in article writing, points to keep in mind, ppt on article writing , scope of article writing.

Playing a major role in society, an article is a piece of information that is written to influence or provide information to people at large. The form and the style of article writing may vary from one topic or writer to another. Yet, an ideal article provides all the relevant factual information to the people which catches their attention, allows them to think and triggers them to act. There are several types of articles, including:

• Expository article – The most common type of article, which allows the writer to disseminate information on any topic without imposing their own opinions.
• Argumentative article – An article in which the author poses a problem or issue, proposes a solution and provides arguments to support why their suggestions/solutions are good.
• A narrative article is one in which the author is required to narrate primarily in the form of a story.
• Descriptive article – An article written to provide a vivid description that allows readers to visualise what is being described. Using the appropriate adjectives/adjective phrases will assist you in writing a descriptive article.
• Persuasive article – An article written to persuade or convince readers to accept an idea or a point of view.

An article must be written with the following objectives in mind:

• It should bring the topic or subject of interest to the foreground.
• The article must discuss all the necessary information.
• It must make or suggest recommendations to the readers.
• It must be eligible to have an impact on the readers and make them think.
• The article must cover a wide range of topics, including people, places, emerging challenges, and technological advancements.

Here’s a step-by-step guide with plenty of helpful hints to help you write an excellent article in no time:

• The first and most important thing to consider when you decide to write an article is whether or not you are well-versed in the subject matter.
• The second question you must answer is why you are writing the article.
• The next thing you must consider is the type of audience for whom you are writing the article because you will not be able to write it in a way that will entice them to read it unless you know your audience.
• The language you use is critical because the article would be unable to sell itself without proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.
• Make use of keywords to attract a large number of readers.
• Maintain coherence between and within paragraphs.
• Regardless of the type of article, double-check the data and information you provide.
• Keep the title and description as brief and memorable as possible.
• Before it is published, it should be edited and proofread.

Know the Difference Between an Author and a Writer !

Article Writing Format

Whatever you wish to write, it is important for you to first know the structure of the article and then mention the details accordingly. Divided mainly into 3 sections- Heading, Byline and Body , let us have a look at the article writing format you should keep in mind while composing your piece of information.

The first thing to be noticed and the most important component in article writing is the heading/title. To draw the attention of the readers, it is important to give a catchy heading of not more than 5 to 6 words to the article. 

Below the title comes the byline which states the name of the author who has written the article. This part helps the writer earn the actual credit that they deserve.

The body consists of the main content of an article. Be it story writing or article writing, it is completely upon the author to fix the length of the composition and the number of paragraphs that would embed the information. Generally, an article contains 3 or 4 paragraphs wherein, the first paragraph introduces the readers to what the article will be about and all the prerequisite information. The second and third paragraphs will cover the crux of the topic and here, all the relevant data, case studies and statistics are presented. Following this, the fourth paragraph will conclude the article where the solutions to the problems, as presented in the second and third passages (if any) will be discussed. 

Also Read: How to Write a Book?

Step By Step Guide for Article Writing 

After knowing the format, let us have a look at the 5 simple steps involved in the process of article writing: 

Before writing on any topic, it is important for a writer to first identify the audience the article targets. It can be a particular group of people, children, students, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged, elderly people, business people, service class, etc. Whichever group of people you choose to write for, select a topic that directly or indirectly impacts their lives or spreads the relevant information. 

For example, if the article focuses on parents, then you might write about child psychology, the daily nutritional diet of a child, etc. The tone and the language should also match the suitable audience in article writing. 

After you have chosen your target audience, the second important step in article writing is to choose an apt topic for your composition. This gives an idea of how you should process with the article. After you select the topic, then think of an intriguing title for the same. 

For example, if you want to make the students aware of the various MBA specializations available, you can write – “ Everything you need to know about MBA specializations ”.

Consequent to selecting your targeted audience, topic and title of the article, research is the most important thing in article writing. Read umpteen articles, statistics, facts, data, and new governing laws (if any) to get a hang of all the information to be incorporated in the article. Additionally, check the authenticity of the data, so that you do not state anything outdated. Before proceeding with the article writing, prepare a rough draft or an outline of the article in bullet points and keywords so that you don’t miss out on the important information. 

Once you have collected all the facts and data, you can now begin your article writing. As discussed, start the article with an introductory paragraph, followed by a descriptive and a concluding paragraph. After you have written everything, it is pertinent to proofread your entire article and check whether there are any grammatical errors. As a reader, it becomes a major turn-off when you spot even the minutest of a mistake. Also, make sure that the content is not copied from some other website. 

To make your content even more attractive for people to read, you can also include some infographics. Adding images makes the article even more engaging and it proves to be more influential. Thus making the purpose of your article writing successful!

Given below is a sample that can give you more clarity on how to write an impeccable article: 

Know What is Technical Writing !

Covid -19 for Students By Sahil

Covid-19 has affected all sections of human life. While it affected all industry sectors it has a major impact on education. Classes were switched from offline to online at night but it created confusion among students, especially the ones that were about to enter college. Students even took a gap year hoping for the situation to get better. While schools and colleges are opening because vaccination is in full swing across the globe there are still many challenges.

Understanding COVID-19, how it spreads, and how to protect ourselves are the most important things to be learned first as soon as the school reopens. Students should know the rules they are going to follow and the benefits of following the covid-19 Safety Rules in the School Classroom. It’s very difficult to make the children understand because innocent minds may not get acquainted with the current situation.

To avoid the risk of contracting the Covid- 19, these rules should be followed by every student and school faculty at all times. Students must carry hand sanitisers at all times. Students should never sneeze on their hands, rather they should cover them with their elbows, or may use a tissue or a handkerchief. Inform students not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth frequently. As chances are high that the virus gets spread through the touching of the eyes and nose. If students and teachers follow these basic rules, the spread can be stopped and schools can reopen.

My Vision of India in the Future By Aayush

Most of us have a psychological barrier to looking at India’s future vision, and those who perceive the future as coming straight out of the present typically have their perspective narrowed as well. I believe that the year 2050 will belong to individuals who strive to recognise diversity as a virtue in and of itself, rather than as a tool for combating new mental monocultures or a necessary compromise for social and ethical concord. In the future, India will be in the centre of the world, with variety valued as a goal in itself. My vision statement is neither a forecast of what will happen nor a wish list of desirable but unreachable goals.

It’s a statement of what we believe our country can achieve, given the level of concern that our current youth has about issues like corruption, pollution, and mismanagement of natural resources, among other things. Recognize that the elements that affect national development have changed in recent years and will continue to change in the future when imagining India in 2050. This is expected to create more opportunities than ever before.

The expanding impact and influence of India in domains such as technology, education, information, and productive skills supports the belief that India will attain and sustain higher economic growth and development in the decades ahead.

Do you have to write an article that is trending right now and will help you score better or help you practice better? Here is the list of current topics for article writing:

• Global Warming
• Environmental Pollution
• Impact of Internet
• Women Empowerment
• Education and Movies
• Value of Games in Education
• Yoga and Mind Healing
• Importance of Mental Health
• Importance of Education in Society

Explore some Creative Writing Topics

The likelihood of errors increases now that you understand the phases of article writing and the article writing format. The following are some examples of common blunders: 

• Not using facts or quotes or similar cases
• Using a tone that is too formal
• Using difficult vocabulary without knowing its meaning 
• Not using a catchy title for your article 
• No use of paragraphs to bifurcate information
• Not expressing personal views or opinions
• The topics of the articles should be unique and relevant
• The article has to get the attention
• It has to be interesting
• It has to be easy to read
• Find the main goal of writing an article. The goal can be anything from providing information, entertainment, advice for comparing, etc.
• The title must be eye-catching, clear, and interesting
• The introduction or the starting paragraph must be highly attentive. Use your vocabulary skills or try to use some interrogative words at the start
• Use clear statements and make assertions
• Avoid repetition and over-the-top logic and reasons
• Use the style of paragraph writing and write the contents uniquely and unambiguously
• Avoid using the points which interest you only and not for the general public
• Always end your article writing on a good and logical note

6 Recommended Travel Writing Courses

• Article on the Importance of Education
• Article Rules
• Essay on Global Warming
• Essay on Internet
• Essay on My Aim in Life
• Essay on Education System
• Essay on Democracy
• How to Write a Career Goals Essay?
• Essay on Digital India

Whether you want to work as an article writer for your current employer or make a name for yourself in the journalism world, your voice and skill are in high demand. What matters is that you keep writing and learning.

