Do you want to learn how to write captivating and engaging articles? Do you need article writing tips that will help you write articles to pull your target audience in and keep them focused until the last line?

As a beginner, writing can be quite a struggle. However, you should know that every professional writer has to start from scratch as well.

Sometimes, how you say something might be more important than knowing what to say. You have to know how to write clearly if you want to become an article. To grow as a writer, you have to find what works and practice it a lot!

So, if you are just starting your writing journey, there are a number of article writing tips that will immediately set you apart from others.

15 Valuable Article Writing Tips for Beginners

1. Be a good reader.
2. Do your keyword research.
3. Craft a catchy title.
4. Identify the target audience.
5. Start with a strong hook.
6. Write briefly and clearly.
7. Make your article better than the competition.
8. Write in a consistent tone.
9. Take online courses.
10. Make proper use of power words.
11. Provide your readers with value for their time
12. Add links to additional resources
13. Break up text walls with images.
14. Edit your initial draft.
15. Proofread the article.

What is an article?

An article is a written form of communication that can serve different purposes. It could be used to share an opinion on a subject matter, answer a question, entertain, engage, or inform the reader.

The primary goal of an article writer is to write content that interests the target audience and connects with them on a different level.

Important Article Writing Tips for Beginners to Immediately Stand Out

Writing an article that your target audience is willing to read takes a lot of practice and skill. The purpose of this post is to focus on those essential writing tips for beginners.

Be a Good Reader

To be a good writer, you must be an excellent reader as well. You have to study what the best writers have written and take some of their article writing tips.

Reading should be enjoyable. However, pay close attention to everything in the article and ask yourself relevant questions as you read. What exactly makes the article so great? What is the structure of the article?

Whatever you learn from reading what professionals write can then be transferred into your work.

Do your Keyword Research

Before you start writing, the first thing to do is to search for relevant keywords. Keywords are the search queries that users input into the search boxes to look for information. They are essential for your articles to rank on the first page of search results.

But note that you have to ensure that you use the keywords only where they fit naturally because Google punishes websites that try to stuff keywords. Ensure that you have the primary keyword in the title of the article, while secondary keywords should be placed in the subheadings and the body of the article.

Craft a Catchy Title

The title of your article is the first thing your target audience sees, so this is your opportunity to convince them to click on the link to your article. It is important that you don’t use “clickbait” to make readers interested.

There are several strategies that you can use to craft eye-catching titles. A few suggestions include:

• Keep your title brief. Statistics have shown that titles that have 6–13 words drive the most traffic. Whenever it is possible, make sure your title falls into this word range.
• Ask questions. Craft your titles in the form of questions that your readers will want to know the answers to.
• Guarantee a solution. Readers click on your article to find a solution. So what solution do you guarantee your audience will get by the time they finish reading? Let your title show this solution.

Identify the Target Audience

You have to understand your readers before you can write effectively. Before you start, you should know the target audience that your article is meant for.

Make use of these three factors to select your target audience:

• Demographics: Here, you consider the age, income, and educational background of a group of individuals.
• Likes and behaviors: You must ensure that the tone and style of your writing correspond to the preferences of your readers. To make them take action, you should know what motivates and drives them.
• Buying trends: Some groups of readers are just looking to surf the internet, while others are willing to purchase products. Depending on the purpose of your article, you may have to focus on one of the groups.

Start with a Strong Hook

Nowadays, readers have very short attention spans, so you only have the first few sentences to grab their attention. You should be able to immediately convince them that your article is worth reading.

Use the first sentence to set the tone for the rest of the article. Once you have captured their attention, it is important that you do not let it go until the end of the article.

One writing tip to help hook your readers is to start with a question. What is the question that drives your article? Start with that question and make your reader curious about the answer.

Write Briefly and Clearly

The key to keeping your readers’ attention is to keep your sentences and paragraphs brief. When your reader opens the article, seeing a long block of text can be intimidating. Keeping the sentences short will make the reading experience enjoyable.

