Review How to Connect PC to TV: December 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

How To Start Writing An Article

The hardest thing you'll ever have to do is to 'start'. When you want to travel, the hardest part is to just 'go ahead and go'. But once you start, everything follows. The same goes with writing. I don't know about you, but when I write, the first sentence in the article gets erased five times before one becomes permanent. But once you get through the first sentence, writing the whole article will be a breeze.

There are actually a lot of ways by which you could begin your article. You could start it with a quotation, a question, an anecdote, or you could go straight to the point. There is no exact formula for starting. You can start your article with any sentence, as long as it suits your purpose.

What's the Purpose of the Article?

How To Start Writing An Article

So think about why you're writing that article. What is your purpose? Is it to entertain, to inspire, to persuade, or simply to inform? If you want to entertain, then a funny anecdote might do well. If you want to inspire, then a famous quote may do. If you want to persuade, then maybe you could start with a question. If you want to inform, then you could go straight to the point.

Let me give you a concrete example. Let's say that your aim is to persuade people to buy your product. I mentioned that if you want to persuade, starting the article with a question might do the trick. Let's say that your product is a water bed. Maybe you could start your article with a question like, "Have you ever had a night when you couldn't sleep because of your lumpy mattress?" or "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" This is a good strategy because you're automatically creating a bond with your reader. If your reader answers "yes" to your question, he will be able to relate, and if he is able to relate, then he will be interested.

The First Line

But asking a question isn't the only way to start an article. If you can make it work, then an anecdote might be perfect for your article. Maybe you could tell a story about a friend of yours who didn't want to buy the bed at first but was persuaded to do so after a bit of prodding. And then give them a punch line. It has to be funny, or at the very least, unexpected. Maybe you could end your anecdote by saying that your friend went to your office, fuming. He kept on glaring at you so you asked him what was wrong. And then he answered, "I got into trouble at work because of your bed". And so you ask him why and he answers that he woke up late because the bed was so comfortable. You'll have showcased how comfortable your bed is and entertained your readers at the same time.

Again, there's no exact formula for starting to write an article, just let your imagination run wild.

How To Start Writing An Article
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Friday, December 21, 2012

How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview - A Simple Formula for Uniqueness

Sending a thank you letter is as important as interview preparation. But they're tough to write, so people either tell themselves that not sending one doesn't matter, or they procrastinate until it's too late and almost pointless anyway. But anyone who tells themselves that foregoing a fundamental rule of etiquette doesn't matter, not only taints themselves in the mind of the interviewer, but misses two additional opportunities to sell.

A thank you letter is an additional sales piece. As I've said before, you're selling a product and the product is you. So beyond the reason of etiquette, the letter sells you as a polite person who recognizes that the interviewer gave them something valuable: time and consideration.

A fundamental rule of sales is to keep the product in front of the buyer and reinforce its benefits. So beyond the etiquette, the letter gives you ample space to comment on what you liked about the company, why your skills are of benefit to them, and how much you're interested. If something wasn't tied up, or was left unsatisfactorily, you should use the space to further address the issue.

How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview - A Simple Formula for Uniqueness

When you miss the opportunity to reinforce your skills and tie them to the job requirements, you miss a chance to sell. When you fail to address a concern or answer a question and leave it to fester in the mind of the interviewer, you've failed to overcome an objection. And if a buyer has an objection to the product, if it isn't addressed, the likelihood of the sale is slim.

The third opportunity missed by skipping the thank you letter is the chance to keep your name in front of the buyer. Read newspapers? Watch TV? See the same ads over and over and over again? It's somewhat the same principle - if you keep your name in front of the hiring authority, they're more likely to remember you.

Thank you letters are one of the reasons it's important to take notes during an interview. Not only does it show good attention to detail, it saves you from having to scrunch your face up trying to remember some of the information you learned about the company and position during the interview. Because if you met with three separate people during one visit to the company, that's three thank you letters....three different thank you letters.

So let's look at how to create one of these so that it becomes a less odious task.
First paragraph Open with the obligatory thank you and include how you enjoyed the meeting. Say why. Maybe the people you met were exceptional. Perhaps their company philosophy was exactly what you had hoped for. Or they need to overhaul a department and you can't wait to sink your teeth into it because that's what you've got a stellar track record of doing. It doesn't matter. Pick something out, and put it down. But make it real. Second paragraph What took place during your interview? Pull out a piece of information that pleased you, say what it was, and tell them why. For instance: I was particularly pleased to find that X company/the opportunity/your management style has/was/is/does whatever. This is exciting because...... . You can expand on whatever it is for a few sentences by elaborating: how it relates to something you've experienced and liked -- or didn't like. Discuss a particular aspect of the job you find appealing and reiterate why you'd be successful at it or how long you've been performing it or how similar it is to something you've done in the past. Third paragraph You can add a similar paragraph if the second was fairly short. Or you can wind it up if it was a bit lengthy. If there was something that came up that needed clarification or about which they were dubious, address it and clear it up here. Fourth paragraph Wind it up. Re-iterate your interest. Be enthusiastic! Leave the job speak behind. If you really want to be hired, let your interest shine through. There's nothing wrong with coming right out and saying, "I'd love to work with X company!"
Caution: Don't start every sentence with "I". It may be the easiest way to write the letter but it's not only repetitive, it's a turn off and egotistical. This process is about you getting a job, but it's about what they get out of it if they hire you.

If you really want the job, the letter will be easy to write because it will contain genuine impressions and sentiments. If you choose to skip the letter, perhaps you don't care if you're hired or not. But make that decision yours and withdraw from the process instead of letting the decision be made for you.

