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Copywriting | Content writing

How to write an article for website publication

Read Time 11 mins | Written by: Gill Fernley

If you’re not familiar with content writing, you might not realise that there are completely different approaches depending on whether you’re writing a press release, sales copy, a website page, or an article for a website.

There are many reasons for that, but one of the main reasons is that every piece of content you write should have a particular content goal. For example, the goal of a press release will be very different than the goal of an article.

In fact, you really shouldn’t write any content at all for either a client’s site or your own until you know what the aim is for the piece. Which brings us nicely to the first point in this article on how to write an article for website publication.

Follow these steps and you will have a professional article to pitch or submit:

1. Follow the brief and house style

If you don’t get a brief and you’re not sure what to do, check out Copify’s blog post on how to write the perfect brief . Take a look at the post and then you can work out what questions to ask your client. Some companies you're pitching to or writing for may also specify a house style in their submission guidelines. 

Once you have your brief, pay particular attention to the goal the client has for the article, and keep that in mind as you write. You’ll write a whole different article if it’s aimed as a promo article to get the client’s audience to buy than you will if you’re writing epic content to establish your client as an expert in their field.

Top Tip: If your potential client doesn’t give you a proper brief and won’t sign a contract that covers your fee, how many edits, and other important terms and conditions, consider very quickly dropping them like a particularly dodgy, hot potato!

2. Keep the target audience top of mind

After establishing the goal of the article, the most important thing is who the target audience is. The more you know about the audience for the piece, the more you can shape what you write to suit them.

Think that doesn’t matter? Imagine writing an article that’s aimed at millennials who are into rap music and think about what language you’d use and what popular references. Then imagine the same article but this time it’s aimed at retirees who are downsizing.

You’d use completely different language, wouldn’t you? You’d know that both of those audiences have a different outlook, different problems and different aims in life, and you’d write accordingly.

That’s why knowing your target audience thoroughly really matters. You need to know what their problems are, their likes and dislikes, what kind of language they use, what solutions they want, and what really matters to them.

3. Think about language and tone of voice

They might cover that in their brief, or they might give you a copy of their brand manual so you can follow their guidelines.

If you look at the content on Ash Ambirge’s site (language warning!), for example, you can see it’s vibrant, fun, humorous, and definitely not shy and retiring. If you wrote for that site, you know you wouldn’t get away with sounding like a stereotypical accountant with the word ‘procedure’ stamped all the way through him like a stick of rock!

The contrast in tone of voice between different sites and types of business can be marked, so you really do need to stick to the client’s preferences.

4. Write a great headline

There are almost 2 billion websites on the internet right now. And counting!

That means you need to get attention in a very crowded arena, and the way you do that is by writing an amazing headline that your target market can’t ignore.

We’re back to knowing your audience as you’ll need to know exactly the right language to appeal to them. But there are some other tips to consider when writing an eye-catching headline:

• Use active voice, rather than passive voice, and use strong and emotional verbs and words. You’ll give your writing more energy that way, and your audience is more likely to click.

• Put a benefit in your headline. Why should your audience click through?

• Don’t use a ridiculous click-bait headline to get attention, unless that’s the type of thing that will appeal to your audience. And if you do that, make sure the content matches your headline or your audience will feel cheated and click away.

• Use at least one keyword that you want your article to rank for in the headline. It’s great for SEO!

• Numbers written as digits are very eye-catching, and more likely to make people click. You can use them to highlight benefits, such as ‘15% off today’, or to tell the audience exactly what they’re getting, for example, ‘7 steps to baking the perfect cake’. That way, they know the article isn’t going to be pages and pages long, and they know exactly what it will do for them.

5. Have a linking strategy

Internal linking is when you link to other posts and pages on your own site, and external linking is linking to other websites.

Internal linking is brilliant for your search engine optimisation as it helps the search engines find their way around your site and map it. They also look at how many internal links a page has to weigh how important it is.

External linking also helps with SEO. Linking to helpful material on another site is a good way for you to come across as an authority, both to your audience and the search engines. And external links can also help the search engines work out what your content and your site are about. You can also tag sites that you’ve mentioned in your articles on social media, and you may get some likes and shares from that, and also start building a relationship with them.

6. Add an attention-grabbing call to action (CTA)

Remember that you have a goal for your piece of content? This is where you can guide the audience to take the action to meet that goal.

You might want them to sign up to the client’s newsletter, read more information, get a quote, download a freebie, or even buy something, and a call to action can make that happen, if it’s well written.

Writing a great CTA is similar in many ways to writing an eye-catching headline, so follow the tips above to create a strong CTA that will get attention.

In addition, make sure you allow plenty of white space around the CTA and use a colour that stands out on the page to draw attention.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be able to create attention-grabbing articles that deliver for both your client and their audience.

Image Credits

Main image credit: Tirachard Kumtanom

Internal image credits: rawpixel.com ,  meo ,  Vojtech Okenka

Gill Fernley

The director of her own copywriting firm, Gill writes B2B and B2C content for SMEs and digital marketing agencies. She has a background in performing arts and writes conversational, direct sales copy for businesses on a range of topics. She’s also a keen writer of chick lit.

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18 Best Article Writing Websites Every Content Marketer Should Know About

Last Updated on March 3, 2024

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The soaring demand for content marketing has triggered a corresponding increase in the number of online article writing services. A recent SemRush survey found that about 50% of marketers outsource content creation services.

But with hundreds of article writing companies around, it can be a bit challenging to immediately determine which platform suits your needs. And that’s where we come in.

We’ve gone ahead and prepared a rundown of the best companies to outsource article writing services. The list took into consideration the content quality provided by the websites, as well as other aspects like turnaround time , types of articles offered, and the pricing.

Here’s a definitive guide to the 18 best article writing websites that every content marketing team should know about.

• Year Founded: 2015
• Founder (s): Beerud Sheth, Srini Anumolu, Sanjay Noronha, Stratis Karamanlakis, and Odysseas Tsatalos
• Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States
• Client Fees: 5% service fee
• Official Website Link: https://www.upwork.com/

Upwork is undoubtedly one of the most preferable article writing services in the world, not only among freelance writers but also content marketing teams. The company was founded in 2015 following the merger of two preexisting freelance platforms – Elance (founded in 1998) and oDesk (founded in 2003). It has more than 12 million registered freelancers and around 5 million clients as of 2023.

A decent percentage of Upwork’s freelancers constitute content creators. That gives marketing teams access to a large pool of talent.

Upwork’s article writers are professionals in different content types. Whether you’re looking for blog articles, marketing copies, social media posts, video tutorials, or product descriptions, you’re sure to find it here.

The article writing company maintains a fairly transparent fee policy too. Clients pay a reasonable 5% service fee on each transaction.

2. Freelancer.com

• Year Founded: 2009
• Founder (s): Matt Barrie
• Headquarters: Sydney, Australia
• Client Fees: 3% or $3 introductory fee
• Official Website Link: https://www.freelancer.com/

Freelancer.com excels Upwork in the number of registered users. As of June 2022, the Australian-based freelance platform had over 59 million users.

Freelancer.com provides two different ways to source writing services from its website. You can either post a project or start a contest.

Projects are suitable for writing assignments with specific guidelines. They let you screen the bidders to select the most qualified based on their writing experience and client reviews. On the other hand, Contests work best for gigs with general requirements. They allow you to receive multiple quotes from several potential writers fast. You can then rate and give feedback to the freelancers to help them meet your project requirements.

It’s 100% free to sign up for and post a writing gig on Freelancer.com. However, the company charges a 3% or $3 introductory fee depending on the value of the selected bid and whether it’s a fixed or hourly project.

3. Guru.com

• Year Founded: 1998
• Founder (s): Inder Guglani
• Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• Client Fees: Around 2.5% processing fee
• Official Website Link: https://www.guru.com/

Guru.com, formerly known as eMoonlighter.com, was founded in 1998 by Inder Guglani. The company initially provided internet service marketing, crowdsourcing, and workforce management services. It later diversified into other niches, including content creation.

Guru.com uses a straightforward business model. All you need to do is register for an account, post an article writing gig, and open it up for bidding. You can then review the quotes and select the most qualified candidate.

This article writing service provides several workflow management features. A noteworthy mention is the WorkRoom feature that lets you manage multiple freelancers, track your projects’ time, and organize payments.