The road may be difficult at first. Even if you have a good idea of who you are as a writer and where you fit best, there will be obstacles. At first, every writer experiences this.

Or you may have no idea what intrigues you or what format works best with your natural writing strengths. Keep your cool! You’ll keep learning as you go. When your work is published and assignments begin to flood your inbox, the road will become smoother.

When written well, it becomes a natural part of the audience’s experience. Article writers influence how content is presented and how people think. Even when trying to write someone else’s vision, your talent makes it worthwhile to read.

Related Posts

An article is a piece of information that is written to influence or provide information to people at large. The form and the style of article writing may vary from one topic or writer to another.

Not using facts or quotes or similar cases Using a tone that is too formal Using difficult vocabulary without knowing its meaning Not using a catchy title for your article No use of paragraphs to bifurcate information Not expressing personal views or opinions

The style of article writing varies from one topic or writer to another.

Thus, article writing is a form of art that improves only with practice and the right approach. If you want to pursue a career in a field where writing plays an essential role but are confused about the program then take the assistance of Leverage Edu ’s AI tool which will curate a list of the most suitable universities and courses that align with your professional goals!

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Free Article Writing Tool

A better way to write articles, find inspiration in these 
 article examples.

• Begin by unplugging your coffee maker and letting it cool down completely.
• Remove any coffee grounds and filters from the machine.
• Fill the water reservoir with equal parts white vinegar and water.
• Turn on the coffee maker and run a brewing cycle. Let the mixture run through the machine until the reservoir is empty.
• Discard the vinegar solution and rinse the water reservoir thoroughly with water.
• Fill the reservoir with fresh water and run another brewing cycle to rinse the machine.
• Repeat the rinsing process until the vinegar smell is completely gone.
• Finally, wipe down the exterior of the coffee maker with a damp cloth and let it dry completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are examples of different types of articles, how do you write an article summary, how do you write the title of an article, how do you write an article pitch, how do you write an article abstract, how long does it take to write an article, why are citations an important element of writing an academic article, what is fact-checking, and why is it a critical step in writing an article, what is an ai article writer, and should i use one, what information should i include in my prompt, how can i create articles using generative ai.

• First, download Grammarly .
• From your document, open Grammarly. This will launch our generative AI writing features.
• Then, enter a variety of prompts with instructions and key information about your article to ensure Grammarly has the context to generate a quality draft.

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How To Write An Article? An Easy Step By Step Guide (2024)

Did you know, as per worldometers.info, the number of newspapers circulated on the day i write this article is 326, 900, 999 (and counting), and the number of blog posts written are 4,941,999 (and counting) those are huge numbers. with those stats, it is impossible to imagine the number of articles written per day. how to write an article how can you stand out when there are so many article writers do newbies stand a chance these are just some questions i would love to answer through this article..

Also, I am excited to share some really cool free tools that make writing fun and easy.

How to write an article? It’s easy, really. Just be yourself. The cardinal rule is “ TO WRITE .” All else comes next. Yes, the trouble starting is real. Even Stephen King admits to the scariest moment being just before you start. But once you overcome that hurdle, the rest of the track is easy.

In an era of infobesity (yes, that is the new word for information overload), where a simple Google search of “how to write an article?” also yields 2,18,00,00,000 results in just about 0.51 seconds, how will you assimilate all the information out there?

The information undoubtedly exceeds our human processing capacity. While we are at it, do you know about IFS?

When too much information becomes noise, it leads to Information Fatigue Syndrome. The fog created by so much information literally impacts, interferes, and hampers with decision-making ability. Not to forget the stress that accompanies the indecisiveness.

Adding to the situation is the fact that the human attention span is a mere eight seconds owing to technology. But if you are still reading this article, congratulations! Your attention span is not compromised.

Learn the fundamental principles of writing with this free Content Writing E-Book!

Article Writing FAQs :

We fear that which is unknown to us. But once we know about it, the topic is not so intimidating, at least almost always. Any issue of which we do not know comes with a host of doubts and questions.

Similarly, how to write an article also comes with a host of questions for a newbie. Is it difficult? Am I suited for article writing? Do I need special qualifications to do article writing?

I believe answering the frequently asked questions will help clear a lot of the doubts and apprehensions that you might have.

So stay with me till then end while I attempt to give you all the information on how to write an article in the best possible and most straightforward manner.

In this comprehensive guide, you will find answers to:

What is article writing?

How to write an article.

• Golden rules to article writing
• Article writing formats
• Different writing styles
• Writing skills and habits that go into making you a good article writer
• Awesome tools that can be your writing companions.

If you aspire to become a writer, check out the details of the bestselling Content Writing Course .

Other courses to consider from IIM SKILLS

• Technical Writing Course
• Digital Marketing Course

First things first, what is an article? Any written piece of information published in print or on the digital/electronic medium is an article. The purpose could be anything, from news, research papers, analysis, academics, blogs, scientific journal s, marketing articles, etc.

Generally speaking, an article is for a broader audience, and the motive is to make a positive difference. The topics are various. It uses words to express an idea or present facts and solutions for mass consumption.

Today, it is a lot easier to publish articles online. The digital medium is very powerful and easily accessible with good outreach. Anyone can write and post an article online. But remember, only the useful articles see sunny days while the mediocre ones are relegated to the background with hardly any views and read.

The thing that differentiates good articles from the average or bad is good content. An article with good content provides value to people and can influence or change their perception. The keyword here is “providing value.”

Heard about digital marketing? Read through my article on how digital marketing is redefining business success.

The topic of how to write an article also has information overload but worry not. I am here to simplify the process and separate the wheat from the chaff.

All writers start as readers, and this is true of every single writer out there. If it calms your nerves and eases you any, “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” Well, it’s not me who says so, but Joseph Heller (American author) who did. Couldn’t agree more, right?

But hey, there are ways to make the process easy and stress-free. Though ultimately, it is personalized, there are broad ways to go about it, such that writing is fun and not a task.

Of course, your very purpose in reading through this article is to become an article writer. So yes, this article can be your ultimate guide with detailed tips on article writing.

Golden Rules to Article Writing, our Pro Tips:

Rule #1:  select your topic/niche.

Are you a generalist or a specialist? The generalists can write on any topic. They can write about food, travel, pets, etc. With the same finesse, they can even write on marketing, finance, and educational articles.

Specialists, as the name suggests, pick an area of expertise and specialize only in writing about that niche or topic. You will most often come across specialists in the field of finance, academics, and technical writing, as these areas require more in-depth knowledge.

They say the riches are in the niches. To understand this better, let me take an example of the doctor fraternity. How about we consider the generalists as general practitioners or general physicians and the specialists as specialist MDs? Makes sense now?

To choose a niche, you need to start with what you are good at. Each one of us is better at that one thing than others; that could be your niche. It could be something you are passionate about. If you identify opportunities and gaps in the market for your area of expertise, you are good to go.

This is not to say the generalists have no place in article writing. No one is born knowledgeable. Learning is an endless and ceaseless process. One can always learn and earn. Nothing is impossible, and even the word impossible says, I’m possible!

Rule #2:  Create a User Persona to address your target audience’s needs.

Okay, you have your topic ready and also know that good content and providing value are essential. But how do you know what is of value? Simple again.

Before you write, create what we know as the “user persona.” Say, for example, you want to write about gardening tips. You have excellent knowledge, and now you want to share it in the form of an article.

Your user persona is someone who loves gardening and wants to learn more about it. Yet, it is someone who is not a professional in gardening. They do not have the time to skim through detailed technicalities but will definitely appreciate simple, practical tips and tricks.

Another example, say you are great at finance, understand the nuances of the share market and mutual funds and all the important financial stuff that helps make wise investments. You have friends who are not as blessed to understand the nuances of the finance industry. All you have to do is write in simple words; the tips and tricks for wise investments.

You can easily spot your user persona, and when you think of the user persona as your friend, you will have all the information that you know the friend needs and has no access to. Compile all the useful information in simple language, easy for a non-commerce person to understand, and you are good to go. You will have an article that is super relevant and super useful.

