Have you ever walked into a store because they had a cool storefront? And have you ever rushed out again because they didn’t have what you need?
I’m here to tell you that it works the same way with an article!
I will share the #1 thing to help you write articles that people will love to read.
Then I will break this #1 thing down into 3 powerful copywriting tips that you can use when you write your next article.
If that sounds good to you, please read on.
First, I want to give you an example of this #1 thing that will help you write articles that people will love to read.
Is writing a special gift you have or not?
In my first years as a writing teacher, I struggled to teach my students how to write better. It seemed that some students had the unique gift of writing and others didn’t.
I started to think back at my years in writing class in high school. I would get comments in the margin of my writing like “Good” or “Rephrase.” But I realized that I had not received any explanation for why it was “Fine” or “Rewrite.” And because of my own experience, I was unsure how to give effective feedback to help my students’ writing.
Something had to change
Based on this early experience in teaching writing, I started to do a lot of research. I studied international learning methods and how to improve student outcomes. I wanted to learn how I could teach my students to write better.
The results from my writing research gave me some great ideas to try out with my students.
✅ I started sharing good writing examples. The examples helped the students know what writing success looks like and what they aim for in their articles.
✅ I provided them with templates. These templates gave the students a structure and steps to take. This scaffolding made it easier for the students to imitate the specific type of writing they were learning how to write.
✅ I broke the writing task down into smaller manageable pieces. The students would only write part of the assignment. Then they would hand in the first part of the writing and get feedback.
I prioritized feedback in the middle of the writing process rather than after the writing was done because the mind is more open to learning while a paper is still in progress. Once you feel “job well done,” you are less likely to be open to changes.
I was amazed at the results. The students got better. Even the students that didn’t show signs of the gift of writing, in the beginning, were improving their writing.
The effect of giving the students feedback in the middle of the writing process was inspiring. The next natural step for me was to ask for feedback from the students.
I asked for feedback
I gave several students a list of questions about how my teaching writing and giving feedback worked for them. I asked them to record their answers on audio or video. I explained that they would help me learn how to teach better by giving me feedback also.
In one of these videos, one of my students said:
“Now I finally know what she wants.”
And he continued: “At first, I had no clue when she was asking me to describe the environment in a text. I would say: “There is no environment.” Now I know that living in an apartment building, being unemployed, and having conflict with the spouse is part of the environment.”
I was very excited about how the students applied the feedback to improve their writing. I wanted to share my experience with other writing teachers. I decided to write an article for a teacher magazine about this new approach to teaching writing based on writing research.
Does it really have to be so difficult to teach students how to write?
This was the headline of the article I wrote to the teacher magazine.
It turned out that the article was touching on a problem that was a pain point for many writing teachers. After the article was published, I got requests for making courses in teaching writing. I participated in other writing research projects. And later, I was encouraged to write and publish several books about my writing research and experiences in helping students improve their writing. And this brings me to the #1 thing that will help you write articles people will love to read:
Your article must provide real significant value to people
My article was providing a solution to a very specific problem that was relevant to many writing teachers.
Your articles must do the same. An article people will love to read must provide a relevant solution to a specific problem they have. It is just like when we go shopping. We go to the grocery store to get the groceries we need.
To know how to provide real significant value to your reader and have your article fulfill that goal, you can follow these 3 powerful copywriting tips.
3 Powerful Copywriting Tips
If you follow these steps, you are much more likely to write articles people will love to read.
1. Copywriting Tip #1 ✅ Research: An article people will love to read must provide significant value to people.
- What is your target audience needing from you?
- What are their struggles?
- How are you providing a solution to their problems?
In the example above, the students struggled to understand how to write the different types of writing successfully. I provided them with solutions to their problems by sharing great writing samples to imitate. I helped them scaffold their writing with templates. I also provided feedback during the writing process that allowed the individual student to solve their specific challenges. The article in the teacher magazine described this approach to teaching writing. The article was a welcome solution to the problem of how to teach students to write better. In other words, the article was presenting a solution to a concern shared by many writing teachers.
2. Copywriting Tip #2 ✅ Headline & Lead: The article’s headline is the “Storefront,” and the lead is the “Entrance.” Both headline and lead need to catch people’s attention and persuade them to read.
- Is your headline simple and clear?
- Do the headline and lead state the big idea or promise that will solve your readers’ problem?
- Are you using SEO key phrases to ensure your headline and lead include relevant keywords?
In the example of the headline in the teacher magazine, the headline clearly states a problem that teaching writing can be difficult. The lead points the way to a solution. In the headline of this article, “3 Powerful Copywriting Tips To Write Articles People Will Love To Read!” the problem is clear and specific. Writers have issues getting people to read their articles. The headline also clearly states that I will share 3 powerful copywriting tips to solve the problem. In the lead, I’m telling you what I’m going to tell you, so you know what to expect in the article. The SEO score is high on “write articles” and medium on “copywriting tips” and “articles people.”
3. Copywriting Tip #3 ✅ Storytelling: Stories appeal to people’s emotions and move people to engage. A story has drama elements such as identification, conflict, and suspense.
- What story can you tell to illustrate the problem your article is solving?
- How can your story give a hunch of the solution like a cliffhanger?
- How can you incorporate storytelling elements in your story such as show, don’t tell (making it visual like a movie), dialogue, conflict, plot?
In the example above, I share the story about my difficulties teaching writing and finding a solution. I use quotes from the feedback I got in high school and quotes from my students. I shared how writing an article about my experiences improving my students’ writing gave me new opportunities in my professional life. The key point is that the story validates the big promise in the headline about 3 powerful copywriting tips to help you write articles people will love to read.
Summing up, the #1 thing to write articles people will love to read is to make sure that you are writing about something of real significant value to people.
Do some research on their problems and pain points. Think of a solution you can provide to their problems. Make sure your headline and lead are simple, clear, and persuasive. And use storytelling to illustrate the problem and give a hunch of the solution.
I would love to hear how the 3 powerful copywriting tips explained above helps you write articles people love to read. And leave a comment about your experience writing articles in the comments. We can all learn from each other!
If you want my template for writing articles, please leave a note in the comments and I will send it to you for FREE.
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And as always, feel free to reach out if you need help with your copy and content.
About Sophie H Higgins, MA, MBA, MBC: I’m a freelance copywriter, professional speaker, business coach, and martial artist. I specialize in providing high-quality copy, content, and program outlines that help people and businesses grow. Need a copywriting magician? 🧙♀️ 📖 ⚡As your copywriter and business coach, I can help you and your business boost your client flow.