how to write marketing articles

How to Write a Good Article: Expert Tips for Crafting Engaging Content

How to Write a Good Article?

Before we get into the article, let's answer How to write a good article.

A good article meets the target audience, includes detailed research, and has a structure with logical headings and flow. A great article is written in easy-to-understand language and visuals (images and graphs) whenever relevant.

Today we're going to explain how to create a good, no, exceptional article.

In fact, we've used this exact process to write over 10 million words for 300+ clients.

So, if you're a blogging newbie or an experienced writer, there's something for everyone.

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Are you wondering what makes a good article truly engaging? Direct, clear, and impactful writing are the pillars of compelling content. Here, we break down the essentials so you can create articles that not just draw readers in, but keep them hooked from start to finish.

The Art of Engaging Titles

A title should captivate readers, persuading them to explore the content further. It’s the enticing headline that grabs attention, the promise that quality content awaits. Hence, consider the title carefully before penning down your article. It’s not just a collection of words; it’s the invitation to your reader, the spotlight on your main point.

Your title is the first thing that readers see, and it can be the deciding factor whether they will read the article or move on. So, how do you craft such a title?

The Power of Keywords

Incorporating keywords into the title sends a signal to both the search engine and the reader about the article’s content. Think of it as a beacon, leading the appropriate audience to your content. But remember, the key lies in balance.

While it’s important to start with the main keyword at the beginning of the title, it’s equally essential to ensure that the title remains both creative and clear. After all, you’re writing for humans, not just search engines. Thus, strive to keep your titles engaging, informative, and abundant in keywords.

Example: If my page is targeting "yoga tops for summer" as its primary keyword, a good title might look like:

• The best yoga tops for summer 2024
• Yoga tops for summer: Our picks for 2024
• A spammy version might look something like this:
• Yoga tops summer: Our pick of the best yoga tops for summer

Notice in the example below how the keyword is used at the beginning, but after the colon, there's an additional piece of information to compel the reader to click, not the keyword stuffed in again.

Compels the reader to click

A creative yet clear title can significantly increase reader engagement. It sparks curiosity, invites clicks, and ensures that the reader immediately understands the content’s subject. Imagine a title like ‘Meme Master’ or ‘Employee Success Curator’; they are creative, intriguing, and clear.

The balance between creativity and clarity ensures that your titles are not just visually appealing but also informative, serving as an effective bridge between the reader and the content.

Studies have shown that certain features in a blog title significantly increase click-through rates. Here are a few examples:

• Insert a number at the beginning of the title — 7 best tools to scale your agency
• Use the terms “how to,” “tips,” and “tricks” at the start of your title — How to grow your business by 1000% in the next 12 months
• Ask a conversational question — Is your skincare routine ready for winter?
• Add some fear and jeopardy — Lost revenue? Stop blaming your SDR.
• Include words like “guide”, “complete”, and “ultimate” in the title — The ultimate guide to SEO
• Use action words, such as "grow" or "increase", at the beginning of the title — How to grow your revenue with cold outreach

Writing a Captivating Introduction

The introduction serves as the gateway to your article. It’s the moment when the reader decides whether to continue reading or exit. A captivating introduction can be likened to a tantalizing appetizer, stimulating the reader’s craving for the main course. It sets the tone, offers a taste of what’s to come, and ideally, leaves the reader wanting more.

The characteristics of an effective introduction are:

• Explain the significance of the article to the reader.
• Offers an overview of the subject or issue to be discussed.
• Establishes a foundation for the subsequent content of the poster.
• Outlines the aims and objectives for the reader.

But that's much too simple. Those characteristics could lead to an introduction that looks like this:

The introduction should hook the reader’s attention, provide a brief overview, and culminate in a powerful thesis statement. Think of it as a movie trailer; it should give just enough to intrigue the reader but not give away the entire plot. But how does one craft such an introduction?

Brian Dean makes a compelling case for keeping blog intros to 4 - 7 sentences to ensure you hook the reader quickly and entice them to continue with the article. Here's an example of his intro...

As a content writing agency, we've written millions of words for clients. I personally LOVE the Brian Dean style, but for some clients, especially more B2B, this style is a touch too conversational. Although it's my personal fave :)

Opening with Impact

The first sentence in your article holds immense power. It’s the hook that can either reel in the reader or let them slip away. An impactful opening can manifest in various forms, such as a thought-provoking question, a shocking statement, or an intriguing anecdote. The goal is to spark curiosity, evoke emotions, and compel the reader to read on.

After the hook, the introduction should provide a clear benefit or promise that will motivate the reader to continue reading. The promise could be a solution to a problem, an answer to a question, or a new perspective on a common issue. The key is making the reader believe they will gain something valuable from reading your article.

Setting the Tone

Are you aware that your writing possesses a voice? It’s not just about what you say but how you say it. The tone of your writing can convey a range of attitudes and emotions, from formal and serious to casual and humorous. It’s essential in engaging your readers and creating a cohesive reading experience.

The tone you choose depends on your audience and the purpose of your article. An informative article might require a more formal and serious tone, while a personal blog post could benefit from a more casual and conversational tone. Regardless of the tone you choose, consistency is key. A consistent tone helps create a smooth reading experience and strengthens your connection with the reader.

Crafting Informative and Appealing Content

After enticing your readers with an intriguing title and an engaging introduction, your subsequent task is to maintain their interest with content that is both informative and appealing. But how can you guarantee your content is not just informative, but also able to engage readers? The answer lies in readability and visuals.

Readability is about making your content easy to read and understand. It’s about structuring your article in a way that allows the reader to easily navigate and absorb the information. On the other hand, visuals are about enhancing the reading experience by breaking up large chunks of text and providing visual representations of your points.

Structuring for Readability

Effective structuring plays a crucial role in promoting readability. It involves organizing your content in a way that guides the reader through your article. This can be achieved through the use of:

• Descriptive subheadings
• Short paragraphs
• Bullet points
• Numbered lists

Descriptive subheadings serve as signposts, guiding the reader through your article. They break down your content into manageable chunks, making it easier for your reader to process the information. Keeping paragraphs short, on the other hand, make your article visually appealing and less daunting to read. Remember, a wall of dense paragraphs can repel readers, but well-structured content can engage them.

Integrating Visuals

Visuals have become potent tools for amplifying reader engagement. They not only break up text but also provide a visual representation of your points, making your content more engaging and easier to understand.

Images, charts, infographics, and videos can all be used to enhance your content. For instance, an infographic can provide a visual summary of a complex concept, making it easier for the reader to understand. Similarly, an image or a video can add a new dimension to your content, providing a break from text and keeping the reader engaged. The key is to ensure that your visuals are relevant and contribute to the overall understanding of your content.

Connecting with Your Target Audience

A deep understanding of the target audience lies at the core of every successful article. Who are you writing for? What are their interests, needs, and pain points? A deep understanding of your audience enables you to customize your content to their preferences, guaranteeing that your message resonates with them.

However, establishing a connection with your audience goes beyond merely understanding their needs. It’s about building trust and establishing credibility. Your readers must trust the information you provide and see you as a credible source. So, what’s the strategy for building trust and credibility?

Understanding Your Readers

Understanding your readers entails stepping into their shoes and viewing the world from their viewpoint. What are their pain points? What are their interests? What motivates them? Answering these questions can provide valuable insights into your audience’s needs and preferences, helping you tailor your content to readers interested in personal stories.

Audience analysis involves researching and gathering data about your audience. This can include demographic information, such as age, gender, and location, as well as psychographic information, such as interests, attitudes, and behaviors. This information can then be used to create a detailed profile of your target audience, known as a buyer persona.

Building Trust and Credibility

Building trust and credibility involves:

• Showcasing your expertise
• Providing accurate, reliable information
• Being seen as a credible source of information, someone who knows what they’re talking about.

This can be achieved through a step-by-step guide that includes:

• Thorough research and fact-checking
• Making sure your facts are accurate and up-to-date
• Always citing your sources
• Showcasing your expertise in your field to establish yourself as an authority and build trust with your readers.

Remember, trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, and it’s no different in the relationship between a writer and their readers.

Polishing Your Work: Editing and Proofreading

The writing process of article writing extends beyond the last sentence of a good article. The real refinement happens in the editing and proofreading phase. It’s in this phase that you refine your work, ensuring every word, every sentence, every paragraph adds value to your entire article.

Editing involves revising your content for clarity, coherence, and conciseness. It’s about making sure your message is clear and your arguments are logical. Proofreading, on the other hand, involves checking for grammatical errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes. But how do you effectively edit and proofread your work?

Self-Editing Techniques

For any writer, self-editing is a vital skill. It’s about being your own critic, looking at your work objectively and making necessary improvements. Effective self-editing involves several techniques.

Some effective techniques for proofreading your work include:

• Taking a break once you have finished writing and coming back to your work with fresh eyes
• Reading your work aloud to catch awkward phrasing and long, convoluted sentences
• Using spell-check and grammar-check tools to catch errors that you might have missed

These techniques can help you spot errors and inconsistencies in your writing.

Seeking Feedback

Beyond self-editing, seeking feedback from others also proves beneficial. A fresh pair of eyes can provide a new perspective, helping you catch errors and readability issues that you might have missed.

Whether it’s a professional editor, a trusted colleague, or a friend, getting someone else’s input can provide valuable insights and help you improve your work.

Mastering the Art of Content Creation

The mastery of content creation is more of a journey than a destination. It’s about continuous learning and improvement, honing your skills, and pushing your boundaries. Whether you’re a seasoned freelance writer or a novice, there’s always room for growth.

So, what’s the path to mastering the art of content creation? It involves two key elements: analyzing good articles and consistent practice. You can learn from their structure, style, and techniques by reading and engaging with high-quality articles. And through consistent practice, you can improve your writing skills and become a better writer, able to create articles with ease.

Reading and Analyzing Good Articles

Analyzing high-quality articles equates to a behind-the-scenes tour of a successful production. You get to see the structure, the style, and the techniques that make the article engaging and informative. But more than that, you get to learn from the best.

Whether it’s a thought-provoking piece in The New England Journal of Medicine or a captivating blog post on your favorite site, each article offers unique insights that can help you improve your writing. Pay attention to:

• the headline
• the structure
• the arguments
• the evidence

What makes the news article engaging? What makes it informative? What can you learn from it?

Consistent Practice

The adage ‘practice makes perfect’ holds true in writing as well. The more you practice writing, the better you get. But consistent practice is more than just about quantity. It’s also about variety and experimentation.

To start writing different types of articles, from how-to guides to opinion pieces, experiment with different tones, from formal to casual. Write about different topics, from your areas of expertise to topics you’re curious about. Consistent practice doesn’t mean doing the same thing over and over. It means pushing your boundaries, exploring new territories, and constantly challenging yourself.

In this journey, we’ve explored the art of crafting excellent articles, from engaging titles and captivating introductions to informative content and connecting with the audience. We’ve delved into the importance of editing and proofreading, and the power of consistent practice. But the journey doesn’t end here. As you continue to write, remember to keep your reader at the heart of your writing, strive for clarity and creativity, and never stop learning and improving. After all, the art of content creation is a journey, not a destination.

Key Takeaways

• Crafting an engaging article begins with a captivating title that balances creativity and clarity, incorporating keywords while being inviting and informative.
• A successful article features an introduction that hooks the reader’s attention and sets the right tone, followed by structured content enhanced with visuals for readability and engagement.
• Connecting with your target audience by understanding their needs and building trust through credible content is essential, complemented by thorough editing, proofreading, and continuous practice and learning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What determines a good article.

A good article is determined by its engaging language, valuable information, and an organized, logical structure that captivates and informs the reader.

How can you write a good article?

To write a good article, start by selecting a topic, identifying your target audience, and conducting thorough research. Then, create an outline, write a rough draft, and refine your subject matter. Finally, read your article aloud to ensure it is error-free. Now, go ahead and start writing your fantastic article!

How can I create an engaging title for my article?

To create an engaging title for your article, start with the main keyword and balance creativity with clarity. Make sure the title is intriguing and informative to attract clicks and inform the reader about the content. Good luck!

How can I make the introduction of my article captivating?

To make your article introduction captivating, use an impactful opening sentence or a hook, such as a provocative question, shocking statement, or intriguing anecdote, and then provide a clear benefit or promise to motivate the reader to continue reading. This will grab the reader's attention and compel them to explore further.

How can I improve the readability of my article?

To improve the readability of your article, use descriptive subheadings, keep paragraphs short, and utilize bullet points and numbered lists. Additionally, break up large chunks of text with visuals to enhance the reading experience.

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How To Use Article Marketing To Improve SEO And Drive More Traffic

Write, publish, and share great SEO articles to reach more users and drive traffic to your website. Here are 9 steps to make it happen.

Sharing is caring – especially when it comes to content.

A great article can have many lives, circulating across platforms and generating traffic for months, or even years, to come.

But what does it take to write an article that not only drives organic traffic but expands your reach across a variety of channels?

In this guide, we’re digging into the masterful art of article marketing – from topic ideation to content writing, to establishing a viral-worthy sharing strategy.

Sure, article marketing has gotten a bad rap and been abused by some. And yet it’s still a viable content marketing tactic when done properly. That’s where we’ll focus.

What Is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is an area of content marketing that involves writing and distributing articles across a variety of outlets.

These articles are typically designed to promote the author’s business or website via backlinks created, authority built, and visibility gained.

How Article Marketing Helps SEO

Article marketing involves the creation of valuable, informative content to be read by users online.

When users search for a given topic (mainly, within Google), they’re taken to the top-ranking web pages and blog posts related to that topic.

This means that website owners can publish their own article content, optimize it for search engines, and rank in Google Search for a variety of topics.

Do the optimization game right and you can drive dozens to even thousands of users to your website with your articles.

SEO Benefits Of Article Marketing

Article marketing offers many benefits when it comes to SEO, including:

• Enabling your website to rank for a wider range of keywords.
• Increasing the authority and trustworthiness of your website.
• Attracting more organic traffic from search engines.
• Converting users into subscribers or customers.
• Providing opportunities to rank in image or video search.
• Directing authority to other pages on your site via internal links.
• Attracting valuable backlinks to your site from other websites and blogs.

Can Article Marketing Work On Other Channels?

Article marketing is not only a strategy for SEO, though. It can also empower you to generate traffic via a wide range of social, direct, or referral channels.

For example, with article marketing you can drive traffic from:

• Other blogs.
• Email campaigns.
• Paid campaigns.

Benefits Of Multi-channel Article Marketing

Taking a multi-channel approach to your article marketing is the smartest way to get the most “bang for your buck.”

If you are going to put time (or money) into creating content, why not use it to attract visitors from a variety of platforms?

With this in mind, here are a few benefits of article marketing on other platforms:

• You can increase user engagement and interaction on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
• You can generate organic traffic to your site and referral traffic from a variety of sources.
• You can re-share your articles to Pinterest, third-party sites, Medium.com, and more.
• You get multiple opportunities to convert visitors into subscribers or paying customers.

How To Write, Publish And Share Great Article Content

Article marketing is made easy when you establish a go-to process that fits your business and the users you are trying to reach.

This process can look a bit different from website to website, but the general steps go as follows.

1. Choose Your Topic

Brainstorm a list of broad topics that may be of interest to your audience. Whether you are a blogger, a business owner, a marketer, or something in between, you’re likely sitting on a treasure-trove of topics if you just give yourself the chance to think.

For example, if you are a freelance graphic designer, you can believe that your target audience is interested in all things digital design.

They may want to know:

• What are the best tools for graphic design?
• How to design a logo.
• What are the best fonts for business flyers?
• How much does graphic design cost?
• What are the greatest designs of this year?

Try to be exhaustive when it comes to thinking up topics related to your business and the people you are hoping to reach.

Then, you can move on to Step 2, which involves narrowing down your ideas with keyword research.

Answer the Public is a helpful (and free) tool you can use to come up with article topic ideas.

2. Conduct Keyword Research

Coming up with interesting article topics is great, but mapping them to searchable keywords is even better. After all, what’s the use in writing an article if no one is looking for the topic you are writing about?

Keyword research tools like Semrush allow you to look up a range of broad topics and see how many people are searching for that word (or related words) every month.

This search volume is a good indication of whether it’s worthwhile to write the article for SEO purposes.

Another factor to consider is competition level. You might find a high-volume keyword, but it’s too competitive for your small site.

In that case, it’s best to aim for a less competitive topic and then go after more competitor keywords over time.

3. Draft Your Article

Writing your article may be the best or most complicated part, depending on your writing experience.

One option is to hire an SEO writer to ensure your content is informative and optimized. However, you can certainly write your content yourself.

If you are going the DIY route, we highly recommend the Inverted Pyramid Method of SEO copywriting, which is an easy-to-follow structure for writing an article from start to finish.

This method will help you lead with value and write content users really enjoy reading.

4. Optimize Your Content

Next, you’ll want to optimize your content according to on-page SEO best practices .

This involves:

• Writing a click-worthy, keyword-optimized title tag.
• Including a descriptive meta description.
• Adding an interesting H1 headline .
• Including concise H2 and H3 headings.
• Writing valuable body content.
• Adding internal and external links.
• Using an optimized URL structure.

Ticking all of the boxes in terms of on-page SEO will help set your article up for success, making it easier to rank high in the search results and drive traffic from Google.

5. Add Media

Once you have the bulk of the article content, it’s time to get creative.

Now you can add media to engage users, add value to your article, and improve your chances of ranking in image or video search.

Some media types to add to your article include:

• Pre-recorded videos.
• Original photography.
• Stock images.
• Graphic designs.
• Digital tools.
• Infographics.

6. Establish A Sharing Strategy

Before you hit “publish,” think about all the channels you can share your article to in order to maximize your reach.

Actually, many CMS platforms make this easy, by including social share icons when you publish an article.

Similarly, there are third-party tools like Buffer that allow you to share your article to Facebook, Twitter, and beyond automatically.

Whether you go auto or take the manual route, be sure to share your article far and wide to reach as many users as possible.

7. Include Linkable Assets

One of the most important pillars of SEO is backlinks. Backlinks direct authority to your site, which causes search engines to essentially “trust” your site as a reputable source of information.

Adding what’s called “linkable assets” to your article can help attract links back to your site. Some linkable assets might include videos, infographics, free tools, resource guides, images, and more.

Learn about it here: Want Links? Here’s How To Create Link-worthy Content

8. Get (Re)published!

It’s one thing to publish your content on your own blog, and another to get it posted on other websites. You may have to “pitch” your content to other publishers in order to broaden your reach.

HARO is a free subscription-based platform where you can find publishing opportunities on other sites. Not only will publishers post their prompts in search of content, but they will often accept “cold” pitches for new articles.

Another option is to reach out to industry websites directly to ask for guest posting opportunities. If they bite, it can be a great chance to plug your own content and direct links back to your site.

Finally, social blogging sites like Medium.com allow you to publish content for free and link out to your own site.

These platforms can help generate more visibility for your article, even going as far as to “promote” your post at no cost. (In fact, this is how I generated over 13,000 views on a single Medium post.)

9. Interact, Engage, And Follow Up

Now that your article is out in the webosphere… now what?

Rather than wait for the traffic to trickle in, you can double-down on your marketing by engaging with users as they interact with your content.

This can look like:

• Responding to comments on Facebook.
• Replying to your blog post comments.
• Liking and commenting on re-shares on Twitter.
• Retargeting readers with Facebook Ads.
• Following up with new subscribers to your email list.
• Responding to people who reply to your email campaigns.

The important thing is to not let your article disappear into the abyss.

You can re-share your content over and over, giving your article new life. That way, you can drive traffic for months or even years into the future.

Get Creative With Article Marketing

Is article marketing part of your content strategy? It should be!

Every blog post is an opportunity to attract more traffic, subscribers, and customers from a range of platforms. Don’t let your blog go to waste!

Another pro tip? Ask your audience what topics they are interested in and add these to your queue.

You can start a running list of article ideas to tap into in order to keep the traffic flowing.

More Resources:

• How Content Marketing Has Evolved
• Why These 5 Unexpected Content Marketing Skills Are A Must To Build
• Content Marketing: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

Featured Image: PCH.Vector/Shutterstock

Jason Hennessey is a serial entrepreneur and internationally known search engine optimization (SEO) expert, author and speaker who specializes in ...