Once you have your user persona in place, the rest will fall in place. Producing excellent and valuable articles is that much easier once you know your target audience.

Rule #3: Research, Read, Watch, and Take Notes (most crucial and essential rule)

You have the topic; you have the user persona. Now what? Next is research. I cannot stress enough the importance of research. It is the most significant aspect of article writing and lays the foundation for your article.

With a defined user persona/target audience, it is easy to learn their likes and dislikes, their challenges, the problems they face, etc. Write to provide solutions to their questions, and voila! Your content is highly valuable.

In the opinion of American Journalist, Burton Rascoe, “ A writer is working when he’s staring out of the window .”

True that. Once a writer, something is going on inside your head, even when you appear to be doing nothing.

Well, not all inspiration comes from staring out your window, though. Today, we have a whole lot of information to inspire ideas. For your inspiration, you could read through popular blogs, websites, or even watch videos

In reading and researching well, you can structure out your content and form a skeleton of sorts. Researching will give you all the vital information about an issue, its challenges, and possible solutions.

The more you read and research, the better insights you have on the information you want to provide.

As you keep researching, your brain goes into an autopilot mode and enables you to jot down points for your article quickly. Brainstorm on all the information you have collected. Now organize all your data in a logical outline.

Rule #4:  WRITING, THE CREATIVE CRAFT

The next and most significant step is to: START WRITING.

Once you through with the warm-up, you are now ready for the main exercise of writing itself.

There are article writers who need more guidance on how to write an article than a newbie. That is because, some articles though very well-crafted, are so difficult to understand that either you have to be highly literate to make sense of it or sit with a dictionary.

If people don’t understand what you write, all your writing loses meaning. Be like the coaching classes (by the way, they earn maximum bucks right now). Keep it simple; easy to read. Break down the concepts into bite-sized, easily digestible nuggets.

Every writer has a unique voice. You will have yours too. Though most of us have authors or writers whom we admire and seek inspiration from, it is imperative to retain our uniqueness. Convey your perspective of things. Your unique style is a reflection of your inherent personality. When you are another, you lose your individuality and, in the bargain, lose your unique writing voice.

Finally, write about actionable content. Validate your writing with facts and statistics. Link the facts to resources to let your audience know; you know what you are writing about. Linking valuable information to the resources is a way to back up your claim.

Make your writing enjoyable. Tell a story. Talk about trivia, or did you know facts that make for exciting tidbits and keep the audience engaged.

Have clarity in writing and your article structure. You can also include anecdotes or incidents as a form of storytelling. Despite our age, we all have a childlike fascination for stories and are ever willing to listen to a good story.

Rule #5:  Read, edit, check your grammar, and proofread again:

Once you are through with the writing aspect, come the editing, grammar, and proofreading parts.

Firstly, fix the grammar and sentence structure. Next on, be absolutely ruthless with editing. Make your article crisp with all the relevant points. Cut out the fluff. Shorter sentences and short paragraphs are the way to go.

Rephrase any complex sentences. There is nothing better than having another pair of eyes read through your article and give you critical feedback. Since this option is not viable in the long term, you should hone your editing skills and be self-reliant.

Avoid repetition. Stay focused on the subject and the solution you wish to offer. Be mindful of the logical flow of information. If it works for you, make a pre-submission checklist.

When you are writing for the digital medium, there are several things you need to consider. Primarily, you have to optimize your article for the SEO or search engine optimization point of view. There are keywords and focus phrases you have to consider. Similarly, different mediums necessitate different requirements. Make sure your article is in total compliance.

Rule #6: Publish

Articles for publications have some guidelines. Follow them implicitly, whether it is the layout, font, font size, or any other aspect. Finally, when the outcome of your article looks satisfactory, pat yourself on the back. Go ahead and publish it or hand it over for publishing.

No article can be perfect. In fact, perfectionism is a myth. So don’t obsess over details. Writing, like most art, gets better with practice.

You will learn more as you write more. Gradually but certainly, you will see a positive difference in your work over a period of time.

The above were some bite-sized tips and rules on how to write an article. Chew on them and assimilate them for efficient and productive article writing.

Basic Article Writing Format:

Now that we have the golden rules in place let us explore the basic format of article writing. Different forms of article writing necessitate different formats, but there is a basic structure of importance.

Succinctly put, the components or article writing framework includes:

Heading/Title/Headline : How to write an article headline?

The heading or title is the most crucial part of an article. It decides in a fraction of seconds whether your article is worthy of reading or not. Even a great article with a drab title will go unnoticed and unread.

The main heading and the subheadings help organize the contents and allow the reader to skim through the article to find out how relevant it is for them.

Some things to keep in mind with headings are to keep them concise and use them to enhance, not replace information in your article. Also, never overdo the titles as not all paragraphs require one.

Main headings are typically short, whereas the subheadings can be a little longer.

Intro : How to write an article introduction?

Writing intriguing introductions sure is an art that not everyone is blessed with, but again, you can be observant and cultivate it. If the heading captivates your reader to glance at your article, it is the introduction that persuades them to give you writing a read-through.

If the introduction is not convincing enough, does not grab the reader’s attention, you will lose the audience.

Smart writers write engaging introductions such that it piques the reader’s curiosity, and he/she wants to read further.

Some great ways to writing introductions that matter is to ask the readers a question, tell a story, use some interesting quotes or statistics and facts, or simply be descriptive and ask the reader to imagine.

The inroduction does not stop with a brilliant first line. Speak of something unique and exciting to keep the reader with you. And finally, introduce the content and importance of your article.

Body : How to write an article text/body?

Now that you managed the herculean task of attracting the audience’s interest with your headline, keeping them curious through the introduction, it is time to have them hooked with the body of text as well.

Your article headline and intro have done their work. But your article body has nothing important to convey, does not share the message you intend to, and does not focus on the key topic; then, your reader will just shut your article or flip over to the next article with a catchy headline.

Even though the body of the article is the longest portion and consists of all the essential points you wish to convey, a structured presentation helps.

A logical flow of ideas, well-researched content, using sub-headings, writing smaller paragraphs, not straying away from the main point, and even using bullet points where required, all go a long way visually and from the readability perspective.

Conclusion : How to write an article conclusion?

When you exercise, a cool-down is as essential as a warm-up. Similarly, a proper conclusion is as vital to a good article as is its introduction.

An appealing conclusion either summarizes the article or explains the significance of the article.

Reiterate the main points, summarize succinctly, focusing on the main point, and wrap it up. In many instances, you can talk about the benefits of the topic, or circle back to your opening lines, or end it with a quote.

Suggesting further reads or motivating readers to take action are also great ways to a great conclusion.

Moving on to our next FAQ, are the article writing types.

Article Writing Types

Moving on, there is a multitude of article types. Each comes with a different set of rules to write. Overall, the golden rules and format apply to any form of article writing.

The skeleton of topic selection, research, write, edit, and publish are common to any form of article writing. There are, however, subtle other nuances that you need to adhere to when writing for different mediums. Writing on each medium is a vast topic in itself, but I can surely give you a gist of what it looks like.

Let me walk you through the different article writing types:

How to write an article for a newspaper/news? News, whether on the digital medium or the newspaper, requires you to be up-to-date with current affairs. These articles are either of recent events or something that is going to happen shortly. Essentially, every news article has details of the five Ws and the H; who, what, where, why, when, and how.

Most news articles are crisp, include all details, create an impact, and involve emotional elements to humanize the story and help readers/listeners relate to it.

Often it necessitates an interaction with first-hand witnesses or people with expert opinions that adds to the credibility of the information. Remember, though, that news articles carry immense social responsibility of presenting nothing but accurate information. So research well before you present the masses with the facts.

A news article format consists of a headline, byline (name and position of the writer), lead/lede (includes all the Ws and H), body, and conclusion.

How to write an article for a feature story? A feature is more creative and descriptive than a news article, and a longer piece at that. Feature articles find a place in newspapers, magazines, and even online. It is all about covering one issue in greater depth and usually has an angle/focus to it. Maybe it is a recent trending story but from a different angle/perspective.

Now, feature articles could be something that:

• Involves humans, not things
• Interviews with eminent people
• Informational features which may be of historical, practical, or even social interest
• Featurettes or mini-features.

