How to Generate Leads and Get More Traffic As a Writer.
A n aged woman, touched by street-boys tribulations offered him a free glass of milk.
“thanks a lot, it’s long since I tasted milk,” the boy said, as he sped-off across the alley.
For a moment, the old woman stared, her hands holding an empty glass of milk.
She limped back into her tiny hut.
A month after the completion of his studies, Dr. Rex phone rang, “emergency, room 2….patient in critical condition…” and the voice went on and on…. .
Dr. Rex scanned the details of the patient.
His heart missed a beat.
He knew her and he had to do something.
Although the operation took longer than expected, things went on as planned. The old lady was safe but there was a problem.
The hospital bill.
“where will I get all these money,” she thought. As she shifted her eyes on the piece of paper lying on the glass tray, her mouth ran wide.
“paid in full by a glass of milk” it read.
Confused by the turn of events.(she cried…)
Your readers’ appreciate valuable content, the same way the street-boy-turned doctor value the glass of milk from the old woman.
How?
# Decide on an appropriate outline and shape of your article.
A simple and clear outline is a holy grail, it lays the foundation for your piece of writing.
Skilled writers have mastered this scheme of procedure and so can you. Whether you’re writing your book or landing page; there’s a skeleton for which you will add muscle and blood.
Unlike most web writing styles, academic writing has defined reference and formatting styles.
# Brainstorm like an 800-pound gorilla.
“think outside the box”. writing is a game of discovery exploration at the same time readers adore fresh and captivating content.
Search for many of ideas on your topic.
Ask yourself, how will my readers react to the idea?
Learn to write on controversial topics.
I use ubbersuggest, a free online tool for keyword research.
# Break the rules, BUT watch-out !
It doesn’t break a bone to take out some best pieces from the web and rewrite them.However, watch out for plagiarism.
I use evernote to clip down some of the best pieces from the web.
# Write a catchy headline
“Use a compelling title to draw your readers in”
Bleed in the first line. A clear and concise opening statement shows the reader what the article entails at a glance.
# Make a paragraph a unit of structure.
Short or long, make it hold together.
As a rule, begin each paragraph with a sentence that suggests the topic or helps in the transition.
# Provide valuable information.
As a writer, commit to deliver value with every sentence.
Be precise. In the words of William Strunk Jr. Elements of Style 4th ed.
“Strong writing is succinct. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline but that every word tells”.
Check for words such as “the fact that, who is, which was” and do what you are paid to do- slash them.
# Write with brevity.
Use definite, specific and concrete language when writing.
See George Orwell’s translation of a verse from Ecclesiastes (King James Version)
“I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill: but time and chance happens to them all”.
Translation :
“Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to commensurate with innate capacity, but with a considerable element of the unpredictable must inevitably be taken into account”
Which piece shows brevity?
# Use the active voice.
“The active voice is straight and enthusiastic as compared to the passive.”
Writing in an active voice makes your point clear and easy to communicate.
Wrong: My first article published on median will always be remembered;
Correct: I will always remember my first article published on median;
Short sentences sound stronger and easy to read.
Wrong:There were a great number of people opting for freelance work.
Correct: Freelance workers have increased.
Keep the active voice but above all, showcase your critique mind muscles.
Practice the rule of parallel construction.
The parallel structure provides flow in a sentence. It keeps your writing balanced and makes it easier to read. It also shows that ideas are of equal importance.
Express coordinate words together.
Write with confidence — ever heard “Fear is a beast that feeds on attention”. tell your readers what you need them to know, be opinionated but never say “in my opinion”. You’re writing it.
Don’t be a late bloomer.
Set and keep a word limit for your writing-commit yourself to write a given number of words per day. Increase the rate as you move on
Keep a healthy mind.
Your body and mind do work as a team, sleep well, practice yoga, take a cup of coffee, or take a walk. Most important, eat healthy- including a lot of fruits
Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
Loose sentences make your readers bored.
Example of a loose sentence, The fire alarm went off, making a loud clanging noise, startling everyone, and causing some people to knock over their chairs.
Finally, keep related words together and place emphatic words of a sentence at the end.
In a nutshell,
The old woman’s health was restored and better, her hospital bill paid in full by her generosity to offer a glass of milk.
You too can rank on search engines, attract high traffic and generate leads. Offer value.
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