7 Simple Ways To Make Sure Your Article Gets Read
The days of when a little kid could get a job as a newspaper boy and have a paper route, is slowly fading into oblivion as print media gets eclipsed by the various forms of online journalism. The most common form of online journalism is in the form of articles. Articles come in different forms and sizes; the most of common of which are newspaper articles, press releases, feature articles and how to articles.
Articles are an incredibly efficient way of communicating with a mass audience about a niche topic; but this communication does not come as the crow flies. Here’s where reading this article will be worth your time and effort.
Listed below are the top 7 simplest ways to get your article seen and spoken of by the masses on the internet;
1. Determine your audience.
Do not ever write blind. By this I do not mean writing blindfolded. Before writing any article, authors always make sure to understand their demographic. Who will this write-up resonate with? Who will be affected? Will me writing this make a considerable contribution in someone’s life? Authors make sure that these questions have clear answers before putting words on the screen. If the target audience is not defined, the article might float around on the internet not really hooking on to any niche while being misunderstood and mishandled.
2. Write with passion.
When choosing a topic to write about, always choose one that you are familiar with. Authors writing on unfamiliar topics can easily be identified as their disinterest reflects with their work. This does not bode well for the readers; nobody wants to read a piece that bored the author.
3. Understand SEO.
Search Engine Optimization plays a huge role today in determining if your article is worthy enough to show up high in the search results; thus, ensuring high readership. When writing for the digital age, authors have to keep in mind that while trying to keep the readers hooked with flowery language, they also have to consider the bots that carry out SEO processes; as in, the article should favor them too by including keywords or juices scattered throughout. To completely understand the power of keywords is to win at the SEO game. The kicker here is that if the bots find certain keywords in your article that matches with what someone is searching for on a search engine, voila! Your article gets bumped to the top of the search result.
4. Conduct relevant research.
Many a times, people come across articles or posts online that are riddled with inaccuracies and is just plain wrong in all terms. This happens quite often and its sole reason is the sloppiness of the author. Posting anything online without prior research is due for ridicule by the masses and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop that once it’s out in the open. This is where the work and effort of the author comes in. Before actually starting to write anything, always make sure the information you provide is legitimate and accurate and will not lead a reader to believe in a fallacy. If you are found to be a fraud, that might be the end for your readership.
5. Edit. Then Edit again.
Authors, of all people, understand that humans are flawed in the work they do and find flaws in the work of others. It’s a vicious cycle and the sole escape is in the art of editing. Almost every time, the first draft that you write will be completely changed by the time you are entirely satisfied with your work. But this a good thing, because each time you edit something in your article, you are refining it and making it the best version of itself. Editing, however, does not only mean reconstructing a sentence or paragraph. It also means checking for grammatical errors. One of the most common pet peeves is reading something that is peppered with grammatical errors, altering the purpose of your article; turning it into an annoyance. If you are a very busy individual and do not have time for repeated editing and reviewing, there are always people that can be hired for this very purpose called Editors. As an author, we all take pride in our work and constructive criticism may not be received well. But paying heed to the advice your editors give you will ensure that people of all natures will be interested in reading your article.
6. Plagiarism is punishable by mockery; and the law.
Plagiarism is a huge offense in today’s day and age. Take the example of how recently we all found out that Melania Trump plagiarized portions of Michelle Obama’s speech. We all witnessed the scorn that was directed at her strewn about on social media platforms. Quite demeaning isn’t it? However, the issue is, if your article is found to be plagiarized from another source, mockery might not be the only consequence. Legal action might be taken against you; the author. This could create some dire problems and the depleting rate of your readers will be the least of your worries. To effectively prevent this, you should use online plagiarism checkers; http://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/ is one of the popular options.
7. Hit ‘Publish.’
Once your article has gone through the grueling review and editing, it is ready to publish for the world to see. But one step remains; before publishing on any platform, make sure your article has a catchy headline and a catchy URL. Keeping both these concise and capturing will seal the deal; bringing in the masses to view and appreciate your work.
