Article Writing - How to Format Your Article So It Will Never Be Rejected

By Herman Drost

If you plan on writing and submitting many articles to article directories, ezines and other online publications you need to format them correctly. Publishers receive many article submissions each week so if your article is correctly formatted it has less chance of being rejected.

Where to write your article

I usually write my articles in Microsoft Word because you can adjust the number of words per line and adjust the size of the text so you can read it easily. I then copy and paste it into notepad because the word processor does not use correct formatting for online publishers.

Another great editor is textpad. This is a powerful replacement for Notepad. I also use it to edit web pages and scripts because of notepad's limitations in this area.

Top 10 Steps to format your article

Most ezine publishers prefer short articles between 500 and 750 words. Short "tip" articles of just a couple of paragraphs are also very popular. Articles should be formatted to 65 characters per line or less, including spaces, and written in short paragraph sections.

1. Must be unique

Your article must be unique. This means you should not copy someone else's article and submit it for publication. Editors will recognize this and may ban you from sending them any more articles.

2. Article length

Most ezine publishers prefer articles between 500 and 750 words. Read publisher guidelines before submitting your article because often there is a minimum and maximum length.

3. Title

Use a descriptive title that encapsulates what is contained in your article body. You need to satisfy both your readers and the search engines, so include your main keywords plus create a catchy title that grabs your reader's attention.

4. Sentences

Format each sentence to 60-65 words before submitting it for publication. This enables people to read it easier than if you had long sentences.

5. Paragraphs

Write short paragraphs of 5-10 lines so you don't make your reader's eyes tired. Reading text on a monitor is harder on the eyes than reading printed material.

6. Resource box

This should be no longer than 6 lines. Include your name, web site address, a unique offer (ie newsletter subscription) and a call to action.

7. Correct spelling and grammar

An article that contains spelling mistakes and grammatical errors suggests you are unprofessional. Some readers will automatically reject these articles.

8. HTML code

Most article directories will allow simple HTML to enable certain areas to stand out. ie bold, italics, emphasis, underline, hard return, blockquote, numbered or bullet point lists. Make sure you close every tag that you open otherwise it will format the whole article with that tag.

9. Don't use affiliate URLs

Avoid including affiliate URLs in your article body or resource box. They will be rejected immediately as it looks like you are promoting someone else's offer. If you need to promote an affiliate URL send the reader to your own web site address first then include your affiliate URL on that page.

10. Don't write a sales letter

Articles should be informative. Include tips, strategies, techniques that will help make your reader more knowledgeable. Write to share your expertise on the subject.

Tip

After writing your article let it sit for a while (a few hours or days) before you submit it for publication. Often when you read it again you'll find mistakes you did not see before, and find new ways to rewrite a paragraph or sentence that will make the article more attractive to your readers. If the goal of your article is to attract more readers and visitors to your web site, improving it's effectiveness will help you fulfill that goal.

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)owner and author of Affordable Web Design

Receive fresh, in-depth articles articles on how to design, optimize and promote your web site by subscribing to his"Marketing Tips" newsletter at: http://www.isitebuild.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Herman_Drost

How to Write the Perfect Article

By csyracuse

Some of us, from a very early age, are determined to make it in the writing field. While some like the idea of freelancing and traveling the world to track down the hard-hitting stories for various publications, others enjoy the vision of themselves holed up in quiet, secluded cabins writing a Pulitzer Prize winning novel as the snow gently drifts down from the mountains outside. And then. . . reality sets in. You graduate from college and a newspaper internship is about the best you can do. Then you get married, start raising your family, and you get farther away from that original dream that you once had.

Face it, we have all been there. But even if your life does not now afford you the luxury of chasing down stories in Paris or provide you the luxury of getting away from it all in your cabin in the woods, typing away at your manuscripts, there are other ways to incorporate writing into your everyday life, and a great way to do that is to provide articles for different websites and companies.
Granted, this may not have been your initial idea of what you want to be when you grow up; however, it is fun, you get to research many different interesting topics, and it keeps the creative juices flowing.

But, not just any old article will do. You have to be on your toes, and make your articles not just good, but GREAT. You have to make the reader continue, keep him hooked so that the site for whom you are creating material will see increased interest in her site or sites, and will persist with wanting you to provide the written material.

Article writing can be quite lucrative. But there are things that you, the writer, must do to keep the reader and viewer of the site locked in. First, as previously stated, in order for you to create the perfect article you must get the reader hooked; that is, you must provide just enough to keep him or her reading and wanting to find out more. You should tap into the specific interests of the site for whom you are writing and really know your stuff. Webmasters want clear and concise information on their websites, not just filler.

