We hear the words all the time, quality content, looking for quality articles, want quality writing...but what exactly constitutes a 'quality article' in your mind? A few things I consider necessary for a quality article: Originality is essential, and by that I mean your words and thoughts, not someone else's that you've just changed the wording enough to pass Copyscape. Proper spelling and grammar a must. Informative enough for the reader to trust that you know what you're talking about (or research it well enough to sound like you know what you're talking about.) Informative and yet not a tell-all, leave them wanting to know more. Entertaining enough to keep a reader's interest and attention all the way to the end. Meaty writing-without a bunch of unnecessary words that contribute nothing to the content and are only added to hike up the word count. And always, ALWAYS written with the reader in mind, their thoughts, emotions, and mindset, not yours. I'm hoping that will get the ball rolling...I'd love to hear what qualifications y'all think are necessary for 'quality' articles. Honey
I whole heartedly agree with what you have said. These are just my peeves but I believe others will share them; they aren't professional in the since of quality as I can ever see it. I can't stand to read anything that uses the word like more than twice in a paragraph. '...and like you want to go over and say hi. But you're worried about like what he thinks of you because first impressions are everything and you want him to like you." I hate this so much that I go out of my way to remove the word like from what I write. I also don't like to repeat words over and over for both an author and a reader I find it distracting. Also I, me, us, we, you, and your are banned from anything but certain forms of sales marketing or personal accounts. If I am reading a how-to booklet I can fully understand the instructions without reading then you, next you, etc in every line. As for the level of my work I specifically sell it as professional, print quality work. Unless I misunderstand the project details the product I deliver can go straight to a publisher, boss, or teacher with little effort on the buyers part to check it for accuracy or professionalism.
Good Content Sucks! What makes a great article is when it sucks the reader in. I don't think grammer and spelling is as important as whether you really engage the reader. I would rather have an article that has bad grammer and spelling that is engaging rather than one that isn't engaging and has perfect grammer. IMHO
I think you've already got the main points covered. I would add that you can also adjust your writing style depending on the audience. For some articles it may be best to be very matter of fact and just provide information. For others it works well to be more 'creative' and write with lots of emotion.
Good writing should also flow well. 1)Topic or theme 2)Introduction - spell out the problem or why you are writing this 3)body - make your point 4)conclusion - tell me what to do with the information you just gave me and then maybe 5) where to go from here. writing that ambles on with out a reason is a little hard to read from start to finish. People end up reading a little and giving up before they get to the bottom
The article won't engage me if I have to trip over poor grammar and incorrect words. One or two typos are no big deal, but if the entire article looks like it was written by a 2nd grader I'm not going to read it.
See, I have to agree with Denise. If writing is riddled with poor grammar and misspelled words, it *doesn't* engage me long enough to finish reading it. But I also think glassman makes a valid point...a good article should suck the reader in and hold his attention to the end. Honey
Yes. Obviously, a well written article will hold my attention until the end. If it's poorly written, it's not going to do that!
I asked a very reputable marketer recently “Which is more important in a campaign, traffic or sales copy?†His answer was emphatic, “Sales Copy.†So we can get traffic, either paid or free, we can write press releases or articles to try and drive visitors to our site, but without compelling sales copy we will never convert those hungry buyers into sales for our products. How can we learn to write the sort of sales letter or web page that will convert into sales? A sales letter is completely different to writing a report or an e-book. These tend to be written from the heart, written because we thoroughly understand the subject about which we are writing, but when it comes to writing sales copy it’s a completely different kettle of fish. In writing sales copy we’ve basically only got one chance of keeping our reader interested or amused enough to keep reading until the reader fells compelled to either sign up for more information or press the “Buy Now†button to conclude the sale. I don’t know whether you agree but the top selling affiliate marketing sites seem to go on and on forever, yet we find it extremely hard to stop reading and even harder to not sign up to see just how great their offer really is. (And if you’re like me you buy it anyway in the knowledge that it must be worth the investment.) Hey, just look at the amount of people who have written glowing testimonials as to its worth and how much it has changed their lives! Why, and how do these copy-writers make it so easy for us to make the decision to buy? It’s all based on a formula and every good copy-writer uses it for predictable results. The first absolute MUST in any ad campaign is to persuade the reader to believe ‘WIFM?’. “What’s In It For ME?