Guru.com has over 4 million active users as of 2023. While that pales in comparison to Upwork and Freelancer.com, the company’s 2.5% processing fee makes it one of the most affordable article writing services.

• Year Founded: 2010
• Founder (s): Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger
• Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel
• Client Fees: $2 or 5% service fee
• Official Website Link: https://www.fiverr.com/

Fiverr is an excellent place to source copywriting and social media marketing services. The platform provides a host of other article and non-article services, including website development, graphic design, and translation .

This company derives its name from the fact that its services start at $5. That said, content marketers can post article writing gigs whose budgets run into hundreds of dollars.

Fiverr maintains a slew of collaboration tools that allow larger marketing teams to work seamlessly on common projects. It also lets you ‘favorite’ freelancers for easy access whenever you need to get some writing work done. This can be instrumental as far as cultivating long-term relationships.

In terms of pricing, Fiverr clients pay a service fee of $2 or 5% for gigs up to $40 or over $40, respectively. There’s also a 2.9% + 0.30 processing fee for every transaction.

5. PeoplePerHour

• Year Founded: 2007
• Founder (s): Xenios Thrasyvoulou and Simos Kitiris
• Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
• Client Fees: £0.6 + 10% transaction fee
• Official Website Link: www.peopleperhour.com/

PeoplePerHour (commonly abbreviated as PPH) is a UK-based freelance marketplace that gives content marketers access to thousands of experienced article writers. As with most platforms on this list, PPH allows clients to post many other gigs, including graphic design and transcription .

The fact that PeoplePerHour is based in the United Kingdom makes the company especially popular with UK freelancers. It’s a top website to explore if you’re looking for native English-speaking writers.

Moreover, PPH protects your money in escrow and only releases it when you’re satisfied with the quality. The platform allows you up to two revisions to ensure the work submitted meets your quality standards.

PeoplePerHour charges £0.6 + 10% for every bank transaction. However, there’s an exception for clients on the premium programmes. The premium plans include Gold (which attracts 0% transaction fee) and Silver (which attracts 2.5% transaction fee).

6. Scripted.com

• Year Founded: 2008
• Founder (s): Sunil Rajaraman and Ryan Buckley
• Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
• Client Fees: Plans start from $199 – $499/month
• Official Website Link: https://www.scripted.com/

While the first five websites on this list provide a host of freelance services, Scripted.com specializes in freelance writing. The company was originally founded as a screenwriting service provider before switching its focus to content writing in 2011.

Scripted.com has a significantly lower number of users compared to the likes of Upwork and Freelancer. However, the website enjoys at least 3,500 daily traffic, which is remarkable considering it exclusively offers writing services.

Like PeoplePerHour, Scripted.com’s writers are mostly native English speakers. The only difference is that the vast majority of Scripted’s writers (up to 80%) are based in the United States and not the United Kingdom.

Scripted.com also offers a unique pricing plan where clients pay a membership fee. The cheapest plan ranges from $199 – $499 and includes content credits. You get a 30-day free trial before committing to any of the company’s membership plans.

7. Constant Content

• Year Founded: 2004
• Founder (s): Chris Ross
• Headquarters: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• Client Fees: Project-based
• Official Website Link: https://www.constant-content.com/

True to its name, Constant Content is a go-to platform for individual bloggers or business marketing teams looking for a steady flow of unique content. The website specializes in article writing, which makes it all the more worth checking out.

Constant Content works in two different ways. First, clients can create custom orders and invite potential freelancers to bid on them. Alternatively, you can buy pre-written articles. The first option works best for niche-specific gigs while the latter option is recommended for on-budget marketers looking for affordable but generic content.

Fees vary depending on the content type you request. Custom articles have an average price of $120 while pre-written catalog articles go for around $40.

You might also love Constant Content for its variety of article writing services. The website offers handy assistance with product descriptions, blog posts, page copies, whitepapers, and eBooks, to mention but a few.

8. Writing Studio

• Year Founded: 2019
• Founder (s): Philip Ghezelbash
• Headquarters: Auckland, New Zealand
• Client Fees: Start from $0.20/word
• Official Website Link: https://writingstudio.com/

All content writing services on this list provide assistance with different types of articles. But what truly sets Writing Studio apart is that it’s one of the few platforms where you can get help with technical write-ups on topics like medicine and finance.

The company carefully screens prospective writers before accepting them on its platform. That’s part of its commitment to quality assurance.

All articles ordered through Writing Studio undergo extensive editing, proofreading, and formatting before being submitted to the clients. You can also request up to two revisions free of charge. Still on quality assurance, it might interest you to know that Writing Studio assigns projects to freelancers experienced in that field.

Writing Studio maintains a fairly competitive pricing model. The company charges $0.20 per word for up to 10,000 words, $0.16 per word for 10,000 – 100,000 words, and $0.15 per word for 100,000+ words.

9. WriterAccess

• Founder (s): Byron White
• Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Client Fees: Plans start from $39/month
• Official Website Link: https://www.writeraccess.com/

Ease of use is one of the biggest selling points of WriterAccess as a content outsourcing website. The company implements three different ways of finding talent on its platform. They include;

• Talent Search – For browsing the massive pool of writers using filters like industry, keywords, and rating. • Casting Call – Posting a writing gig and reviewing the responses received from the applicants. • AI Talent Search – Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to scan the samples submitted by writers to find a qualified candidate based on your job description.

There’s an additional option of having a dedicated member of the WriterAccess team scout for a suitable talent for you.

WriterAccess also makes it incredibly easy to manage your workflows. The website tags each project based on its status. Common statuses include Inactive, Pending Pickup, In Progress, Attention Required, Pending Approval, and 100% Complete.

10. Media Shower

• Year Founded: 1995
• Founder (s): Unknown
• Client Fees: Uses a custom pricing model
• Official Website Link: https://www.mediashower.com/

Content marketing needs vary from one business to another. Article writing websites like Media Shower understand that fundamental fact, which is why they offer custom pricing models based on their clients’ requirements.

Media Shower has a team of full-time writers and editors. It also works with content managers drawn from different parts of the world, which can be helpful when targeting your articles to specific demographics. The company claims to have produced over 100,000 write-ups for hundreds of clients.

To source articles through Media Shower, you’ll need to define your requirements first. The company will then assign a team of content managers to generate a proposed format and ideas for the write-up for your approval.

Once you give the green light, Media Shower will match you with an experienced journalist to curate your content. Each article undergoes rigorous proofreading and editing before being sent to you.

11. Verblio

• Year Founded: 2011
• Founder (s): Scott Yates and Wade Green
• Headquarters: Denver, Colorado, United States
• Client Fees: Start from $0.06/word
• Official Website Link: https://www.verblio.com/

Verblio is one of the most expensive article writing services. You can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $350 for a single write-up. A typical 1,000-word article costs around $200.

So, where is the equalizer?

Well, for starters, Verblio employs a dedicated team that ensures all assignments are carefully researched and meticulously crafted. The team also includes editors who review all content for grammatical errors, typographical issues, and plagiarism. That makes every article outsourced through Verblio publish-ready. You won’t even need to worry about interlinking while using Verblio as your go-to article writing service. Simply furnish the website with the relevant links and its team of professional article writers will integrate those URLs into the content in line with SEO’s best practices.

All Verblio’s over 3,000 writers are U.S-based. The writers are also experienced in over 40 different industries, ranging from health and finance to law, engineering, zoology, and even cryptocurrency.

12. TextBroker

• Year Founded: 2005
• Founder (s): Jan Becker-Fochler
• Headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
• Client Fees: Start from $2.2 cents/word
• Official Website Link: https://www.textbroker.com/

TextBroker and Verblio share numerous similarities. Both companies implement a pay-as-you-go pricing model whereby what you pay depends on the number of words requested. They’re also a go-to place for content marketers looking for SEO-optimized write-ups on multiple niches. Besides, both websites work with U.S-based writers for better quality and easy communication.

TextBroker comes with many other defining features.

For instance, the website supports content creation in multiple languages. These include English (US and UK), French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Other major supported languages are Dutch, Portuguese (BR & PT), Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Russian.

