How To Write Articles Faster

I've been into article marketing since 2004, and this is probably the most common question I get from my article writing/marketing list members and students:

"How can I write articles faster?"

I don't have an answer that's gonna make anyone do backflips, but I can give you a basic formula to follow that will help you produce a 300-400 word article in a very few minutes.

Let me preface this by saying that this assumes you've already done the other time consuming stuff, like keyword research and niche/product research, and that you're ready to sit and write. By the way, if your aim is getting traffic through your articles to your site, it's just plain dumb not to do proper keyword research. Trust me, if you just write willy nilly, you'll spin your wheels and get disappointing amounts of traffic.

OK, so once you're at the actual writing stage, here's the most basic article structure I've ever used to dash out good articles as fast as possible...

Step 1: Pick 3 things you want to say about the topic. These don't need to be earth shattering pronouncements. Simple points will do. For example, if I'm writing about the basics of playing guitar, I might choose these three: how to hold the guitar, how to hold the pick, how to do a basic tuning of the guitar strings. Like I said, simple points.

Step 2: Write 5 paragraphs, following this same blueprint each time:

1st Paragraph: Tell your readers what you're about to tell them. Sounds strange, but it makes sense. Just spend 2-3 sentences explaining the purpose of your article and what the reader will get out of it. It's actually good for the reader and not simply a way to add words.

2nd - 4th Paragraphs: Write 3-4 sentences about each of the 3 things you picked in Step 1. Just hit the highlights. You'll be surprised how much you can say about it. Often, I actually have to stop myself to keep the paragraph from being too long. So, cover one of the sub-topics in Paragraph 2, one in Paragraph 3, and one in Paragraph 4.

5th Paragraph: Wrap it up by writing 2-3 sentences about what you just told them. Again, I know that sounds strange but it's a good thing. You're summarizing. Article readers expect this, even if they don't think about it consciously. It's how most of us were taught to read information while in school growing up.

This works because it takes all of the time-sapping article structuring out of your writing. You don't go into each new article trying to write and organize things at the same time, which is how most amateur writers do it. You'll avoid spending too much mental energy on needless thoughts.

Try it. If you're skeptical at first, I bet you won't be for long. With just a bit of practice, this will become ingrained and you won't even notice you're doing it as you write. You'll be able to focus all your attention on the substance and none on the structure. That's the key to writing faster.

It's realistic to be able to write an article in 15 minutes doing it this way. Will it be Pulitzer Prize stuff? Naw, it won't be. So what? It'll be good, solid information for your readers. That's all they're really looking for anyway. Tell them something they might not have known before and you'll impress them.

Then, just invite them to click your link to get something else they really need. That's your payment for taking the time to give them something useful.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about any of this.

John