Five Tips to Write a Feature Article

Freelance Writing Solutions reports:

"Feature articles are a smart addition to your website and marketing strategy. This compelling content makes you an expert…makes your website more 'sticky'…and makes your prospect want to take action...Decide whom you’re targeting. Picture the reader in your mind, not just as a broad category but as a real, living, breathing person. What do you know about that person? Where does he work? Where does he live? What is he worried about? What information is he looking for? Be as specific as you can...When the person has read your article, what do you want him to feel?...Even more than feeling, what action do you want him to take? Do you want him to go to a product page on your website? To forward the article to his boss? To call you? Know what you want to happen as a result of your article...Why should the reader bother with your article? What’s in it for him? Don’t make the article all about you. Make it relevant to the reader, too. And tell him why...What information is important for you to share? What is important for the reader to know? Create a bulleted list of topic points...Imagine you’re having a face-to-face conversation with your reader, where you’re sharing your information. What additional questions might come up? Be proactive. Anticipate and answer those questions. So here’s the great part. Once you’ve gone through these steps, you’ll find that the article is essentially written for you. Here’s how it works: Numbers one and two set the tone and style you’ll use in the article. They tell you if you’ll be writing with a professional voice, or light and conversational, or even wry and humorous. Tone and style sets the stage for everything that follows. Number three grabs your reader’s attention…which makes it a perfect introduction. Even better, it makes for a perfect way to wrap up the article, that is, a perfect conclusion as well. So now you’ve got your first and last paragraphs written. Numbers four and five are your body, the bulk of your content. But now you know what you want to say, so it’s just a matter of organizing those bullet points and writing them out into complete sentences and paragraphs. And voila! You’ve got great, compelling content that establishes you as an authority, holds your prospect’s attention, and helps to convert prospects into buyers. In marketing, content counts."