As a writer, you might get the occasional urge to show off your vocabulary. But remember, you are writing for your readers and not yourself. Try to convey information in as few words as possible.

A simple way to keep your writing brief is to cut out adverbs. Using “critical” instead of “very important” is a brilliant example. What’s more, cutting out adverbs where possible will also make your writing sound stronger.

Make Your Article Better Than the Competition

There is a high probability that the topic you want to write about has already been written comprehensively on. But that should not be a source of discouragement. The only thing you should worry about is how to make yours better.

So before you start writing, it is advisable to research your competitors’ articles. Take note of your likes and dislikes and use them to make your writing better.

Write in a Consistent Tone

The tone of the article must match the content type and the target audience. Therefore, in order to be a great article writer, you must be able to change your tone as required.

On your personal blog, you can keep the tone informal, as if you are chatting with your friends. When writing for clients or businesses, keep the tone professional.

Keep the tone of the article consistent. Jumping from one tone to another will make your article hard to read.

Take Online Courses

Your writing will continue to improve with practice. However, you can further develop your skills by taking courses. There are several courses (free and paid) available to make your writing style better.

Learning from professional writers is one way to quickly improve the quality of your writing. The best thing about these courses is that they are usually available for you to learn at a pace that suits you.

Make Proper Use of Power Words

Power words help to trigger emotions in your readers, thereby pushing them to take necessary actions. Using them properly can help you build a level of trust.

Sales copy and adverts make use of power words to trigger emotions in their target audience and get them to buy products. In the same way, cleverly placing power words throughout your article will have a big impact on your writing.

Provide Your Readers With Value For Their Time

At the end of the article, your readers should walk away with a solution to their problems and answers to their questions. If by the time they finish, they do not get the value promised, then they will never read your articles again.

One helpful writing tip for beginners to keep readers returning to their blog is to continue to provide value in your articles. No matter the length of the article, just ensure that your readers are satisfied by the time they reach the conclusion.

Add Links to Additional Resources

When trying to provide value for your readers, the need to add facts and figures may arise. However, without adding the links to these resources, your readers might find it hard to believe where those numbers come from.

Adding links, therefore, helps to make your articles more credible. Your readers could also follow these links if they need additional information that is not contained in your article.

Break Up Text Walls With Images

As mentioned earlier, the attention spans of readers have dropped drastically, and we have essentially become scanners. We tend to skim through the bulk of the text, occasionally slowing down where we find important information.

Scanning a wall of text is very difficult and strenuous. You can use pictures that relate to the subject matter to break the text wall or further emphasize a point.

There are free stock image websites like Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash where you can get high quality images. If you are feeling particularly creative, you can use Canva to design your images.

Edit Your Initial Draft

Once you finish writing, you are not done just yet. Edit the article immediately after to catch some mistakes. This is so that you can make adjustments while the idea is still fresh in your head.

However, tired eyes can miss other mistakes, and this is why you need to make further edits. During subsequent edits, you will see more grammatical errors. You will also notice some sentences that you change.

Whenever it is possible, give the article to someone else to edit. Having another set of eyes can be quite beneficial. They can also give you feedback on your tone, style, and readability.

Proofread the Article

Another article writing tip is proofreading. Apart from editing, take time to check how the article sounds and what kind of response it evokes from your readers. Make sure that the sentence flow are seamless.

Reading the article aloud multiple times can help you gauge its ease of reading.

Conclusion on Article Wring Tips for Beginners

Here are 15 article writing tips for beginners that will immediately set you apart from others. Don’t get discouraged if you struggle to put these tips into practice immediately. With constant practice, you will see improvements, and before long, clients will start knocking at your door.

Always remember that even the most experienced article writers learn every day. So keep writing and learning new things. Before long, you will perfect your article writing skills and become a mentor as well.