There are two different ways to order articles from TextBroker. You can open up a project for bidding and evaluate the applicants, or select a team of writers based on their star ratings on the platform. The company charges $2.2 cent per word for individual requesters or $2.15 cents per word for teams.

13. Bunny Studio Writing

• Year Founded: 2012
• Founder (s): Alexander Torrenegra, Lucho Molina, and Tania Zapata
• Client Fees: Start from $2,399/month; a Pay-as-you-go plan also available
• Official Website Link: https://bunnystudio.com/

Bunny Studio Writing, formerly known as Article Bunny, is a creative fulfillment platform that promises incredibly fast turnaround times without compromising on content quality.

This company has been delivering top-notch articles in over 100 languages and accents since its establishment in 2012. It’s also an excellent place for businesses seeking help with voiceovers, video marketing, and website design.

One of the reasons behind Bunny Studio’s tremendous turnaround is that it leverages both human intelligence and technology. The company boasts over 13,000 pre-vetted writers who’re experienced in multiple niches. Moreover, clients are entitled to round-the-clock support no matter their time zones.

As you might have figured, Bunny Studio’s services come at a hefty fee. The cheapest bundle costs $2,399 per month for a 40-hour plan that encompasses several services besides article writing. However, there’s also a pay-as-you-go model for if you’re a bit cash-strapped.

14. TextMaster

• Founder (s): Alexandre Ponsin, Benoit Laurent, and Thibault Lougnon
• Headquarters: Paris, Ile-de-France, France
• Client Fees: Start from $0.088 per word
• Official Website Link: https://www.textmaster.com/

Many reviewers laud TextMaster for its friendly and responsive customer service. But that’s not the only reason to sign up with this article writing service.

TextMaster also maintains an extensive database of specialist writers. Simply define your niche and the company will assign your orders to an expert in that domain. There are up to 50 different specialties, including health, finance, politics, history, etc. Article categories include blog posts, press releases, product descriptions, marketing copies, and eBooks.

TextMaster also stands out for its multilingual support. You can have your articles crafted in at least 50 different languages and accents.

As is expected of any reputable writing company, TextMaster edits all orders before submitting them to their clients. In fact, the company offers proofreading as a standalone service. That means you can have them revise any poorly-written content as well.

15. ClearVoice

• Year Founded: 2014
• Founder (s): Jay Swansson and Joe Griffin
• Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona, United States
• Official Website Link: https://www.clearvoice.com/

If you’re looking for an article writing service that also doubles as a comprehensive marketing platform, then you might want to check out ClearVoice. The website isn’t called the “Swiss Army knife” for nothing.

ClearVoice uses an assignment-driven model whereby each order gets attention depending on its own merits. The company begins by whipping stellar content from each brief regardless of its scope or technicality. It then recommends a raft of suggestions to help drive traffic to the content. And the best part is that ClearVoice collaborates with its clients every step of the way, from project requisition to submission.

ClearVoice uses several content management tools. Of notable mention is the VoiceGraph® technology, which automatically indexes all published works.

Due to its holistic approach to content creation, ClearVoice is also a top platform for outsourcing project management services.

16. iWriter

• Founder (s): Brad Callen
• Headquarters: St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
• Client Fees: Start from $0.008/word
• Official Website Link: https://www.iwriter.com/

iWriter’s client fees start from $1.25 for 150-word articles, which translates to $0.008 per word. That makes it one of the most affordable websites to outsource article writing services.

$0.008 is the per-word fee for bottom-tier writers, which means that quality can potentially suffer here. Fortunately, iWriter maintains up to four different tiers.

Writers fall into Basic, Premium, Elite, and Elite Plus categories depending on their star ratings. Top-tier content costs as much as $0.065 per word.

Note that iWriter is essentially a “take” website. In other words, any writer can immediately start working on your project as soon as it goes live. The company works with fairly stringent deadlines that allow you to receive your orders in as few as two hours of requesting them. It’s also possible to favorite iWriter writers and then send “special requests” directly to their accounts.

17. Contently

• Founder (s): Joe Coleman, Shane Snow, and Dave Goldberg
• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Client Fees: Plans start from $19/month
• Official Website Link: https://contently.com/

Contently is another article writing service that goes beyond helping you craft compelling write-ups. This company provides a complete suite of content marketing services.

The website uses special algorithms that clue you in on the best platforms to publish your articles for higher online visibility. That makes it especially suitable for new bloggers or ecommerce websites still struggling to generate organic traffic to their sites. You can track your content’s performance across several metrics right from one place.

If your primary goal is to build your brand through consolidated content marketing services, then Contently is definitely a company worth checking out.

Needless to mention, Contently’s users enjoy unhindered access to a pool of differently-talented professionals. These include journalists, designers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, and of course writers.

18. Optimizely

• Founder (s): Dan Siroker and Pete Koomen
• Official Website Link: https://www.optimizely.com/

The last article writing service on this list gained prominence after acquiring NewsCred.

NewsCred was a content marketing management website that has helped thousands of clients achieve their unique marketing goals through professionally-curated articles. However, the company was infamous for its rather exorbitant costs, which ranged from $2,950 to $10,500 per month. Well, that all changed when it was acquired by Optimizely.

Optimizely offers more affordable and flexible pricing plans while maintaining the same high-quality standards as NewsCred. The company even provides limited access to some of its features free of charge for up to five users. You can then sign up for a free trial before subscribing to any of the paid bundles.

However, unlike other content management companies on this list, Optimizely doesn’t quite check the box in terms of SEO services.

There’s no shortage of companies that provide high-end article writing services. However, the choice of one website over the others depends on your individual or business needs.

First, you’ll need to determine the specific types of articles you’re looking for, and then skew your search in that direction. It’s also prudent to read online reviews for more insights into an article writing service before signing up with it.

Needless to mention, pick a company that guarantees reasonable turnaround and charges industry-competitive rates.

Posted by: Igor Ovsyannnykov

Igor is an SEO specialist, designer, photographer, writer and music producer. He believes that knowledge can change the world and be used to inspire and empower young people to build the life of their dreams. When he is not writing in his favorite coffee shop, Igor spends most of his time reading books, taking photos, producing house music, and learning about cinematography. He is a sucker for good coffee, Indian food, and video games.

B.S. in Digital Marketing

Writing for the Web: A Beginner’s Guide

Strong web writing skills are a key component of successful digital marketing strategy and effective search engine optimization (SEO). Though writing for the web encompasses a wide variety of different content, crafting the right kind of content is especially important for blog and website platforms. Writing for the web has its own set of best practices and style guidelines, especially because readers interact with web content differently than traditional text. For example, only around 16 percent of site visitors read web content in full . And according to the Nielsen Norman Group, about 80 percent of site visitors scan web content rather than reading it word by word.

How to Write for the Web

Add to these statistics the fact that most only scroll to the halfway point on a webpage , and brands have their work cut out for them in terms of connecting with the reader through content marketing. Why spend the time and resources to craft high-quality content if no one is reading it? This is the challenge facing marketers today. The good news is that there are ways to effectively reach modern readers — and hold their attention. It all starts with keeping copy concise, scannable and objective. The following are some of the key features of successful web writing.

Inverted Pyramid Structure

Arguably the most important element of writing for the web is presenting information in a way that makes sense for the reader. Inverted pyramid structure, long used by journalists because it gets to the point quickly, puts the primary information first. Supporting information comes after, and the least important elements are at the end of the text. “Journalists have long adhered to the inverse approach : start the article by telling the reader the conclusion … readers can stop at any time and will still get the most important parts of the article,” the Nielsen Norman Group says. This means that writers should leave “deep content” for the relatively small number of readers who make it to the end of a piece, Moz says. This approach allows writers to prioritize information, and readers to choose how much detail they need on the topic: “Very interested readers will scroll, and these few motivated souls will reach the foundation of the pyramid and get the full story,” the Nielsen Norman Group explains.

Scannable Content

In addition to presenting the most important information first, web content should be easy to scan. Users rarely read to the end of content, so it is important to format text in a way that allows them to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. Elements like headers, bold and highlighted text, bulleted lists, graphics, captions and more accomplish this. Enchanting Marketing offers the following (helpfully, bulleted) list of questions to evaluate whether your content is scannable to readers :

• Does your headline communicate what you’re about?
• Does your image caption communicate a message?
• Do your sub headlines summarize your key points?
• Do easy-to-scan bullet points reduce wordiness?