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25 Marketing Writing Tips Every Enterprise Needs to Follow [with examples]

Although just about everyone has some basic writing experience, marketing writing is its own thing and requires a unique set of skills. Here’s what every professional needs to know about generating marketing writing that gets results.

Need content for your business? Find top writers on WriterAccess!

Marketing writing is quite literally everywhere these days, especially online, and no one can escape it. 

If you’ve ever scanned the product copy on a bottle of shampoo, read a how-to article on a company blog, or checked out the text on a social media ad, you’ve been exposed to marketing writing.

But there’s a huge difference between great marketing writing that resonates with an audience and writing that’s completely forgettable because the talent behind it just wasn’t up to snuff. 

That said, a freelancer with a knack for the written word can be a godsend to digital-age companies.

What Kind of Writing Do You Do in Marketing?

The main difference between marketing writing and other types of writing is the reason it’s produced in the first place. 

Creative writing and other types of recreational writing are done primarily for fun or self-expression.

However, marketing writing is created for a specific purpose – advertising a brand, product, or service and generating interest in its potential customers.  

Some types are aimed at enticing people to buy while others are meant to raise brand awareness . But all have the same ultimate purpose.

Types of Writing in Marketing

Although marketing writing does include all the obvious types of content – like dedicated advertisements, ad slogans, or product copy – that’s not all there is to it. 

Here are some examples of unique styles that frequently appear in digital-age marketing writing.

Educational

This type of marketing content is meant to convey crucial information to a reader or perhaps educate an audience on how to do something. 

It typically contains data, statistics, directions, and other forms of fact-backed information.

• Whitepapers

This type of writing delivers a message by also telling a story . It could be either made-up and hypothetical or factual. But either way, it has a clear start, middle, and finish, just like any other story.

• Social Media Stories

Descriptive

This type of writing goes into detail in an attempt to paint a picture in a reader’s mind. 

In marketing, this type of writing might be used to whet a consumer’s appetite for a product or help them picture how much better their life might be if they bought from a particular brand.

• Product Descriptions
• Service Descriptions
• Informational Guides

This type of marketing writing is designed to influence a reader in a specific direction . 

It might be marketing copy meant to tempt a consumer into pulling the trigger on a purchase, or it could be an editorial piece designed to sway people away from one point of view and toward another.

• Display Ads
• Social Media Ads

What Makes a Good Marketing Writer?

As is the case with any profession, there are certain abilities and personal qualities that might make someone especially well-suited to marketing writing. Here are a few key examples.

• Writing Skill: Marketing writers are masters of the written word and know all about grammar, style, and more.
• Adaptability: The life and workload of a marketing content writer is always changing, so it’s crucial to be able to go with the flow.
• Research Ability: Professional marketing writers need a good handle on the facts, as well as a passion for learning new things and discovering new information in general.
• Reliability: Businesses need to be able to count on the marketing writers they hire, so reliability is an absolute must.
• Empathetic: Great content writers are naturals at connecting with people and using their writing skills to communicate like pros.

25 Marketing Writing Tips Marketers Should Know

Effective marketing writing that really stands out in all the ways it needs to is an art that takes time, practice, and ability to master. Here are some tips every marketer should keep in mind as they work on mastering marketing copy.

1. Know your target

Successful marketing writing makes an impact on the reader. 

But before you can accomplish that, you need to know that reader.  

Who are they, and what is their life like? What do they fear, love, and hope for? Where does your brand fit into that picture?

Every content marketing plan needs a clear target. When you have a specified target audience, you can personalize and optimize your content to appeal to that specific group. Using your personas is a great way to find a target.

2. Don’t overcomplicate things

Very few people actually read every word of the marketing content they consume. 

They skim it for what they need first. Then they might give it more attention. 

Always keep your content simple, organized, and scannable so this is easy to do.

When it comes to writing, less is more. Overly complicated writing filled with fluff words distracts readers from the point. Keeping it simple is the best approach.

3. Use data to add credibility

When you’re looking to convince someone of something via your writing, data, and statistics can be incredibly powerful . 

They convince your audience that you’re credible and organized. 

And they’re that much more likely to take what you tell them next at face value.

Linked sources and verifiable data add incredible power to your writing. It builds authenticity in your content and connects you to trusted and authoritative sources. Pick a few sources and use these regular links in your content.

4. Choose active voice over passive voice

In writing, there are two types of voices you can use to tell your stories – active voice and passive voice. 

In active voice, subjects perform actions. (“Sandy ate the hamburger.”) 

With passive voice, actions happen to subjects. (“The hamburger was eaten by Sandy.”) 

Active voice is much more powerful and concise.

When you write, you should strive to make your voice active. That means avoiding sentences where things happen to people (The hamburger was eaten by Sally) and using language where subjects perform actions (Sally ate the hamburger).

5. Make it urgent

Successful marketing writers know that you want to entice people to act now , not later, because later might be too late. 

Create urgency by letting readers know they don’t have forever to take action on a deal or opportunity, so they do what you want them to do right now.

Marketing is all about convincing audiences to take action now. Building a sense of urgency, like limited-time offers or limited stock, helps drive people toward action. When your content is urgent, it has a better chance of getting conversions.

6. Paint pictures with adjectives

People respond to writing that speaks to their senses and paints pictures they can see, hear, taste, and smell in their imaginations. 

The key to doing this is using adjectives wisely and effectively in your copy.

Your adjectives are the descriptive words you use in writing. The more adjectives you use, the more detail you add to your writing. Pick adjectives that align with your brand messaging and that fit the tone of the piece you are writing.

7. Be sincere

People have heard it all when it comes to marketing content, so they can smell a cold sales pitch a mile away. 

But a good marketing writer knows how to make them forget they’re being sold to by being honest, sincere, and genuine.

Insincere marketing comes off as flat and impersonal. To appeal to your audiences, you need to focus on sincerity. Genuinely appeal to your customers and offer valuable content that they want, like informational blogs and educational videos, instead of sales pitches.

8. Set clear goals for your copy

Before you sit down to compose your marketing writing, you need to be crystal clear on what you want it to accomplish. 

After reading this copy, do you want your customer to visit a location, follow you on Instagram, complete a purchase, or do something else entirely?

Every piece of copy you write should have a clear goal. Do you want readers to take action? Learn something about your industry? Gain details on a specific product? Having an end goal in mind gives you something to measure success by.

9. Use social proof to your advantage

Like statistics and facts, social proof is an incredibly powerful thing in marketing. 

Knowing others have made the same choice helps a customer feel confident about a purchase or other decision. 

So don’t be afraid to leverage customer reviews and testimonials in your marketing writing.

Social proof, or the opinions of others, is an incredibly powerful marketing tool. When you can leverage social proof like testimonials or reviews, you can drive more sales. It also helps you improve your brand’s reputation online.

10. Demand a reader’s attention

Great advertising copy snaps people out of endless scroll mode to take a closer look. 

So master the art of creating content that catches a reader’s eye and demands their immediate attention via snappy headlines, sleek designs, and more.

Catching the eye of your readers helps you stand out from the crowd. Things like catchy headlines, great graphics, and stylish editing can help you demand the attention of your readers and improve your content viewership.

11. Know when to use humor

Anyone with a gift for conversation and socializing knows that humor can be the ultimate icebreaker when used wisely.

Humor endears people to you and makes them want to hear more of what you have to say, so don’t be afraid to weave it into your marketing writing when it makes sense.

Not all writing needs to be facts on top of facts. Adding humor and a sense of personality helps your writing appeal to more audiences. It also helps you create a bond and a connection with audiences that flat, boring writing can’t achieve.

12. Watch your language

Although there are occasional exceptions when it comes to using profanity or questionable language in your copy, it’s typically best to err on the side of caution. 

Not only does profanity turn many people off, but it can trigger digital filters that could keep your content from reaching its full potential when it comes to reach.

Being humorous and personal doesn’t mean crossing boundaries. You still want your brand’s writing to be approachable to all audiences. Avoiding swear words and controversial language is important to maintaining the integrity of your marketing content.

13. Avoid saying the same old thing

Great marketing content that inspires people to take action stands out. 

It sparkles and sings instead of rehashing the same old cliches people have already heard over and over. 

Creativity also helps marketing writing shine. Thinking outside the box and coming up with new ideas helps you avoid saying the same old thing that other companies have said. Doing competitive research can help you find gaps in content that you can fill.

So be creative and effervescent, not bland.

14. Generate interest

Effective marketing copy never simply exists just for the sake of existing. 

It generates interest by entertaining, educating, or inspiring . 

It piques people’s curiosity with dynamic language, unique takes, and snappy narratives that flow smoothly.

Great writing keeps you coming back line after line. You want readers to read articles and watch videos through to the end. By filling your writing with new information and entertaining content, you can generate more interest.

15. Solve a pressing problem

Successful marketing writing doesn’t really sell products. 

It actually sells people solutions to problems they have. It also helps them picture how incredible life could be without having to worry about those problems anymore. 

Try making that the focus of your writing, and see what happens.

When someone searches for content online, they usually want to solve a problem. The more content you create that addresses problems and answers questions, the more interaction you’ll get from audiences.

16. Include a call to action

Don’t make the mistake of crafting a wonderful piece of writing and then leaving people hanging as far as what you want them to do next. 

If you want people to do something specific, you need to tell them so in so many words. 

So always include a clear, concise call to action (CTA) in your content.

A call-to-action, or CTA, is the next step you provide for readers. It tells them what to do after reading. CTAs like “Learn More”, “Order Now”, or “Contact Us”, guide readers toward conversion actions that match your content goals.

17. Clarify your message

Have you ever stumbled across a really sleek ad or well-written piece of marketing content that also left you confused as to what they were actually trying to sell you?

If so, you know how frustrating it is. So don’t leave people guessing like that. Be crystal clear with your copy.

Marketing writing  should never leave readers scratching their heads. The core message you want to communicate should always be front and center. Are you selling something? Informing new audiences? You should know what the message is as you write.

18. Go with your gut

The more marketing experience you get under your belt, the sharper your instincts will ultimately become. 

Trust those instincts, and put them to work for you when composing your marketing writing.

Beginners in marketing writing might find themselves continually going back to improve content. Going with your gut and trusting your instincts helps you build better writing skills and create better content.

19. Write for people first

Yes, SEO and SERP rankings are naturally key concerns for marketing content writers, but never let that convince you that the way to success is to write to please algorithms. 

Google specializes in delivering amazing, relevant content written with actual humans in mind. 

So always write for humans first. It’s actually the best way to please Google, too.

Search algorithms are continually improving. They want to find articles that are written conversationally and appeal to real humans. By writing for people and not algorithms, you can actually improve rankings.

20. Embrace short paragraphs

Remember, people skim and scan when they peruse marketing copy, so it’s critical to make that easy to do. 

Using short paragraphs, concise sentences, and easy language are solid ways to do this.

White space and short paragraphs are essential to online content. Long paragraphs and big chunks of text are offputting to people reading on screens. Instead, divide your content into short sentences and small paragraphs.

21. Cultivate a recognizable brand voice

Brands are like people in that the memorable ones have unique value systems, points of view, and voices. 

Part of what makes a marketing campaign successful is a cohesive brand identity and brand voice, so always incorporate these factors into your writing.

A brand voice is your unique approach to marketing writing. Over time, you can cultivate a recognizable brand voice so anyone reading or interacting with your content can tell it comes from your brand.

22. Simplify complicated concepts with analogies

A great analogy can be highly effective when it comes to making complex or unusual concepts seem simple and accessible, so don’t be afraid to use them when it makes sense. 

Analogies are wonderful ways to show (and encourage) empathy, as well.

Simplifying difficult concepts is easier with the help of analogies and similes. By putting a complex subject into a relatable scenario, you can connect with more readers.

23. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes

Imagine what it might be like to be on the receiving end of your marketing writing. How would you react to this particular approach? 

What would get you interested enough to complete a call to action and see what happens next?

If you ever find yourself struggling to come up with content ideas, try putting yourself in your reader’s shoes. This can help you visualize their point of view and adapt your  content marketing  strategy.

24. Format your writing

Choosing the right format is crucial to the success of your writing. 

What works like a charm for an outreach email or a quick-fire short article could spell disaster for a long-form blog post. 

So know your formats, and decide on the right one before you craft your writing.

Formatting is key to writing successfully. Take a look at this article, for example. There are headings, subheadings, bullet lists, and numbered lists. These formats appeal to readers and algorithms.

25. Outsource as needed

Sooner or later, even marketers who also happen to be gifted writers will likely need help generating enough high-quality content to keep the results rolling in. 

So don’t be afraid to outsource some of the work as needed. 

Today’s freelance workforce is filled with talented, dedicated content writers who can really be assets to your marketing strategy.

Not every marketing team has the capacity to create content on its own. That’s where outsourcing comes in. Platforms like  WriterAccess  can help teams create great content and boost marketing strategies.

Writing great content is an integral part of digital marketing. If your content is lacking, then readers won’t engage with your brand on a personal level. Thankfully, these 25 tips can help you take marketing writing to the next level.

If you are still struggling to get your content where it needs to be, then WriterAccess is here to help. WriterAccess can help you streamline and scale your content production process. Get a  14-day free trial  to see what WriterAccess can do for you.

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Content Writing 101

Written by Brian Dean

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing is the process of planning, writing, and publishing written material, such as articles, blog posts, product descriptions, and marketing copy, that is intended for online consumption. The goal of content writing is to inform, educate, or persuade readers, and it can be used for a variety of purposes, including:

• Building brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic
• Generating leads
• Improving search engine rankings
• Establishing credibility

Why Is Proper Content Writing Important?

When most people hear “content writing”, they think “writing articles”.

However, writing content isn’t just important for blog posts.

In fact, content writing is important for all types of different content formats, including:

• Video scripts
• Email newsletters
• Keynote speeches
• Social media posts
• Podcast titles
• White papers
• Web page copy
• Landing pages
• YouTube video descriptions

Or put another way:

Writing is the foundation for pretty much any content that you publish.

Best Practices

Create an outline.

Creating an outline is a GREAT first step in the content writing process.

Outlines help your content come out better for two main reasons:

First , outlines force you to put all your thoughts down in an organized way (rather than writing everything off the top of your head). Which really speeds up the writing process.

Second , outlines usually lead to a much better structure for your content. That’s because an outline lets you see your content from a “high level” that’s impossible to see as you’re writing.

Plus, because you have an outline, your final content will hit all of the major points that you set out to before you started writing.

So: how do you actually go about creating an effective outline?

Here are three main strategies that work well:

So when we start working on a new guide, we use a lot of the structure from our existing guides as a base.

• Use a template: Most professional content writers work off of proven templates. Here are 5 content templates you can use to create outlines .

For example, let’s say you’re about to write a guest post about the keto diet.

Well, you’d want to type “keto diet” into BuzzSumo to see what’s already done well.

Then, read some of the best posts to see exactly what you should cover in your article.

Make It Easy to Consume and Share

Content that’s super easy to read and share is of the keys to great content .

You can have a post written by the world’s top copywriter. But if that post is hard for people to consume, no one will read it.

Here are a few tips to help make your content easier to consume, skim and share.

Keep it Snappy, Rich and Entertaining

Whether you’re writing about content creation or cars, your writing needs to grab (and keep) people’s attention .

Otherwise, they’ll click over to something else.

How you grab someone’s attention depends on the format you’re working with.

When I create videos, I use “Family Guy moments” throughout the video. These are little asides that add some humor to and spice to my video content.

And when I write videos, I focus a lot on formatting and layout.

Specifically, I try to keep my paragraphs short:

I also sprinkle in visuals and screenshots to mix things up.

And if you’re about to sit down and record some audio, you want your lines to be short and snappy. You also want to avoid parenthetical statements. Content in parenthesis is easy to follow when you’re reading it. But you can easily “lose the thread” if you’re listening to your audio as a podcast.

In short: your final content needs to be super engaging to work. And no matter what format you’re working with, that starts with the content writing process.

Quotable On Social Media

According to a study that we conducted, very few blog posts get shared or linked to .

And to increase the odds that your content ranks in search engines and gets shared on social media, add shareable quotes.

For text-based content, this can be a statement that you highlight in your post.

And if you’re making a YouTube video, you can pull out a short snippet from that video to share on LinkedIn.

The important thing here is to have these quotes ready before you publish the post. Then, highlight them in your content.

Choose Interesting Angles

With 2.3 million blog posts going live every day , you can’t just publish something generic and expect a wave of visitors.

Instead, to get traffic to your content, it needs a compelling angle.

An angle is simply the hook that makes your content stand out from all the others on that topic.

Your angle can be a personal story. A bit of controversy. Or something that simply looks better than what’s out there.

The angle you go with depends on your target audience.

For example, when we published our guide to becoming an SEO expert , our 8-bit design helped it stand out.

Make It Actionable

For most niches, your content can’t just be entertaining.

And it’s not even enough for it to simply be informative.

For your content marketing to work, your content needs to be super useful .

Here’s how:

Our SEO audit post is a great example of this.

It’s not a collection of random tips. This content is a step-by-step action plan that anyone can follow.

• Keep it up-to-date: A single outdated step or example can derail an otherwise great piece. I recommend going back and updating your old content at least once a year.

Make it Trustworthy

For people to share and link to your content, they need to trust it first.

And while design factors in to how much people trust your content , your writing plays a big role too.

Here are a few tips to make your content more trustworthy.

• Use proper grammar: If you want to improve your writing skills, a tool like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly can be a huge help.

For example, whenever we write a guide, we add lots of stats and references.

Here’s an example from our blog.

Give it a Magnetic Headline and Introduction

Most visitors only spend 15 seconds reading an article before leaving.

With such a short window of time, your headline and introduction are incredibly important.

Here’s how to create headlines and intros that work:

Note how these bullet points aren’t topics . They’re benefits that someone will get out of reading and implementing what’s in the guide.

How can I become a content writer?

If you’re looking to dive into the world of content writing, you’re in for an exciting journey. Let me walk you through the steps that have worked wonders for me and many others.

1. Learn SEO Fundamentals

First off, get cozy with SEO basics . It’s the backbone of content writing.

Start with keyword research – it’s like picking the right tools before you start building. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Semrush to find what your audience is searching for.

Then, dive into on-page SEO . Think of your titles and meta descriptions as your first handshake with your readers – make it count.

2. Niche Specialization

Now, pick a niche.

This isn’t just about what you love; it’s about where you can add real value.

Ask yourself, “What unique perspective or solutions can I bring to my readers?” This focus will make your content more engaging and valuable.

3. Develop a Unique Writing Style

It’s your signature. Keep it clear, engaging, and packed with actionable tips.

I always aim to write as if I’m talking to a friend – straightforward and helpful.

Use tools like Grammarly to keep your grammar in check and Hemingway Editor to make your content crisp and readable.

4. Create a Portfolio

It’s your playground for trying out new ideas and a portfolio to showcase your skills.

Make sure it’s SEO-friendly; after all, you want to walk the talk.

5. Learn from the Best

Learning never stops. Keep an eye on the top content writers and digital marketing resources.

What are they doing right? How are they engaging their audience? How are they using new AI tools in their workflows?

Don’t just consume content; dissect it.

6. Feedback and Improvement

Lastly, the power of feedback can’t be overstressed. Use it to refine your writing.

Remember, the best content writers are those who listen, learn, and adapt.

That’s my blueprint for becoming a content writer. I

t’s about blending SEO savvy with a unique voice, continually learning, and always striving to provide value to your readers.

Stay curious, stay committed, and you’ll find your path to success in content writing.

The Definitive Guide to Writing Blog Posts : I recommend sending this to any content writer that you work with.

The Complete Guide to SEO Content : How to write quality content that’s specifically engineered to rank in Google.

Evergreen Content : How to plan and write content that continues to bring in traffic for years after you publish it.

The Definitive Guide to Copywriting : Learn how to write SUPER compelling copy for blog posts, sales letters, videos and more based on tips from the world’s top copywriters.

How To Write An Article That Turns Lurkers Into Customers

What Is An Article?

The #1 overlooked element of quality articles, how to write an article in five easy steps, step 1: prewriting.

• Choosing a topic that interests your audience
• Doing preliminary research

Choose An Interesting Topic Idea

• Ask your sales team for common problems your customers have.
• Analyze your competitors' websites to find the best articles they’ve created.
• Email your customers and ask about their biggest pain points.
• Review the comments section of other blog posts, Amazon products, forums, and YouTube videos in your niche.
• Use keyword research tools to uncover long tail terms.
• Keep your eyes peeled on social media to discover trendy topics.