Make your article as interesting as possible, not just a droll 12th grade term paper. Enliven your topic with some humor and sayings that can make it relatable for anyone of all interests and ages. And above all, the perfect article for an information website should be rather brief. It has been found that web readers typically do not like to look at a page and see nothing but endless text. If you break your writing down into shorter, manageable paragraphs, readership is sure to flourish.

Finally, making an article great, even perfect, is more than just using SAT vocabulary words and marathon-length sentences. It is about taking pride and ownership of your writing, and trying your utmost to provide the very best for the readers of the websites. Take an interest in your topics, do your research thoroughly, and you are sure to have a hit. Some topics you will like better than others, but always remember that at the end of the day, that article can be attributed to you. And we all are out there to make our articles not just good, but readable, catchy, and perfect!

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

The Real Tips On Writing Articles!

By Clarence Bong

Want to learn how to write good articles? It is really not as hard as you think it is, just read this page why it is not that difficult to write good articles. Here are some tips on writing articles that you will understand better:

Want to learn how to write good articles? It is really not as hard as you think it is, just read this page why it is not that difficult to write good articles. Here are some tips on writing articles that you will understand better:

How the hell can writing articles help me? I am a really bad writer. How am I ever going to write an article?

Those that think article writing is not as helpful anymore because the quality of many article writers have improved, may be right to a certain extent, but we should not let that stop us. There are so many different subjects to talk about. Just look at the news papers and magazines, you won’t see them stop creating articles just because some other newspaper or magazines produce better articles than them. Article writing is a phenomenal way to increase your site’s exposure because it benefits the author (you) and the publisher (the ezine or site). Article writing is a great example of how to use the Internet to generate an income.

By writing articles you can also establish yourself as an expert in your niche and at the same time gains you publicity. Most important of all is that it brings in targeted traffic. You may have the best products and the best looking website, but if the people viewing your website are not interested in what you have to sell, you are not going to gain anything from that traffic.

Use these tip on writing articles:

It takes awhile to get good at article writing, but the more you do it the easier it will get.

Write Articles That Sell Writing takes practice, writing to sell takes even more practice, along with writing a lot of crappy work in order to pluck a few great pieces you write from their ashes. You can be sure that the time you put in to write these great articles are well worth it. When there is value in your articles, people are more interested in clicking your website and finding out what is it you are doing. Also by writing these valuable articles, web directories are more than happy to place your article on their website, which also means that you got more links back to your website.

You are the Expert! Present yourself as the expert in your field; you have to be the teacher and mentor to others. I believe that if you are able to provide valuable information to anyone, especially someone that had learned something from what you have to say, you will receive the same value in direct proportion. If you do not present yourself as an expert, no one will bother to listen or read anything by you, and it is unlikely that anyone will help you to present yourself either.

Create an Attractive Author Bio When writing an Author Bio, you should always write it in third person. This makes it more presentable to the publisher and it allows your readers to distance themselves and not be intimidated. You should also never mention your personal life, just your professional titles.

It is a fact that we are not all good writers, but I believe that if we really want to, we can learn how to write better. You can get ideas from a few other articles and put it all together in your own words. Well, if you really do not want to do that you can always hire a ghost writer. If you do not know what ghost writers are, ghost writers are writers-for-hire, experienced professionals who create stories, books, memoirs, autobiographies, magazines, articles, reports, editorials and songs. Ghost writers are quite popular on the internet and many websites use them. They are usually happy to stay in the shadows and work according to your guidelines and wishes but if you find the work is not what you had in mind, than quickly bring to their attention how you would like to see certain aspects of the job change. You can find them at eLance and Guru, and a few other websites, but it’s probably better than you find a ghost writer from a more established site.

Writing articles is currently and will be the fastest, most effective way to promote an online business with real foundations at no cost. Writing articles is one of the most utilized Internet Marketing tool today and it is a must for any successful service professionals. Writing articles is the most powerful form of advertising and is by far one of the best business-building resources on the Internet.

I appreciate you taking your time to read this article; I hope you have learned something from The Real Tips on Writing Articles. Have fun using these tips on writing articles to build your own business!

Clarence Bong is a independent representative for a network marketing company. He believes failing in network marketing is NOT your fault. To learn how to end years of failure, frustration and hard earned money because of MLM, check out this: tips on mlm ebook for FREE!