Furthermore, a feature need not be a current or recent issue/event, is like an anecdote, and contains various angles and sources.

The feature article format follows pretty standard guidelines and includes The headline, the deck (subhead, a second chance to entice your readers), the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

Editorial :

How to write an article for an editorial? An editorial is more a writer’s/individual’s opinion on an event, current topic, or social issue. It influences the readers to think from the writer’s perspective. An editorial advocates for a cause with the audience and raises awareness.

The goal of an editorial is persuasion. Most often than not, editorials are about controversial topics with very different viewpoints and create a discussion of sorts.

The editorials can be interpretive (information on an event or issue), critical (causes of a problem with solution), persuasive (influencing the masses encouraging them to take action), praising (appreciation of a person or organization).

The standard outline of an editorial will have an introduction, an argument, evidence, counterargument, refutation, and a conclusion.

How to write an article for a profile? This form of article writing includes all information on a person. You can compare it to a portrait of a person, a written portrait at that. It is a non-fiction narrative. The profile story revolves and includes facts discovered through research and previous interviews of the subject.

Profile stories are highly informative about a single subject and blend stories, photographs, and quotes. It involves very very thorough research on the subject.

Some pro tips for writing profile stories are:

• Read other profile stories and get the hang of the tone and format
• Prep up, do your research and do it well
• Create an outline as with all forms of writing
• Interview the subject and even collect all old interviews for references.
• Observation is crucial; translate all you observe into words
• Starting with a robust lede capture’s the reader’s attention
• Incorporate direct quotes; it adds value and helps you showcase your subject’s point of view
• Good profile stories are just that, stories
• Reveal something new and interesting that the readers are not aware of and finally show, don’t tell.

A great profile article format includes a compelling introduction, facts and bibliographic information, quotations, visuals, and observation or quote about the person as a conclusion.

Now, people, this is self-explanatory, or is it what I am currently doing? Well, coming to the how-to articles, these are articles that give clear instructions on how to accomplish a task. The thing about how-to articles is that they are always solution-oriented articles.

How-to articles are an excellent way to share your expertise with people. Depending on the topic, the how-to articles can have varying tones, serious, funny, specific, or casual. There are no set rules for that.

A good how-to article helps the target audience solve a problem or accomplish a task. So first and foremost, identify the problem or task and then set about providing a solution for it. The do-it-yourself or DIYs fall under the category of how-to articles.

One important thing to keep in mind with the how-to articles is to keep your information easily understandable. You should have the ability to break up the intricate pieces of information into more manageable bits. It requires an in-depth understanding of the topic to be able to do so.

The article format for how-to articles is almost standard and includes the headline, dividing the body into step-by-step or smaller points, and conclude.

So, these were the types of article writing and article writing formats. Now, if you intend to become an article writer, there is another aspect to be aware of; the article writing styles. No doubt, each writer has their individual, distinct style. But there are some standard writing styles that you should know. Let’s move onto that now.

Writing Styles

How to write an article is a HUGE subject, and since it is not possible to cover all information in one article, I am attempting to cater to the frequently asked questions about how to write an article.

Amongst the various FAQs is a question about writing styles. Did you know there are four main types of writing styles?

From novels to textbooks, billboards to poetry, to scholarly journals, all writing essentially falls under one of the four styles, which are expository, descriptive, narrative, and persuasive.

As an article writer, you should know when to use which style of writing to better connect with your audience.

Expository :

If you look up the meaning of expository, it is “an intention to explain or describe something.” Defining a particular subject to the readers is one of the most common styles of writing. It is a descriptive process, with information organized sequentially and logically for better understanding.

Where would you find such a writing style?

Textbooks, cookbooks, how-to articles, business writing, technical writing, scientific writing, self-help articles, manuals, etc., all fall under the category of expository writing style.

The main goal here is to explain and inform readers. This style of writing is long on facts and never includes storytelling. It contains facts, citations, charts, links, and other such data to validate the information.

Summing up, tips for expository writing include researching and citing sources, no personal opinion, no persuasion, use quotes, and illustrations.

Descriptive :

Descriptive writing takes the expository style a notch higher. While expository will give you bare facts and instructions, the descriptive writing style uses various elements to evoke your senses.

It uses metaphors, adjectives, adverbs, appreciating details, and activating the reader’s senses with vivid images. Descriptive writing always includes a lot more information. It is more profound than expository writing and also makes readers feel they are experiencing it all.

Some examples of descriptive writing, as you can guess, include poetry, personal journals, screenplays, nature writing, travelogues, etc.

Tips or descriptive writing include similes and metaphors, attention to even small details, and evoking the senses to make the readers feel they are experiencing it all.

Narrative :

The narrative writing style is nothing but storytelling, complete with a plot, a beginning, middle, and end. It may contain descriptive writing as well with portions describing the setting or appearance etc.

This is one of the most versatile styles of writing, and in this writing style, the plot is central, not the facts, not the descriptions.

Narrative writing style finds uses in novels, short stories, memoirs, myths and fables, and even historical accounts.

Achieve the narrative style of writing with a plot, timeline sequence of events, giving readers an insight into the elements of your story, all while conveying an important moral or lesson.

Persuasive :

Lastly, the persuasive writing style, as the name suggests, has the purpose of influencing the reader. Here, the writer opines and gives justification, reasons, and arguments supporting his viewpoint and tries to convince the reader to agree

It attempts to persuade readers, make an emotional connection with the audience, and goads them into taking action.

Some examples of persuasive writing are academic papers, advertising copy or copywriting, editorials, company brochures, political speeches, and even business proposals.

You can achieve the persuasive style of writing by connecting with your readers at an emotional level and subtly making them take a decisive and actionable step.

Understanding the different writing styles can enhance your writing abilities.

Writing Skills and Habits of Successful Writers

If you have it in you to express ideas through the written word, you can become a writer. But not every writer has an inborn skill to write well. It is an art, yes. It is a skill, yes, but one that you can acquire through perseverance and loads of practice.

As you set out on the journey of becoming a writer, it is not unnatural for you to try to ape your idol writer. At least one great writer inspires most of us, and in our endeavor to become a writer, we think aping their habits will get us there.

There are newbie writers who will stand and write, just because many famous writers did and do so. Some believe that being morning larks or night owls, like their favorite authors, will get them there for sure.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing can be further than the truth. You have your focus on the wrong habits to ape. It is the discipline and other characteristics like a daily writing habit that you need to copy from great writers.

Let me outline some writing habits that will slowly but surely help you become a good writer over a period of time. These writing skills will not just help you become a good writer but also increase your productivity.

Of course, all of these writing skills are also habits of great authors and writers, but ape-worthy, if I may say so.

Tip#1: Write-A lot-write everyday

Famous author Jodi Picoult opines there is no such thing as writer’s block. Instead, it is having too much time on your hands, and I, for one, completely agree with that. The only way to become a good writer is to first get started.

Make it a habit to write every day, even if it is just 500 words. Think of yourself as a literary laborer who has to work on writing every single day, no matter what.

Tip#2: Set teeny-weeny goals

Tiny goals are achievable and motivating. One step at a time is what takes you distances. As a newbie, set smaller goals such that you have no excuse to skip them. Gradually increase them to reach your goal. Say write for 15 minutes for a few days and gradually increase the duration.

Tip#3: Read

When you are a writer, you consume everything like a writer. It means you read like a writer, and you watch TV like a writer, you even watch movies like a writer. Read voraciously. It is the next big tool for enhancing your writing abilities.

The more you read, the more you learn, and the more you can write. There is no dearth of good content in the form of books, blogs, eBooks, and more. Make it a habit to read every day, and it will help you write every day.

Tip#4: Research, Record and Write Things Down

Before any project or article, be thorough with your research. As you research, note down all the relevant points, and you can further elaborate when you write.

You can even cultivate the habit of carrying a notepad with you for jotting down ideas that strike at moments you are not at your desk. Just make a note of it and take action when writing.

Tip#5: Create a Distraction-Free Zone

This one is essential, as well. A quiet and calm zone, free from distractions, allows your thought process to flow uninterrupted.

When I say distraction-free zone, it is more talking about the biggest distraction in the modern world. Yes, I am speaking of the mobile. Put it in a silent mode or do not disturb mode and concentrate on writing.

Tip#6:  Have a routine

This one is a no-brainer. A disciplined routine always leads to improved productivity and efficiency.