Conduct Preliminary Research

• What questions will a reader have in mind?
• How can I add my unique point of view to this topic?
• What important aspects of this topic remain uncovered?
• How can I write an article that’s more helpful to the reader? Can I provide better examples? Can I find expert insights?

Step 2: Planning

Prepare your outline.

• Title ideas
• Goals of the article
• Who you’re writing for
• Keywords to target
• Search intent
• Headings and subheadings of the article (H2s, H3s, etc.).
• Competing content in Google
• Internal link ideas
• How your post will add more value than what’s on the SERP
• Extra resources like links to PDFs, reports, etc.

Conduct Exhaustive Research

• Dive into relevant subreddits to see what professionals are saying about your topic.
• Use WayBack Machine  to find historical information about a web page.
• Google the crap out of your topic and related subtopics.
• Use Advanced Twitter Search (I used it for this article).
• Request quotes from subject matter experts.
• Find podcast interviews that feature experts.
• Get data from related research reports.
• Interview subject matter experts.

Step 3: Drafting

• Write a clickworthy headline
• Write an interesting introduction
• Conclude on a high note

Write A Clickworthy Headline

• How To Write A Press Release: Free Templates, 45 Examples, & Formatting Tips
• How To Write the Best About Us Page (With 50+ Examples & A Free Template)
• How to Write the Best Blog Posts For Your Audience That Get Tons of Traffic
• How to Write White Papers Customers Want [Templates + Examples]
• How To Write A Newsletter That Converts
• 40 Awesome Marketing Ideas to Grow Your Business
• 31 Flyer Ideas To Get Your Brand Noticed Every Time
• 21 Content Ideas To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
• 16 Content Marketing Metrics: A Guide To Adopt Successful KPIs
• 28 Marketing Strategy Examples: Proven Methods & Tactics From Top Brands

Write An Interesting Introduction

• They provide a high-level overview of the article.
• They make a compelling case for a visitor to read on.
• They show what the article will empower the reader to achieve.

Conclude On A High Note

Step 4: Revising

• Step away from your piece for a few hours or a day: This enables you to view your work with fresh eyes and catch mistakes you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
• Check for logical ordering of your points: Are your points logical, or are they meandering all over the place? Consider how each section connects with the next and reorganize if need be.
• Delete all fluff: Delete any point, sentence, paragraph, and section that does not support the central theme of your article. Or, reframe them so that their relevance is apparent.
• Break long blocks of text: Long paragraphs are difficult to read. Short paragraphs are easier to scan and read. So break long blocks of text with bullet points, images, and videos. This increases the chances of your article being read from start to finish.
• Optimize your content for SEO : If you plan to distribute your article by ranking on search engines ensure it adheres to on page SEO best practices .

Step 5: Editing, Proofreading & Fact Checking

• Sentences flow well.
• Typos and punctuation are fixed.
• Sentences are simple, and you use fewer words.
• Facts are attributed and presented correctly.

Write Excellent Articles & Generate Your Desired Outcome

Using coschedule marketing suite to write kickass articles, 1. choose an idea from backlog.

• Drag the project to a specific date on the calendar
• Click into the project and select a schedule date

2. Or Create A New Project

3. Add A Task Checklist

4. Optimize Your Headline

5. Schedule Your Article

6. Promote Via Social Media

7. Rest Easy Knowing CoSchedule Marketing Suite Has It From Here

March 3, 2023

Precious Oboidhe is a B2B SaaS content strategist for marketing agencies and tech brands. He works on creating strategies that convert while also making content. He is a skilled marketer who eases the workload for his clients by creating cohesive and on-brand content marketing assets. Precious’s freelance business is called Content Estate Marketing. His site also features a blog that he’s the author of. His blog features topics such as writing case studies, freelancing, website creation, copywriting, blogging, and SEO. Precious’s services include thought leadership ghostwriting, content strategy, content writing, and content refresh. He also provides services in SaaS research, content distribution, LinkedIn content strategy, case study interviews, and website copywriting.

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Daily Writing Tips

An article marketing guide.

Article marketing is a great way to promote a product, service, website or blog. The name says it all: article marketing means marketing yourself with articles and it’s easy to do if you know how. Here’s how to create a good article marketing article.

The title of your article is the most important part, because that’s what will grab the reader. The golden rule is to tell readers what the article offers and tell them quickly – within the first three or four words if possible. If you’re writing about buying a second home, then use this:

Buying A Second Home: Five Tips For Success

rather than this:

Five Tips For Success When Buying A Second Home

The first tells readers straight away what they will get from your article; the second focuses on the number of tips.

Article marketing articles are used on websites and blogs, so follow the rules for writing good web articles . Put the most important information at the top, keep sentences and paragraphs short and make good use of subheadings. And if you promise five tips, make sure that’s what you deliver.

I usually start with a rough plan which outlines my main points and then I expand on each of those points in a single paragraph. I don’t make these too long, as the average article marketing article is between 250 and 500 words long.

The Resource Box

The resource box is where you get to sell your product or service. It needs to contain your name, the address of your website, your elevator pitch and a call to action. The elevator pitch is a couple of sentences that say what you have to offer. It briefly answers the question ‘what’s in it for the reader?’  The call to action aims to get readers to your site to buy, join, signup or whatever you want them to do. 

Other Important Information

Once you have completed the article, write a summary of between two and five sentences to hook the reader. This may be a repeat of the lead or something completely different that points out what the article has to offer. If you like, include an invitation to the reader to read on. Finally, craft an author bio that shows your expertise and you’re ready to submit your article.

Where To Submit

There are hundreds of article directories, so the choice can be daunting. Some of the best ones I’ve used are:

• EzineArticles
• IdeaMarketers

There may also be article directories specific to the niche you want to target, which may be a better option for some people. Once you have written the first article, it’s easy to write more. I have more than 40 articles on EzineArticles and they bring traffic to my site and serve as examples of my writing. Good luck with your article marketing efforts.

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31 thoughts on “An Article Marketing Guide”

Thank you for this post!!

My Web site is about to drop beta in a couple weeks, and I’ve been looking for ideas for marketing the site to business and HR professionals. Now I have one!

Thanks again!

OK! Nice tips, will take care of that.

As Sharon notes, article marketing can work well,for certain purposes. Buying syndicated articles, however, usually doesn’t increase search engine popularity. If Google can tell that it’s the same article that appears on other sites, it won’t bother to include it in its index. It’s redundant.

I have been an “expert writer” for Ezine Articles but since I felt that it is not helping me a lot, I stopped submitting.

Unfortunately, I just saw my account has been suspended due to “invalid author name” and I do not feel like recovering it.

I also submitted to other directories like GoArticles but totally got lazy. But then, I am starting to submit to Helium hoping that the results would be better since they are buying them and there is also a link to my blog.

By the way, I was convinced with your tip about the title and it makes sense to me. However, isn’t it harmful for an articles to use colon or dash in the title? I mean not being friendly to search engines?

Hoping to receive a valuable response from you, as always.

We experimented with writing blogs with titles that describe the exact search in google and had some luck wioth that.

Sorry it’s not worked out for you Angel, but article marketing has really helped me. As a writer, I get double benefit from the strategy and I know others have had equal success.

No regrets, Sharon. I think it was my fault as I am not really a good writer I suppose.

That is why now, I am reading a lot and realized that my older posts really need a lot of improvement. This is what keeping me busy now as I learned my lessons well.

This time I hope, they will do good at Helium. By the way, I have a pending question here about using colon and dash in writing titles. Are they SEO-friendly too?

Thanks for the concern.

Really liked your tips on article marketing. I am just starting out and submitting to ezine articles. Do you recommend using an article submission service or are they spam?

I’ve used Article Marketer before, Jeff, which submits your article to online article groups and so on. While this can be useful, I get more value from limiting my submission to a few major ones.

Great Tips on Article Marketing…and a nice site. I agree with Sharon, I was mass submitting with some software and did not see the value. However, I did get some exposure. After some testing I found that submitting to the top ten was good enough.

Check out the “Article Marketing Blueprint” as well. It is a free report that is jammed packed with some great Article Marketing Strategies

Cheers, Sean

Thanks for the tip, Sean.

Thanks for the tip.

Nice siple tips thanks for the insight now how to get our articles or blog to the top of the listing like you did is the key

I vote EnzineArticles .

Thank you very much for the tips. I am going to try it soon.

In our articles, we’ve had some success talking about quantified numbers of tips of suggestions. “10 Tips for moving” or “5 tips for packing before your move”. These “tips” often draw more readers than more generic articles. Thanks for the advice!

I’ve hear that if you submit the same article to many sites, they will ban you. However in my experience, that isn’t the case(so far!). Any thoughts on that?

Great article. I’m not familiar with Idea Marketers, I’ll have to check them out. I’ve used Go Articles and Ezinearticles, though, and they are really great for driving traffic to your site.

Thanks for this great article. I wanted to learn more about article marketing and your post was spot on. Thanks Greg Ellison

I have just started with Ezine articles and literally my first article wouldnt submit and says that my account has been suspeneded due to invalid author name. Im not sure why or what to do about this, can someone help me? I dont know what other name I should use other than Destiny Peoples?

One of my articles ranked on Google’s 1st page search results, before my actual blog, that I’m trying to promote. Bit concerned that visitors may navigate through the article directory rather than my blog. So I will redo the resource box to actively promote visits to my related blog.

@ Destiny, You have to use a real name, not a nick name.

You have some great stuff on your blog. Your insight and expertise would be a welcome addition to our new community, i hope you will consider joining, and thanks for sharing!

Article Marketing can help you get huge traffic for your site if you do it in a right way. Thanks for the helpful writing tips!

Great general information on how to write a good article for the purpose of article marketing. Our backpacking and travel blog (backpackingaddictz.com) have incorporated very similar techniques and have seen good results through ezine for traffic flow but even better result in our google listings. We have just recently realized how inserting links in the article back to your website is imperative for link building and subsequently getting better google results.

Good luck guys backpackingaddictz.com

I guess it’s fortunate that Google still includes articles for back links – but I read from a Google employee (source: Digital Inspiration Blog: ) that people should write for their own sites – not elsewhere.

Also their are now too many similar articles for some categories per article directory, little alone similar variations in many other directories. Though generally well written, but thousands of articles are surely cluttering up the web, particularly from those that are using article spinners.

I have cut back on article marketing – and rather concentrate on keyword mining, content title research, SEO optimization etc, and just write for my own blogs.

That’s a real nice general overview to article marketing. I have some additional free tips on my site if you’re ready to make it a primary marketing strategy for your biz though.

The link would have been helpful huh? 🙂

Excellent. I have a tip for getting more clicks on your article that is quite simple. If you put a word of your title in quotes the eye is drawn to it, and it results in more clicks. For instance: “Blackhat” Seo Techniques

Nice post. I really be trained another thing more difficult in not the same blogs and forums day to day. It will all of the time turn out to be revitalizing to see written content from several freelance writers in addition to see a little bit some thing at their store. I’d opt to use some with the content material on my small blog page whether or not you never head. Natually We’ll offer url in the web site. Many thanks for sharing.

Thank you for this article, it seems very helpful and was certainly well written.

I’d like to ask a question though: how do you recommend that you write such articles for a very small niche (my hometown)?

Leave a Comment

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Article Marketing is a digital marketing strategy with which you can promote your brand, your products, or your services.

It consists of writing articles, distributing and promoting them to increase online visibility, and attracting readers or users looking for information on a specific topic.

In this article, I will explain what this web content strategy technique consists of and how to apply it. Specifically, I will tell you:

• What does Article Marketing consist of ?
• Why is it important for SEO?
• What advantages does it allow you to obtain?
• How to do Article Marketing in a few steps?

If you want to become an expert in writing for the web and spreading created content, the Web Content Manager Certification and Content Marketing Course could be the right choice.

Thanks to both theoretical and practical training, you will be able to refine indispensable skills in the field of digital content, learning to create successful communication plans.

Discover why you too should have an Article Marketing strategy .

What is Article Marketing?

Article Marketing is a tool of web content strategy and, more generally, of Web Marketing .

At its core is the drafting of SEO-optimized articles (Search Engine Optimization), created with the use of precautions aimed at being “found” by search engines, and capable of attracting readers with interesting content.

These articles are published on industry portals, blogs, and partner sites, and shared on social media and other digital channels with the main objective of generating/increasing organic traffic to the website.

However, there are many other advantages of Article Marketing , namely:

• Increasing brand awareness ( brand awareness ).
• Enhancing brand reputation.
• Gaining more authority with quality inbound links (backlinks).
• Improving website ranking on search engines, for the reference sector.

Articles are created to attract users interested in a specific topic, product, or service, intercepting specific search intents.

With this rather economical content marketing strategy, you can build a relationship of trust with users and new conversion opportunities.

Become an expert at crafting engaging content for the web! Get your free copy now

SEO and Article Marketing

The Article Marketing strategy is based on good content planning to be published to succeed in climbing the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

To increase your website’s visibility on the web, it is essential, therefore, to create articles relevant to strategic keywords, consistent with your business.

It becomes fundamental not only to your ability to exhaustively deal with different topics but also to create them from an SEO perspective, optimized for search engines.

This allows you to obtain more “clicks,” that is, organic traffic of interested users, brand awareness, popularity, and to improve online reputation.

For this purpose, particularly useful is the figure of the Web Content Editor, the expert who, through content and digital tools , meets the need to communicate with the online audience.

If you think you can create content for the web, take the test! Find out if it’s true

How to do Article Marketing in 7 steps

How is Article Marketing done practically in the digital field? A well-written, well-optimized, and curated article can be favored by Google, which rewards quality content.

A good article, with useful and original content, can highlight you as an authority, an expert in a particular field. This is essential to be able to retain the audience.

Remembering that the main objective of article writing is positioning among the top search results, and therefore visibility, it is important to follow some “rules.” Here are the 7 steps to successful Article Marketing .

Study your audience

For an SEO article to be effective, it must provide answers to users’ questions (queries). Your content must provide the right solutions and information to a clear audience.

It is therefore essential to know your potential customers and understand what they are looking for and interested in.

To do this, you can follow trends and online search trends using tools such as Google Trends or Google Suggest. This way, you can identify which aspects and themes of your sector attract the curious audience.

Choose the right keywords

Once you’ve identified the trending topics of your editorial article , you need to select the right keywords, which means the ones that best capture the real search intent of your potential customers. 

For each keyword, you must therefore strive to create useful and sufficiently exhaustive articles to satisfy users’ knowledge needs.

Furthermore, to improve text positioning in SERPs, you should try to repeat the keywords several times, as they are, in the form of related terms, that is, synonyms or words or expressions that fall within the same semantic field , and long tail .

Keywords should be inserted in the title, in the index, and distributed throughout the article in a strategic and well-balanced manner.

Attract with captivating titles

How to write an effective title when doing Article Marketing? The advice I will give you applies to all content published on the web.

To gain visibility and capture your potential readers, titles are crucial. They must capture the user’s attention , enticing them to click to read your content.

You can opt for clear titles that anticipate the important parts of the article, or captivating and enigmatic titles that arouse curiosity. Alternatively, you can choose ironic, unusual, or impactful titles.

If you discuss a step-by-step procedure in the text, highlight it in the title as I did for this article! If, instead, you provide a solution to a certain need or problem in the article, you can already hint at it in the title.

What I advise you not to do is use misleading titles with false promises, there is nothing worse than not finding confirmation of what was read in the title of the article!

Remember, finally, that the title must be SEO-friendly , so it’s important to include the keyword in it. 

Write quality content

To meet the reader’s search intent, you must provide interesting, but above all relevant and useful information. Only in this way can you become a point of reference and build your online reputation.

To do this, you need to understand what the audience wants and try to respond to the needs of those who will read you. So try to talk about topics that arouse interest and those few or no one has talked about yet.

Providing solutions to questions that have not yet been answered, is there something more attractive? Remember also that Google rewards quality and original content.

Even the user experience must be positive to keep the reader engaged in the article. One piece of advice? Include pleasant images, infographics, and tables .

Engage your readers

Through Article Marketing , you can reach broad audiences. Well-written and, especially, useful content can attract users and connect you with new potential customers.

By listening to your customers’ questions, you can inform them about your products and, why not, convince them if they are in doubt!

This way, you can make them feel close to the company, evoking a sense of belonging.

Relevant content can generate traffic and increase conversion opportunities , that is, obtain leads (users who show interest and have taken action such as filling out a form to subscribe to a newsletter and thus leaving their data).

You can retain customers with an email marketing strategy and engage your audience by offering bonuses such as videos, free resource downloads, participation in webinars, etc.

To reach all those who may be interested in the topic you have addressed, you can also share your article on social media, blogs, and industry portals, being careful to tailor it to the channel and medium, as well as modifying the tone of voice .

Insert quality links

An Article Marketing strategic plan cannot ignore the inclusion of links that lead to internal or external pages of the site.

The key is to select the pages to link , which must be as valuable as possible to transfer value to your article. A good internal linking activity can help enhance and improve the visibility and positioning of the article.

Here are 3 steps for proper organization of internal links in your indexed article:

• Find pages consistent with the content of your article.
• Create internal links using single words or short text portions (of a few words) as anchors.
• Use effective anchors from an SEO standpoint.

Download the free e-book to learn SEO Copywriting techniques and tools!

Publish guest post

The so-called Guest Posting is an activity closely connected with Article Marketing . It involves publishing articles as a guest on an external blog or website.

Thanks to guest posting, you can build new relationships with bloggers and communities , acquire new readers, and, first of all, increase your authority! If the blog is prominent, it will enhance not only your credibility but also your traffic.

The thematic coherence between the theme of the published content and the other blog articles is of fundamental importance. Inherence is always a relevant parameter for Google and positioning.

An effective Guest Posting will then conclude with a call to action , such as a box where readers can leave a comment.

Article Marketing: examples of success

You will find many examples of Article Marketing online. Often companies use this strategy for launching clothing lines, publishing books, or talking about their products.

For example, below are some articles revealing how companies use optimized writing to provide tips, usage guides, and useful content to users and potential customers, advising them on the use of the products sold.

NerdWallet , an American website specializing in personal finance, utilizes educational content covering topics, such as budget management, savings techniques, credit card usage, and student loans.

Their meticulously researched and accessible articles establish them as a reliable source of information in the field.

They offer helpful tools and calculators, attracting a loyal audience who might consider recommended financial products.

BuzzFeed , known for its quirky content, uses informative articles alongside listicles and quizzes. They target social issues, pop culture, and self-improvement topics relevant to their younger audience.

Engaging visuals, humor, and audience participation through comments and social media sharing builds brand loyalty and makes readers receptive to product placements within the articles.

Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic is a well-known medical institution that provides an extensive collection of articles authored by healthcare experts.

They cover several health concerns, treatments, and healthy living practices. The content is trustworthy, regularly updated, and presented clearly .

By establishing themselves as a reliable source, they not only build trust with the public but also potentially drive patients to their healthcare services.

The Venchi article, talks about the pairing of chocolate, the products it sells, and coffee. The user is provided with descriptions of different types of chocolates suggested for tasting with various links to other pages of the website.

The author captures the user’s interest right from the title, chocolate and coffee are an irresistible combination. The guide to proper tasting provides practical suggestions to make it a tasting experience.

Again, in this case, the keyword is well distributed throughout the article, even as a related term. Additionally, there are links to pages of other Venchi products on the site.

Conclusion and free consultation

In this article, I’ve talked about Article Marketing and how it is one of the most effective activities in digital marketing . I’ve shown you the benefits of this web writing strategy and then indicated how to implement it in just 7 steps.

Quality content articles can increase your site’s brand awareness and boost your popularity. The more authoritative the article’s author, the more effective this strategy will be.

If you’re launching a new business, starting a blog, and building your community, or you’re a professional looking to promote your business, Article Marketing is the right tool for you!

Take your content strategy to new heights with article marketing expertise! Contact us now and let’s make waves online!

Hello there! I’m passionate about a variety of interests, including playing badminton, diving into video games, indulging in movies and series, and exploring new destinations while listening to my favorite tunes. I thrive on learning, constantly seeking out new knowledge and experiences. My professional journey started in a call center, but I’ve transitioned into freelancing, dedicating myself to continuous improvement and striving to be the best at what I do.

