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Whether you are writing content for a living, or writing articles to introduce the world to your business, product, or service, formatting your article correctly will increase reader appreciation, will help you to establish yourself as an expert in your field, and will let readers know how to get in touch with you. There are three basic components of any article: 1- The headline 2- The body of the article (content) 3- The resource box or signature file (also called "sig file") Spending time on your article's headline is of utmost importance. You have only seconds to capture your readers' attention - or not. That being the case, you should look for ways to make your headline provocative. You can do this either by asking a question, stating an unusual fact, using a definite number, or by inducing concern. If asking a question, it should be provocative. It should make readers want read the article because they want to learn the answer. Or, you could supply an unusual fact (or take an unusual angle) in your headline, such as, "Female Mosquitoes Spread Contagion!" Specific numbers often catch readers' attention as in, "7 Money Saving Tips To Keep You From Foreclosure" or "3 Pre-Nup Clauses Every Bride Should Insist Upon" are examples of using specific numbers to create interest. Inducing concern in readers (or fear or self-doubt) is another method of provoking interest in your article. An example of this kind of headline is: "Six Foods that Cause Bad Breath - Did You Eat Any Today?" Of course, your headline should be indicative of the information contained in your article. Including a headline such as, "Did Elvis REALLY father Lisa Marie?" may be provocative and you might grab some readers' attention, but if your article goes on to explain how to install an engine block, your readers will be deeply disappointed- and you'll lose credibility. The body of your article should fulfill the promise promoted in your headline. For most articles, 400 - 700 words is sufficient. Less, and your article will appear anemic. More, and you're bound to lose readers who have reached their information limit. Take care to break the body of your article up into small paragraphs. Large blocks of writing are unfriendly to readers. Breaking paragraphs up into smaller, digestible bits of information helps readers to understand your various points. The standard five-paragraph essay taught in high school is an easy to follow format with an introduction, 3 supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. Of course, not every article is going to adhere to this format, but it is a great place to start. The resource box gives information about the article's author. Most online magazines have specific rules about the amount and type of information that authors can include in this area. Some, for instance, limit the number of links an author can supply. Others limit word count. When putting together information for your resource boxes (you'll use different ones depending upon the ezine's guidelines), you should ask yourself what you are selling. Yes, selling. If you are writing articles to promote yourself as an expert, you are selling you. If you are writing articles to promote a product, on the other hand, you are selling the product. The focus of your resource box should be to highlight whatever you are selling. So, if you were promoting your new eBook, the focus of your resource box should be your eBook - not where you live, where you work or the number of pets you have. Writing article for ezines is a great way to gain free promotion for yourself, your company or your products. Formatting your articles correctly will make your message loud and clear. buy dissertation
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