Tip#7: Maintain a calendar

Keeping a calendar helps you stay focused and complete your writing tasks on time.

Try to incorporate these tips and enhance your writing skills.

Speaking of skills, the jewels in the crown for an article writer are adaptability, research, originality, time management, communication, and proofreading and editing.

Article Writing Tools

Whether you are writing for a living or as a hobby, a writer’s life is much like a rollercoaster. Some days it is as easy as a walk in the park, and other days it is like the dip of the rollercoaster.

It sure takes hard work, a lot of practice, and being consistent and disciplined with your daily routine to get the productivity rolling.

But thankfully, there are a plethora of tools to make your writing work and organization a smooth sail. I will outline some of the free article writing tools to boost your creative energy and amplify your writing skills. And yes, I personally use all of them and swear by their benefits.

Article writing tool #1: CoSchedule Headline Analyser

This is a brilliant tool to analyze your headlines. It tells you about the optimum word count, the sentiment, power words, etc., and gives you a score for every headline you create, allowing you to choose the best.

Article writing tool #2: Grammarly

Never skip this one. Irrespective of how good you are with the English language, Grammarly always shows you, you can do better. Again, an extremely easy-to-use tool that helps edit your article, provides suggestions, indicates passive voice, punctuations, and other grammatical errors in a fuss-free fashion.

Article writing tool #3: Hemingway Editor

The Hemingway Editor is splendid and intelligent. Writing simple sounds easy, but it is a complicated task to achieve. Writer’s in their enthusiasm, many times incorporate words that make sentences complex. The Hemingway Editor suggests spots complexities and prompts you to change or do away with them to make your content more reader-appealing.

Article writing tool #4: Wordcounter

Word Counter is yet another simple, no-fuss tool that does just what it says. Paste in your content to get your word count. Also, if you think you have a crutch word syndrome (words we tend to use often), it allows you to keep a check on that.

Article writing tool #5: Canva

For visual appeal and graphics, Canva is the way to go. It has a straightforward user interface. You don’t have to be a pro to use this tool, and the thing that makes it even better is that it has a massive library of free templates and designs. Whether it is images, infographics, headers/banners, you can effortlessly customize and give wings to your creativity on Canva.

This is one topic that can be an article in itself. But, some more additions that I would undoubtedly not want to skip are:

• The thesaurus, an absolute necessity for writers
• A built-in note-taking app on your mobile for when inspiration strikes and you are not at your desk. Just make a note and act on it later. For desktop/laptop users, check out Evernote, another incredible tool that allows you much more.
• Plug into some music to boost and augment your writing pace. Whatever works for you, white noise , lyric-less music, nature sounds, or the instrumentals, just figure it out and plug and see the difference. Personally, Yanni is my go-to. I seem to hit the keyboard effortlessly with a Yanni playlist.

Did you know even digital marketing tools that work great ?

Wrapping it up:

The FAQs answered here are just some of the more common ones. I am sure all the information on how to write an article clears a lot of your doubts and apprehensions.

There is no one particular formula for writing an article. If you can clearly articulate your ideas to the reader through the written word, then you have it in you to become a successful article writer.

I hope that the information in this article empowers you to believe you are capable of doing much more than you give yourself credit for. I also hope it has inspired and motivated you to find the strength to flip the page of your life and take that step towards becoming an article writer.

Choose your area of expertise, combine it with a specific style of writing you love, and grab the potential market opportunities to boost your writing career.

So, all you aspiring closet writer’s out there, stop stressing and start writing .

1. How can I make my articles more engaging for the target audience?

To make your article more engaging, use storytelling, and always include examples when you can. Use headings, subheadings, leave white space between paragraphs otherwise it looks cluttered.  use images, gifs when necessary and proofread your article for grammatical errors.

2. What are some common mistakes to avoid in article writing?

Grammatical errors, duplicate content, ambiguity, grammatical mistakes, poor formatting and structure, use of complex words are some common mistakes to do away with while writing articles.

3. How important is proofreading and editing while writing articles?

they are a fundamental part of any write-up. They help identify mistakes, enhance readability and help you to make the article more reader friendly.

For a Career in Writing:

For all the wannabe article writers, I would highly recommend you take a course in writing to help you take off. Yes, there are numerous resources, blogs, articles, and tools out there that give you a feeling you can become a successful writer without a formal course.

On the personal front, cutting a long story short, I went from being a wannabe writer to a good writer after taking the Content Writing Course at IIM SKILLS .

The institute beyond doubt helps you transition from Learning to Earning , helping you remove the L and empowering you with the knowledge that no free resources can provide.

Many subtle intricacies play a significant role in writing. It depends on the type of writing as well. For example, writing on the digital medium requires knowledge of keywords, SEO, and optimizing your writing. Similarly, copywriting requires a sales tone, and articles on product descriptions are quite different.

If you intend to have a career as an article writer, take up a course and maybe do some internships as well. It pays to showcase your work portfolio when looking at the freelancing market or taking up a job.

Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments below of your preferred writing tools, and what works for you as a writer.

Author: Aarti Kalra

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Important Facts

How to Write a Good Article? Format , Types, Tips and Examples

Jan 30, 2023 31.3K Reads

Writing an article is a task that many people fear, but in reality, piecing together a good article can be done in a few simple steps and a little practice. Although not an easy task, you can hone your skills of article writing by following a simple structure and habituating yourself with writing.

Here we have provided you a detailed guide on writing a good article, including the format, tips to make your article unique and catchy as well as a few templates for your reference.

Read till the end to understand how you can improve your article writing skills in a few simple steps.

What is an Article?

An article is a piece of writing that is written centred around a theme or topic and aimed at spreading awareness or communicating a message to the readers. The aim of writing an article can be varied-

• Spreading awareness about a recent incident 
• Writing for promotion
• Spreading awareness about a social issue
• Sharing an Opinion about an issue
• Persuading the readers about a topic
• Writing an informative piece on a specific topic 

But whatever the purpose for which the article is written, there are some preliminary essentials which you need to be well-acquainted with before starting your actual piece. 

Types of Articles

Before you write an article, knowing the exact purpose for which the article is written is important because it dictates the tone, content and the style of writing. 

There are many types of articles, but they can be clubbed into 4 broad categories listed below:

Steps for writing an article.

Before actually writing the article, you should know about and follow a basic set of steps that help you indulge in the process more efficiently and produce better results. 

Here we have listed down the basic steps for writing a good, catchy article.

 – Choose your Topic

Before writing down a piece, this is the most fundamental aspect to know. 

You must choose an appropriate topic based on your needs and the theme you want to write a piece on. If you already know the theme to write the topic, choose a topic which 

• Can garner a larger audience , e.g. a recently trending topic, a topic with a huge demand or a topic in which people have many doubts and concerns (for descriptive or expository or commercial articles)
• Can create a strong impact on the reader’s mind (for editorials and opinion and argumentative articles)
• Is catchy and keeps the readers engaged in reading 
• Is  Niche-Specific

Choosing a topic is a step you should devote some time to. It is advisable to choose a topic about which you have a basic idea and can contribute some original insights on. 

Choosing your topic rightly is also important because it decides the style as well as the tone of writing. 

 – Know Your Topic

Research, research, research!! The cornerstone of writing a good article is to ensure that you have a strong knowledge base about the chosen topic. This is especially important if you are writing a topical, thematic, persuasive/argumentative or descriptive article.  

After having chosen the topic, it is important to read up the topic as well as research about it. Having completed your research, you can support your perspectives and ideas presented in the article with the necessary facts and figures as well as articulate your ideas in a more enhanced manner. 

A good step is to firstly read up the basics about the topic, get acquainted with the basic technicalities of the topic, and collect relevant facts, figures and findings that you can quote in your article. 

 – Form Original Ideas

This is an important practice more than a sequential step while writing an article. Be it any piece of writing, whether an article, a fictional piece or an essay, it is essential that you form your own understanding and original ideas about the theme. 

If your article is a simple regurgitation of already well-established facts, without any unique insights or inputs from you, then it fails to impress the reader and make an impact. 

So, it is essential that you work consciously towards developing your own ideas while writing an article. Not only is it helpful to make an impact on readers, it also helps to reduce the risks of plagiarism in your content and help you develop a unique piece of writing, especially if you are writing for the web or indulging in SEO writing. 

