Writing for the internet requires that you create a large number of
articles in order to get yourself noticed. You may think, "who has the
time?" Well, you do if you follow a few of the simple rules I have
outlined here.
1. Divide and conquer. Chances are you have a few excellent
articles in your portfolio which, by themselves, are worthy reads.
Still, take a second look at these articles as they may have much more
"to speak" to readers than what you currently have to say.
Exactly what am saying to you? Here is an example: One of my favorite
and most read articles discusses the premium topic of business
aviation. The article describes five leading private jet aircraft and
compares and contrasts these particular makes and models. My readers
say that the article is very informative and engaging, but I know that
there are another five articles contained within that one article. How
so? Each aircraft can and should be a story in and of itself.
I plan on taking the original article and dividing out the
various aircraft and writing stories on each one. Where I previously
had one solid article, of just over 1200 words, I will have an additional five articles of approximately 500-600 words each. Basically, I am
"fleshing out" some of the verbiage previously written by expounding on
several key points. In essence, the one article will be divided up to
become six articles in total.
2. Point/Counterpoint. In the earlier days of the news show, 60 Minutes,
the show featured a segment called Point/Counterpoint whereby two
members of the staff argued back and forth about a certain topic. Each
person took the view diametrically opposed to the other's viewpoint and
the fireworks began.
I am not suggesting you have an argument with yourself, but I would
guess that you have already written a highly slanted opinion piece in
the past. If so, why not counterpoint your previous point? Gasp! Isn't
that odd? No, as it shows that you can objectively look at two sides of
an issue, even if you don't agree with one side. Debaters do this all
the time as they learn what their opponents view is and immerse
themselves accordingly. The benefit to you is that your initial article
serves as a terrific springboard for the second article.
3. One in a series. Newspapers often spread top stories out over
3 or 4 days. Usually beginning with the Sunday paper and running
through the following Tuesday or Wednesday a feature story grabs
readers attention one day and brings them back the ensuing days. Call
this for what it is -- a smart marketing ploy -- as it is a way for
newspapers to boost their circulation.
How can you apply this formula to writing articles? Well, much like the
newspapers do you can do the same: the four days of feature stories is,
in fact, one story. Because of article length and the desire to bring
readers back, the editors take the one story and divide it up. The
reporters create the single big story, the editors turn it into four,
and the publishers love it as they can hit up the advertisers for more
money.
Guess what? If you apply this same methodology to your one colossal
article -- which few people will take the time to read because of its
length -- you will now possess four manageable articles that stand a
better chance of capturing readership.
In summation, by incorporating these rules into your article
development plan, you will soon be writing more articles than you had
written previously. More articles equals more attention for what you do
which should mean more demand for your services and, hopefully, more
money in your pocket. This is simply Article Math at its finest.