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What is Article Marketing? The Ultimate Guide & Tips

Are you looking for practical ways to improve your site’s organic search rankings? Then Article Marketing can be of great help to you.

With our Article Marketing tips, you can increase the visibility of your targeted keywords, attract more inbound links, optimize traffic for long-tail keywords, make your site more searchable, increase awareness, generate leads, and conversions. According to Aberdeen conversion rates are nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters ( 2.9% vs 0.5% ).

Does this sound useful for your site?

Yes, it does! And in this article, we will delve deeper into the world of article marketing to understand how it can help your site achieve an optimal presence on search engine results pages.

So, let’s get started!

What is Article Marketing ?

Have you ever wondered how the articles you read on the Internet, for example about cars, or how reviews of a phone you are about to buy, reach you?

Well, these articles are sold with proper strategic planning, so that they reach you or, more simply, engage the audience.

This entire process or campaign of planning and presenting articles to an audience is known as article marketing .

While it sounds pretty smooth and straightforward to make articles available to your audience, the reality is the opposite. On the inside, the process requires a lot of hard work, management, and preparation before it goes viral.

Article Marketing is the process of creating articles for the general public.

Let’s now dive deeper into article marketing and understand what goals are achieved with well-planned article marketing campaigns.

Article marketing campaign goals

As stated above, the main goal of article marketing is to attract new audiences.

Apart from this, another goal is to increase the number of leads and increase the sales of the products or services offered by a site.

It is very important to have great and useful content to maintain the audience on the site and stabilize the performance.

Here, you need to think: what is the use of increasing traffic?

The answer to this question is that as traffic to a web page increases, the page rank on search engines improves. Thus, more people will see the site on their search engines due to the increased demand.

How to Do Article Marketing (in 6 Steps)

1. Identify your market niche. Your niche will determine the type of articles you write since all articles you publish as part of your marketing strategy should testify to your experience and inspire Internet users interested in your particular product, service, or topic to visit your site. For example, if your website is a cryptocurrency blog , all your articles should be relevant to this topic.

2. Choose article titles. The headlines you use are extremely important when it comes to attracting viewers and improving your search engine optimization (SEO), so you should exercise caution when choosing them. There are several factors that go into creating strong SEO-optimized headlines:

• Headings should be as short and concise as possible and accurately reflect the information that can be found in the article. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a catchy headline to get attention if the content of the article doesn’t match.
• To incorporate SEO into your article marketing strategy: research keywords to select headlines that web users are likely to search for (high search volume) and have low competition.
• Place keywords at the beginning of your headlines, not at the end. For example, an article titled “5 Fun Ways to Teach a Crocodile to Sing” would be more aptly titled “Teach a Crocodile to Sing: 5 Fun Ways.”
• Find ideas for marketing article headlines from a variety of sources. In addition to keyword research, you can find headline ideas by searching related blogs, using customer FAQs, and searching the web for your keywords, articles, and/or blogs.

3. Write quality articles . Your article marketing will be as effective as the articles themselves because low-quality articles are less likely to grab attention and lead visitors to your site:

• When writing articles, forget about the correct “writing” that you learned in school. Big chunks of content will scare your readers. Write your content as if you were talking to a friend. The more interesting your content is, the more visitors and sales it will bring.
• If the publisher allows you to link to your own website in an article, body copy is a great place to insert backlinks from marketing articles.
• Articles should have between 250 and 500 words. Research shows that most Internet users are less likely to read articles for longer than this period.
• End your articles with a short (2-3 sentences) author bio containing a link to your site. This part is essential for generating article backlinks that can improve your site’s SEO. Depending on the publisher, your bio may appear at the end of an article on a web page or in the “resource box” area.

Here is an example of how we insert a link to our website in the author bio while performing guest posting for one of our clients: 

4. Share your articles on social media. Also, place social media post buttons on all of your web pages so that others can share your articles.

5. Submit articles to article directories. Search online article directories to find sites that will accept and publish your articles. Include both niche and general terms in your searches to find many suitable sites to submit.

Spin or rewrite your articles if you plan to publish them on multiple sites. Search engines may not rank high for duplicate content, so you must redo each article before publishing it in multiple sources on the Internet. By doing this, you will get traffic to your website: With the links you are allowed to include in your articles and the fields with your author’s bio, you have created a doorway for readers who can click on links to go to your website. When styled in an interesting way, these links will lead readers to your website, especially when website owners choose your articles to post on their own website and repost all over the Internet.

6. Write guest posts for blogs. Find blogs relevant to your niche and ask them whether they accept guest posts. When you find blogs that want to introduce you as a guest writer, submit high-quality articles with your bio and link.

Pros of Article Marketing

The main benefit of online article marketing is that it helps you effectively improve your organic search results. Here are the ways how it is done:

• Article marketing specifically emphasizes key phrases that are of great importance and improve its visibility.
• Article marketing not only attracts audiences based on targeted keywords but even gathers audiences for other keywords.
• One of his main tasks is to build a reputation through promotion and awareness-raising.
• This helps to give the site a unique look and feel and makes it user-friendly.
• It even attracts more audiences by driving inbound links to the site.

Article Marketing Summing Up!

Article Marketing is a form of marketing in which articles are strategically placed on the Internet to promote a specific website. The idea is to generate interest in your site, build trust as an expert in your niche, and create backlinks to your site that will improve its search engine rankings. The advantage of article marketing is that it’s relatively easy to implement and doesn’t require any costs.

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Guide: How to write a blog post?

“Content is King”.

Bill Gates popularized that saying in 1996. Back then he said that “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet”.

Morvan Carrier

Acquisition Strategist & Co-Founder

1996, you think that’s when Content Marketing was born? Think again, the first successful example experts like to point to, dates from the late 1890s! If you are interested in the origins of Content Marketing you should read about John Deere and his news magazine called The Furrow.

When you are looking to actively grow your business, and you are leveraging the 3 pillars of Growth , the Client Acquisition pillar usually requires the most resources. Why? Because nowadays there are so many ways to get new clients for your products or services. Most importantly there are 2 main approaches businesses can use Inbound and Outbound.

This article is all about the key component to a good Inbound Strategy: Content Marketing.

You are reading this article because you understand that you need to provide value to your audience with your marketing efforts.

Inbound Marketing is a great complement to business development and cold outreach. These are “Push” methods where you are pushing your solution to targets you’ve identified. Inbound marketing is a “Pull” strategy. You are convincing leads that your solution fit their need by educating them and demonstrating your expertise in an organic manner.

So, if Content is King, how do you become the best at Content Creation? Creating great content is easier said than done, You might have the Blank Page Syndrome, or maybe you are not confident in your writing skills.

Anytime you start something new, it can be quite daunting, but don’t worry we are here to help!

That’s why we wrote this article, to provide you an ultimate step-by-step guide on how to create good content that will drive results.

Create a relevant content marketing strategy

Do not create content just for the sake of creating content. It’s not worth it, the internet is crowded with billions of blog articles from millions of websites. If you want your content to have a chance of being read, you have to stand out and create content that provide value to your audience. In the end your ability to succeed depends on the quality of your content strategy.

You have to be methodical in your work and proceed step by step: define your target audience, find topics that interests them and the type of content most likely to get their attention.

Develop personas: the foundation of a good strategy!

The first step of developing a successful content marketing strategy is to clearly outline the goal of the content you are planning to write. And it all starts with this question: Who is it for?

You don’t get to choose what is relevant to your target audience and you can’t focus on what you want to write about. You must put yourself in your target’s shoes to understand its context. Think about your target’s needs & motivations.

Persona Development enables you to better understand your target. Who is your target? What are their needs, concerns and pain points?

Leverage these Personas to get precise content ideas, and to design the right kind of content for your audience.

If you haven’t worked on your personas yet, or if you want to go deeper into the subject, I recommend you to consult our guide.

Let me show you what I mean, let’s take an example:

Case Study for a Sales Training Consultant

Picture this, you are a Sales Training Consultant. You are looking to get more clients and you would like to showcase your expertise online. You just created a blog for your company, now you “just” have to fill your blog with awesome articles! What should you do?

First answer this question: who are you writing these articles for?

Salespersons, Sales Managers and Training Managers.

That’s 3 Personas, with their different Motivations & Needs you should explore. A good piece of content is precise and tailored to a Persona.

Let’s say that you choose to write an article that is specifically for salespersons. Answer the following questions:

What drives him/her?

• Meeting & Exceeding Sales Goals
• Finding New Leads
• Converting Opportunities at a better rate
• Becoming Manager

Now dig deeper into these motivations and explore what your target may be thinking.

How can I achieve my sales goals? How can I increase my conversion rate? How can I prospect better? How can I find new leads? How can I get promoted?

There are many topics you can find that relate to these questions. Pick the ones that seem the most relevant to you and that you genuinely believe will help your readers.

You don’t have to be creative to find topics. You just need to be empathetic towards your target audience and focus on the issues they face.

Find the right Keywords for your article

Ok, now let’s assume you have a few topics you’d like to write about. Before you start writing away you should do more research. Why? Because this first step was all about your assumptions, now you need to confront these assumptions to real world data and figure out what really matters to your target audience.

The point of this step is to find the exact queries your persona type on search engines.

Here are some free tools you can use to find these queries:

Answer The Public: this tool provides you all the queries made by Internet users related to a keyword of your choice.

Ubersuggest : this tool gives you all the keywords and groups of words related to your topic as well as the most frequently used queries in Search Engines.

Google’s Suggestions: Google automatically suggests queries best on the first words you type. These suggestions are based on what is most frequently searched by users.

Let’s go back to our example. You are a Sales Training Consultant, and you decided to write an article for salespeople. You decided to write this article on the topic of “How to prospect better?”

Answer The Public gives you the following queries about prospecting.

By carefully observing this screenshot (which only shows a section of the tool’s results), we can see that Internet users have very specific queries on the subject of prospecting.

Ubersuggest lists all the keyword ideas related to prospecting to complete your starting topic.

Example: “How to improve your prospecting” would become “How to improve your telephone prospecting”. Your topic is much more precise.

Related searches suggested by google will give you other approaches to your topic. They will also allow you to identify other concerns of your persona that you hadn’t thought of.

Take advantage of this search phase to identify the contents present on the first page on search engines.

This is an opportunity to observe what is being said about your topic and the issues that emerge.

Think about it this way. We are all fighting to get a better ranking on Google. Since these topics are relevant to you, chances are you want to rank high on these searches. To do that the Google Algorithm needs to rate your article better than these ones. In a nutshell you need to view these pages as your competition, these are the articles you need to beat!

Article, Podcast, Video ... Which format to choose for your content marketing?

Choosing the type of content marketing is an important step. Just like your subject, it must be adapted to your target.

Once again, you will call upon your persona and study your target:

• What is his typical day
• What type of content do they usually consume?
• At what time of day?
• On what media(s)? Why ?

After answering these questions, you will be able to choose the right media for your content.

Take into account that the creation of content is not limited to a blog article. Depending on your persona you can create content such as podcasts, videos, white papers or even computer graphics. Each of these types of content have their own strengths and weaknesses. Bear in mind that even though some the thought process may be similar, blogging and video marketing require different skill sets to be successful.

Let’s go back to our example:

What's his typical day?

A salesperson’s day is divided between prospecting and customer appointments. He will start by taking stock of his appointments for the day, and prepare a list of people he will contact to obtain an appointment. He will go to his CRM to track current opportunities and analyze his key prospecting statistics. He will have a short coffee break at 10:30 am before taking a quick lunch break and will leave on an afternoon where he will make a series of appointments, prospect follow-ups and cold calls to obtain physical appointments.

What comes out of his typical day:

Apart from the lunch break, he doesn’t necessarily have time to read a blog article (as long as this one for example 🙄) during his working hours.

He has very little time, so what kind of content will you offer him?

Podcasts or video content.

Your sales representative can watch your video during his lunch break or simply listen to your podcast between tasks or on his way to his next customer appointment. By consuming your content in these formats, he will save time and will be able to consume it in all circumstances.

By choosing the right type of content, you will gain relevance to your audience. Don’t neglect this step because it can allow your content to make a difference to your target audience.

How to write high-performing articles

It’s time to move on to the operational phase 😨.

In this part, I focused on writing a blog article. A written article is a good base to get you started in content marketing and requires less tools to be well done. Still, many of the following tips apply to ALL content formats.

Let’s see together how to do it right!

The state of mind of content marketing

What is high-performance content.

Little pre-requisite required. What is high-performance content? It sounds like a basic question, but how will you evaluate the impact of an article if you have not previously defined what is its performance?

There are a lot of metrics (KPIs) to follow, but none of them are exhaustive and it is impossible to universally decree whether a given number is good or not. It’s very relative and it won’t help you in your current approach to creating an article.

On the other hand, there is one absolutely universal thing that will allow you to say whether you are on the right track. It’s not a question of traffic, it’s not a question of number of leads, it’s not a question of sharing. Did your reader find what they were looking for when they read your article?

Whether you have one reader, 10 readers, 1,000,000 readers… The only thing that matters is whether you helped your readers. The rest is just a matter of leverage. You can use all the growth hacking techniques in the world, it would have no impact if your article doesn’t bring anything.

Focus on the User Experience of your readers in everything that you do.

Hence the importance of feedback. Take into account the feedback from your target and improve your articles accordingly.

Ban Self-promotion from your content

Forget self-promotion, it’s never been appreciated!

There was a time when it brought results, but customers have changed and they have evolved, as has their buying journey.

By practicing self-promotion you will :

• Don’t go meeting the needs of your people.
• Will not bring value to the reader of your content
• You’re going to discredit your offer and put the reader on the defensive.

Especially since it would be counterproductive, good content that helps your clients will promote your expertise better than you would with the best advertising agencies in the world.

The best content you will write

Gone are the days when you could content yourself with a 300-word blog post, 150 of which were presenting your offer.

Nowadays the amount of content available on the internet is huge.

Some people see it as a discouragement whereas it is an opportunity. Most of the content remains of poor quality. You can and must do better than the existing content. Your expertise will only appear greater and you will be the champion of your readers.

So for every article you write, I want you to strive for excellence. You must want to create the best content available for your target audience on the topic chosen at the time of publication.

Maintain this mindset and you will soon drown in leads!

Do your homework, Get your facts straight!

During this documentation phase you can get overwhelmed by the amount of information you will find. Too much information can quickly lead to confusion or easily lead you to irrelevant information. Proceed step by step and don’t lose the focus of your content:

Step 1: Review existing content

In the first step, you have listed a set of queries related to the problems of your targets. Type them on your search engine and study the best articles returned by it.

Limit yourself to the first 3-4 results of your search engine. Don’t get lost on the sites on the second and third pages. The idea is to reference the best content available on the subject.

This allows you to define the target to shoot 💪! Your goal: to surpass them.

Step 2: Take Notes

Whatever your media (books, blog articles, videos, podcasts…), take notes of the information that interests you.

Don’t hesitate to reconstruct the outline of certain articles and summarize the main ideas of each part. This will give you a clearer vision and inspiration.

It will also help you to better structure your own ideas when writing your content.

Step 3: Sort through your information

Make sure you sort through this extra information! Keep only the information that is relevant to your topic. Some information may be off-topic, or may not add any value to your content. The personas of the authors may not be yours.

Also, don’t make a simple summary. These articles may be the best, but that’s not necessarily why they cover all the topics and hold the absolute truth.

Write your article like a pro!

This is the stage where you turn to your inner Shakespeare to write beautiful articles.

Make a detailed plan of your blog post

The task may seem academic but there is no good content without structure!

The structure of your content will allow you to keep a good thread and to be able to animate your writing. Your ideas will flow more easily and your content will become more relevant.

In addition, you will make your reader’s reading more comfortable and more rhythmic. Search engines, on the other hand, love content with a very detailed structure! Don’t forget that Google has an absolute love for title tags (Hn).

How do you go about it? Nothing could be simpler!

Start from the problems of your target and get the big ideas. Take your big parts and flesh them out with the intermediate ideas.

Let's take the example of this article:

I want to help my readers to start writing their first content. I’ve done my homework and identified three main topics to address:

Then if we take the example of the first part, at the end of my research work I defined a set of ideas that I wanted to address in Part I: Content Strategy.

I then grouped these ideas into sub-sections and gathered my ideas for each of them.

And so on for each section and subsection.

You’ll see it’s simpler than it looks!

The detailed plan gives you an overview of your future content and it will make your writing easier.

Bring your marketing content to life: use storytelling

Nobody likes monotonous and emotionless articles: they are boring to write and even more boring to read. Your readers don’t like it, you write for them, so don’t do that. When you’re about to move on to writing your content, use storytelling.

The purpose of storytelling is to capture attention and get a message across to your target audience by arousing emotion. You will give life to your content by bringing rhythm and emotion to it. The practice of storytelling requires a good knowledge of its target and training. Your personas will once again play a key role.

During their elaboration, you have identified different elements: their centres of interest, their points of pain, their brakes, their typical day… Take all these elements and ask yourself the following questions: What vocabulary will my target audience be sensitive to? What tone should I use?

By asking yourself these questions you will be able to tell a story that will echo the life of your target. It will project itself into your story and better appropriate the message.

The trick? Imagine yourself talking to this person and writing. We are often much more comfortable with storytelling by talking than by writing. The more articles you write, the easier it will become.

Take the opportunity to affirm the personality and state of mind that is within your company.

Write a first draft of your article

Follow your plan and write! Keep your persona in mind throughout your writing. Your content must be concrete and meet their needs. The aim of each line is to make the reader want to read the next line. Don’t be afraid to do wrong at first, write, write and write.

Once you have written the first draft of your article, read it again!

Make sure that you were straight to the point and that you communicated in a clear and efficient way.

Submit your article for feedback

Submit your article to a few people to get an outside point of view and highlight areas for improvement. It will be more relevant to submit it to someone who is part of your target audience. If you’ve met his or her need, you’ve achieved your goal!

If you don’t have anyone from your target, submit it to a third party anyway. Don’t be afraid, feedback will help you improve and most people are happy to help when asked nicely. 😉

Based on the feedback, make the necessary changes to improve your article! If there are inconsistencies in parts or a bad paragraph, delete and rewrite.

Don’t take any criticism too seriously, the point is to improve your skills. Only by practicing can you improve your style and, above all, become more effective at writing. 💪

Content optimization for your readers ... and for Google.

In this optimization step, you will work on your content so that it meets search engine requirements and allows your target audience to find your content.

Good titles for SEO

During the definition of your personas and your research phase, you were able to list the concerns and identify the keywords to use. Take this information back and modify the titles and subtitles of your content!

Don’t hesitate to use again Answer The Public , Ubersuggest and Google’s suggestions for your optimization. If you see that you can’t change a title, don’t force it. Your article is good above all if it pleases the reader, search engines will not read it like a human!

Above all, don’t fall into the trap of filling your content with these keywords thinking of further optimizing your content. Your reader will notice it and your content will be less attractive. Stuffing keywords for Google does not guarantee that your content will be more visible to your target, but above all it may affect its quality and therefore its ability to generate leads!

Add visuals to your articles

Take your article back, read it carefully and only add visuals if they add value to your article and your reader.

Adding visuals to your article will boost your SEO. All you have to do is enter the keyword associated with your subject by entering the < alt > tag in your images. Moreover, you will make your reader’s reading more pleasant and you will help him/her to memorize it. As an example, I invite you to read our article on “How to be successful at B2B Sales Prospecting”.

Share your articles!

Don’t neglect your communication if you want to attract leads.

Just like your content creation, you will proceed step by step.

Step 1: Choose your communication channels

Depending on the profile of your target, the channel used to communicate will not be the same. Your personas will help you choose the most relevant channels to communicate. As a last example, let’s take our sales training consultant who writes an article for sales people:

As we said before, he has very little time during the day and consumes content quickly. So he is not going to take the time to go on social networks except for Linkedin to do social selling. Moreover, he consults his emails very regularly. You have just written an article on new prospecting methods.

How will you communicate your article to this persona?

Simply by sending him the article via a newsletter or writing a post on Linkedin. Don’t hesitate to use your customers’ data to reach your targets to push your content further.

Step 2: Write your post

Everything should be carefully thought out : from the catchphrase, to the core of the post and of course the ending. You have to make your target audience on your post want to know more and consult your content.

