(This is a copy of a newsletter edition I posted today on Tiny Letter.)

Day 19: How to Write “Tips” and “How To” Articles

Welcome back!

Yesterday you learned how to write an SEO article. Today you’ll learn about writing two types of articles:

Tips articles and “how to” articles. Read on…

How to Write “Tips” Articles

Tips articles are just what they sound like – you offer tips on a particular topic, rather than a “step by step” process.

Examples:

• Three Ways to Improve Your Golf Swing
• Seven Tips for Slimming Your Thighs
• The Ten Secrets of Writing a Great Sales Page

Tips articles work great for selling books and other information products.

Example: The “Ten Secrets of Writing a Great Sales Page” article could easily pre-sell a copywriting product.

However, you can use these articles to sell physical products, too.

Example: The “Three Ways to Improve your Golf Swing” article could pitch a particular club that would help the prospect improve his game.

How to Write “How To” Articles

The “how to” article is a step-by-step process, where you explain to your reader how to do something.

Examples:

• How to Look Ten Years Younger
• How to Juggle
• How to Replace Your Carpet

You can use these types of articles to sell most any type of product.

For example, if you’re selling an ebook, then you can offer a “how to” article that gives your readers an overview of how to do something, but it doesn’t go into detail. Your prospect needs to buy the ebook to get the details. Remember, “useful but incomplete.”

Example: Let’s say you’re selling a copywriting book. You might create an article titled “How to Write a Sales Letter.” You’d then outline the steps such as:

• Profile your target market
• Write a great headline
• Create a hook for an opener
• Craft your bullet points
• Offer a guarantee
• Call your prospect to action

And so on. You’d offer a few sentences for each step. Then you’d promote the copywriting book within your article.

Example:  “You now have a great overview of how to write a sales letter. To get the full details so that you too can create cash-pulling copy, click here…”

Of course this type of article works for physical products, too. Let’s suppose you’re selling puppy potty training pads. You could offer step-by-step instructions on how to use these pads to housebreak a puppy.

Today’s task: Write one tips article and one “how to” article. Be sure to load them up on your blog when you’re finished.

Then tomorrow you’ll learn about a type of article that tends to attract a lot of attention, so stay tuned!

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