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By Lisa Sparks
Come on, admit it: Whether you're a professional writer or not
we all draw a blank when we want to write an ezine article.
I've found an answer to that dilemma that will get you writing
in no time so that you can publish your ezine article and
begin
to receive that new wave of subscribers you've been hoping
for.
Here's how to get the lead out if you draw a blank:
1. Write your action steps first.
Forget about the catchy headline and attractive lead paragraph
for now. There's no use in cleverly leading a reader into an
article that has no real value to them. So start where you
build your credibility, right in the action steps. Of course
you want to identify your subject and then tell them how to
make their lives easier. For instance, plumbers are always
going to have to fix pipes, it's the nature of their business.
If you have an ezine to others in the plumbing industry, write
about a new technique in the industry on sealing pipes or
preparing them for the winter, etc.
2. Save the best for last.
There's something called takeaway or take-home that should be
in every one of your articles. It's your last chance to tell
your audience, "I know my stuff." Try to put that key piece of
information in the last paragraph of your article and you'll
want it to be something your reader can do as soon as he or
she
finishes reading your article. If you're writing to accounts
payable clerks, you'd tell them ways to get each department to
get approvals on all purchase orders before submitting them.
A/P clerks would just eat that up. It's their number one
gripe.
Bottom line: Give your audience something they can do
immediately at the very end of your article. They'll remember
your name and become devotees for life- hanging from your
every
word.
3. Get excited about the benefits.
After you've taken care of the credibility building portion of
your article, you have to draw the reader in and whet their
appetite for all this great information. By the way, if you
write the action steps and take-home first, this part will be
easier because you'll be so excited about the information
you'll see the benefits of it. And that's what writing lead
paragraphs and headlines is all about: benefits to your
readers.
Your final take-home advice
No matter what you do, when you're writing to an ezine
audience, always include an "About the Author" blurb (some
call
this a sig file, short for signature file) and a plug for
anything new you're into. To do this, determine what you want
the reader to do after he or she is finished reading. Do you
want the to subscribe to your ezine? Buy your new ebook? Or
just visit or site? Whatever the benefit to you is, identify
it
before you write your "About the Author" section. And you can
write this at any time because it's separate from the article
and you can use the same "About the Author" blurb for multiple
articles. As a matter of fact, you could write one right now.
Check out the one I'm using at the bottom of this article.
(c) 2003-2005 Lisa Sparks
About The Author: Lisa Sparks, author of 'Power Words: How to
Write ezines that Increase Your Sales,' has more than 15 years
of experience in journalism, copywriting and marketing. Sign
up
for her ezine, a $197 per year value, at no cost by visiting
www.integritywriting.com.
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