Explain in your post what your article will bring them.

Step 3: Choose the right timing

Once again you need to ask yourself the right questions: what time is my target available? What is the best day to publish? For example, salespeople often prospect on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. And today linkedin is a good prospecting tool, they will probably be on Linkedin on Tuesday and Thursday on the 11am shots.

Out of all the forms of marketing that are out there, content marketing is definitely the most rewarding for you and your audience because it is engaging, valuable and builds brand loyalty.

Yes, it will really bring you customers and meaningful conversations, content marketing efforts truly help generate brand awareness. It can happen very quickly even after your first article if you do it right and share it to the right audience!

Frequently Asked Questions about writing blog posts

🤔 how to start writing a blog post.

Before you start writing a blog post, you need to prepare a strategy by working on your personas to create posts that will interest them. From these ideas, you identify the right keywords for your article as well as the most relevant format.

🤓 How to write a blog post?

You must write your article in a logic of value creation for the reader, it is not a question of self-promotion. The prerequisite before starting to write is to document yourself and write a detailed plan for your article.

🤩 How to optimize your blog post?

Optimizing your article will make it possible to work on the content in order to meet the requirements of natural referencing so that your target finds the article you have written. In particular, you will review your titles and your visuals.

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Elite Editing

You write it. We right it.™

How to Write a Great Article in Six Easy Steps

Whether you’re an experienced writer or just starting out in content marketing, there are tried-and-true techniques for crafting compelling and effective pieces of writing that can truly engage readers . With just six simple steps, you can produce top-notch articles that not only get clicks but keep readers coming back for more! So let’s get started on your path towards becoming a master article writer.

Brainstorm your topic, angle, and headline

As a professional, you know the importance of great ideas. With a little bit of creativity and strategic thinking, you can come up with a topic, angle, and headline that will catch people’s attention. So put on your thinking cap, grab a pen and paper, and see where your imagination takes you.

Research the topic to get your facts straight

When it comes to researching a topic, reliable sources are crucial to ensuring the accuracy of the information. Whether you are a writer or simply a curious individual, conducting thorough research can give you a deeper understanding of a subject and help you make informed decisions. So don’t be afraid to dive in and start exploring the world of reliable research.

Outline your article to create an organized structure

Organizing an article can be a daunting task, but fear not! A structured outline is the answer to achieving a well-written and thought-provoking piece. It’s essential to start with an introduction that captivates the reader’s interest, followed by subheadings to divide the content into manageable sections. The article’s main idea should be articulated in the body with supporting evidence and an accurate conclusion. Don’t forget to revise and edit to ensure a polished final product. Implementing a well-organized outline will provide guidance and structure to your writing, making the process smoother, and the product more engaging for your audience.

Write the draft with an engaging narrative using strong vocabulary

Crafting a draft requires a combination of skill and creativity. It is where the magic happens, where ideas come alive and take shape. When putting words to paper, it is important to use strong vocabulary that showcases your expertise and knowledge. A clever narrative can capture the attention of your reader and keep them hooked until the very end. By carefully selecting your words, you can create an engaging piece that is both enjoyable to read and informative.

Edit your article to refine language, correct errors in grammar and spelling

You could have the most groundbreaking idea in the world, but if your language is sloppy or your grammar is faulty, your message will fall flat. Fortunately, editing is a powerful tool to refine your message and put your best foot forward. By carefully reviewing every sentence, phrase, and word, you can weed out errors and fine-tune your language until it sparkles. Editing isn’t just about catching mistakes, though— it’s about polishing your message so that it shines like a diamond.

Publish and promote! Post your work on social media and other forums to boost readership

Whether you are writing blog posts, creating videos, or podcasting, people have short attention spans , so it’s important to advertise in a way that stands out and grabs people’s attention. Especially since this often requires creating consistent content, it can be helpful to have a guide on hand so you can develop an effective promotion strategy that works for you. Ask friends or colleagues for advice or research online for helpful tips about how to promote your work on social media and other forums. Once you find an approach that suits you and your content, the readership should start coming in.

Brainstorm your ideas and make sure to research your topic thoroughly. Once you have an outline for your article, start drafting and find your own distinct voice. Finally, be sure to go through several rounds of edits before publishing—this could make all the difference between an average or incredible blog post. Additionally, don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back after you finish. Writing can be difficult work and it deserves appreciation! And if you need help along the way from experienced ghostwriters or editors, contact Elite Editing and feel confident knowing they can guide you toward crafting amazing content.

Other Resources You Might Like

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Mastering the Art of Persuasive White Papers

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The 20 Best Marketing Articles of All Time, According to HubSpot's Marketing Team

Published: March 15, 2021

One of the best ways to tell if a show or movie is worthwhile is if people never get tired of re-watching it. Whether it's the hit television show Friends or the classic movie Forrest Gump , most people never turn down an opportunity to watch Ross pivot his couch or witness Forrest develop into a ping pong celebrity — even if they've already watched it 27 times.

Content marketing is in its infancy compared to television and film, but some of the best writers and publications in our industry have already crafted articles that we revere as the Friends or Forrest Gump of the space.

To pinpoint some of these articles and share them with you, I asked nine marketers at HubSpot what their favorite marketing article is and why. Check out the ones they read on repeat.

To pinpoint some of these articles and share them with you, I asked a few marketers at HubSpot what their favorite marketing article is and why. Check out the ones they read on repeat, plus a few articles that HubSpot’s marketing, content, and blog teams refer to time and again.

1. What Creativity Looks Like in Marketing Today | Harvard Business Review

Recommended By: Caroline Forsey , Editor at HubSpot, Marketing Blog

Why She Loves It:

“It’s tricky to choose a single marketing article as my favorite, but the one that has had a lasting impression on me is HBR’s ‘What Creativity in Marketing Looks Like Today’. Mark Bonchek and Cara France do a great job distilling the wisdom of senior marketing executives from dozens of top brands, varying from Old Navy to OpenTable. One of my favorite lines is this one — ‘People are the new channel. The way to amplify impact is by inspiring creativity in others’. Ultimately, I’m a fan of anything HBR, and this piece in particular is a good one to check out if you want to learn more about what top brands are doing to stand out in the industry today.”

2. We Analyzed 11.8 Million Google Search Results. Here’s What We Learned About SEO | Backlinko

Recommended By: the HubSpot SEO Team

Why They Love It:

“Part original data and part SEO guide, this is one of Brian Dean’s best articles. The algorithm has changed since its publication, but this article helps new marketers understand how SEO works and why. It’s a how-to guide on SEO, only without the how-to in the title, with data that supports each component of an SEO strategy. We love this article because it reminds us that while the Google algorithm changes every day, one factor never changes: search engine optimization must be human-first above all else.”

3. SEO Is Back. Thank God. | New York Magazine - Intelligencer

Recommended By: Braden Becker , Senior SEO Strategist at HubSpot

Why He Loves It:

“This article took a brilliant position on search engine optimization (SEO) and how search engines have stood the test of time as new channels break into a marketer's arsenal. Lots of articles assert the importance of SEO, but few of them consider the implications sites like Google have on how the public finds, consumes, and expects to see information online. The piece boldly defends the positive role ranking algorithms play in an industry that is often saturated with manipulation and clickbait. It's something both consumers and marketers can learn from, and I gained a ton of respect for New York Magazine after reading this.”

4. How Google Analytics Ruined Marketing | TechCrunch

Recommended By: the HubSpot Blog Team

“In our field, we tend to uphold data above emotional appeal, relatability, and empathy (well, maybe those are all the same thing). As a result, marketing has become less and less human. This article is one of our favorites because it takes us back to the roots of marketing and tells us why it’s critical to take a holistic look at a brand’s performance across different channels. Most important, creativity reigns over numbers and hard data. People will remember a creative, targeted campaign that appeared once more than they’ll remember — and like — a spam-like campaign that appears everywhere.”

5. How to Create 10x Content | Moz

Recommended By: Amanda Sellers , Marketing Manager at HubSpot, Historical Optimization

“This is a content marketing classic — probably the first post you’ll ever read as a content marketing professional. If you’re familiar with Moz at all, you’ve likely watched one of its whiteboard Fridays. Rand Fishkin’s guide for creating what he calls ‘10X content’ came about after the rise of the ‘Content is king’ industry adage. Even years after its initial publication, this guide will tell you how you can write strong, authoritative content that will draw in more readers and improve in rankings as a result.”

6. ‘We want these platforms to be healthy’: Why top marketers won’t quit Facebook | Digiday

Recommended By: Amanda Zantal-Wiener , Senior Content Strategist at HubSpot

"This is an oldie but a goodie — still relevant years after it was written, especially as we continue to be wary toward Facebook. As someone who lives a 'double life' as a marketer and a tech writer, I found this article both intriguing and valuable. It explores Facebook's rocky year from an interesting lens: one that's of interest to those who live in the trenches of the tech industry and those who cover it alike. I studied and reported on the consumer sentiment toward and use of Facebook, despite these events. But it's important to ask an audience of marketers and growth companies the same questions. This article does a great job of that."

7. Marketing in the Age of Resistance | Harvard Business Review

Recommended By: the entire HubSpot Marketing Team

Why We Love It:

“‘Being about it instead of just talking about it’ is a huge priority not just for the marketing team, but for HubSpot as a whole. We love this article because it tells us that our blog, advertising, and website campaigns don’t exist in a vacuum that’s separate from societal injustices. In our team, we often begin with representation — but that’s only the precursor to more institutional and large-scale change within our organization. Marketing teams everywhere will benefit from saving and rereading this article.”

8. How to Become a Customer Acquisition Expert | Brian Balfour

Recommended By: Christina Perricone , Content Marketing Manager at HubSpot, Pillar and Acquisition

“Marketing has expanded into a field with countless designations — simply calling yourself a marketer is no longer a sufficient response to the question, ‘What do you do?’ Balfour explains how to build yourself into an indispensable, T-shaped marketer by layering your skills as you progress. This evergreen piece teaches us that marketers are experimenters, risk takers, and problem solvers, proving that nearly anyone has the propensity to be successful in this field if they have the patience to build and stick to a plan. It's a gem for any marketer who is struggling to determine their path.”

9. 7 Ancient Archetypes Your Brand Storytelling Should Use | Content Marketing Institute

“Writing a blog post is like writing a short story. The introduction is the exposition, the bulk of the post is the rising action, and the conclusion is the denouement. Seems pretty straightforward, right? But without establishing emotional stakes and placing your reader as the hero, you risk your messaging falling flat. We love this post because it’s like a condensed version of Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand. Easy to refer to as we write posts.”

10. An Incomplete Guide to Inclusive Language for Startups and Tech | Buffer

Recommended By: Karla Cook , Team Senior Manager at HubSpot, All Blogs

“This article is a must-read for anyone who creates content. It’s a reminder that the seemingly inconsequential choices we make about language on a daily basis actually hold a lot of power. Creating content with inclusive language in mind can seem tricky or even silly to some (especially when the word choices seem minor), but this article poses the question: why not just try?”

11. Why Be Everywhere is Bad Advice | Racheal Cook

Recommended By: the HubSpot Sales Blog Team

“Being everywhere and being in front of everyone is very, very bad marketing and sales advice. We have no idea how this became such an accepted stance in the industry. This blog post is a great guide for both marketers and budding entrepreneurs on how to hone messaging so that it appeals to the one buyer who’ll actually buy, use, and appreciate your product. It’s especially useful to content writers, too. Our pieces don’t have to be everywhere. Simply in the right place at the right time. ”

12. Why Marketing Analytics Hasn’t Lived Up to Its Promise | Harvard Business Review

Recommended By: Josh Chang , Manager at HubSpot, Acquisition Analytics

“I love this article because while everyone knows marketing analytics is important, it’s challenging to do marketing analytics right so that it has a significant impact on the overall business. Many companies suffer from having too much data and not knowing what to do with it. But if you have the right data, systems, processes, and people in place, you can better ensure that marketing analytics isn’t wasted and has a tangible and positive impact.”

13. How Redesigning HubSpot's Website Doubled Conversion Rates | HubSpot

Recommended By: the HubSpot Website Blog Team

“‘Not another HubSpot plug,’ you might say, but this post is one of our best ones — we constantly refer to it to remind ourselves how small changes can create a lasting impact. You can see, process-by-process, how the new website came about. Written in a case study format, this article is a great primer for marketing teams everywhere on how and why they should consider a website redesign and what to take into consideration. While the post was published a few years ago, its relevance stays high.”

14. 4 Lessons We’ve Learned, Sometimes the Hard Way, About Inclusive Marketing | Think With Google

Recommended By: Sammi Kim , Marketing Manager at HubSpot, HubSpot Research

“Written by the SVP of Global Marketing at Google, this article speaks to the importance of inclusive marketing. I was impressed by how the first lesson was that the diversity among marketers at Google directly impacted their marketing campaigns. And based on the article’s third lesson on the importance of excluding stereotypes from marketing campaigns, I strongly believe that having diverse marketing teams will help run more nuanced, empathetic campaigns.”

15. 20 Types of Evergreen Content that Produce Lasting Results for Your Business | Copyblogger

“Most, if not all, blog posts should try to be evergreen. We took ideas from this article and continue to take ideas as we create an editorial calendar each quarter. Though published a few years ago, this article is still highly relevant and useful. Numbered lists, how-to lists, and original research will always do well. This article has never failed us and it should be in every content marketer’s arsenal.”

16. Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company | Medium - Startups

Recommended By: Nate Medina , Product Marketing Manager at HubSpot

“I love this article because it tells the intimate story of a founder who had ambitious dreams, but ultimately, his plans didn't pan out the way he expected. In the pursuit of trying to create a billion dollar company, however, he learned that success isn't just about money. It’s about creating something you’re truly interested in rather than something that you chase revenue with.”

17. How We Used the Pillar-Cluster Model to Transform Our Blog | HubSpot Marketing Blog

Recommended By: Basha Coleman , Marketing Manager at HubSpot, Historical Optimization

“This article is a stellar introduction to a new and improved way of doing content marketing — not just on blogs, but on websites as well. Before the pillar-cluster model, we truly built blogs like a tree, with a multitude of branches that didn’t interconnect. Relevance, authority, and organic traffic all suffered. But the pillar-cluster model changed everything, and we swear by it to this day. Our team constantly refers to the establishment of the pillar-cluster model as the turning point for the HubSpot blogs.”

18. What I Learned From Developing Branding for Airbnb, Dropbox and Thumbtack | FirstRound

Recommended By: the HubSpot Content Team

“We love this article because it gives us a close look at how some of the world’s best-loved brands become so well-loved. This post is part original think piece and part how-to guide. While none of us work in brand management directly, we come back to this article again and again for its helpful insight on how we can play a part in making HubSpot a better brand. All marketers would benefit from alluding to this article again and again during their campaigns and positioning efforts.”

19. Will Marketers Return to Offices in 2021? What Companies Need to Know | HubSpot Marketing Blog

Recommended By: Ivelisse Rodriguez , Associate Marketing Manager at HubSpot, Historical Optimization

“This article takes everything that happened in 2020 and turns it into actionable feedback that marketing leaders can use to manage their new hybrid workforce. The trends and data indicate that remote work is here to stay — and while some companies may resist it, they may sacrifice their marketers in doing so. In an industry that’s always changing, adaptability is key and will continue to be key in 2021 and beyond. I love that this post drives that point home for marketing teams and leaders.”

20. The Strange Thing That Happens In Your Brain When You Hear a Good Story — And How to Use It to Your Advantage | HubSpot Marketing Blog

“Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, marketing executives at Contently , wrote a book called The Storytelling Edge . They promoted it by releasing one of the book’s chapters on our marketing blog. This is one of our favorite marketing articles because it uses neuroscience to prove that storytelling is much more than a trendy buzzword. In their excerpt, Joe and Shane weave in compelling psychological and neurological evidence into a narrative about how storytelling is the best way to capture people’s attention, bake information into their brains, and forge close, personal bonds. And in an industry where 5% of branded content attracts 95% of attention , their article makes you realize that content marketers can’t just write listicles and ultimate guides anymore. We must tell gripping stories.”

Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Marketing Ideas: How to Write Research Articles that Readers Understand and Cite

JM Insights in the Classroom

Teaching insight :.

Scholars market their ideas with writing, yet academic writing is notoriously difficult to understand. Why do scholars write unclearly, and how can they write in a way that better connects with readers? Our slides explain that scholars write unclearly in part because they forget that they know more about their research than readers, a phenomenon called “the curse of knowledge.” Knowledge, or familiarity with their own research, prompts scholars to use three practices that make their writing difficult to understand: abstraction, technical language, and passive writing. By knowing how and when to use abstraction, technical, and passive writing, scholars can market their research so that it is more likely to make an impact.

Access Classroom Lecture Slides

Related Marketing Courses : ​ Marketing Communications; Marketing Research

Full Citation : ​ Warren, Nooshin L., Matthew Farmer, Tianyu Gu, Caleb Warren (2021), “Marketing Ideas: How to Write Research Articles that Readers Understand and Cite,” Journal of Marketing .

Article Abstract :  Academia is a marketplace of ideas. Just as firms market their products with packaging and advertising, scholars market their ideas with writing. Even the best ideas will make an impact only if others understand and build upon them. Why, then, is academic writing often difficult to understand? By conducting two experiments and analyzing the text of 1640 articles in premier marketing journals, we show that scholars write unclearly in part because they forget that they know more about their research than readers, a phenomenon called “the curse of knowledge.” Knowledge, or familiarity with one’s own research, exacerbates three practices that make academic writing difficult to understand: abstraction, technical language, and passive writing. When marketing scholars know more about a research project, they use more abstract, technical, and passive writing to describe it. Articles with more abstract, technical, and passive writing are harder for readers to understand and are less likely to be cited. We call for scholars to overcome the curse of knowledge and provide two tools — a website (writingclaritycalculator.com) and a tutorial — to help them recognize and repair unclear writing so they can write articles that are more likely to make an impact

Special thanks to Holly Howe (Ph.D. candidate at Duke University) and Demi Oba (Ph.D. candidate at Duke University), for their support in working with authors on submissions to this program. 

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Article Marketing: How to Write Instructive and Effective Articles

Article marketing is one type of internet advertising that has proven to be both instructive and effective.

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” Andrew Davis

Written by Adama Diop

I read a lot. If I am not on Medium, I am on Quora feeding my hungry brains. Brains get hungry too. Personal development, business, and finance get me high.

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Articles Library

• Jan 26, 2019

How to Write an Effective Marketing Article

Updated: May 4, 2020

Getting the Most from Your Article Marketing Efforts

BY L ISA WILLARD

Article writing is one of the most effective marketing strategies for a home business. Providing content for other websites or even print media gets your business information a wide distribution. 

It's Free 

Website owners and online media are desperate for content and are willing to post your unique, quality-written, relevant article on their sites.

It Gets You in Front of Other Businesses' Markets

Having your content appear on other websites gets new eyes on your business.

It Builds Credibility

Having your material show up on other owners' sites suggests that you're an expert.

You Might Get Paid Some blogs, and online magazines pay you to post your article. You can even pitch your article ideas to print magazines or industry newsletters, many of which pay as well.

It takes time not only to write the article but also to find a media outlet to publish it.

And with most media outlets now wanting original exclusive content, you can't distribute the same article to multiple places. Each place you'd like an article to appear needs its own original piece.

You have no control over when your article will run , if the outlet decides to post it at all.

There is no guarantee that people who read the article will seek out your business. The best way to entice readers to check your business out is through a quality article and promoting your lead magnet in your bio.

Getting Started

Don’t think you can write? Yes, you can. The most important step to article writing is to get started. 

Grab a Piece of Paper or Get in Front of Your Computer

While a blank page or screen can be intimidating, once you have a topic idea, you should be able to jot down key thoughts. At this point, your goal is to gather ideas and write a first draft.

Pick a Topic.

Don't just think about what you know. Instead, think about what people want to know that's related to your business. 

List the Major Points You Want to Cover on the Topic

This list can become your topic subheadings in the article.

Fill in the Major Points With Key Concepts

Next, write down the information readers need to know about major points. 

Let the Article Sit for an Hour or a Day

Then read and revise it to flesh out your ideas, clarify your concepts, and clean up the errors.

Write an  Interesting Bio

One that includes a call to action  for readers to grab your free  lead magnet . It will appear at the end of your article.