In general, “Your web visitor is hunting for information or products. Ensure he can understand your most important information by just glancing at your web page,” the same post says.

Concise Text

Because readers are looking to find information as quickly as possible, writing concise text is another key component of successful web writing. Users don’t stay on a page for very long. This is why marketers measure “bounce rate,” or the percentage of visitors who navigate away from content. To hold reader interest as well as maximize time on site, be as concise as possible. According to Buffer, the ideal length for a blog post is seven minutes , or 1,600 words. And for posts that incorporate many photos or other graphic elements, the average word count should be closer to 1,000. Though research varies from site to site , this gives content creators a good idea of what to aim for. Once again, Enchanting Marketing has provided a helpful checklist for keeping content short and sweet:

• Use short paragraphs
• Use short sentences
• Skip unnecessary words
• Avoid jargon
• Avoid the passive [voice]
• Avoid needless repetition
• Use the word “you”

Aside from actually writing less content, a good way to keep readers’ attention is to break up text into short paragraphs that can be easily scanned and digested. This works in tandem with concise text to ensure the user views as much content as possible.

Objective Language

Users want content to be easy to understand, and another way to accomplish this is by writing in a conversational, informal tone. Ensuring that your tone is objective makes information easier to process. Avoid overly promotional messaging because it makes users question the credibility of the content itself : “questioning the credibility of promotional statements seems to distract users from processing the meaning,” the Nielsen Norman Group says. This is also why Enchanting Marketing warns against using “clever phrasing.” Web writing should be as simple and easy to follow as possible. “Web visitors quickly glance at your web page before guessing whether they’re in the right place or not,” Enchanting Marketing says. “They just want to make a quick decision.”

One way to make your content more readable without sacrificing valuable information is to incorporate hypotext. According to Dejan Marketing, hypotext is “a way of revealing content on-demand. It acts like a traditional link, but it doesn’t interrupt user experience by sending readers to another page. Once clicked, the extra information is injected into a desired spot in the page. Another click hides it away.” By showing the most important parts of the content, readers can create their own experience. The same article provides several benefits of hypotext:

• Supports easy scanning and better content overview by removing visual clutter
• Encourages content consumption through low word count
• On-demand information retrieval enables interactivity and personalization
• Users stay on the page they’re reading, which minimizes interruption

From a content strategy perspective, hypotext also allows the writer to include more detailed information as an option while remaining concise.

As effective web writing becomes more and more important to overall marketing strategy, the volume of content being created is increasing at an unprecedented rate, according to Dejan Marketing. From blog posts to advertorials, opinion pieces and lists, the web is home to a wide variety of content competing for user attention. But if marketers can incorporate the best practices covered here, they stand to benefit from the world of opportunity that content marketing presents.

Creating optimized, high-quality content is one of the foundations of modern marketing strategy. If you are interested in topics like these that are relevant to the marketing industry, consider Concordia University, St. Paul’s online marketing degree program.

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• How to Write a Web Article

Dave Schools , Former Digital Strategist

Article Category: #Strategy

Posted on April 18, 2016

Follow this simple and proven framework to organize your writing for effective delivery on the web.

F o l l o w t h i s s i m p l e a n d p r o v e n f r a m e w o r k t o o r g a n i z e y o u r w r i t i n g f o r e f f e c t i v e d e l i v e r y o n t h e w e b .

When I first started writing on the web, I knew nothing. I was scared of the gavel-wielding, faceless, Redditesque crowd (whom I now love). But I found my first footing when I submitted an article to a niche blog I liked and followed (more below).

Since then, I’ve been able to write several top stories on Medium, including my best one: I sat down with a millionaire who operates 10 businesses while sailing around the world with his family , which has 7.2k recommends and has been picked up by several publications including Business Insider, The Observer, Quartz, et al.

I’m not trying to be boasty (intentional new word — trying it out), I’m just saying there is a structure that works for single-topic web articles. My hope is that it will help new writers take the leap as I did.

Credit for this structure goes to Crew and to Andrea Ayres Deets , who is an amazing writer and inspired me to write several years ago.

The first time I ever freelanced, I submitted an article to the Crew Blog and Andrea replied with the loose and simple formula they use for structuring their posts — one that I still use today and the one I am about to show you now.

Let it be known, there is no perfect formula for a successful blog post . It takes more than words and pictures — a lot of which is out of our control (i.e., network algorithms, timing, audience, etc.). But sometimes you need a good framework (the one below built up a 1 million+ visitors) to get started. I did. So here it is.

(Anecdote) Start with an experience from your own life. Write a story in the first person. Be vulnerable. My favorite writer, James Altucher , says to “ Bleed in the first sentence .” This builds personal connection with your reader, even if you are representing a big brand. To me, this is where the good writers distinguish themselves from average writers; the best writers can tell a short, gripping, and humorous story in less than five sentences.

(Transition) After the opening anecdote, you need to transition to the thesis. Tie the personal story to the thesis by writing a sweeping statement with broad application.

(Thesis) Answer the reader’s question: why should I read this? You’ve cast your net widely with the transition, hoping to catch as many readers as possible, now laser in to a specific and compelling case. Make the time they spend reading your article a rewarding experience.

Your thesis should be damn similar to your title. The reader clicked the title because they thought it sounded interesting; if they leave the article after reading your thesis, then it means you mistitled your post (click-baiter!). The title-to-thesis relationship should be monozygotic.

II. Main argument 1   Lose yourself here. Now that the reader has agreed to listen, quote experts, cite research, and draw from history. Do not insert your own opinion here. Rely on the authority and experience of big names. 

This needs to be a research-backed argument. Bring in science to support your claims. No one can argue with science.

[show chart or diagram graphic]

Also, its super helpful to give readers a 1–3 sentence description of the research you cite, just in case people don’t have the time to go to another link to read it themselves. 

III. Main argument 2   Continue building momentum. Except this time use case studies from various sources. You’ve stated your point and given facts to back it up, now tell a story showing it worked for someone.

[show picture of person/people in story]

Once you’ve told the story, knit argument 1 and argument 2 together. Show how the scientific proof manifested in the story. This congruence creates a neural connection between the right and left brain of the reader, resulting in the foundation of a memory .

IV. Takeaways (3–5 depending on length)

• Use a bulleted or numerical list
• to give the user specific and
• actionable ways to implement the thesis

Remember, takeaways should be backed by examples and research for why these ways and methods are superior (or why these will get readers the results they desire).

V. Conclusion Circle back to your beginning anecdote. Finish the story, or mention how you would do it differently now that you know the thesis. This has a satisfying “bookend” effect on the article.

Finally, zoom out to a bird’s eye view and show the macro-impact of the thesis. The goal is to leave the reader inspired.

So there it is. I hope that makes it easier for you to write your next web article. It helped me. 

But can I be honest for a moment?  I don't always use this format. And actually, I hope you don't always use this format. How boring would that be? Use it as a guide. As Pablo Picasso said:

"Learn the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist."

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• Content Production

Content Writing 101

Written by Brian Dean

What Is Content Writing?

Content writing is the process of planning, writing, and publishing written material, such as articles, blog posts, product descriptions, and marketing copy, that is intended for online consumption. The goal of content writing is to inform, educate, or persuade readers, and it can be used for a variety of purposes, including:

• Building brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic
• Generating leads
• Improving search engine rankings
• Establishing credibility

Why Is Proper Content Writing Important?

When most people hear “content writing”, they think “writing articles”.

However, writing content isn’t just important for blog posts.

In fact, content writing is important for all types of different content formats, including:

• Video scripts
• Email newsletters
• Keynote speeches
• Social media posts
• Podcast titles
• White papers
• Web page copy
• Landing pages
• YouTube video descriptions

Or put another way:

Writing is the foundation for pretty much any content that you publish.

Best Practices

Create an outline.

Creating an outline is a GREAT first step in the content writing process.

Outlines help your content come out better for two main reasons:

First , outlines force you to put all your thoughts down in an organized way (rather than writing everything off the top of your head). Which really speeds up the writing process.

Second , outlines usually lead to a much better structure for your content. That’s because an outline lets you see your content from a “high level” that’s impossible to see as you’re writing.