 – Knowing the Target Audience

Once you have effectively chosen the topic for your article and researched a bit on it, you will have a fairly good idea about who forms the target audience for your article. 

For any given topic, there will be a group of readers that you would want to target as the receivers of your piece of writing. 

It is important to know your target audience and its characteristics well, so that you can tweak your article to make it highly relevant to their needs and concerns. This is very relevant in case of commercial articles, argumentative or persuasive articles, descriptive or tutorial articles. 

You can make a greater impact on your readers if you know the target group (TG) better, as you can answer the queries better if you know the possible concerns of your TG. 

 – Prepare an Outline

This is the first step towards actually starting your article. After having completed your research on the topic and gained some understanding, you should make a rough outline of the topic before writing. 

In this outline: 

• List down all the basic ideas you want to include in your article
• Arrange the content in a cohesive manner- the introduction, the main ideas in the body, supporting facts and figures, causes and effects (if relevant to your topic), possible solutions in case the topic involves a problem and a conclusion
• Decide upon some additional information you wish to add in the article and then include them in your outline  

The idea is to jot down the main points based on your research and ideas and decide upon how to inculcate them in your article. Although making an outline before writing the article may seem like an extra investment of time, having an outline prepared beforehand and working on it further to write the actual article not only saves time but also helps you write a more structurally coherent article. 

– Draft your First Copy of the Article

After having completed the above steps, you can start writing the actual piece. The basic tips to write an article effectively are described below. Continue reading to know more. 

But if you feel your writing is not coming out as effectively as you intended it too, remember that it is normal for the first draft of your piece to be so. The main idea about writing a draft before finalising it is to ensure that you check and review it to tweak it as needed and come out with the best results. 

– Edit Your Piece

After completing the first draft of your article, the next step is to go through it thoroughly and edit it accordingly. Some of the main ideas to keep in mind during editing your article are:

• Look for Errors: Grammatical, Spelling, Factual (in case you have included them in your piece)
• Look for Irrelevant Content: too much irrelevant or extra information in your article makes it less engaging to read and may lead the reader to lose interest in it and give up before it ends.
• Analyse the Overall Structure of your Article: Check if your article is coherent and the thoughts and ideas have been articulated in a structured and sequentially logical manner or edit it accordingly. 

 – Proofread your Final Article

The final step to conclude your article is to proofread the entire piece in one go after it has been edited, to look for any errors and analyse the overall piece. 

After having completed these steps, you are more likely to end up with an article that is well-structured and engaging for the readers. 

Format of an Article 

An article has an easy to follow format and all articles irrespective of the type or purpose follow the basic overall same structure. 

An article format consists of 3 main parts: 

• The Title of the Article: This appears on the top of the article and is centred. The title should be short, crisp and catchy, giving an idea about the topic of the article. 
• The By Line (Name of Author): This line starts with ‘By (Name of Author)’ and is placed right below the title, with an indentation to the right  
• The Body of the Article: This is the main part of the article that includes all the information and your writing, and consists of 5-6 paragraphs or more depending on the depth and extensiveness in which you want to cover the topic. 

The body of the article further has 3 major parts: 

• The Introduction Paragraph: This is the paragraph with which you begin your article. This introduces the topic or the problem to the readers, helping them form a basic first idea about the article. You can use 
• Catchy Phrases
• Question or 
• Interesting Fact or Figure

To begin your article, as they help to catch the attention of the readers and keep them hooked to your piece. The introductory paragraph should be brief, concise but should articulate the rest of the article well. 

• The Body of the Article: This is the main component of your article and requires maximum attention. There is no fixed limit to the size of the body of your article, but usually, the body of the article can be broken down further into 3 to 4 paragraphs which can focus on these 
• Description of the problem 
• Causes of the problem/ Main Factors of the Problem 
• Possible Solutions
• The Conclusion Paragraph: The conclusion paragraph of the article summarises all the ideas presented in the article to draw a final concluding note, as well as leave the readers with some final food for thought. You can conclude a thematic or opinion-based article at an open end or with your own conclusion. In case of expository articles, you can conclude by summarising all the information shared in the article. 

Here we have provided you the basic format of an article:

Tips for Writing a Good Article

Here we have listed some of the tips to keep in mind while writing an article: 

• The title of your article should be catchy and attractive as it hooks the readers to the article 
• Try to begin with a relevant quote, an interesting or insightful fact/figure, a thought-provoking question or an idiom
• Be extra careful so as to avoid spelling, grammar and linguistic errors in your article.     
• Keep the introduction paragraph brief and to-the-point, and make sure you introduce the topic well and in an engaging manner. 
• While writing the body of the article, break it into paragraphs based on the different ideas or perspectives you are showing. 
• Try to support your ideas with relevant facts, figures or research findings wherever possible, but DO NOT stuff your article with too many facts or figures. 
• Keep the tone engaging, for example, you can end paragraphs with insightful or thought-provoking questions, especially for a persuasive or argumentative article. 
• Use a simple and concise language to make your article more readable. Do not use too many jargons, flowery or difficult language as it may make the article tough to understand by the readers. 
• Keep the target audience for your topic in mind, and ensure that you try to answer the relevant queries while writing your article, this makes your article more friendly for the internet and helps you generate greater traffic.
• Do not copy content from other sources. Always make sure you write in your own language. Plagiarised writing is highly frowned upon and can even lead to blacklisting or copyright issues. 
• Use of personal examples, opinions or biases isn’t recommended in case of expository articles. You can use a few personal examples as well as subjective opinions in argumentative and persuasive articles as long as they are relevant to the topic of the article. 
• If the topic chosen for your article is thematic or involves a social issue, you can suggest a few possible solutions to end your article on an optimistic note. 
• Always write a good and insightful conclusion.
• Make the conclusion paragraph short, and summarise all the major arguments made in the article. 
• You can end the conclusion paragraph on an open note or with a useful insight of your own. 

If you wish to write an article in the future or are planning to write one now, you need not worry as you can upskill yourself with a little practice and certain basic steps in mind. The key to being able to write a good article is working on your linguistic and grammar skills as well as practising writing as an active practice. The ability to write and articulate one’s ideas appropriately improves with actual practice of writing.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

⭐ what are the types of articles.

Articles can mainly be categorised into 4 types- (a) expository articles (formal, topical and objective), (b) narrative articles (describe a series of incidents/events in a narrative format), (c) descriptive articles (detailed, guide articles) and (d) argumentative and persuasive articles (can be commercial or opinion-based, includes personal opinions and biases).

⭐ What is the format of writing an article?

The article format is very simple. It includes three main parts- (i) the title of the article, (ii) the By line showing the author’s name and (c) the main body of the article.

⭐ Is it okay to include personal examples in an article?

As long as you are not writing an expository article, it is okay to use a few personal examples and provide some personal opinions. If you are writing an expository article, it is advisable to not include any personal examples, biases or arguments as the tone for such articles should be objective and factual. 

⭐ How do I write an article?

You can write an article by practising a few simple steps:

• Choose an appropriate topic for your article
• Complete your research and homework on the topic
• Make a rough outline for your article
• Ensure that you include your own ideas in the article as well 
• Start the first draft of your article
• Edit your article once you have drafted it
• Proofread the article

You can write an article by practising writing and improving your linguistic skills. 

⭐ How many paragraphs should be there in an article?

Ideally, an article can include 4 to 5 paragraphs but you can elaborate further depending on your topic and your article can also include 6 to 7 paragraphs in your article.

⭐ How to choose a topic for an article?

While choosing a topic for an article, there are certain factors to be kept in mind:- 

• Choose a topic that you have some basic preliminary knowledge about. 
• If writing for the web, you can choose a topic that can garner a larger number of readers’ attention. 
• You can choose a topic that is relevant in the current times, i.e. a topic on a recent development (e.g. global coronavirus pandemic) 
• You should try choosing a topic that can catch the attention of the readers or that can create a strong impact on the readers in case you are trying to write an opinion-based or argumentative article. 
• Another approach is to choose a niche-specific topic, especially for expository or descriptive articles.