When It's Ready, Pitch Your Article Idea

Pitch it to other blogs, websites, or media sources that target the same market that you do.

Tips for Effective Writing

Write a Good Article That Solves a Problem or Provides Value 

People go online for information, and if you can deliver it to them, they'll want to know more about you. Focus on bringing value to your readers. Deliver information in a way that allows readers to visualize the outcome if they take action on your ideas. Find a unique angle or a good hook, and develop a conversation with your reader.

Write Articles in Conversation Mode 

You don't want to be completely informal, but you do want to come across as friendly, engaging, and approachable. 

Answer the Readers' Question: “so What?”

Why should people care about what you're saying? For example, why should you care about writing a good article? (So what?) Because with a good article you can increase your reach and credibility, which can lead to more profits in your home business. 

Write Concisely 

Every word has to earn its keep, especially your headlines. The language can’t be boring and stiff. You aren’t trying to win awards. Instead, you're trying to entice and engage a reader who hopefully will then want to know more about your business. Keep the article exciting, short, and to the point.

Keep it simple. 

Write in a simple language. You want your articles to be full of information and content, but in words, the average person can understand.

Use "You."

Your high school English teacher told you not to write using "you," but in marketing, that's the most important word. Remember, you want people to connect personally with what you're saying. 

Be Organized 

Your article should flow and be easy to consume. Many online readers are scanners, which means long text can bore them. Instead, use paragraph breaks, bold type, numbers, or lists to break up the content into easy-to-digest chunks.

Google's Panda update changed the effectiveness and ease of article marketing for search engine optimization purposes. Websites are penalized for poor quality or irrelevant content. In many cases, site owners will put no-follow attributes around your links telling Google not to pay attention to the link, thereby eliminating the SEO benefit. However, that doesn't mean article marketing is no longer effective. As already mentioned, articles can increase your reach and credibility. 

While article marketing might not have the same SEO boost that it used to, it doesn't hurt to consider it when writing your articles. You should integrate keywords in your article writing but always write for the human reader first. If an article is stuffed with keywords but has no human interest, it’s useless. Effective article marketing with search engines in mind requires a few good keywords and key phrases. These words and phrases should be relevant to the topic and the article context. These keywords and key phrases must appear seamlessly in the article and not disrupt the natural flow of the content.

Don't Have the Time or Ability?

Articles that you've written for your own business are always going to be the most genuine and authentic, but if you're strapped for time or don't feel the quality of your writing is good enough, you have a few options.

Buy and Rewrite Private Label Right (PLR) Content

PLR content can be a great way to get ideas and a place to start. Just remember to rewrite the content in your own words so that it's unique.

Hire a Writer

If you need a set number of articles on a regular basis, you can post your writing job on a variety of writing sites, or you can search for writers on freelance sites such as Upwork.

Hire an Editor to Fix Your Writing

This approach can be cheaper than hiring a writer, while still keeping your authentic voice. Write your article and then hire an editor to clean it up.

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SEO Writing 101 — How to Create Content That Ranks Discover how to master keyword selection, content structure and on-page SEO to rank better on Google.

By Nick Zviadadze Edited by Chelsea Brown Jul 2, 2024

Key Takeaways

• 96.55% of all web pages receive no organic traffic from Google, highlighting the importance of a solid SEO strategy.
• The benefits of writing SEO content include improved rankings and visibility, increased brand awareness, better user engagement and higher conversion rates.
• This article highlights five key strategies to help you create SEO content that ranks.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shockingly, 96.55% of all pages get zero organic traffic from Google. And, without a solid SEO strategy, your content can easily get lost in the sea of unvisited Google pages and suffer the same fate. Luckily, there's a way to solve all that.

By mastering the basics of SEO writing and ensuring you create quality content, you can make search engines send more traffic your way. So, let's explore why SEO content is so important and touch upon the best SEO tips to improve your writing and boost your rankings.

Related: 6 SEO Tips to Help You Rank in the New Era of Quality Content

What is SEO content?

SEO content is created specifically to rank highly on Google and other search engines. Unlike conventional blog content, which you write based on your interests or what you think your audience wants, SEO content is planned and crafted to align with search engine algorithms and user search behavior.

You pick a keyword that your target audience is searching for. Then, you write content to rank well for that keyword. To achieve that, you must ensure it aligns with search intent and follows SEO best practices.

That means providing valuable, relevant information that answers the user's query, using clear and engaging language, incorporating keywords naturally, structuring your content with headings and subheadings, and including internal and external links to improve credibility and user experience.

Writing SEO content has several benefits:

Improves your rankings and visibility of your website

Attracts organic visitors who actively search for your topics

Keeps readers engaged on your website longer with relevant content

Increases your brand awareness and authority

Improves conversion rates

How to write SEO content that ranks

Writing good content is all about using the right SEO strategies , starting with the following:

1. Pick the right keyword

You should aim for keywords that are not too competitive but still have solid search volume.

For example, if you're a small ecommerce business trying to rank for "running shoes," you have to compete with giants like Nike and Adidas, which is almost impossible.

Instead, target keywords that are easier to rank for but still relevant to your business, like "breathable running shoes for hot weather." These keywords can drive targeted leads to your website without investing so much time and effort to rank for them.

Here's how to find these keywords:

Use SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify keywords with good search volume and lower competition

Look at the keywords your competitors are ranking for and find opportunities they might have missed

Focus on long-tail keywords that often bring more qualified traffic

2. Create a content outline (make sure to satisfy search intent)

Once you've chosen your keyword, make sure the content you create matches the search intent behind it. Search intent is the reason behind the search query or what the user wants to find through their search.

For example, if your keyword is "Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40 vs. Adidas Ultraboost Light," the search intent is to compare the two running shoes. Your content should provide a thorough comparison, covering aspects like comfort, durability, price and user reviews, rather than something unrelated, like the history of each brand.

Related: 3 Powerful SEO Techniques That Will Boost Your Website's Search Engine Ranking

Creating a content outline helps you structure your content to meet this intent. You can do that by:

Googling your keyword and going through top-ranking content

Analyzing the structure and noting down common themes

Creating an outline that follows a logical progression

Breaking down your content into sections with clear headings

Adding images, charts and videos to improve your content

3. Follow on-page SEO best practices

Nailing on-page SEO ensures that search engines and readers can easily understand and navigate your content. The best way to do that is to follow these SEO techniques:

Include your keyword in the title, URL, introduction, subheadings and conclusion

Place your keyword naturally throughout the content without keyword stuffing

Use plenty of internal links to related content on your website

Maintain a clear and logical structure with headings and subheadings to improve readability

Write compelling meta descriptions that include your keyword to increase click-through rates

Ensure your content is mobile-friendly, as 59.4% of web traffic comes from mobile devices.

4. Create easy-to-read content

People rarely read whole articles from start to finish. Instead, they skim through them, searching for the information they need. That's why you need to follow a simple structure and use everyday language to ensure your content is easy to read and understand.

To improve the readability of your blog posts , you should:

Use clear and descriptive headers to guide readers through your content

Use bullet points wherever possible to break down information into digestible chunks

Bold the most important phrases in each section to highlight key takeaways

Incorporate screenshots to visually demonstrate key points and processes

Keep paragraphs short to make your content easy to skim

5. Include superior value

Most writers make the SEO mistake of not doing enough research before creating content. Instead, they paraphrase what their top-ranking competitors say or rely on AI to create generic blog posts.

However, you need to go the extra mile to create content that gets the best SEO results .

Start by digging deeper into forums like Reddit to discover your potential customers' most common pain points and questions. This step will help you understand their needs and concerns better.

Stay up to date with the latest news and developments in your industry to ensure your content is fresh and relevant. Read articles and listen to podcasts to get fresh insights and come up with unique angles for your articles.

You can also make your content more valuable by including the latest statistics or expert insights to add credibility and depth to your content. This is the best way to stand out from your competitors.

Related: Here's the SEO Combination You Need to Win Google's Algorithm

Mastering the basics of SEO writing is crucial for ensuring your content ranks well on Google.

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

Founder at MintSEO

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The 79 Best Marketing Articles of 2022 (So Far)

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Here are all the ones we’ve shared in 2022 so far:

SEO Case Study (On a Budget): From 0 to 75,000 Visits a Year

Learn how Ryan Durani grew a property site from zero to 300-400 clicks per day.

Marketing Myopia: What Is It? How Does It Affect Your Business?

Learn how Josh Barney suggests to avoid marketing myopia and focus on long-term growth.

How We Generated $250M of Lifetime Traffic Value (LTTV) in 2021

Learn the realities of managing inbound marketing for a large enterprise from Brian Casey . 

We Studied 81,000 Page Titles - Google Rewrote 61% of Them

Learn how often Google rewrites title tags and what to do about it from Cyrus Shepard .

Content Marketing Resources

Learn how to create better content with these handpicked resources from Jake Sheridan .

Outcome-Driven SEO Roadmaps

Learn how to construct your own SEO outcome roadmap with Adam Gent .

The Cheat Code to Freelancing Is Effective Communication

Learn how to convey value as a freelancer with Nick LeRoy .

Toxic Links: Here’s Why You Can Often Ignore Them

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How to Write a Strong SEO Hypothesis

Learn the eight components of a good SEO hypothesis with Emily Potter .

The State of Link Building Report 2022

Learn how 270 SEOs approach link building in 2022 in this study from Paddy Moogan .

TIPR Lite: A Lighter Approach to Internal Link Optimization

Learn how to optimize a site’s internal links for SEO with Kevin Indig ’s TIPR model.

For Omega and Swatch, the Rewards of Co-branding Could Be Astronomical

Learn why Mark Ritson thinks Omega’s collaboration with Swatch will benefit both brands.

Provable Marketing Attribution Is a Boondoggle; Trust Your Gut Instead

Learn why Rand Fishkin thinks you’ll get better marketing results by trusting your gut.

128 Digital PR and Content Tips From Spring Brighton SEO 2022

Learn how to improve your content game with Gemma Flinder ’s curated tips from BrightonSEO.

Scammers Snatch up Expired Domains, Vexing Google

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5 Ways to Use the Wayback Machine for SEO

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5 Key Lessons From Interviewing In-house SEOs on Working With Development Teams

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Enterprise SEO Buy-in: 7 Essential Tips for Winning the Long Game

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Marketing in a Recession: How to Make Marketing Investments When the Economy Is Rough

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99+ SEO Mistakes

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How We Increased Traffic 110% by Reducing Content Cannibalization

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Google Author Rank: How Google Knows Which Content Belongs to Which Author?

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Poundland Has Made a Costly Ecommerce Mistake and Here’s Why

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Why 100% Indexing Isn’t Possible, and Why That’s OK

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The SEO Skills Maturity Matrix

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Virtual Environment Optimization (VEO) Is Coming. Ready for It?

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The Winner Doesn’t Take It All: ‘Information Gain’ and the New Future of SEO

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Health Site SEO Case Study: 2 Million Clicks in 12 Months

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Forecasting Web Traffic Using Google Analytics and Facebook Prophet

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Reason Number 5445131 Why Some SEOs Destroy the Reputation of SEO

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6 Predictions About AI in Content Marketing

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Benchmarking the Performance of Over 2,000 Digital PR Pieces

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How Google Selects the Most Representative Image of a Set

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How to Work With Zero Search Volume Keywords: A Process for Finding & Leveraging Low to No-Volume SEO Keywords

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How to Set Up Performance Max Campaigns the Right Way

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We Signed Up for 50+ SaaS Companies. Here Are the Best Product-Led Growth Examples.

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5 Steps Amanda Natividad Took to 60x Her Audience in a Year (And Keep Growing It)

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Steal This Strategy: How to Write Like Animalz

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8 Steps to a Successful Entity-First Strategy for SEO and Content

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How to Find Emerging Keywords

Learn how to find keywords that will be popular in the next 3-6 months with Steve Toth .

How Google Uses Anchors in Ranking Search Results

Learn how anchors influence search engine rankings with Chris Long .

What SEOs Can Learn About Aligning With Consensus as Described in Google’s QRG

Learn why aligning your content with consensus is important with Marie Haynes . 

The Pageview Paradox: How Great Results Cause Poor Performance

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How to Reduce DNS Lookups to Speed Up Your WordPress Site

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How To Create Perfect Images For SEO With Dall-E 2

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Is This The End of Hero Content For Link Building?

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How to Do a Competitive Analysis for Local SEO

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The Top 5 Soft Skills SEOs Should Develop

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The By-No-Means-Definitive Keyword Size Showdown: GSC vs. Ahrefs vs. Semrush vs. Moz

Learn how Ahrefs wins when it comes to keyword coverage with Tylor Hermanson .

Ranking Search Results, Google patent by Navneet Panda

Learn what Jean-Christophe Chouinard learned from reading Google’s patent.

Regex for SEO: How to Use Regular Expressions (With Examples)

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How Bots Corrupted Advertising

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The Web Almanac by HTTP Archive

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Technical SEO Testing: How Googlebot Handles iFrames

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How to Map SEO Outcomes

Learn everything you need to know about mapping SEO outcomes with Adam Gent . 

An Introduction to Integrator SEO Strategies

Learn about the aggregator and integrator SEO strategies with Kevin Indig .

How to Measure “Hard-to-Measure” Marketing Channels

Learn a framework for hard-to-measure marketing investments with Rand Fishkin .

Marketing Analytics: Attribution Is Not Incrementality

Learn why attribution and incrementality are not the same thing with Avinash Kaushik .

How Parabol Reached 150K Monthly Visits With Content Journalism

Learn how to grow traffic by mixing content marketing and brand journalism with Tim Metz .

SEO Salaries Study: The Shocking Truth!

Learn whether you’re being underpaid in your SEO job with Mark Preston . 

How to Avoid a Bad Podcast Experience for Your Guests

Learn from Kevin Indig ’s experience being a guest on over 50 podcasts.

Everyone Wants to Be a Hot, Anxious Girl on Twitter

Learn why viral tweets may not be quite what they seem with Kaitlyn Tiffany .

Hustle Culture vs. Chill Work

Learn why slowing down might help you do less better with Rand Fishkin .

SEO Features vs. SEO Bugs

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TikTok SEO: Understanding the TikTok Algorithm

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Marketing Through People

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No Niche Is Ever Too Crowded for Fresh Thinking

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AI Content Is Not the SEO Threat They Want You to Think It Is

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Biggest Challenges Facing SEO In 2023 [Survey Results]

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SEO Salaries 2022: Industry Growth & Many New SEO Professionals

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The Art of Delegation, Part One: Teaching By Osmosis  

Learn how to teach someone through mere exposure with Gabriel Tupula .

Subscribe to our newsletter below to get our marketing team’s favorite articles in your inbox every week. You’ll also get the latest posts and videos from our blog and YouTube channel .

Marketing Ideas: How to Write Research Articles that Readers Understand and Cite

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Academia is a marketplace of ideas. Just as firms market their products with packaging and advertising, scholars market their ideas with writing. Even the best ideas will make an impact only if others understand and build on them. Why, then, is academic writing often difficult to understand? In two experiments and a text analysis of 1,640 articles in premier marketing journals, this research shows that scholars write unclearly in part because they forget that they know more about their research than readers, a phenomenon called “the curse of knowledge.” Knowledge, or familiarity with one’s own research, exacerbates three practices that make academic writing difficult to understand: abstraction, technical language, and passive writing. When marketing scholars know more about a research project, they use more abstract, technical, and passive writing to describe it. Articles with more abstract, technical, and passive writing are harder for readers to understand and are less likely to be cited. The authors call for scholars to overcome the curse of knowledge and provide two tools—a website (writingclaritycalculator.com) and a tutorial—to help them recognize and repair unclear writing so they can write articles that are more likely to make an impact.

• readability
• text analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

• Business and International Management

Access to Document

• 10.1177/00222429211003560

Other files and links

• Link to publication in Scopus

Fingerprint

• Marketing Business & Economics 100%
• Text Analysis Business & Economics 20%
• Packaging Business & Economics 17%
• Familiarity Business & Economics 16%
• Repair Business & Economics 15%
• Product Market Business & Economics 14%
• Language Business & Economics 12%
• Web Sites Business & Economics 11%

T1 - Marketing Ideas

T2 - How to Write Research Articles that Readers Understand and Cite

AU - Warren, Nooshin L.

AU - Farmer, Matthew

AU - Gu, Tianyu

AU - Warren, Caleb

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank the faculty and doctoral students who participated in the studies. They also thank Merrie Brucks, Mark Houston, Zachary Estes, Peter McGraw, Melanie Wallendorf, Jesper Nielsen, Anastasiya Potcheptsova Ghosh, Jennifer Savary, Nathan Warren, Justin Luzader, and Josh Edwin for feedback. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Publisher Copyright: © American Marketing Association 2021.

PY - 2021/9

Y1 - 2021/9

N2 - Academia is a marketplace of ideas. Just as firms market their products with packaging and advertising, scholars market their ideas with writing. Even the best ideas will make an impact only if others understand and build on them. Why, then, is academic writing often difficult to understand? In two experiments and a text analysis of 1,640 articles in premier marketing journals, this research shows that scholars write unclearly in part because they forget that they know more about their research than readers, a phenomenon called “the curse of knowledge.” Knowledge, or familiarity with one’s own research, exacerbates three practices that make academic writing difficult to understand: abstraction, technical language, and passive writing. When marketing scholars know more about a research project, they use more abstract, technical, and passive writing to describe it. Articles with more abstract, technical, and passive writing are harder for readers to understand and are less likely to be cited. The authors call for scholars to overcome the curse of knowledge and provide two tools—a website (writingclaritycalculator.com) and a tutorial—to help them recognize and repair unclear writing so they can write articles that are more likely to make an impact.

AB - Academia is a marketplace of ideas. Just as firms market their products with packaging and advertising, scholars market their ideas with writing. Even the best ideas will make an impact only if others understand and build on them. Why, then, is academic writing often difficult to understand? In two experiments and a text analysis of 1,640 articles in premier marketing journals, this research shows that scholars write unclearly in part because they forget that they know more about their research than readers, a phenomenon called “the curse of knowledge.” Knowledge, or familiarity with one’s own research, exacerbates three practices that make academic writing difficult to understand: abstraction, technical language, and passive writing. When marketing scholars know more about a research project, they use more abstract, technical, and passive writing to describe it. Articles with more abstract, technical, and passive writing are harder for readers to understand and are less likely to be cited. The authors call for scholars to overcome the curse of knowledge and provide two tools—a website (writingclaritycalculator.com) and a tutorial—to help them recognize and repair unclear writing so they can write articles that are more likely to make an impact.

KW - citations

KW - methods

KW - readability

KW - relevance

KW - text analysis

KW - writing

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105755765&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85105755765&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/00222429211003560

DO - 10.1177/00222429211003560

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85105755765

SN - 0022-2429

JO - Journal of marketing

JF - Journal of marketing

More From Forbes

The 5 irreverent rules of social media marketing success.

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It doesn’t matter if you’re a revered thought leader or a career-minded professional looking to increase your visibility, you likely share one common experience–the love/hate relationship with social media. It’s a wild world of content, clicks, tweets, shares, and the occasional viral sensation. You want to have an impact online, deliver value to your audience, and master the art of digital charisma; and you want to do it without losing your sanity. Apply these five irreverent techniques to your social media strategy and actions to reduce your stress and effort while delivering value to your audience consistently.

Be a Serial Killer

Think of your social feeds as the latest binge-worthy series. Instead of one-off wonder posts, craft a saga that keeps your followers yearning for more. Tell your story in a series of gripping articles or videos. For example, if you create a five-article series called The Five Best Tips for Leading Remote Teams, you can create an overview article with brief descriptions of your five tips, and 5 additional articles, that are a deeper dive into each tip. Then you can use flashbacking to get your readers to interact with the previous installment (“In article 2 in this series, I shared…). And you can use foreshadowing to spark anticipation for the next.

Repeat Yourself

Most of your online connections don’t see most of what you post. Unless you are Taylor Swift and your audience is made up of Swifties, most people aren’t waiting for your new article or infographic. And if they aren’t online at the right time or actively searching for your content, they likely won’t see it. On LinkedIn, for example, only about 6% to 7.5% see each post . That means, when you work hard to produce a valuable piece of thought leadership, repost, recycle, and remix your content.