Plus, because you have an outline, your final content will hit all of the major points that you set out to before you started writing.

So: how do you actually go about creating an effective outline?

Here are three main strategies that work well:

So when we start working on a new guide, we use a lot of the structure from our existing guides as a base.

• Use a template: Most professional content writers work off of proven templates. Here are 5 content templates you can use to create outlines .

For example, let’s say you’re about to write a guest post about the keto diet.

Well, you’d want to type “keto diet” into BuzzSumo to see what’s already done well.

Then, read some of the best posts to see exactly what you should cover in your article.

Make It Easy to Consume and Share

Content that’s super easy to read and share is of the keys to great content .

You can have a post written by the world’s top copywriter. But if that post is hard for people to consume, no one will read it.

Here are a few tips to help make your content easier to consume, skim and share.

Keep it Snappy, Rich and Entertaining

Whether you’re writing about content creation or cars, your writing needs to grab (and keep) people’s attention .

Otherwise, they’ll click over to something else.

How you grab someone’s attention depends on the format you’re working with.

When I create videos, I use “Family Guy moments” throughout the video. These are little asides that add some humor to and spice to my video content.

And when I write videos, I focus a lot on formatting and layout.

Specifically, I try to keep my paragraphs short:

I also sprinkle in visuals and screenshots to mix things up.

And if you’re about to sit down and record some audio, you want your lines to be short and snappy. You also want to avoid parenthetical statements. Content in parenthesis is easy to follow when you’re reading it. But you can easily “lose the thread” if you’re listening to your audio as a podcast.

In short: your final content needs to be super engaging to work. And no matter what format you’re working with, that starts with the content writing process.

Quotable On Social Media

According to a study that we conducted, very few blog posts get shared or linked to .

And to increase the odds that your content ranks in search engines and gets shared on social media, add shareable quotes.

For text-based content, this can be a statement that you highlight in your post.

And if you’re making a YouTube video, you can pull out a short snippet from that video to share on LinkedIn.

The important thing here is to have these quotes ready before you publish the post. Then, highlight them in your content.

Choose Interesting Angles

With 2.3 million blog posts going live every day , you can’t just publish something generic and expect a wave of visitors.

Instead, to get traffic to your content, it needs a compelling angle.

An angle is simply the hook that makes your content stand out from all the others on that topic.

Your angle can be a personal story. A bit of controversy. Or something that simply looks better than what’s out there.

The angle you go with depends on your target audience.

For example, when we published our guide to becoming an SEO expert , our 8-bit design helped it stand out.

Make It Actionable

For most niches, your content can’t just be entertaining.

And it’s not even enough for it to simply be informative.

For your content marketing to work, your content needs to be super useful .

Here’s how:

Our SEO audit post is a great example of this.

It’s not a collection of random tips. This content is a step-by-step action plan that anyone can follow.

• Keep it up-to-date: A single outdated step or example can derail an otherwise great piece. I recommend going back and updating your old content at least once a year.

Make it Trustworthy

For people to share and link to your content, they need to trust it first.

And while design factors in to how much people trust your content , your writing plays a big role too.

Here are a few tips to make your content more trustworthy.

• Use proper grammar: If you want to improve your writing skills, a tool like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly can be a huge help.

For example, whenever we write a guide, we add lots of stats and references.

Here’s an example from our blog.

Give it a Magnetic Headline and Introduction

Most visitors only spend 15 seconds reading an article before leaving.

With such a short window of time, your headline and introduction are incredibly important.

Here’s how to create headlines and intros that work:

Note how these bullet points aren’t topics . They’re benefits that someone will get out of reading and implementing what’s in the guide.

How can I become a content writer?

If you’re looking to dive into the world of content writing, you’re in for an exciting journey. Let me walk you through the steps that have worked wonders for me and many others.

1. Learn SEO Fundamentals

First off, get cozy with SEO basics . It’s the backbone of content writing.

Start with keyword research – it’s like picking the right tools before you start building. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Semrush to find what your audience is searching for.

Then, dive into on-page SEO . Think of your titles and meta descriptions as your first handshake with your readers – make it count.

2. Niche Specialization

Now, pick a niche.

This isn’t just about what you love; it’s about where you can add real value.

Ask yourself, “What unique perspective or solutions can I bring to my readers?” This focus will make your content more engaging and valuable.

3. Develop a Unique Writing Style

It’s your signature. Keep it clear, engaging, and packed with actionable tips.

I always aim to write as if I’m talking to a friend – straightforward and helpful.

Use tools like Grammarly to keep your grammar in check and Hemingway Editor to make your content crisp and readable.

4. Create a Portfolio

It’s your playground for trying out new ideas and a portfolio to showcase your skills.

Make sure it’s SEO-friendly; after all, you want to walk the talk.

5. Learn from the Best

Learning never stops. Keep an eye on the top content writers and digital marketing resources.

What are they doing right? How are they engaging their audience? How are they using new AI tools in their workflows?

Don’t just consume content; dissect it.

6. Feedback and Improvement

Lastly, the power of feedback can’t be overstressed. Use it to refine your writing.

Remember, the best content writers are those who listen, learn, and adapt.

That’s my blueprint for becoming a content writer. I

t’s about blending SEO savvy with a unique voice, continually learning, and always striving to provide value to your readers.

Stay curious, stay committed, and you’ll find your path to success in content writing.

The Definitive Guide to Writing Blog Posts : I recommend sending this to any content writer that you work with.

The Complete Guide to SEO Content : How to write quality content that’s specifically engineered to rank in Google.

Evergreen Content : How to plan and write content that continues to bring in traffic for years after you publish it.

The Definitive Guide to Copywriting : Learn how to write SUPER compelling copy for blog posts, sales letters, videos and more based on tips from the world’s top copywriters.

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How to Write an Amazing Article In 10 Simple Steps

Writing articles is like waving a magic wand to create ripples in a vast ocean. With each stroke of your pen, you conjure waves of inspiration that reach shores far and wide, touching the hearts and minds of people worldwide. Whether you’re just starting out or enhancing your writing skills, mastering the art of article writing can open doors to endless possibilities. 

In this guide, we’ll cover the essential steps and techniques to help beginner bloggers, journalists, and freelance writers craft compelling articles. You’ll learn:

• The basics of article writing
• Structuring your content effectively
• Refining your writing style
• Polishing your work through editing and proofreading

With these tips and templates in your toolset, you’ll be ready to showcase your work to a vast audience, connect with like-minded individuals and establish a professional online presence. We’ll show you how WordPress.com’s user-friendly platform makes the process seamless.

Ready to get started?

In this article:

Informative Articles

Opinion pieces, how-to guides, feature articles, news articles, interview articles, 1. how to identify your target audience , 2. how to choose a topic, 3. how to write a headline, 4. how to conduct quantitative and qualitative research, 5. how to craft an angle , 6. how to write an outline, 7. how to write an intro, 8. how to write the body section , 9. how to write a conclusion , 10. how to edit the article , web writing best practices , best tools for writing articles, 1. the problem-solution template, 2. the listicle template, 3. the step-by-step guide template, 4. the comparative analysis template, write amazing articles and publish them on wordpress.com, types of articles .

Articles can be of different types that serve different purposes and cater to various reader interests. Let’s look at some of the most common types of articles: 

These aim to provide readers with valuable information, facts, or explanations on a particular topic. They focus on educating the audience and are typically well-researched.

Example: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What’s the Difference?

These express the writer’s personal viewpoint or perspective on a specific subject. These articles allow writers to share their thoughts, insights, and arguments while encouraging readers to think critically and engage in discussions.

Example: define: Brand

These provide step-by-step instructions to help readers accomplish a specific task or learn a new skill. They break down complex processes into easy-to-follow steps, enabling readers to achieve their goals.

Example: How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Website

These are presented in a list format, featuring a series of items or points related to a specific theme. They offer readers a convenient and organized way to consume information. Listicles are often used to highlight top items, tips, or recommendations.

Example: Best Small Website Builder: The Top Options Compared (2020)

These are in-depth and extensively researched pieces that explore a topic or profile of a person or event. They go beyond basic facts and delve into the nuances and details, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding.

Example: Meals for One

These report on recent events, developments, or noteworthy stories. They aim to provide readers with factual information objectively and concisely. News articles typically adhere to journalistic principles.