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How to Use Obsidian for Writing and Productivity

I'm pretty bad at being an employee. I openly despise meetings, I say exactly what's on my mind, and I sincerely believe that many managers exist only to waste the time of otherwise productive people. I also could not be less interested in how my work impacts quarterly projections—I want to write things that people find helpful and entertaining.

So, yeah, I'm a freelancer.

I write for five publications, including the one you're reading now (obviously my favorite). The upside: I'm never in meetings. The downside: There's a lot to keep track of. I have to manage relationships with five editors. It's a challenge, and I've tried a full array of systems over the years, from spreadsheets to index cards, apps like Trello , and way too many to-do list apps.

None of them quite did the trick, until I discovered Obsidian a couple of years ago. This application has slowly gone from being a weird app I didn't understand to one I can't imagine functioning without. It's where I do all of my writing, yes, but also how I keep track of my ongoing articles as they move from brainstorming to pitching to publication.

This isn't a review of Obsidian ( I already wrote one ). This is an outline of how I use this tool to get things done. Hopefully reading it gives you some ideas for how you could use it.

First of all, what is Obsidian? The application bills itself as a "second brain," but you could it put in the same category as note-taking apps like OneNote or Evernote. Unlike those applications, though, Obsidian stores everything—notes, attachments, and even plugins—as simple text documents in a folder on your computer. This means you can use the application fully offline or sync the documents using the cloud storage service of your choice.

This has a few advantages. For one, your files are fully in your control: If Obsidian stopped existing tomorrow, I would still have access to my notes. For another, everything works offline. My favorite thing about Obsidian, though, is the extensive plugin ecosystem. There are over a thousand Obsidian plugins , and I depend on several of them. There's Kanban , which allows you to create a board of cards you can move between tiles. There's Extract URL , which can grab all text from any website and turn it into a note. I could list plugins for a long time. But the point is that you can customize Obsidian to work basically any way you want it to. I've done this to create a perfect setup for my workflow—one that allows me to do my planning and my actual writing in the same application.

My writing process has a progression: brainstorming ideas, pitching those ideas to editors, researching, writing, editing, and invoicing. Here's how I move through these steps in Obsidian.

Every article starts with an idea. I get these from all kinds of places. Sometimes I'm just using my computer, notice something that annoys me, endlessly research a solution to that issue, and then decide to write about it. Sometimes I notice a cool-looking app while reading the news or browsing Reddit. And sometimes I just spend a few hours brainstorming ideas. Whatever the case, I compile my ideas in a dedicated Kanban board on Obsidian. Every card on the board links to a dedicated document where I include any relevant links, expand on the idea, and note a bit about possible angles for the article.

When it comes time to take these ideas into the world, I decide which ones I'm going to pitch to which editors and drag them to a column for that publication. If the pitch is approved, I drag the card over to my "article queue" board, if not, I consider pitching it to another publication or put it in my "idea jail" to potentially revisit later.

Carol Milberger

Nena Farrell

Michael Calore

I like this system because it allows me to slowly collect ideas throughout the month. That way, when it comes time to pitch, I'm not starting from scratch.

The core of my workflow is the "article queue" Kanban board, which basically contains every article I'm working on in the current month. I have a column for every step of the editorial process—writing, waiting on edits, editing, edited but not invoiced, invoiced but not paid, and paid. I drag articles from left to right.

I live by this board. Every work day I log in, look at how far along I am with every article, and decide what to work on. The board also means I never forget to follow up with editors who might have forgotten to email me feedback, or to follow up on unpaid invoices. I sincerely don't know how I functioned before I had this.

Even better, this isn't just a project management system: It's also the app where I do my writing. I can click any of these cards and start writing, right away. I can't overstate how helpful it is to not have to use one application for project management and another for the writing itself.

Obsidian is a great place for writing. Formatting is handled by Markdown , a simple way to apply formatting—for example, to bold text you surround it with two asterisks, **like this**. I've done all of my writing in Markdown for a long time, so this is perfect for me.

Some Markdown editors use two panels—one where you write, with the formatting “code” visible, and another where you preview how the text will look. Obsidian doesn't do this, opting to render the Markdown in real time as you type. This is a perfect compromise—it gives me the benefit of writing in Markdown without the downside of my text editor looking ugly as sin. This is a feature I first saw in an app called Typora , and I'm glad it works here too.

I write a lot of tech tutorials, and I generally start by collecting screenshots for every step. I put all of the screenshots, in order, in a document in Obsidian, along with all of the relevant links. If I'm doing a reported piece, I gather my research and interviews in separate documents, then compile the best quotes and tidbits into the document where I'll do my writing. Obsidian offers an internal linking feature—it can basically function as a private wiki—and I use this to connect all of my interviews and other research to my article for tracking purposes. It's possible to view multiple documents in the same window, a feature I use all the time.

The Canvas feature, which is relatively new, offers a way to arrange and edit multiple documents in the same place—I personally don't use this, but I can see the appeal of dragging documents wherever you like and editing them all in one interface.

Obsidian doesn't really have any collaboration features, and even if it did my editors don't use it. That's why I use a plugin called Copy as HTML to copy a rich text version of my article. I paste this into a Google Doc, which renders it as formatted text, complete with images. I share this with my editors, all of whom use comments and track changes to give me feedback.

That, in a nutshell, is how I manage to pitch, write, and track 15 to 20 articles between five different editors every month. It's a lot of work, granted, but I enjoy it. And this workflow makes it all feel manageable.

I can't imagine that this exact process would work for most of you, and that's not the point. Obsidian is useful because you can adapt it to almost any workflow, no matter how specific your needs are. I spent a lot of time customizing everything so it works just so; you can do the same thing. Other apps try to get you to adapt to a particular way of working. Obsidian, if you put the time in, will adapt to you.

WIRED has teamed up with Jobbio to create WIRED Hired , a dedicated career marketplace for WIRED readers. Companies who want to advertise their jobs can visit WIRED Hired to post open roles, while anyone can search and apply for thousands of career opportunities. Jobbio is not involved with this story or any editorial content.

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Building new functionality, writing unit tests, and learning new technologies has never been easier or more fun.

Write Your Git Commits with GitHub Copilot

Jessie Houghton

November 28th, 2023 7 3

After spending hours on a bug fix or a feature update, often the last thing we developers want to do is carefully explain the contents of the Git commit. The latest Visual Studio preview is here to help. Use the new generated Git commit message feature to help you describe your set of changes. You can then refine the message with “why” the change was made and commit.

Generating useful and informative commit messages helps you in a variety of ways.

• You avoid your repository looking like this

• Your teammates can more effectively review your changes in a pull request
• Your Git history tells a story that includes both “what” was changed and “why”
• You can easily pinpoint the origins of a bug or breaking change
• You save yourself and/or coworkers hours of digging around while troubleshooting
• You make your repository easier to ramp up to and contribute to in the future

Enable the feature

To try it out, download the latest Visual Studio preview and update the GitHub Copilot Chat Extension . You’ll also need an active GitHub Copilot subscription.

Download the Latest Visual Studio Preview

What is the generated Git commit message feature?

The new Generated Commit Message feature uses GitHub Copilot AI to describe your code changes.  This makes writing descriptive and helpful commit messages as easy as clicking a button, then adding your explanation.

Use the new “Add AI Generated Commit Message” sparkle pen icon in the Git Changes window to generate a suggestion. GitHub Copilot will look at the file changes in your commit, summarize them, and then describe each change. You can then “Insert AI Suggestion” or “Discard.”

Let us know what you think

We hope this new feature makes writing your Git commit messages easier – leading to productivity for you, your teammates, and even “future you” when reviewing your changes and helping others understand your Git history. Share your thoughts with us, so we can continue to improve your experience.

Take the Survey

We appreciate the time you’ve spent reporting issues/suggestions and hope you continue to give us feedback when using Visual Studio on what you like and what we can improve. Your feedback is critical to help us make Visual Studio the best tool it can be! You can share feedback with us via  Developer Community : report any bugs or issues via  report a problem  and  share your suggestions  for new features or improvements to existing ones.

Stay connected with the Visual Studio team by following us on YouTube , Twitter , LinkedIn , Twitch and on Microsoft Learn .

Jessie Houghton Program Manager, Version Control Team

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Log in to join the discussion.

Can I generate in my native language, such Chinese?

Because this is supported by Copilot chat, and the responses are currently limited to English, we cannot support other languages, yet. Please suggestion a feature on Developer Community to help collect community support for this suggestion.