Cheat, Lie, and Steal

It’s actually more like borrowing. When you curate content that others created, you can make their hard work visible to your audience. When you precede your post that includes a link to their content and add your point of view, you’re making their content more valuable. As a result, some of the authorship rubs off on you. Of course, you need to be grateful and thank the contributor and acknowledge their brilliant work. But, if you just share it without making it more valuable and adding your perspective, it’s almost like you didn’t post it at all.

Halve The Effort, Double The Impact

Halve your workload and double your dazzle by co-creating content with a friend or colleauge. Collaborate on an article, video or podcast, and suddenly, you're not just a thought-leader, you're part of a content team. Share the creation, share the sharing, and share the acclaim. Then watch as your social clout compounds.

Netflix’s Best New Show Has A Perfect 100% Critic Score

New chrome security rules—google gives websites until 11/1 to comply, ranked: the 30 most walkable cities in the world, according to a new report, be an outsourcerer.

No, that’s no a typo. Do your outsourcing with the magic of a sorcerer. From idea generation to proofreading perfection, let AI do some of the heavy lifting. Use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to add some otherworldly zing to how you make things happen. AI can be your muse to generate new, interesting ideas, your editor to make sure the article is coherent and complete, and your proofreader to ensure it’s grammatically correct. AI can also come up with a title that has high SEO value and a summary you can use in promoting it. It’s not cheating; it’s charmingly efficient outsourcery.

Use these five irreverent rules to impact your social media universe. Embrace them, and watch as your social media presence expands. Remember, in the world of pixels and posts, it's not just about being seen; it's about being unforgettable.

William Arruda is a keynote speaker , co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of BrandBoost - a virtual, video-fueled course to help you grow your self-awareness and amp up your personal brand.

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The New Rules of Marketing Across Channels

• Joshua Bowers,
• Denise Linda Parris,
• Qiong Wang,
• Danny McRae,
• Francisco Guzmán,
• Mark Bolino

Strategies for navigating a new kind of communication landscape: the “echoverse.”

The Internet and AI tools are transforming marketing communications within a complex, interactive landscape called the echoverse. While marketing has evolved since the proliferation of the Internet, in the echoverse, a diverse network of human and nonhuman actors — consumers, brands, AI agents, and more — continuously interact, influence, and reshape messages across digital platforms. Traditional one-way and two-way communication models give way to omnidirectional communication. The authors integrated communication theory and theories of marketing communications to create a typology of marketing communication strategies consisting of three established strategies — 1) promotion marketing, 2) relationship marketing, and 3) customer engagement marketing — and their proposed strategy, 4) echoverse marketing. The authors also recommend three strategies for marketers to make the shift from leading messaging to guiding messaging: 1) Enable co-creation and co-ownership, 2) Create directed learning opportunities, and 3) Develop a mindset of continuous learning.

Today, companies must navigate a new kind of communication landscape: the “ echoverse .” This new terrain is defined by a complex web of feedback loops and reverberations that are created by consumers, brands, news media, investors, communities, society, and artificial intelligence (AI) agents. This assemblage of actors continuously interact, influence, and respond to each other across a myriad of digital channels, platforms, and devices, creating a dynamic where messages circulate and echo, being amplified, modified, or dampened by ongoing interactions.

• JB Joshua Bowers is Co-CEO of Pavilion Intelligence, a marketing science consultancy and upcycled timber operation. He has a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Oklahoma and is a leader in new product development for enterprise and marketing technology.
• DP Denise Linda Parris is Co-CEO Pavilion Intelligence, a marketing science consultancy and upcycled timber operation. She has been a professional athlete, entrepreneur, and academic with research focused on servant leadership, societal impact, and marketing technology.
• QW Qiong Wang is the Ruby K. Powell Professor of Marketing and Associate Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain at the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business. Her research focuses on the processes and boundaries of inter-organizational issues, including the development and management of strategic partnerships, marketing strategies, and supply chain management.
• DM Danny McRae is a technology professional with over 20 years of experience in information architecture.
• FG Francisco Guzmán is Professor of Marketing at the University of North Texas’ G. Brint Ryan College of Business. His research focuses on how brands can drive social transformation.
• MB Mark Bolino is the David L. Boren Professor and the Michael F. Price Chair in International Business at the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business. His research focuses on understanding how an organization can inspire its employees to go the extra mile without compromising their personal well-being.

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How to Use Jasper to Generate Better Content for Your Site

Dernière modification le avril 1, 2022 | John Hughes

As a professional blogger, you probably spend most of your days writing new posts and optimizing old ones. This can be pretty exhausting, especially if you have to produce large amounts of content in short amounts of time.

Fortunately, an AI-powered writing assistant can make your job a lot easier. Although machine-generated content isn't a replacement for human ingenuity, tools like Jasper (previously known as Jarvis) can help you write better content, come up with blog post ideas, and much more.

In this post, we'll take a closer look at Jasper and how it works. We'll also help you decide if this is the right tool for you. Let's get started!

What Is Jasper?

Jasper is a service that enables you to generate blog posts, articles, and other types of content. This tool utilizes neural networks to understand what you want to w r ite about, then produces sentences, full paragraphs, and even entire articles based on this information.

If you spend a lot of time working on blog posts , using a service such as Jasper can be a gamechanger. To be fair, you shouldn't simply let the tool generate full blog posts and publish them without any changes. Instead, you can use its features to help you improve sentences, come up with ideas on what to say, and answer questions that users might have about specific topics.

On paper, Jasper sounds amazing. However, the best way to judge a tool is by trying it out. That's precisely what we're going to do in the next section.

How to Use Jasper

There are two ways to use Jasper. The first approach involves using the tool's editor, which enables you to write blog posts within the platform. Once you start writing, you can tell Jasper to generate further content automatically. Here's what that looks like in action:

Those first sentences are all Jasper's work. To get the ball rolling, we set a title and a description for our blog post. We also added a couple of keywords, which Jasper has tried to work into the content.

Moreover, you can generate short, long, or medium-sized paragraphs. Jasper will even ask you to make some edits before you can produce further content:

In our experience, Jasper works best if you use it sparingly. If you ever feel stuck while writing, you can have the tool compose the next few sentences and use those as a starting point. In a way, Jasper can act very much like a writing partner, if you don't mind the fact that that partner is a neural network.

If you don't want to start with a blank slate, Jasper also offers content templates. You can choose from a broad range of content types, such as long-form articles, social media posts, and ads:

For example, if you choose the Product Description template, Jasper will ask you for the product's name and what it does. Then, it will generate one or more product descriptions that you can use as starting points:

Templates can be more hit and miss than using Jasper to help you write content on your own. If you look at the examples above, they definitely read like they were written by a computer. Therefore, it's always a good idea to edit and tweak this AI-generated content in order to make it sound a bit more natural.

Should You Use Jasper?

If you only write a couple of blog posts per month, a service such as Jasper can be overkill. It's not cost-efficient to spend $29 per month if you're not going to take advantage of the 20,000 words this service offers you.

On the other hand, if you publish blog posts regularly and you struggle to finish articles or come up with topic ideas, Jasper is more than worth its cost. For example, if you run an affiliate site , Jasper can help you publish content more often and spend less time working on it. Ultimately, that can translate to an increase in traffic and revenue.

Keep in mind, if you really want to get the most out of Jasper, the Starter plan doesn't offer the best value. To get access to unlimited generated content, you'll need to opt for the Pro plan or beyond:

Spending over $100 per month on any tool for your website is a big ask. If you're just launching your site, we recommend that you take some time to create your own content before using machine-generation services.

Machine-generated content has come a long way in the last few years. In fact, many AI writing assistants like Jasper can produce content that reads naturally and looks professional.

In a way, using Jasper feels very much like having a writing partner. You can use it to generate different types of content which you can later edit and build on. Moreover, you can use this tool to explore new topic ideas for your blog.

Do you have any questions about how to use Jasper to generate bet ter content for your website? Let's talk about them in the comments section below!

Si vous avez aimé cet article, n'oubliez pas de nous suivre sur Facebook , Twitter et LinkedIn ! And don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter.

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À propos de John Hughes

John est un accro du blog, un fanatique de WordPress et un rédacteur.

décembre 11, 2021

This is really great information. I have visited so many blogs however, I found the most relevant info here.

John Hughes

décembre 15, 2021

Glad you found it helpful, Roufaa :)

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How To Create a Newsletter: The Ultimate Email Marketing Guide

Email is a time-tested tool to drive sales and conversions. In fact, according to  HubSpot , 59% of Americans say the emails they receive are useful. Marketers are also using tested strategies such as personalization and segmentation to improve open rates. Segmented emails have a 30% higher open rate than generic emails. 

Of course, the most effective newsletters take more than simply drafting something and clicking send. To successfully engage with your email subscribers, your newsletter must entice readers and encourage them to interact with your content.

The key to doing this: crafting email messages that inspire readers to act.

Below, we'll show how to do just that. You’ll learn how to create a newsletter that people will actually read, and find out best practices to get the most from your email marketing.

What Are the Benefits of Email Newsletters for Businesses? 

Video marketing seems to have taken over the headlines when it comes to grabbing customer attention, so you may have considered ditching your email marketing altogether. But email is still a proven engagement tactic even in the video age. A solid newsletter benefits your company in multiple ways.

Email marketing is cost-effective and continues to offer a positive return on investment. Over half of marketers stated that their email ROI was twice as high in 2023 as it was in 2022. Small business owners indicate that email is their second most effective marketing channel for building awareness. 

Email marketing is also measurable. Most email marketing software offers analytics with statistics on click-through rates, open rates, unsubscribe rates, and more. These metrics offer valuable insights into what topics best engage your audience along with how well you are retaining your audience. 

Additionally, email marketing platforms make it easy to segment your audience so you can send tailored content to smaller groups on your mailing list. Rewarding your best customers for their loyalty can entice people to sign up for your list while boosting your overall sales. 

13 Steps for Creating Email Newsletters Successfully

Follow these tips and newsletter best practices to create engaging emails your audience can’t wait to read. 

1. Identify Your Audience and Select the Right Software

You may be tempted to write overarching emails aimed at your whole list. However, segmented emails get 50% higher click-through rates than generic emails. Before you start writing your newsletter, choose which audience segments you’re writing for so you can personalize your content.

You might segment your audience by how long they have been on your list, saving the “getting to know you” content for newcomers. Or you could segment your list based on the topics they find most interesting. Many email marketing platforms will show you how people engage with your newsletter, including which links draw the biggest crowd. Use this information to segment your list. 

Once you’ve broken your audience into segments, it’s time to select software. If you’re already using email marketing software that's working for you, stick with it. If you're in the market for something new, compare email marketing software by:

• Features such as list segmentation, A/B testing, and marketing automation
• Price per number of contacts (if you have a big email list, you’ll probably have to pay for your service)
• Ease of use

Sign up for a demo and choose the platform that best meets your needs for your budget. 

2. Align Your Newsletter With Your Company Objectives

Before you start writing newsletters, decide what you want to achieve with it. For example, if your most pressing business goal is to increase sales, you might use your newsletter to showcase new products. 

If you want to build credibility with your audience, you might share valuable industry trends to establish yourself as an expert in your field. 

Break down your overall business goals into smaller objectives and determine which you can influence with your newsletter. Then set some key performance indicators to measure your success. If improving sales is indeed one of your goals, you might set a target number of conversions or sales demonstrations for each email blast. 

3. Analyze Your Previous Top-Performing Nurture Emails

If you’re already using email regularly to engage your audience, pull up your old metrics. Note the lead-nurturing campaigns with the highest open rates and click-through rates. Look through these emails and note any similarities. How long were they? What subjects did they cover? What kinds of calls to action did you use? What was their design and layout? 

You’ll likely notice some trends that can inform your future email newsletters. Once you’ve discovered what you did right, look up other email statistics such as unsubscribe rates. Examine the email campaigns that inspired people to remove themselves from your list and see if there are any stark differences from your top performers. 

4. Determine the Ideal Frequency To Send Your Emails

A key part of learning how to create a newsletter is knowing when to contact your audience. Your customers signed up for your emails because they want to hear from you, but that doesn’t mean you should spam them with multiple emails per day. The right number of digital newsletters to send depends on multiple factors, including: 

• Your target audience
• Your average purchase cycle
• Customer demographics

For example, if your customer base is other business owners, you would likely limit contact to 1–2 emails per week, sent during business hours. But if you’re marketing for a grocery store, you may send daily emails highlighting specials and discounts. Price-conscious customers looking for savings may be more receptive to these daily emails because they can use them to get a deal. 

Look at when you're sending emails and how frequently, then analyze your past open rates and click-through rates to gauge how your audience responds. 

5. Define Your Newsletter’s Structure

You’re not locked into a certain newsletter format, but your customers should recognize your emails. Before you start composing, decide how you’ll structure each email. Figure out what matters most to your audience and lead with the most important information. That way, if your audience only has time to skim your message, they get the key takeaways. 

Create a mobile-friendly layout with short paragraphs and strategically placed graphics. Your newsletter should be inviting and easy to read while aligning with your brand. Common structures include two-column content blocks or single-column blocks broken up by photos and other graphics. Use a good balance of content and white space to guide your readers’ eyes. 

6. Think About Who the Sender Should Be

Choosing an email sender is crucial for a successful newsletter. Sending your messages from a generic email such as info@xyzcompany makes it easier for you to monitor your campaigns, but these email addresses often end up in the spam folder. 

Avoid using a no-reply address. These are often impersonal and could influence people to unsubscribe from your list. You could set up a newsletter-specific email address for all bulk emails. Make sure it is monitored so you can respond to inquiries that may arise from your newsletters. Or set up an autoresponder that tells curious readers who they can contact with questions. Use a company email address instead of a free email service provider to improve your chances of passing the spam filter. 

7. Use AI for Suggestions on How To Start Your Newsletter Copy

Leverage technology to help you get started on an engaging newsletter. If you’re stumped on newsletter content ideas , start entering prompts into generative AI. You can use it for outlines, subject lines, and items that make your newsletter punchier.

For example, you could capture your readers’ attention by mentioning a notable fact. Say you own and operate a hair salon. You could ask AI to tell you what the top trending hair color was on this date 40 years ago, and use that as the opening hook for your email. If you’re working on a holiday newsletter, you could ask AI to compile a list of popular hair-related stocking stuffers at various price points. 

You still want to write your email newsletter so it sounds personal and resonates with your audience, but AI is there to give you a hand. 

8. Draft Your Template on Google Slides or Canva

Keeping a consistent structure and newsletter layout will solidify your brand with your readers. However, you don’t have to start from scratch every time. Your HTML newsletter builder may have customizable templates, but you’ll lose them if you ever switch newsletter platforms. 

With a service such as Canva or Google Slides, you can create a branded email newsletter design template that helps you keep your emails consistent even if you transition to a new provider. Google Slides and Canva let you mix and match text formats and sizes with images and other graphics.

These tools let you play with different formats using text boxes or charts. You can also easily embed GIFs and videos for better engagement. Once you’ve created your template, you can switch out text and graphics for each newsletter without reinventing the wheel. 

9. Craft Compelling Email Subject Lines

The right subject line will stand out and make your reader want to open your message. Since smartphones only show about 20–30 characters in a subject line, catch your readers’ attention early. Use audience insights from previous steps to determine what appeals to your audience. On average, humans have an average attention span of 8.25 seconds, so your subject line needs to make them want to open the email right away. 

Include action words to compel your audience to open the message, but avoid being too enthusiastic. Using multiple exclamation points or promising a “100% guarantee” could banish your message to the spam filter. Consider these example subject lines for a new restaurant: 

• “Try XYZ restaurant this weekend”
• “This weekend only: 15% off to the newest hot spot in town”

The second subject line creates a sense of urgency by setting a time limit on the offer. It also sets up intrigue by introducing a new attraction and adds value to the customer with a discount. 

10. Design Headers and Footers That Are Clear and Simple

Keep your email headers and footers simple so they don’t distract from the rest of your message. These are a great location for marketing elements such as a branded color palette and your company logo. Many companies put the fine print in the email footer, including their company address, social media links, and unsubscribe links. 

If you want to grow your list, consider adding a link on your email footer encouraging your readers to share the newsletter with their friends. Your footer is also a great place to remind readers why they signed up for your messages. Include a personalized message telling readers why they are getting your email and add a link so they can change their settings if they want. 

11. Test Your Emails Before Sending Them

Sending out a newsletter with typos, broken links, and pictures that won’t display is a surefire way to dampen your brand image. You can fix these issues before they reach your audience by sending out test messages before a wider release. Choose a person in your marketing department with strong proofreading skills and send them a test copy. 

Have your tester click on various links to make sure they all point to the right websites. If you have animations, graphics, or videos in your newsletter, ask your tester how they look and whether they load. You can send test messages to your personal email address as well to see how your message displays using different email providers. Open your test messages on a mobile device to make sure they're responsive and look the way you want them to. 

You can also do A/B testing in which you tweak key elements of your message and send different versions to small groups to see which performs better. Common elements for A/B testing include: 

• Sender name
• Subject line

12. Track Performance To Optimize Your Email Marketing Campaign

You may have set key performance indicators during Step 1. This is the time to measure your specific KPIs and other performance metrics that will tell you how your emails are performing. 

Unfortunately, tracking email campaigns is often pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. Once you’ve sent a message, you may forget about it as you work on other marketing efforts. But taking the time to monitor your analytics and test various elements of your newsletter can ultimately enhance your outcomes.

To kick off the testing process, choose key performance indicators to track in your email campaigns. That might be:

• Deliver rate: How many of your emails were delivered? Even better, how many of your emails made it to the intended inbox as opposed to the spam or promotional folder?
• Click-through rate: Are subscribers clicking on the links in your content? If so, which links did they click and where were they located in the newsletter?
• Unsubscribe rate: Many marketers cringe at this metric. However, tracking it can help identify any trends and patterns associated with changes in your strategy or content.
• Spam: How many subscribers report your content as spam? If you notice a high rate, it's a sign that you may not be tailoring your newsletters to the needs or interests of your  target audience .
• Conversions: How many subscribers acted as you hoped they would? This could mean completing a sale, downloading your free content, registering for an event or webinar, or something else depending on your newsletter goals.

13. Personalize Your Emails Over Time

As you grow your contact lists and get more experience with email newsletter marketing, you will become savvier about what your audience likes and dislikes. Use these insights to personalize your emails for better open rates. 

You can start simply by adding a field into your newsletter that personalizes the receiver’s name based on how they’re entered into your system. Over time, you can start changing content in your email. 

For example, you might send a segment of loyal customers special offers thanking them for their business over time. If you operate a business in multiple locations, you may send out location-specific content to build a connection with your audience. If one of your hair salons is located in Florida and the other is in New York, you could switch up educational content about winterizing your hair routine based on the reader’s location. 

Key Takeaways

Emailing newsletters is a proven method to nurture customer-brand relationships, drive more conversions on your website, and increase user engagement. 

To kick off your email marketing efforts, devise and follow a content strategy that aligns with your business’s goals. With Compose.ly’s email newsletter checklist, you can create a strategy that works for your business and watch your open rates rise. 

You can also hire email newsletter writers to create effective, engaging newsletters that convert. Contact us today to learn more.  

There are countless email tools on the market these days. Picking the right software is more about your desired workflows and the goals you want to achieve. But, HTML email builders are a necessity for creating and sending your newsletters. These email newsletter tools help you create beautiful, responsive emails. If you’re not familiar with HTML, choose a platform that offers a template builder or a design view so you can see how the email will look as you lay it out. Or look for one that integrates with Canva or Google Slides to convert your template to HTML.

A newsletter’s format refers to how it is designed and laid out. Optimize your format with email-friendly fonts and stay consistent with your colors, fonts, and graphics.

The best way to stay out of the spam folder is to send messages only to people who have opted into your list. Add a clear call to action on your website encouraging visitors to sign up and offer them valuable content as a reward. If someone unsubscribes, immediately remove them from your list, and don’t contact them. 

Also, avoid adding spam triggers in your subject lines. Steer clear of making exaggerated promises or claims such as 100% free or satisfaction guaranteed. Although you should create urgency, avoid pressuring your readers to open your email. 

Finally, keep your list clean. Regularly monitor your bounced emails and remove them from your list to improve your reader engagement numbers.