†There must be a clear message that convinces the reader that in fact there is something in it for them, whether the product is so unique, whether there are significant reasons for the reader to purchase, whether the perceived dollar value of the bonuses let’s the reader think that they cannot miss such a great offer, and so on. Good copy has to be personal, it has to be relevant and it has to be specific. When someone reads your ad or opens your web page you have between three and five seconds for them to make a decision whether to continue or not. It’s not much time is it? So if your headline fails to grab the attention of your reader then you’ve lost a potential sale. There are two main things that motivate people to action: 1. Fear of Loss. 2. Promise of Gain. Either or both of these should form the bulk of your headline. And if you can create an air of curiosity at the same time your on your way to a great headline. A great way to start is by reading newspaper ads, classified ads and competition web sites. Look at their headlines, copy them down and save them in a file. The more you get the better. Now see if you can slightly modify any of them to suit your particular product, whether it be for a web page headline,a pay per click headline or an article headline. I certainly don’t recommend copying them word for word but if you can change a few words and still get a ‘killer’ headline then go for it! The body of your copy should first tell the reader of the benefits of your product. To outsell your competition you must have a USP. A Unique Selling Proposition Keep asking yourself “How is my product better than the rest?†“What does my product have that no-one else has?†“Why should the reader buy MY product and not from my competition?†When you have the answer then you have a unique selling proposition and that’s what you need to convey to your reader. Put your major benefits at the top of your body copy using bullet points and then follow up with four or five other outstanding benefits even if they aren’t unique. Add testimonials if you can. How can you get them? If you belong to any affiliate programs send a copy to the owner and kindly ask for a testimonial. Let you friends and relatives read it and supply you with testimonials. Just a few can add credibility to your product. Also in your sales letter if you have any other creditable things you can use, (Reports or articles you may have written, special mentions anywhere) let the reader know and give them links where they can check your credibility. Your copy MUST contain a “Call to Action.†The best way of doing this is to restate your USP using your main benefit to spur the reader to the next step. For example let’s say you were selling a golf tuition e-book and your USP was that you gave a money back guarantee if the reader didn’t lose two strokes from his handicap within one month of reading your book, then your call to action might be: “To Knock Two Strokes Off your Handicap…….Or Your Money Back, enter your full name and email address and I’ll send you the details immediately! ALWAYS make your copy as personal as possible. Use the words “YOU†and “YOUR†and write in simple language without long, boring words. Make sure that you thoroughly check your advert or web copy, use a spell checker and read through your ad a few times to make sure your punctuation is correct. This article is an extract from my ebook “How To Create a Product, Market It and Make A Profit.†To get a free copy visit: http://www.nickmarketing.com there’s a link on the front page.
Well said! It is exactly what I was thinking. Also, first impressions are everything and copy written with obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes brings me the notion that the entire site is unprofessional. Ill be the first to admit that I am not a stellar speller but I have tools to help me with that. To say that copy has obvious mistakes shows that ether the writer isn't using proper tools or doesn't care enough about the project to revise or edit what was written.
Something I care about, when reading articles, is beyond the writing quality. I want the information presented to be accurate and meaningful. For example, at one point when I subscribed to a medical article service, I was disgusted when I actually read the content provided. Sure, it was English and didn't mangle grammatical rules too badly, but it was factually incorrect in a topic area that is dangerous to the reader. What the heck? I'd say that good content needs to be interesting, accurate and purpose driven... hopefully in combination with good writing skills.
It depends on who your reader is. My clients are professionals and would be turned off and most likely stop reading if it looks unprofessional and sloppy. I wouldn't blame them. If your readers are primarily younger or non-professionals then it's probably not as big of a deal. Material on your site is a reflection of you.
I think a strong introduction and conclusion is very important, as well as originality. I don't want a boring article that drones on and on pointlessly. I want one that has plenty of clarity and gets the message out clearly, without leaving me thinking "huh?" I also like articles that are broken up nicely for easy scanning and reading and that makes it a pleasure on the eyes. For instance, bold headings, italicized parts, bullets, numbered lists, etc.
Great point! Accuracy should be of primary concern to anyone providing information! And in some areas, such as the medical industry you mentioned, it becomes not just a good idea, but essential for information to be accurate. I remember reading a sad story where someone described buying an ebook about natural alternatives to some skin problem...acne or psoriasis or something similar...anyway, the bottom line was it made her problem even worse. When someone hits the download button, it's because they trust the information they're buying will solve their problem. Unfortunately, there are some people without ethics or scruples who will say anything, promise anything and sell anything, just to make a buck. Present company excluded, of course. Honey
That is exactly what I was thinking. Of course, there are those who will write on subjects that do not prompt people to buy or even trust the source, however, when I'm presented with an article to write, I always make sure that it doesn't conflict with me personally. For instance, I turned down a rather large bulk article project because it was focused on an Adult subject that I personally do not agree with. I'm sure the client found someone to write it, but again, there are those who will simply write whatever the client wants simply to make a buck, and I feel that reputation is much more important than taking every job that is offered. JMHO
Not only do I wholeheartedly agree with you, I would go one step further and say anyone with ethical problems has no business being in business...of any sort...and perhaps in a perfect world this would be true. Unfortunately, the world we live in is full of unethical folks, and sad to say, some of them are indeed writers. Honey