Write a killer article that gets attention! Simple tips & tricks from our experienced authors that will help you to become a rockstar copywriter or blogger.

1. ARTICLE
P R A C T I C A L
T I P S
HOW TO WRITE A
B y G o D a t e s . c o . u k
GREAT

2. What I have written —
and how I came to write it —
is most powerfully
what I am.
CLAUDE SIMON

3. CHOOSE A TEMPTING TOPIC
NARROW DOWN
YOUR SUBJECT
Tackle just one aspect of
one problem where you can
offer an immediate relief.
Focus on one step of a
larger project and one
scenario (for eg. '10 outdoor
workout ideas for couples’
vs. ‘staying fit’).
The best inspiration for
stories comes from real life.
Think of what happy
moments you had, what
mistakes you've made and
what valuable lessons you've
learnt, that you can share
with your readers.
Familiarise yourself with
what others wrote on the
topic of your choice. Think
of what approach you can
take so you sound
different. Humorous?
Sarcastic? Or maybe
provocative?
THINK OF REAL
LIFE EXPERIENCES
DO SOME
RESEARCH

4. CRAFT A CATCHY HEADLINE
The primary use of your headline is to make users want
to click and read the content of your article.

5. TIPS FOR A GOOD HEADLINE
Use power words and
adjectives such as 'unique',
'incredible', 'essential',
'shocking' to amplify
emotional impact.
Use numbers.
Use questions that have
an answer which may
solve reader’s problem.
Promise to teach them
something.
Use negative-sounding words:
Odd number is better than even.
'the worst... you can imagine',
'what not to do',
'terrible truth about'.
The bigger the
number — the better.
1
23

6. ORGANISE YOUR CONTENT
INTRODUCTION
3–5 paragraphs with main questions and problems raised that
you are going to discuss in the article.
BODY
CONCLUSION
Content should be divided into a few parts with a
subheading for each of them.
End with thought provoking question OR restate your main
point and persuade to take immediate action.

7. TOP 15
WRITING TIPSFROM GO DATES MOST READ AUTHORS

8. 1.BE UNIQUE
The chances that somebody else
has written on the same topic are
very high and you can check that
instantly by googling it. Your
mission is to think of a new angle
that you can present the topic
from. Try to make it sound more
controversial and unusual. If
everybody writes ‘How to’ articles,
you can write ‘How NOT to’
instead.

9. 2.DEFINE YOUR
AUDIENCE
Whom do you want to speak to?
Is it a single woman? A man in a
long-term relationship? Or maybe
a couple undergoing some
hardship? Would your article be
universal or relevant only to a
person of a certain gender/age?
Have your reader in mind when
you start your article and be
consistent till the end.

10. 3.HOOK THEM
WITH THE FIRST
SENTENCE
Start with thought-provoking
question, a quote or some
shocking statistics. You can also
tell a story that recently
happened to you. The more
unexpected your opening
sentence will be, the more likely
it catches the attention of the
reader.

11. 4.THINK WHAT
YOU WANT TO
ACHIEVE
Visualise the way you want your
readers to react. If you want your
reader to laugh or smile, create
your content in a way that would
make you laugh. If you want your
readers to take a serious view of
something you are sharing, then
choose powerful words that will
motivate them to pay attention.

12. 5.RELATE TO
THE READER
You need to get inside your
reader's head and speak their
language. Acknowledge
reader’s pain points, fears and
frustrations. Guide them
through the dilemmas of their
lives and reassure them that
you know what you are talking
about.

13. 6.BE TRUE TO
YOUR VOICE
People like reading articles
written by other people. Imagine
that you are talking to one of your
friends and tell real stories. Make
your voice heard and your
personality shine. There is nothing
wrong with a bit of theory and
general facts or advice, but you
don’t want to sound like a boring
textbook.

14. 7.HAVE A
POINT
Have your own opinion on the
subject and don’t be afraid to
state it. Try not to forget what is
the message that you want to
convey in your article. Don’t lose
the thought thread throughout it.

15. 8.ADD MORE
DRAMA
Use storytelling and emotion to
make your content engaging. You
can use sarcastic or humorous
tone and hyperbolise certain
situations to make readers laugh
or cry (or both).

16. 9.MAKE EVERY
WORD COUNT
It is easy to lose the reader’s
attention, but nearly impossible
to get it back before they close
the browser window with your
article in it. Weigh every word that
you are using, and try to avoid
filler phrases (such as ‘and so on’,
‘and other things like that’). If it
does not strengthen your
argument, it has to go.

17. 10.KEEP YOUR
SENTENCES
SHORT
If you lose your breath while
reading your own sentence, it
probably has to be shortened.
Short sentences make it easier to
read and follow your reasoning.
Don’t make your readers work
hard, that’s the least they want
to do.

18. 11.BACK UP
YOUR CLAIMS
Ask yourself how you could add
more depth to your article and
make it even more useful and
memorable to readers? Quote
experts of the field to illuminate
your topic and to add credibility
to your statements. Research
some facts and use figures when
available.

19. 12.ANALYSE
AND DRAW
CONCLUSIONS
Take an analytical approach:
explore your topic in detail from
different perspectives. Use real-
life examples, narrate your own
or your friends' experiences and
make conclusions.

20. 13.ADD CALL TO
ACTION
Human beings are selfish
creatures. Most likely they are
reading your article because they
expect some benefit out of it.
Have a call to action: what can
this person do after reading your
article to better incorporate it into
their lives?

21. 14.DELIVER
YOUR PROMISES
After you finish your article, ask
yourself if your content delivers
what you promised in the
headline. Are the arguments
highlighted in subheadings
sufficient to give the answer to
the question posed or resolution
to the problem outlined?

22. 15.RE-READ
AND EDIT
Let your draft 'rest' for a day.
Read it out loud so you hear
how the article flows. That way
you can spot errors and gaps in
argumentation more easily.

23. THINGS TO AVOID
Expert stance, if you don't have enough of expertise in a
given field.
Generalisations: 'all of us know that...', 'everybody has
been in this situation...'.
Clichés, such as : 'opposites attract', 'time heals all
wounds', 'fall head over heals'.
Extensive usage of upper case. It is considered shouting
and shouting is not polite.
Ending most of the sentences with ellipses. It makes you
sound elusive.

24. Creativity is a wild mind and
a disciplined eye.
DOROTHY PARKER

25. WRITE FOR US!
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE
INFO@ GODATES. CO. UK
GET YOUR CREATIVE
WORK PUBLISHED