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7 ways to make your newsletter stand out from the crowd, what is the purpose of a newsletter for business, 40 clever newsletter content ideas to engage your audience, social media data: usage and growth statistics, 6 ways to increase social shares for your website, learn how to work with ai tools, not against them. .

Speak with us to learn more.

How to Craft Email Newsletters That Captivate Your Audience

Newsletters remain a valuable way to attract attention, with an average open rate of 22%. Average rates are as low as 15% and as high as 25%, putting newsletter open rates in the middle.

If your small business has yet to launch an email newsletter, there’s no better time.

Weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletters can inform your audience, strengthen customer relationships, drive conversions, and sell more products and services.

Committing to a weekly newsletter ensures regular engagement and keeps your audience informed and looking forward to each issue.

In this blog post, we’ll explain how email newsletters work and what goes into successfully planning a newsletter, including plenty of do’s, don’ts, and best practices.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• Email newsletters can be valuable for building your brand, increasing trust, winning more conversions, and retaining loyal customers.
• Small businesses can use affordable tools for creating custom newsletters, including email marketing software like EngageBay.
• Your business must track notable KPIs to ensure your campaign is heading correctly.

Understanding Email Newsletters

A newsletter is an informative, educational report on your company and industry issued through email. Some businesses send newsletters weekly, while for many more, it’s monthly. Bimonthly and quarterly are two other timeframes to consider.

There are many types of content you can select from when compiling your newsletter, including:

• Top 10 lists
• Employee of the Month features
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Letters from the owner
• Referral and share links
• Event recaps
• Holiday greetings and wishes
• Free resources
• Gift guides
• Interesting stories
• Insightful news
• New product or service announcements
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses
• Expert interviews
• Coupons and discounts
• Upcoming events calendar
• Polls and surveys
• Industry news
• Case studies

Newsletters are like an amalgamation of your other content marketing efforts.

You can share blog content, webinar or video transcripts, checklists, eBook previews, and other short- and long-form content in your newsletter to educate your audience and inspire them to purchase your product or service.

Read also: 21 Email Newsletter Software — What’s Hot in 2024?

The Benefits of Email Newsletters

Let’s unpack those newsletter perks I touched on in the intro.

Helps build your brand

A newsletter is a golden opportunity to put your brand on display, from the logos and graphics you use in your content to educating your audience about your brand and displaying your helpful, welcoming tone (or whatever your brand tone happens to be) in email.

I always say that as a small business, your work is cut out for you in building a brand.

Launching an email newsletter shortly after your company goes live is a great way to establish that brand and strengthen it by association with each upcoming edition of your newsletter.

Improves lead conversions

Converting leads takes a lot of nurturing unless they enter the already warm funnel (as is the case with marketing-qualified and sales-qualified leads).

Building the educational, informational foundation through an email newsletter means leads should begin gliding through the sales funnel faster, as they’ll have more of the information they need.

Strengthens customer loyalty

Email newsletters are also a vital tool for maintaining those customer relationships you’ve already worked so hard to build.

Keeping your customers in the loop of your newest products and services and what goes on behind the scenes in your business will go a long way toward keeping them engaged.

Offering exclusive, limited-edition discounts in your newsletter is another surefire tactic to increase open and click-through rates for longer-term customers.

Increases email subscriptions

High-quality content spreads fast, and that goes for newsletters as well. As more of your audience begins buzzing about the quality of your newsletter content, you should notice more prospective customers opting in.

You should use automation if you aren’t ready to begin the lead nurturing process with a welcome message and a series of drip emails until your next newsletter goes out.

Improves content marketing success

As you’ll recall, newsletters tie in with existing content marketing campaigns beautifully.

You can cross-post your blog posts, video content, webinar materials, case studies, event reports, and pieces of your eBook within the newsletter, where this content will be right at home.

Incorporating your content into your newsletter gives it a second opportunity to drive your audience to your website.

Elevates website traffic

On that note, you should see a steady uptick in website traffic because of regularly sending your newsletter.

Your website must be optimized with a focus on UX and neat navigation, so prospective customers can find what they want and buy it.

Boosts sales

If done successfully, an email newsletter can be an excellent driver of sales.

Promoting new products and services, offering limited-time discounts, and building more loyalty to your brand will keep customers buying regularly.

Read also: 15 of the Best Newsletter Examples for Creative Inspiration

How to Plan Your Newsletters

Email newsletters don’t grow on trees.

Effective email marketing efforts, including planning your newsletter, require foresight and meticulous preparation, as it can take months for a newsletter to come together. Here are the steps required to create yours.

Step 1: Set clear goals for your newsletter

First, it’s time to sit down with a few other key parties within your small business to determine what goals you want your newsletter to achieve.

Are you hoping for more website traffic? A higher rate of conversions? More engagement? Sales?

Whatever the goal, keep it tucked away in the back of your mind as you begin putting your newsletter together. You’ll refer to it often.

Step 2: Define your target audience

Next, determine who among your audience would be the most interested in your newsletter content.

If you haven’t already segmented your audience , you should do so before you write a single word of your newsletter content.

Personalization is required for your newsletter to succeed, and that means, at the very least, targeting your content to your segmented audience niches.

You should also use the customer’s name and their shopping history and pain points to determine which newsletter content is the most relevant to them.

Step 2: Choose the right email marketing software

Before you can send newsletter content, you have to choose the ideal service to help you do it. There are many email marketing tools you can select from, and we’ve compared them all, such as below.

With so many excellent options on the market, how do you select one? Well, our blog content, like the article above, will help.

We think you’ll gravitate toward EngageBay for your email marketing, especially as a small business owner. Our all-in-one startup CRM includes a series of email marketing tools to propel your campaign goals forward.

For example, you can send bulk emails and newsletters, produce targeted marketing messages, automate emails , customize email templates, personalize email content, receive real-time email alerts, integrate third-party software, and receive reporting.

EngageBay’s prices are small-business-friendly, with a free-forever plan and affordable pricing tiers beyond that.

Read more: Constant Contact vs. Mailchimp and 14 Other Email Tools

Step 4: Brainstorm content

With the foundation of your newsletter coming together, it’s time to decide what kind of content will fill it. You don’t have to write all original content, as you can reuse materials from your blog, for example.

However, you can’t regurgitate everything.

The newsletter is supposed to offer value to all groups that comprise your audience. Those who have been with you for a while might have watched all your videos and read all your blogs, so recycling them will hold no value for them.

You might consider loose newsletter themes to help you decide which content to include or address the most frequent pain points your audience identifies.

Once you have some ideas, build an editorial calendar so you can continue publishing newsletters regularly.

Step 5: Produce the content

You’ve identified what kind of content you need, so now you can sit down and write or record it. The same content production processes your small business uses can apply here.

Step 6: Select a template (or create your own)

Many email marketing tools, such as EngageBay, offer a variety of premade newsletter templates, including customizable email templates that can be tailored to fit your content’s needs.

These pre-made templates provide a convenient starting point, especially for those unfamiliar with email design or seeking inspiration for their newsletter’s layout and style.

Options range from replicating the look of a newspaper, opting for an e-magazine style, to using responsive templates that ensure compatibility across email clients like Mailchimp.

You’re not limited to the default features of these templates.

You can configure text, newsletter layout, CTA button copy, logos and graphics, and newsletter colors to better match your brand and message. This level of customization allows you to leverage the benefits of email template design, making your newsletter more engaging and effective.

Of course, if you have the time and the drive, you can always build a newsletter template from scratch.

This path allows for maximum customization, catering specifically to your brand’s unique requirements. However, it might necessitate a deeper understanding of advanced newsletter-building skills, such as HTML.

Step 7: Test your newsletter

Regardless of whether you built your email newsletter template from scratch or used one included in your email marketing software, you must still always test your newsletter before you send it.

EngageBay’s email marketing tool has A/B testing , allowing you to compare two versions of your newsletter to ensure which will drive the most opens, click-throughs, and conversions.

If you’ve suffered from bad bounce rates in the past, you must begin A/B testing your campaigns. It will make a big difference.

Step 8: Plan a time to send the newsletter and schedule it

The great thing about email marketing tools is you can automate when your newsletter goes out, scheduling it whether the bulk of your audience is part of your time zone or halfway across the world.

After identifying the best times , you can schedule your newsletter and move on to the next task on your massive to-do list. It’s set it and forget it.

Step 9: Track analytics

How did your newsletter campaign do? Built-in analytics in your email marketing software will paint a clear picture.

For example, EngageBay’s analytics use predictive modeling to help you plan more successful campaigns. You can also track all the email and website metrics you need to determine how your campaign performed and how to do better next time.

Read also: 10 Engaging Newsletter Ideas for Freelancers and Solopreneurs

How to Create the Perfect Content for Your Newsletters

Of course, content creation is very nuanced, and I recognize that.

That’s why I want to present this collection of tips to help you produce A+ content with every email newsletter going forward. A crucial aspect of this is learning how to catch readers’ attention. This can be achieved by crafting engaging headlines or incorporating interactive elements within your content.

By focusing on strategies that pique the interest of your readers, you ensure that your newsletter not only informs but also captivates your audience, keeping them engaged from start to finish.

Craft compelling subject lines

Here is a collection of tips to internalize when writing subject lines:

• Keep the character limits between 50 and 60 to ensure your subject line isn’t cut off.
• Drive a sense of curiosity by asking difficult-to-answer, thoughtful questions.
• Incorporate power words into your subject line.
• Segment your email lists and personalize the subject line.
• Use punctuation sparingly; one punctuation mark per subject line is fine.
• Include a call to action in the subject line.
• Be specific about what the newsletter content is about.
• Address the email to the recipient.
• Send newsletter content (and other email marketing content) from a familiar email address.
• Convey a sense of urgency or FOMO.
• Incorporate numbers into the subject line.
• Use only a limited number of emojis, with one or two just right.

Keep your content relevant, engaging, and valuable

The last thing you want is for your subscribers to ask, “Wait, why did I subscribe to this newsletter again?” Your newsletter content might extend beyond what readers will find on your website or blog, but it still must be targeted and relevant.

Incorporate visual elements

Visuals such as your layout, logos, graphics, and images require careful consideration.

The visuals should attract attention but not to the point of being distracting. That requires striking a careful balance and utilizing whitespace in your design.

Personalize your newsletters

The greater the personalization you can incorporate into your email newsletter, the higher the chances of its success. Remember to use the recipient’s name in the email, address their pain points, and recommend services or products in the newsletter.

Read more: How to Create Great Email Newsletters in 2024 [With 7 Free Templates]

How to Design Your Email Newsletter

Are you ready to knock it out of the park with your email newsletter? You can’t do that without responsive, clean, engaging design.

The following pointers will help you nail it the first time.

• Choose your newsletter colors carefully. They don’t have to be a one-to-one match of your logo colors but should be close to remain aligned with your brand.
• Use unsubscribe links. If your audience changes their mind about engaging with your newsletter, they can unsubscribe easily without reporting you for spam, which hurts your sender’s reputation.
• Put your CTA button above the fold. You can add a second button below the fold if you like, but you need that main one to be visible.
• Use web-safe fonts, aka none that are customized or require a download to display.
• Choose a readable typeface and font size. If your audience struggles to read your newsletter, they won’t bother opening the next one.
• Embrace whitespace. It can be used to separate visual elements and make your newsletter layout look neater overall.
• Use high-res visuals, including images and videos.
• Add custom visual media rather than stock imagery, as this will lend itself better to your brand and come across as more authentic.
• Optimize your email newsletter for mobile users.
• Be consistent. Once you’ve found the right layout and typeface for your newsletter, use them or similar variations going forward.

EngageBay’s free email templates are all HTML-based, with over 1,000 to get you started. Envato Elements also has a series of templates you can customize, with 260 of them.

Growing your subscriber list

Acing your email newsletter layout and design is one thing. However, if no one reads your emails, it doesn’t matter how optimized and good-looking they are. They won’t make an impact.

Try these best practices as your small business grows your email audience.

Build trust with social proof

Reviews and testimonials with glowing remarks about the tenacity of your small business will inspire uncertain leads to subscribe to your email list.

Case studies can also be valuable, as they put the reader in the shoes of your customers to see how you improved their professional or personal lives.

Create enticing lead magnets

Lead magnets are another awesome way to drive up more email signups.

However, not any ol’ type of lead magnet will do. You should select targeted content that addresses your audience segment’s primary pain points. That way, you can be sure the content provides value.

Comply with email regulations

From CAN-SPAM to the GDPR, if it seems like there are more email laws and regulations than ever, that’s because there are. They’re all required for your small business to pay attention to, especially if you have customers in international markets.

Violating email regulations means getting fined and losing your audience’s faith.

It’s not worth it when it takes little time to read the rules and ensure you comply with every email you send, even those outside your newsletter.

Use exit intent pop-ups

Uh-oh, is a visitor about to leave your site without sharing their email address?

This is exactly what exit intent pop-ups are engineered to do. By offering website visitors 10% off or providing another exclusive, incentivizing deal, you can collect the email address you need and grow your newsletter.

Have a sweepstakes or giveaway

Everyone loves free stuff; it’s one of those facts of life. Tap into that by hosting a giveaway or sweepstakes. You can even hold a contest if you wish. The requirement for entry should be an email address so you can increase your list.

Increase signups by ensuring you have an excellent prize, whether it’s cash, a gift card, or your products and services.

Require emails to participate in a webinar

You have a wealth of knowledge about your industry. Share it by hosting a webinar. Attendees can join by sharing their email address, where they’ll then receive updates and news about the webinar leading up to the big day.

You can use webinars to drive up email subscriptions, whether you’re charging for the webinar or offering it for free. Webinars are valuable because you can use transcripts as lead magnets, so make sure your small business offers at least a few.

Improve your content quality

Valuable content is worth a lot to any audience. Once you hook them in, don’t get lax. Continue sending tailored, personalized, high-quality blog posts, newsletters, videos, and all other nature of content.

Your most loyal customers are also your biggest supporters who can drive more referrals.

Read also: Amazing Newsletter Ideas to Engage and Delight Your Audience

How to Analyze Your Email Newsletters

I talked earlier about the importance of analytics in determining the success of your email newsletter campaign, but precisely which KPIs should you measure? Here’s a rundown.

• Click-through rate
• Bounce rate
• Subscribe rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Delivery rate
• Clicks by URL or link
• Spam complaints
• Website traffic
• Conversion rate
• Email forward rate
• Engagement rate
• Social shares

How do you begin analyzing the performance of your newsletters?

Your email marketing tool of choice should have an analytics and reporting section.

Within there, you can highlight specific data points you want to focus on, request reports, and use historical campaign info to make data-driven decisions that improve your newsletter.

Read also: How to Create a Newsletter — From Concept to Launch

Common Mistakes While Crafting Email Newsletters

If email newsletter marketing were easy, everyone would have sky-high open and click-through rates. However, I think we all know that’s unrealistic.

Before your first email marketing campaign goes live, do yourself a favor and review this list of do’s and don’ts. Your future self will thank you!

You’re not segmenting your audience

Emailing everyone rarely has the kinds of KPIs you anticipate.

You need a target audience to build your email newsletter campaign around. You shouldn’t create the campaign first and then try to make your audience fit.

You’re too salesy

A newsletter is not a sales email. Sure, it has sales elements like writeups of your products and services and discounts and deals, but it’s more than that. Trying too hard to push a sale in your newsletter could elevate your unsubscribe rate.

You write your newsletter without a goal

What’s the point of any marketing activity without a goal in mind?

You can’t create a clear, actionable path to success when working with abstract concepts and vague ideas. Take the time to hammer down the details before your email newsletter campaign goes any further.

You buy your email lists

Purchasing an email list is a fast way to get more subscribers, but you won’t likely retain them.

Once you begin issuing emails, the subscribers will make up their minds about your content and likely unsubscribe en masse.

The only way to grow an email list is by following the strategies above. It can be a long game, but it’s worth it, as you will have engaged subscribers who want to read your content.

You’re not monitoring your KPIs

Listen, I know it’s sometimes nerve-wracking to look at your metrics, especially for your first few email newsletter campaigns, but you can’t put your head in the sand and pretend the numbers aren’t there.

Even if you fail, that’s okay.

You can learn from your errors to strengthen your email marketing campaigns for next time.

You’re misaligning your subject lines and body content

If your subject line mentions A and B, but your body content only goes on about C and D, that will raise suspicion among your audience. Irrelevant email content is likely to lead to spam complaints and more unsubscribes.

It’s sometimes hard to write a subject line that encapsulates your entire newsletter, but do your best to touch on at least one or two points in the email body.

You’re misleading your audience with your subject line

Sensationalistic subject lines may have their place, but your email newsletter campaign isn’t one of them.

Inflating the content of your subject line or overpromising to make your emails more enticing might drive more open rates, but it won’t elevate your click-through rates.

More so, this is another way to watch your unsubscribe rate jump.

You’re cramming your emails with too many elements

I love an eye-catching visual element as much as the next email marketer, but you can’t use too many in one message. Remember, whitespace is your friend.

The goal is to wisely incorporate it, not block every last trace of its existence with images and videos.

Besides, overloading your emails with visual media will make them load slowly, especially on mobile devices.

You’re not using a call to action

Please don’t forget your CTA, as it’s one of the most important parts of your newsletter, if not the most important part.

CTAs are what get people from their inbox to your website or social media feed, so you need a good one or two in your newsletter. One must be above the fold, as you’ll recall.

You’re mass emailing without segmentation and personalization

Sending hundreds of emails might feel productive, but it’s often anything but.

Most marketers who send mass emails don’t bother to segment their audiences and tailor the content to their pain points. In other words, it’s emailed to anyone and addressed to everyone.

The generalized content won’t perform well and could lead to an influx of people unsubscribing because they feel the content is too irrelevant.

Besides, sending huge numbers of emails without warming up your IP is a great way to hurt your sender’s reputation , impacting email deliverability.

You’re not optimizing emails for mobile

With more than one billion people accessing their emails via phone, you must have emails optimized for mobile and desktop devices alike.

Forgetting this important element will almost certainly lead to campaign failure.

Case Studies and Success Stories

One of the best examples of successfully utilizing email newsletter campaigns comes from LandCafe.pl , a coffee and travel eCommerce store.

They wanted to boost product awareness through their email newsletters, especially their artisanal coffee beans. Further, they were hoping to use email to increase their sales and shorten the time customers spend making up their minds.

To do this, they launched a three-part email sequence to their newsletter audience that provided educational information on their products, helped readers develop an affinity for what they sold, and then elevated trust so they’d feel readier to buy.

LandCafe.pl ’s sales rate increased to 54% through these emails.

• Use relevant keywords naturally throughout your articles.
• Optimize your images with alt text.
• Link to authoritative sources in future and past content.
• Encourage social sharing and comments to increase engagement.
• Use meta tags effectively in the description and title.

An engaging email newsletter can open doors for your small business.

You’ll have more leads, convert more of them into customers, build better customer relationships, and strengthen your brand with your consistently high-quality email content.

Creating a newsletter begins with knowing your goals and your audience. Then, you can choose the right email marketing software to align with those goals and begin creating and testing your content.

Implementing the tips discussed in this guide will help your first email newsletter be one success of many.

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation , landing page and email templates , segmentation and personalization, sales pipelines, live chat, and more.

Sign up for free with EngageBay or book a demo with our experts. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. how do i advertise an email newsletter.

Promoting your newsletter via your website, blog, and social media accounts is one way to spread the word. You can also tap into your referral network and have them share the news through word of mouth.

2. Is a monthly newsletter enough?

That depends on your goals. You should send emails at least weekly if you hope to elevate your website or social media traffic. However, monthly emails are fine if your newsletters are more for informational purposes.

3. How long should an email newsletter be?

Aim for around 200 words to drive higher click-through rates. Link to longer-form content rather than include the full text in your newsletter.

About The Author

Nicole Malczan

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Under general supervision of UNH Extension’s marketing and communication manager, create engaging, educational and creative content that promotes the programmatic objectives of UNH Extension. Remote computer work will include managing social media accounts, editing website pages, writing articles and compiling newsletter content. The assistant producer is well versed in multimedia, willing to learn new software programs and adept at social listening. The successful candidate will use the following software on the job: Microsoft 365 (including Teams), SharePoint, Adobe, and Wrike (project management). Must be able to travel to programs and offices in Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties monthly to take photos and videos and must be available for occasional night and weekend work.

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