Example: ‘Breakthrough’ geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power

These feature conversations or discussions with individuals of interest or expertise in a particular field. These articles often include quotes or insights from the interviewee, providing readers with unique perspectives and valuable insights.

Example: Automattic Women: Selena Jackson

Depending on your goals, target audience, and subject matter – you can choose the appropriate type of article to communicate your message and engage readers effectively.

How to write an article in 10 steps 

The basic structure of an article contains 4 parts:

• Opening paragraphs (introduction)
• The main discussion (body section)
• Closing paragraphs (conclusion) 

However, there are more than just 4 steps to writing an amazing article. Doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a pro; following a structured approach can help you create better articles faster. You can follow this proven 10-step process for that. 

• Identify target audience
• Choose a topic 
• Write a headline 
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research
• Craft an angle 
• Write an outline
• Write an introduction
• Write body section
• Write conclusion 
• Finish editing 

Let’s discuss each step briefly. 

Target audience refers to the person or group you are writing for. If you’re writing for everyone, you’re writing for no one. You need to identify who you are writing for to ensure you effectively communicate your message to the audience. 

Understanding your target audience is crucial for creating content that resonates with them. Consider their demographics, interests, and needs. Research their preferences, pain points, and what they expect from your article. This knowledge will help you tailor your writing style, tone, and content to appeal directly to your intended readers.

Once you’ve researched the audience, create a user persona with common traits and then write for that one person.  Creating a user persona is not just a list of data points. It’s like an imaginary person with a name and specific characteristics that help you understand their needs.     

By focusing on your target audience, your content will speak directly to them, which will help you increase engagement and build a loyal readership base.

Before you embark on the exciting journey of article writing, you must first conquer the challenge of finding the perfect topic. The topic you choose sets the foundation for your entire piece, influencing its success and impact.

First, select a topic that interests you and aligns with your goal of writing. You don’t want to write about everything and anything. Start by considering something that aligns with your knowledge and expertise. Writing about something you’re passionate about or have expertise in makes the process more enjoyable and lets you provide valuable insights to your readers. 

Or you can also focus on solving specific or common problems in your niche. Identifying common challenges or problems and providing practical tips, step-by-step guides, or sharing personal experiences can make your content highly valuable and relevant to readers.

Researching trending topics is another easy way to find a suitable topic. Stay updated with the latest trends and discussions in your industry or niche. Explore popular blogs, news sites, and social media platforms to identify topics currently gaining traction. This ensures your article addresses timely issues and captures readers’ attention.

Lastly, take a data-driven approach through keyword research. Use keyword research tools like keyword planner or SEMrush to look for keywords with decent search volume and low competition. It ensures organic traffic.

“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.” David Ogilvy, copywriting legend

The headline is the first component someone reads. One single word can attract or repel them.

The first step in crafting a great headline is to analyze every word. Is every word necessary? If you remove a word, will the headline still make sense? No removable word in the headline is considered a tight headline, with nothing extra to distract from the meaning. So, keep a headline direct and persuasive so the reader is engaged.

Next, aim to craft headlines that are:

• Ultra-specific

Including all these elements in one headline might not be possible, so aim for at least one or two. Doing so will strengthen the headline and encourage readers to read on.

Here are a few more insights on keeping your readers engaged:

• Use proven headline formulas to upgrade your headline to a better level
• Keep the main idea and the keywords of the headlines relevant
• Focus on benefits. Benefit-driven headlines get more clicks
• Inject power words to command attention
• Trim unnecessary words

Solid research strengthens the credibility of your article. When you use the right data, it makes your article stronger and more convincing. 

What is quantitative data?

Quantitative data is objective data that can be measured and assigned a numerical value.

What is qualitative data?

Qualitative data cannot be measured or assigned a numerical value. Instead, it is information that is referenced not by numbers but by concepts, feelings, characteristics, and emotions. Qualitative data is subjective.

For quantitative research, you can use Google to dig out data, statistics, and surveys to support your claims and add credibility.

For qualitative research, you can conduct interviews, gather anecdotes, or explore case studies to provide valuable insights and real-life examples.

To stand out against multiple articles on a similar topic, find a unique angle that sets your piece apart. Consider what makes your article different or special. It could be a fresh perspective, a unique approach, or new insights. Determine your article’s unique selling point and emphasize it throughout your writing. Maybe it’s an expert opinion, an authentic recipe, a top-secret method, or a completely new discovery. 

For example, instead of writing a generic article on “how to deal with depression,” – write:

By offering something distinct, you’ll capture readers’ attention and give them a reason to choose your article over others.

An article outline is a structure that guides your writing process and ensures your article stays focused and well-structured. Once you start using outlines, you’ll find writing articles become much easier.

Start by listing the main points or sections you want to cover based on your research and angle. Then, under each section, jot down the sub-points or supporting details. Don’t hesitate to revise and refine your outline as you progress. Whenever you find something new, add it in its respective position. 

Google Docs is great for creating an outline for your article. Or you can also use Workflowy to organize your ideas into sections and subsections. 

Here’s an example outline I made for my article on ‘how to write an amazing article.’

Click for more tips and templates for creating outlines .

The introduction sets the tone for the entire article by grabbing the reader’s attention. The introduction is your opportunity to hook the readers and provide them with a clear understanding of what your article is about. 

Begin with a compelling opening sentence that grabs attention and sparks curiosity. Then, give a bit of background information and context to set the stage for your topic. Finally, conclude the introduction by stating your article’s main objective or thesis, giving readers a preview of what they can expect.

Example: “Did you know that humans can actually hold their breath for more than 20 minutes underwater? By following some techniques and enough practice, you, too, can extend your underwater breathing time. This article will equip you with seven expert tips to enhance your underwater breathing and unlock the wonders beneath.”

When structuring your article, it’s important to divide it into well-organized sections or paragraphs that delve deeper into the key points you want to convey. By using subheadings, you can break up the text and provide readers with a clear roadmap, making it easier for them to navigate and understand the content.

Each section should begin with a concise topic sentence that introduces the main idea or focus of that particular section. This is a signpost for readers, helping them anticipate what they will learn or explore next. 

For instance, if you’re writing an article about the benefits of exercise, one section could be titled “Improved Mental Health,” with a topic sentence like: “Engaging in regular exercise has been shown to have profound effects on our mental well-being.”

Support your statements with evidence, examples, and relevant data to ensure credibility and engagement. This adds depth and persuasion to your article. For instance, if you claim that exercise reduces stress levels, cite scientific studies or share personal anecdotes that illustrate how exercise has helped individuals manage their stress effectively.

To maintain a seamless flow of ideas, use smooth transitions between paragraphs. This allows readers to easily follow your train of thought as you progress from one point to another. Transitions can be achieved through the use of transitional words or phrases, such as “in addition,” “furthermore,” or “on the other hand.” These help establish connections and guide readers through the logical progression of your article.

This is where you end your article. A good conclusion can leave a lasting impression on the readers. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion and summarize the key points discussed in the body of your article, emphasizing their significance and relevance. Avoid naming their conclusion “Conclusion.” 

Avoid generic headings for your conclusion heading. Be specific like:

• Learn more about [topic]
• Why is [topic] important?
• Does [topic] make sense for your business?

If you must be generic in the conclusion’s heading, then go for:

• Closing Thoughts
• Final Words
• To Sum It Up
• To Wrap It Up

Recapping the whole article helps the reader remember the list of tips. After the recap, tell them what to do next. If someone reads your whole piece, chances are, they’re invested and will take action on your Call to Action ( CTA ). Don’t let that power and impact go to waste. Guiding them to bookmark the page or follow a link to another relevant article is 100x better than stopping at the recap.

The conclusion should be short and should give the reader a clear sense of finality. Ensure you don’t leave the reader confused about the information presented or your stance on a particular topic. 

Once the draft is finished, you’re well on your way, but there’s still a bit more to do – editing. It’s a vital part of good writing. It shapes a piece of raw coal into a glittering diamond.

No matter how good you are, the first draft is always full of mistakes, and there is usually room for improvement.  

When you have the draft, take a break from writing so you can start editing with fresh eyes again. You’ll see a lot of things that you missed earlier. Review your article for clarity, coherence, grammar, and spelling errors. Ensure your writing flows smoothly and effectively communicates your ideas. To make things easier, use some tools to help you edit; I’ll discuss those in a later section.