Uhm… The title that is three lines long? No thanks

A good place for such detailed explanation is PR description, not commit message.

That seems like a little more than 50 characters.

This is real close! However, commit messages should follow the 50/72 rule. If it’s going to be automated with copilot, the 50/72 rule should be added to its instruction prompt.

As it is, if my team were to use commit messages like the example above, the code history will become unnavigable over time.

A good idea is not to allow the generic AI one, at least 30% of it must be by hand

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

LinkedIn has AI to enhance profiles. It made some sound robotic.

Linkedin’s new ai feature aims to help users market themselves better on the job website by offering profile recommendations.

If you’re one of the many users who struggle to tell your professional story on the job site LinkedIn, a built-in artificial intelligence tool may now offer some assistance. But whether using AI is worth your time may depend on how creative you want your profile to be.

LinkedIn began rolling out a generative AI feature to select users this spring, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, to help premium subscribers write headlines and “about” sections. Users can generate text summarizing what’s already in their profile and get spruced-up suggestions offered by the feature, which is highlighted with a gold button that says “write with AI.” The capability is available to all of LinkedIn’s millions of premium subscribers, and the company said it’s exploring expanding access in the future.

Generative AI features have been making their way into services and products across industries ever since OpenAI made a big splash with its AI bot ChatGPT late last year. Since then, Microsoft, a big investor in OpenAI, Google and others have been debuting new generative AI features across their product lines. LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, is joining the bunch with its latest rollout.

The Help Desk tried this feature and talked to some users about their experience, and they generally had the same impression: Though the AI suggestions may help you get started, they are too cookie-cutter and sometimes not factually correct.

“It just feels lifeless,” said Pete DeOlympio, marketing director at AI and data analytics consulting firm Cleartelligence in Newton, Mass. “And the [AI-generated] version I got is technically wrong.”

LinkedIn says about 70 percent of users who try the AI feature apply the recommended suggestions — either as is or with a few tweaks. The company also said it recognizes AI sometimes gets things wrong, and it is working to reduce errors. It recommends that anyone who uses the tool review the suggestions for accuracy and edit if needed. If the AI-generated suggestions feel too robotic, users can tweak their original profile and then rerun the tool to get variations. The company is still working on improving tone.

“Our AI powered suggestions … are personalized by members,” based on what’s on their profiles, said Laura Teclemariam, senior director of product at LinkedIn. “We believe [the suggestions] will get better over time.”

LinkedIn also said it is testing and rolling out other new AI capabilities that allow users to see personalized summaries of their feeds, write posts and messages and better connect to jobs for which they might be a good fit. And it has been coupling AI-generated conversation-starters with member insights to publish what it calls “collaborative articles” on topics such as leadership, team building and other skills.

Use AI critically

After testing the profile feature at the Help Desk, a couple of key things stood out. First, users need to ensure their profile is filled out for the AI to accurately pull titles and background. Otherwise it will pull whatever is there, which may not be the most relevant items to highlight up top. Second, like most generative AI, the output might be a little wordy (the content was nearly doubled in one case) and a little generic — so consider editing.

In one test, the headline offered multiple options but the about section only offered one. It also stripped out some items that may not necessarily pertain to a user’s professional journey but rather offer some insight to quirks or insights to their personality.

DeOlympio said that the tool might be useful for people who need help drafting something for their profile, but said it introduced an error when it assumed he oversaw a team. It also felt too bland for his personality.

Several other users agreed.

“The AI stripped the hook I had,” said Morgan Short, St. Paul, Minn.-based director of content and web strategy at price-management software company Vendavo, adding that some suggestions also created redundancy. “It can’t show the narrative if you’re trying to create a brand that sets yourself apart.”

Some of the content the AI generates seemingly blends commonalities of a person’s job title with what’s actually in their profile to create the result, said Donna Svei, an executive resume writer in Los Angeles. And it may not be great for optimizing your profile for career advancement or changes, she said. That’s because the AI may summarize the experience and titles you already have versus what you aim to become.

“The first few words in your profile [like the headline] have more [search] weight than any other field,” she said, adding that the AI highlights only your current and previous roles. “But you need to use the title you want in your headline.”

For Sangeeta Krishnan, senior analytics lead at pharmaceutical and biotech company Bayer, the problem was the AI doesn’t allow users to customize what they want to highlight based on what’s most important in their industry. And in her case, the AI highlighted old certifications at the bottom of her list rather than elevating the more relevant ones she lists first in her profile. She also wished she could dial up or down different tones.

“Everyone’s style of writing is different,” she said. “Maybe you could ask it to make it more professional or make it more funny, but it only gives you one option.”

But as more people turn to AI for content, more text may start sounding the same, several users said. Svei said her brain clicks off when she reads items written by AI because it tends to be written in a way that makes the content less interesting. Short sees a lot of value in both generative AI and LinkedIn, but she wouldn’t recommend it for enhancing your profile.

“I highly recommend optimizing your LinkedIn profile, but use the AI critically,” she said. “It’s a tool like anything else.”

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• Main content

ChatGPT stole one of my clients that brought in up to $2,000 a month. I don't want to be cynical, but the writing is on the wall.

• Andrew Neely is a freelance writer who lost a job when one of his clients started using AI.
• His work for this content-marketing firm used to bring in between $500 and $2,000 a month.
• He's still writing but also went back to school to pursue a degree in environmental studies.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Neely, a 30-year-old freelance writer from Denver. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I graduated with an English degree, and for the last seven years, I've had my own freelance-writing business.

I write full-time, but never solely for one company. I cover a wide variety of topics, but my favorite pieces concentrate on climate solutions and inventive changemakers.

Until this year, one of my clients was a small marketing firm

I worked for a marketing firm for two years writing marketing copy. My editor, who is also my friend, set me up with an interview there.

The company I worked for has a wide range of clients, from shipping operators to dietary-supplement providers. They provided me with outlines, and I wrote SEO-optimized blog posts or email campaigns for them. I wrote between two and seven pieces every month.

We had a good relationship and I felt that I had a good rapport with the content manager.

The work dried up without explanation

In May, the company stopped assigning me work. Losing work sometimes happens because in this field, there's rarely a contract or limited recourse if my employer stops providing work.

It's natural for there to be an ebb and flow with certain clients: Some consistently request work, some request work for a month or a week, and others offer one-off or short-term work requests.

I found out ChatGPT was replacing me

Then the content manager accidentally tagged me in an email indicating they'd started using ChatGPT to write articles.

The content manager was asking someone to edit the AI-generated text, and that's when I knew they were starting to use ChatGPT to produce the content that, up until then, I'd been producing.

I reached out to the content manager

When I asked about it, the content manager told me they were experimenting with AI to write stories as a cost-cutting exercise. She also said they hoped to get me back on the payroll soon.

There was a brief respite where I wrote two or three articles for them over the summer, but since then, it's dried up.

The work from this client was a regular source of income

I understand that the nature of freelance work is that nothing is guaranteed but given that I'd had regular work from them for two years, when that dropped to no work, I scrambled to fill in that part of my income.

After losing between $500 and $2,000 a month, I hustled for a few months trying to find different work.

I found new clients and am still exclusively doing writing work, but most of it is for social media. It's often the more traditional marketing jobs that can be the most lucrative and help make ends meet.

I went back to school

I've gone back to graduate school to earn a master's degree in environmental studies, focusing on sustainability.

I don't want to be cynical about it because I still love to write and want to maintain my practice, but I worry that the writing is on the wall. After graduation, I plan to focus on urban planning and renewable-energy development in low-income communities.

The editor I worked with has since left the company

The editor told me she was not comfortable with the amount of AI-produced work they're using, so she left.

I'm grateful she put her foot down and said she would not compromise ethics when it comes to AI.

Solidarity among writers and editors is important

I've been a member of the National Writers Union for a few years, and I'm taking some comfort in knowing that writers are coming together on this issue.

It seems unique that the big AI companies are asking to be regulated . I think we need to listen to the big players when they say that this is powerful technology , and that it's probably more powerful than we can even conceptualize.

It's important to put parameters on it — especially when it comes to technology that can directly replace human work.

Watch: These KPMG and EY accountants quit their jobs and set up a pottery shop in 6 months — here's how they did it