5 Tips To Writing Better Articles

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a writer, more of a reader so most of my advice comes from times I've read stuff without clicking away.

1. Have a reason for people to read your article

This is a no brainer, unlike contracts or disclaimers people aren't forced to read your articles. They need a reason and good articles know why people read them and are formatted accordingly.

For example:

Your article might be reasons why people should buy Bitcoin, so you got to ask yourself why do people buy Bitcoin? Financial stability? Profit? So the reason people might read your article is because they are searching for alternate investments not tied to the USD?

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2 Make your reason compelling

Are people interested in your reason? Are you interested in your own reason? Ask around, check existing articles. Take of your writing hat and put on a reader hat.

For example:

Using the above reason: "I want to find investments not tied to USD" Boring right. Let's rephrase it to line up with human needs. The need for financial security! So you change it to "I need secure investment options" Much more compelling!

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3 Write from the perspective of the reader

Now you have their attention, now you need to guide them from their reason to your solution. For that you need to think about the person likely to be requiring secure investments. What investments might have they tried in the past? Are they risk averse? What responsibilities do they have? Are they fed up with lies being told to them?

This is the part many people fuck up because they take shortcuts and assume. Take the time to listen to your audience and really step into the mindset of these people.

For Example

One of the people who might be seeking alternate investments is an older office worker. She could be a single mother who has worked her entire life for her kids. She has made a nest egg by saving her money from wages but has heard that value stores like gold barely keep pace with inflation. Her years have taught her to be weary of "get rich quick schemes".

In this case you would need to highlight the longevity of Bitcoin (for her kids) writing honestly while avoiding making conclusions (for her weariness) while weighing Bitcoin against her other choices (keeping it in a bank, gold etc).

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4 Be Authentic

There was a time when one could make claims and for the most part people would accept it. That time has passed with the advent of the internet and google, Inauthentcity is as easy to spot as a tall guy in an owl onsie. Your reputation is what keeps people coming back & even a little inauthentic stuff might have people question the authenticity of everything you write.

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5 Get to the point

Nothing is more painful to read then an article that has attracted you with a good reason and then wastes your time with irrelevant dribbling. Time and attention is in short supply so once you have written your article, go over it and ask yourself "Does this help drive my point or distract from it?"

For example

You read back the article, putting on your best "single mother hat", you get to the section about how the blockchain works. Your rather proud of this part as it took all night researching. But will a single mother understand this? Does she need to? Can you reword it into relatable concepts she will understand?

Maybe the blockchain can be like established truths and transactions are gossip and hearsay wanting to become reality. When enough people approve the hearsay it becomes established truth?

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Extra formatting tip: break things up (thanks @mikeparker)

Unless your a robot, you might find walls of consistent text annoying. Where you move onto different points, break it up visually with supporting images, spaces or line breaks.

For example

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Written in markdown gives you

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This will show that you don't actually hate your readers and their eyes will thank you by being more engaged! Don't forget who you are doing this for!