Next, remove anything unnecessary from your article. Anything that doesn’t add any value to your article shouldn’t be there. Then, check to see if you’ve missed any necessary information. Add statistics and relevant information to solidify your writing. 

If you have the option, have a friend read the draft. A new perspective can usually detect problems. Make necessary revisions and proofread multiple times until you are confident in the quality of your final piece.

By following these ten steps, you can create a well-crafted and engaging article that captivates your audience from start to finish. 

• Stay true to your unique perspective:   As a writer, your unique perspective and voice are your most valuable assets. Embrace your individuality and bring your authentic self into your writing. Avoid replicating existing content or mimicking other writers. Instead, focus on expressing your thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Your distinctive viewpoint will set your article apart from others and create a personal connection with your readers. Be confident in your voice and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.
• Offer valuable insights: To engage your audience and leave a lasting impression, your article must provide genuine value. Research your topic thoroughly to unearth valuable insights, fresh data, or unique angles that haven’t been extensively covered before. Share your expertise, research findings, or personal experiences to enrich the reader’s understanding. Offering something new and valuable establishes you as a reliable source of information and keeps readers coming back for more of your content.
• Strive for clarity and coherence in your writing: Clear and coherent writing is the hallmark of an effective article. Ensure your ideas flow logically and smoothly from one paragraph to another. Use clear and concise language to convey your message without ambiguity. Avoid using jargon or overly complex terms that might confuse your readers. Utilize transition words and phrases to create seamless connections between sentences and paragraphs. When your writing is clear and coherent, readers can easily follow your train of thought, making the reading experience enjoyable and memorable. 
• Keep it short and simple: Use simple and easily understandable words to communicate your ideas effectively. Break down complex concepts into smaller, digestible chunks. Short sentences are easier to read and comprehend, allowing readers to grasp your message quickly. Also, don’t stretch your paragraphs too much. A paragraph should contain 3 to 4 lines maximum. Longer paragraphs create a wall of text that discourage readers from continuing.
• Do not copy/plagiarize: Originality is key when creating web content. Plagiarism is unethical and can have severe consequences. Always credit and properly cite any sources or references you use in your article. Provide your unique insights and perspectives to add value to the reader’s experience. Plagiarism damages your credibility and hinders your growth as a writer.
• Use subheadings and make it scannable: Web readers often skim through articles rather than reading them word by word. Help them navigate and grasp your content easily by using informative subheadings. Subheadings break up the text, making it scannable and allowing readers to find the information they are interested in quickly. Use clear and descriptive subheadings that accurately represent the content of each section.
• Use pictures and tables: Visual elements such as pictures, infographics, and tables can enhance the overall reader experience. Images can help illustrate your points, make your article visually appealing, and provide a welcome break from the text. Tables are useful for presenting data or comparisons in a structured and organized manner. Ensure that your visuals are relevant, high-quality, and appropriately sourced.

There are many tools out there to help your writing journey. Let’s introduce you to some of the most useful tools you can get for free to take your article writing to the next level. 

• ChatGPT:   ChatGPT is an AI-powered writing tool that helps writers generate ideas, write sections, conduct research, and fix grammar. AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, a technology that allows machines like ChatGPT to understand human language and respond with natural-sounding text. While AI is powerful, it’s essential to fact-check its outputs since it can sometimes make mistakes in providing accurate information. Use ChatGPT wisely, and it can be your helpful writing companion!
• Grammarly: It’s a popular writing tool that helps writers improve their grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It works as an automated proofreader and editor, checking your text for errors and offering suggestions for improvements. The pro version also has a built-in plagiarism checker. 
• Wordtune: It’s an AI-powered writing tool that assists in rephrasing and improving your sentences. It offers alternative wordings and suggestions for stronger vocabulary and can even rewrite entire sentences to improve readability and style. Wordtune can be especially useful when you want to convey your message more engagingly and concisely. 

These tools can greatly support your writing and editing process, making it easier to produce high-quality articles. However, it’s important to note that while AI tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Wordtune offer valuable assistance, they are not substitutes for human creativity and critical thinking. Reviewing and revising your work personally is essential to ensure that it aligns with your unique voice and meets your intended goals for the article.

Article templates 

Templates can serve as a helpful starting point to structure your content effectively. Here are four commonly used article templates:

This template is ideal for addressing a specific problem or challenge and providing a solution to your readers. It consists of the following sections:

• Introduction: Present the problem or challenge, and explain its significance or impact.
• Problem Analysis: Dive deeper into the issue, providing relevant facts, statistics, or examples to support your claims.
• Solution Presentation: Introduce your proposed solution(s), explaining how they can address the problem effectively.
• Implementation and Benefits: Discuss how readers can implement the solution and the potential benefits they can expect to achieve.
• Conclusion: Summarize the problem, restate the solution, and leave readers with a call to action or a final thought.

Listicles are popular for their easy-to-read and scannable format. This template organizes content into a numbered or bulleted list, providing concise information or tips. It typically includes the following sections:

• Introduction: Present the topic and explain its relevance or importance.
• List Items: Present each point on the list, with a brief description or explanation for each.
• Elaboration: Provide further details, examples, or insights for each list item.
• Conclusion: Recap the main points covered in the list and offer a closing thought or a call to action.

This template is useful for providing a detailed process or instructions on how to accomplish a specific task. It follows a sequential structure and includes the following sections:

• Introduction: Introduce the task or process and explain its significance or benefits.
• Step 1: Describe the first step of the process, including any necessary background information.
• Step 2: Detail the second step, and continue with subsequent steps until the process is complete.
• Tips and Considerations: Offer additional tips, tricks, or important considerations to enhance the reader’s understanding or success in following the steps.
• Conclusion: Recap the steps covered, emphasize key takeaways, and provide a closing remark or call to action.

This template is suitable when comparing and contrasting two or more subjects, products, or ideas. It follows a structured approach and consists of the following sections:

• Introduction: Present the subjects being compared and explain the purpose or context of the analysis.
• Comparison Criteria: Identify the specific criteria or factors used to evaluate and compare the subjects.
• Comparison Sections: Dedicate separate sections to each criterion, providing a detailed analysis and comparison of the subjects based on that criterion.
• Overall Assessment: Summarize the main findings and provide an overall assessment or conclusion based on the comparisons made.
• Conclusion: Reinforce the main points, highlight any recommendations or conclusions, and encourage readers to share their thoughts or experiences.

Other than these short templates, you can find millions of examples online. Simply search for a similar article you want to write, and click on the first few links to see the structure they’ve used. 

Congratulations! You’ve now gained a comprehensive understanding of how to write amazing articles. By following the steps and techniques in this guide, you are well-equipped to embark on your writing journey and captivate your target audience.

Remember, writing articles is not only about conveying information; it is also about connecting with readers on a deeper level, inspiring them, and sparking meaningful conversations. 

The next step is to find a good place to publish your amazing articles now that you have the tools to get started. You can easily get started with a website from WordPress.com. It’s quite simple to get started once you follow some super simple guidelines from WordPress.com support.    

So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your WordPress.com account today, unleash your writing prowess, and let the world discover your remarkable talent!

Happy writing!

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About the author, mehedi hasan shoab.

Mehedi is a freelance writer for SaaS, marketing and finance businesses. He's the founder of PowerhouseBlogger.com. Mehedi is growing businesses with sizzling writing, one piece at a time.

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11 Best Content Writing Services in 2024 (Reviews & Pricing)

Engineering Team

December 7, 2023

Content is king. From email marketing campaigns to landing pages, content writing services have the potential to make a big difference to your bottom line.

Professional writers possess the skills and expertise to draft content that will speak to your audience, drive organic traffic, and get results. ✅ ✍️

The trick is finding content writing services you can count on. That’s where we come in!

We’ve rounded up the 11 best content writing services (with an emphasis on SEO) so you can execute a content plan that gets the job done.

• What Should You Look For in Content Writing Services?

1. Writing Studio

2. compose.ly, 3. contentwriters, 4. wordagents, 6. contentgrow, 7. express writers, 8. scripted, 10. crowd content, 10. my content pal.