How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview - A Simple Formula for Uniqueness
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Prior to starting her firm, VisionQuest, Judi Perkins was a search consultant for 25 years in both the contingency and retained market, including a short stint in the temporary and local permanent placement markets. She has owned her own firm and successfully assisted numerous repeat clients in hiring all levels of management. To sign up for her newsletter and learn thousands of powerful concepts to find your perfect job go to http://www.findtheperfectjob.com.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Article Writing - How to Summarize an Article

So you have a lengthy article and you want to learn how to summarize your article in an effective manner. You can write a summary in just five minutes. Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Start writing your summary immediately.

Don't sit there and think about what to include in your article summary. Start from the beginning of your article and start writing immediately. Your article has numerous paragraphs. Start from the first paragraph.

Article Writing - How to Summarize an Article

Step 2: Pick the most important sentence in each paragraph.

Always start by picking just one sentence from each paragraph. Notice that in every paragraph, there is a key message. If this key sentence doesn't exist, create one for your summary. You should use no more than 2 sentences to summarize each paragraph.

Step 3: Link all the key sentences together.

A summary is like a mini-article for your main article. When you pick sentences from the paragraphs, they may appear to be disconnected. Now is the time to do some "stitching" work. When you are finished, reread the summary again to make sure that the words are flowing nicely.

When writing summaries, do not add anything that you have not written about in the article body. The summary is supposed to be a short paragraph that sums up all the key points. If you add extra materials, they won't seem to fit. Your readers may also be confused because something new just popped up from nowhere.

With practice, you should be able to write summaries in record time. Try to beat my personal best of 2 minutes! - (Well, it's a really short summary.)

Article Writing - How to Summarize an Article
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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Magazine Article Writing - How to Write Magazine Articles

Writing for magazines is both lucrative and rewarding. Few people excel in this field as it is considered more challenging compare to other forms of writing.

Here's how you can write articles for magazines:

1. Get education. Although it is not usually required to have a degree in communication, English, and writing, having the right educational background can surely set you apart from the rest. Don't worry as you don't need to take a four-year course just to get started in this endeavor. There are online courses that you can take advantage of and you can get your diploma in as little as 6 months.

Magazine Article Writing - How to Write Magazine Articles

2. Get formal training. If you're really dead serious about making it big in this field, I recommend that you attend formal trainings that were specifically designed for those people who would like to write for magazines. These trainings can offer you with tips and techniques. Not only that, they can also widen your connection in this particular endeavor.

3. Read and learn. Make it a habit to read all the issues of the magazines that you would like to write for. Through this, you'll get an idea on how they want their articles written. Write at least 1-2 similar articles per day and get a neutral third party to criticize your work. Do this until you get everything right.

4. Be an expert. As a magazine article writer, you must be an expert on at least one particular field. Remember, it's very important that you're a great source of information to your readers and that can only happen if you have in-depth knowledge on the topics that you're writing about.

Magazine Article Writing - How to Write Magazine Articles
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By the way, do you want to learn more about using articles like this to drive traffic to your website and increase online conversions?

If so, I suggest you check this out: article marketing traffic.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Write an Article a Day: Use This Simple Outline Template for Writing Online Articles

So many readers wrote in to ask me for my simple article writing template mentioned in "5 Ways Posting to Article Banks Can Spark Your Writing", that I decided to flesh it out just a bit and run it as another complete article. A sincere "Thank you" to all of you who responded so kindly. It was none other than Abraham Lincoln who said, "Whatever you are, be a good one". Writing practice makes perfect. This format helps me to do just that. It will help you to practice your writing too - a lot.

Here is the short, simple outline template that I use to tell me if I have enough information for an online article. It also helps me to organize what I have and ensures that I stay on track with the flow of the article. Following this format you'll absolutely have no trouble writing an article each day once you get the hang of it.

First I draft this out by hand and if there's enough or almost enough info, then I know the article is a "go". If not I can either research the additional data I need or simply scrap that article idea for a new one - I always have plenty of ideas - don't you? On occasion, working through the article outline template will spur the piece or idea into a slightly different direction. That's fine too, so I just "go with it". I sincerely hope this basic online article outline template helps you generate more writing faster.

Write an Article a Day: Use This Simple Outline Template for Writing Online Articles

You must slam the reader to a screeching halt when they read your headline. Online if you don't they're gone. You piece won't even get read as the lost reader tunnels deeper into the bowels of the web and into another author's article only a couple of mouse clicks or so away.

o Put reader benefits into a Hooker Headline

o Use keywords for SEO (search engine optimization)

o Try out at least 4 or 5 different titles for each article

o Use an online keyword search tool to help narrow down high-frequency and top-rated keywords

OPENING PARAGRAPH: Write a Killer opening sentence and a grab'em-by-the-throat first paragraph.

In addition to a Hooker Headline, you'll need a Hooker opening sentence and paragraph. One that will draw your reader in and give them reasons to start or continue reading. Based on this paragraph readers frequently decide to read the article or not, so make it as strong as you can. You must grab and hold the reader here. Your opening paragraph should be attention-grabbing, short, and descriptive. At times I even use my first paragraph as the "teaser" description of my article.

MAIN FEATURE PARAGRAPH 1:

Write at least three supporting sentences for each main point of your article. Typically there are from five to seven main features to an article. Often though, I'll write from five to seven supporting sentences for each main feature for a somewhat longer, more in-depth piece. I'll also add more support for each main feature if there are only three or four of them in the piece. If there are online references or websites you'd like to include make them bullet points at the end of the paragraph. You can also include a quote, anecdote and another reference to flesh out the main feature if you wish. You can open with an anecdote or quote if you have a strong one to peak reader interest.