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Article marketing is a proven method of increasing traffic to your web site, and even people who claim they can't write a sentence can take advantage of it. Follow a few simple steps that will teach you to write articles -- articles that can mean more subscribers for your list and more sales of your product or service.

1. Choose a title that really grabs attention.

You're never going to get someone to read your article unless the headline grabs them and pulls them in. You're going to be competing against hundreds or thousands of other articles and in many cases, people will be scanning down a long list of titles to decide which article to read. Make yours stand out.

Here are some sample headlines you can use for your article titles:

• How to _________ In _________ Steps.
• How to _________ In _________ (Time Frame).
• The Real Secret to Quickly ______________.
• Top 2 Ways to ________________.
• 3 Little Known Tips for _____________.
• The Hidden Costs of ________________.

You may recognize those templates -- they're the foundation for many classic headlines that have made millions of dollars over the years. There's also software available that will crank out dozens of great article titles and all you have to do is fill in a few blanks.

2. Come up with 3-5 points of interest.

You can't throw everything and the kitchen sink into your article, and while one point can sometimes be expounded on for 500 - 700 words (the article length you should be shooting for) it's often best to go for 3 - 5 main points in your article.

If you write about 100 words for each point, add another hundred each for your opening and closing summary, you're right on the money for the required length. And, you won't overwhelm the reader with too much information.

3. Catch their interest with a great opening sentence.

You use the title to capture their attention, and then your opening line is what's used to lead them into the body of the article. Here are a few things you can do to lure in the reader...

• Ask a question.
• Make a startling statement.
• Use an emotion hook.
• Lay out a problem.

Let me quickly give you a quick swipe file of some opening sentences that I've created - which you can modify as you see fit for your own articles - that are proven to get readers further into your content:

4. Close with a non-subtle call to action.

Your title gets their attention, your opening sentence leads them into the body, and your body should make them interested in your product or service. And that should lead them directly to the desired action.

After all, you're not writing an article just to give your fingers a work-out, you want the reader to do something other than just flip to the next article or web site.

After your article is your resource box where you'll make the actual call to action. What you need to do with the last part of your article is to make a transition between the two -- lead the reader right from the end of the article into the call to action.

One way to do that is to summarize the points you made in your article and then your resource box references something related to those points. That will draw the reader into the offer you're making and encourage them to click your link.

Now you've written your article and given the reader some good information, and you've create a call to action they've taken. They arrive at your web site to see... what?

Bonus Point:

No matter what product or service you're selling, your top priority should be to get prospects onto your list. A large responsive list can mean the difference between a hobby and a business. Which means when people click through from your article, you should have an opt-in form front-and-center.

Come up with a free report, mini-course, etc., and offer that in your article's resource box. Place that offer at the top of your page and after someone joins your list, redirect them to a sales page showing the product or service you're promoting.

Jay Jennings created Article Architect, software that helps you write articles to drive more traffic to your business. To see how Article Architect can help your online business, go to http://ArticleArchitect.com and see how it's helped other internet marketers.