5 Ways to Write Targeted Posts in 2012

Do you feel that you sometimes spend too much time crafting articles for your blog or website? I know the feeling: I write thousands of articles annually for clients, for my blogs and for websites that I own or manage. My pace varies from 5 to 8 articles per day which puts me in the neighborhood of 2,000 articles written annually.

That’s a lot of articles for anyone to write, but it does provide for a decent living. I’m not including in that total the magazine articles I write for print publications nor the behind the scenes work that I do for my own sites.

Thought Articulation

Blogging offers the most informal way to write as bloggers generally aren’t sourcing other websites nor are they required to follow various style methods. Both options help elevate your authority, but aren’t required. Besides, when you have a thought in your mind, you want to articulate what you have to say and not worry about what others think or say.

For 2012, I’m planning to increase my writing productivity by about 20 percent. This means I’ll have to write at a faster clip or work longer hours — believe me, I want to actually reduce the hours I put in and make more money. I expect to do that by employing the following five techniques for the year so that I can produce more in less time:

1. Laser focus — My main areas of writing expertise are automotive, business, college and consumer topics. This ABCC arrangement means that I can cover those subjects I know and do each one well. Gone are the days where I’ve ventured into other areas only to be weighed down by having to do extensive research to bring myself up to speed. All four topics I know enough about to write most of my articles off of the top of my head.

2. Smarter headlines — I’m being extra careful to write headlines that are catchy as well as smart. You can write the best article, but have those words lost because your title is uninteresting, vague or confusing. Attract your readers with articles that offer plenty of substance, but are accompanied by headlines that attract.

3. Develop idea lists — Most of my ideas are percolating in my brain, but I’m going to start jotting down my ideas and go to that list whenever I’m needing something new or fresh. You can put your list on your computer, in your handheld device or do it the old-fashioned way: on paper. Find a method that works best for you and keep adding to it and subtracting from it when you’re ready to use an idea.

4. Simplicity matters — There are times when I’m writing longer, magazine-style articles of 750 words or more with three or more references. These articles take one to two hours to complete, but are no where nearly as common as the shorter articles I write. Stick with a 400-word minimum and come up with at least three points to following your introduction and to precede your conclusion. Bullets and numbered lists are still the way to go, providing visual appeal and reading simplicity.

5. Write when you’re inspired — I firmly believe that writer’s block does not exist. What does exist is our personal fear of failure and bodily fatigue. Overcome the fear and write, write, write. Get rested and write whenever you’re most productive. There are times when I’ve banged out five articles in two hours, took an extended break and returned to write four or five more before calling it a day.

Have Fun!

Above all else, have fun when you’re writing. The vast majority of your articles should be on topics you’re familiar with and like, allowing you to be the most productive and hopefully making the most money. As long as your interest in writing remains strong, you’ll do fine. If you’re flagging in interest, find something else to do for a while before returning and are ready to write.

See Also — Easy, Breezy Tips for Better Articles

Rehash or Refresh? Finding Fresh Blog Content.

Starting back in 2005 when I began to take on new writing clients instead of relying mostly on building and managing websites, I wrote a series of articles about home foreclosures. At that time the topic wasn’t national news, but it was still a problem–particularly for homeowners who had fallen behind on their mortgage payments. One customer had me write a series of articles about foreclosures, including related articles covering short sells, refinancing and personal bankruptcy.

Are you tapped out for new ideas?

As time went on I began to write additional foreclosure articles for other clients. By late 2007, when the foreclosure epidemic made for newspaper headlines and evening news reports, I had written scores of articles advising beleaguered homeowners as well as bargain seeking home buyers.

These days I still get the occasional request for a foreclosure article, but unlike times past I now face a real dilemma: how to write something new without rehashing or refreshing something I’ve already said.

Yes, with certain topics I am completely tapped out as I have basically written the book covering every angle imaginable. To write something new I supposed I had to revisit what I previously wrote and come up with something slightly different, although not entirely original. Certainly, this is not my way of doing things!

Or could there be another way to breath new life into an old subject?

So then I began to think: there has to be something I can say that isn’t regurgitated material. With the gears in my brain spinning, I realized that the answer was right in front of me. I just needed to apply my thinking accordingly by doing the following:

Ask.

Yes, my problem wasn’t simply that I had run out of fresh material. My problem was that I hadn’t considered talking with experts in the field for a fresh perspective. Granted, so much information is available to us online that we think that all knowledge is readily available. That simply isn’t true.

Instead, when we contact “thought leaders” in a specific field, we can often come away with information that hasn’t been published yet. Or at least gain fresh perspective on an angle we thought we had covered.

When you interview someone, you’re conversing or engaged in dialogue. When you read something online, you’re absorbing, but there isn’t anyone available to ask questions. Thus, as you engage an expert, you will hear what they have to say and then ask clarifying questions to come up with something unique. Of course, you’ll need to cite this person in your article, but you’ll also put to rest the notion that you’ve written everything about that topic that can possibly be said.

Books, academic works, articles and other printed material are fine and should be sourced when covering a topic. But the dialogue you have with a thought leader can open up a whole new world of possibilities, breathing fresh life into an old or staid topic.

By tapping experts directly for assistance, you’ll never hit the proverbial brick wall when you’re at a loss to come up with something new. Ah, why didn’t I think of that sooner?

See Also — Google Trends: Your Article Idea Generator