How to Write an Article That People Will Want to Read

There are a few stock article ideas that you can run with, starting with the Newsjacking Post. It’s one of the most popular post types around. So much so, there’s a whole book on how to do it!

The idea is simple. A story in the news is gaining popularity. You ride that wave of popularity by writing a post that ties the news story to your content in a unique way.

You could relate it to your industry or websites focus. You might have a specific point you want to get across that the news story illustrates. Either way, when people want to read about the story in question, your post will be right there in the mix.

To do it right, you have to be quick, though. You’ll need to stay abreast of stories that are just gaining legs. If it’s already peaked, you’ve missed your opportunity to newsjack. HubSpot has a great guide on how to go about it.

They recommend setting up RSS feeds and alerts to scan major news outlets. Then, they advise doing keyword research and brushing up on the topic in question. Write your story, and bring your unique take to the table. Then spread the word and watch that sweet, sweet traffic flow.

If you’re not the quick post type or don’t feel like reading the news all day, there are other stock posts you can try. Perhaps a List Post is more to your liking?

No doubt you’ve seen one of these before. They’re all the rage in 2016: “”17 Horror Movie Villains Who Were Totally In The Right,” “15 Hot Celebs We Wished Posed Topless Before Playboy’s Ban,” “10 Origin Stories Of Famous Sports,” and so on.

These posts are probably always going to be popular. This is because the headlines are so attention-grabbing. They spark curiosity in the reader. “What ARE those ten sports origins?” most wonderful.

They are easy to scan. They are easy to share. They let the reader know exactly what they’ll be reading. They can target very specific audiences. They are, in short, a great content generation tool.

Unfortunately, list posts have gained a stigma that’s hard to shake. Some deride them as clickbait, a crutch for lazy writers. Others bemoan their simplicity, reasoning it’s not the right format for their site.

If you’re going to do a list post, make sure you knock it out the park. Here’s what to keep in mind:

You need a catchy title
List items should be relevant
Trim the fat from your writing
Provide lots of links
Order items in a sensible way
Keep it fun
We’ll cover some writing techniques to help you tighten up a bit later. For now, just know that if a list post is strong, it stands to gain a lot of attention.

As attention-grabbing as they may be, though, they’re not everyone’s style. You could try soliciting your audience for ideas.

This is what we call the Question And Answer Post. Perhaps you received a comment in a previous post with a reader question? Maybe you asked readers to email their queries to you directly? You could even ask yourself a question if you need to.

Whatever the source, you can turn these into fodder for new posts. Keep a file of the questions you get. Find the ones that will make the most interesting posts. Ask the questioner if you can credit them or if they would rather stay anonymous.

Answer the question. Provide thoughtful insight, and consider weaving in a life lesson. Now you have an awesome post and a place to point to if you’re ever asked the question again. Q&A posts are also a great way to generate more questions for future posts. Brilliant.

There’s a variation of this where you can ask a general question to the audience. It could be something topical that relates to your industry. “What’s Your Favorite PlayStation 4 Game,” for instance.

Provide some background on the question and possible options. List criteria for what you think the audience should consider when answering. Share your thoughts on the matter, perhaps even providing your personal answer. Then ask readers to comment.

You might spark an interesting discussion. You might also start a flame war. Done right, you should get some traffic heading to your page either way, which is the overall goal.

If you want to get even more personal, write a Story Post. This kind of post uses life events to explore a broader point. Just make sure it isn’t boring.

Talk about a time you experienced critical failure or success. Talk about changing careers, moving, a death in the family, etc. Talk about how these events changed you.

Explore what mistakes you made, what you learned, and how you might do things differently if given a second chance. These posts give readers insight into your character and are great conversation starters.

They don’t have to be your story, either. You can talk about something that happened to a friend. Or use a popular tale and relate it to another concept that you want to discuss. The possibilities open up when you do a Story Post, but you have to be willing to get personal.

Not every writer is into personal. Maybe you’re into posts with more direct practicality. You could try your hand at doing Reviews.

Nothing is off limits here, though you should focus on things related to your industry. Got a gaming site? Review games and hardware. Do you discuss music? Review new albums or instruments that you’ve tried out.

Remember that reviews should be informative. Explore what makes something good or bad, in your opinion. Present a measured take on the pros and cons. Give your overall recommendation on whether you would use an item long term, or at all. Let your audience know if that film is worth seeing or that game is worth playing.

A related concept is analyzing industry trends and then writing about them:

“I’ve been seeing this going on, and here’s what I think about it…”

“This is horrible, and it needs to stop…”

“I didn’t like this at first, but now it’s starting to grow on me…”

You can talk about what started this trend. You can delve into how it could affect other aspects of your industry. You could talk about why you think it’s a good thing, bad thing, or a mix of both.

Perhaps you’d rather provide your audience a How-To post? Identify something that a reader might need a tutorial on, then provide your take. “How to Write an Article That Your Readers Will Love” is one such example.

Lay out your steps, write your content, then provide valuable supplementary info to the reader. A similar concept is the Tip Post. You can combine the How-To with the List format, generating something like: “6 Tips For Life Success.”

Again, tackle the topic by injecting your insight and expertise. Explain why the overarching goal is important. Explain how each tip furthers the ultimate aim. It’s pretty straightforward. Perhaps too straightforward for some writers.

If that’s the case, you can try one of many structured-but-out-of-the-box ideas. This post from Yes And Yes lays them out. Incorporating short audio or video in the post is particularly clever. Give each a try to see what you favor the most.