What Should You Look For in Content Writing Services ?

With countless content writing companies to choose from, how do you find the right one? Here’s what we suggest looking for in high-quality content writing services:

• SEO expertise: Search engine optimization (SEO) is an ever-changing skillset that makes your web content visible, so look for a service with expert writers who specialize in SEO 📈
• Unique content : Opt for custom content that speaks to your unique target audience and engages them 
• Strict vetting : Look for content writing services that vet their freelance writers to avoid plagiarism and ensure you’re working with trusted professionals 
• Fast turnaround times : Find a content writing service that can produce the turnaround times you need to keep your project plan on schedule
• Free revisions : You deserve content you’re happy with, so look for a service that includes revisions in the cost of the content

The 11 Best Content Writing Services to Spruce Up Your Copy

Whether you need social media posts, blog writing, or white papers, we’ve highlighted content-writing services that can make it happen. Let’s dive into 11 content creation apps and websites you can count on. 🙌

Writing Studio is a professional content writing service that can help you create ebooks, ecommerce product descriptions, SEO-optimized blog posts, white papers, press releases, and more. 📃

You’ll receive fully managed content writing services, including SEO keyword research, proofreading, fact-checking, CMS formatting, and more.

Writing Studio best features

• Strict content quality monitoring to ensure you’re receiving top-notch online content
• Several content types, ranging from ebooks to newsletters
• Clear communication to work out your requirements before writers start the project
• Professional services like SEO optimization, CMS formatting, and fact-checking included in every project

Writing Studio limitations

• Limited customer feedback on popular review platforms
• Some users say the project launch surveys are too long and time-consuming

Writing Studio pricing

• 1-10k Words: $0.20/word
• 10-100k Words: $0.16/word
• 100k+ words: $0.15/word

Writing Studio ratings and reviews

• G2: 5/5 (5+ reviews)
• Capterra: N/A

Compose.ly is a content and article-writing service specializing in SEO and blog writing services. The company’s team is made up of entrepreneurs and content marketing experts who can execute cohesive content projects and produce blog articles that rank high for competitive search terms. ⬆️

Compose.ly best features

• Comprehensive SEO plans can target short- and long-tail keywords for tangible increases in traffic
• Free written content sample before you commit to a paid plan
• An account management team guarantees instant access to thoroughly vetted writers with experience in a range of specific industries
• No long-term contracts, just web content writing that can fit your budget 💰

Compose.ly limitations

• Some users say you can’t request a favorite web content writer to handle your entire content plan
• Reviewers report that it may take some time to hone in on the exact brand voice you want in your blog articles

Compose.ly pricing

• Content Writing Services : $700+/month

Compose.ly ratings and reviews

• G2: 5/5 (10+ reviews)

ContentWriters is a website content copywriting platform that connects you with specialized writers to bring your growth strategy to life. 🌱

Connect with freelancers who can meet your content needs on time while writing to your target audience and demonstrating an understanding of your subject matter.

ContentWriters best features

• SEO services allow you to target keywords and terms that will increase visibility and help your site rank higher on search engine results pages
• 100% content satisfaction guarantee with revisions included in every piece of content
• Secure platform that allows you to connect with hand-selected professionals
• Account management and custom content calendars make it easier to execute your SEO strategy

ContentWriters limitations

• Advanced content management features are not available on the Self Service plan; interested users must upgrade to the Managed Services plan
• User reviews mention the need for a 12-month contract on the Managed Services plan with no shorter contracts available

ContentWriters pricing

• Self Service: $99+/piece
• Managed Services: Contact for pricing

ContentWriters ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (80+ reviews)

WordAgents is a content writing agency run by a team of SEO pros who specialize in improving search rankings.

Connect with writers who can turn briefs into SEO-friendly content. They’ll help you improve brand awareness and lead generation without having to worry about keyword stuffing or plagiarism.

WordAgents best features

• Connect with SEO writers, editors, and strategists who can help you rank and build authority in any industry
• Rely on AI and SEO article writing tools to create web pages and blog posts that drive conversions
• Preview writing samples before you pay anything to ensure you know what you’re signing up for

WordAgents limitations

• SEO Lite plan does not provide human-written content; users get access to AI-generated content that has been edited by humans
• Full marketing services are restricted to the SEO Supreme plan

WordAgents pricing

• SEO Lite: $290/month
• SEO Supreme: $890/month

WordAgents ratings and reviews

Verblio is an SEO content writing service that boasts low per-word fees and content designed to drive conversions. Get access to a network of more than 3,000 vetted SEO content writers capable of producing effective, satisfaction-guaranteed copy for businesses in any industry.

Verblio best features

• User-friendly interface is easy to navigate
• Content writing services specialized for startups, marketing agencies, ecommerce brands, service providers, and digital publishing companies
• Content writing services include homepage writing, blog articles, social media posts, marketing emails, white papers, press releases, and more
• Network of U.S.-based writers and editors who speak English as their first language

Verblio limitations

• Most content is not written by people; customers receive AI-created content with human editing
• Reviews mention that preferred writers often reject articles, which may delay content strategies until another suitable writer is found

Verblio pricing

• Self-Serve: $49.50/month plus $0.06/word
• Enterprise : Contact for pricing

Verblio ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (40+ reviews)

ContentGrow is a platform designed to match freelance writing talent with clients using a straightforward workflow app. Each writer is carefully vetted through a multi-step process. Build your team of preferred freelance writers who can accept content orders on a first-come, first-serve basis. ✨

ContentGrow best features

• Get access to a shortlist of project-appropriate writers to make it easier to connect with the talent you need
• Request article pitches from a wide range of writers and only pay for content when you receive a story idea you like
• Chat with the ContentGrow team if you have questions about how to create briefs, request pitches, or connect with freelancers
• Receive quick response times and satisfaction-guaranteed work

ContentGrow limitations

• No flat pricing plan; writers may give preference to clients who are willing to pay higher per-word prices
• The hiring process relies on commissioning pitches from writers before an article is written, which may result in slower content-writing services

ContentGrow pricing

ContentGrow does not provide pricing information. However, users state clients can set preferred per-word rates that writers must accept before taking on a project.

ContentGrow ratings and reviews

• G2: 5/5 (2+ reviews)

Express Writers is an SEO content writing service that provides high-quality copy and access to seasoned industry professionals. Let the writers do the heavy lifting and creative content production , whether you need infographics, ebooks, blog posts, or all of the above. 🏋️

Express Writers best features

• Content Shop lets you browse different types of content and average service costs before choosing a writer
• Pay per word to ensure your content calendar fits your budget
• Writers do in-depth research and fact-checking for all copy to ensure you’re getting high-quality content
• Revisions and proofreading are included in the per-word prices so you get publish-ready content every time

Express Writers limitations

• Users report that content sometimes encounters unexpected delays, making it hard to stay on schedule
• Some users say they struggle to get quality consistency between writers even when requesting expert-level service providers

Express Writers pricing

• Self-Service: Flexible per-word pricing

Express Writers ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (10+ reviews)

Scripted is a content writing service that combines AI-powered copywriting with human expertise so you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Take advantage of flexible pricing options to suit any budget, place orders with ease, and communicate with writers in real time.

Scripted best features

• Free access to AI writing tools so you can draft content for your in-house teams to edit and improve
• Access to thousands of freelance writers who specialize in various industries so you get the expertise you need
• Members on paid plans can work with the Scripted team to create a winning content strategy (not available for Free plan users)
• Connect with writers through the Scripted team so you can enjoy consistent communication

Scripted limitations

• Free plan only provides access to AI-generated content; most plans emphasize AI-generated content with human editing
• Some users report that finding the right writers for their needs is time-consuming

Scripted pricing

• Starter: Free
• Pro: $199/month
• Team: $499/month
• Enterprise + Agency: Contact for pricing

Scripted ratings and reviews

• G2: 3.1/5 (50+ reviews)

Upwork is a freelance marketplace with professionals from a wide range of industries, including a massive network of content-writing specialists. 

Find talent, manage contracts, improve collaboration in the workplace , review work, and pay freelancers, all from one secure platform. 🔐🥇

Upwork best features

• Check freelancer profiles, see projects they’ve completed, read reviews from their past clients, and sort writers by rating
• Secure payment platform keeps you and the freelancer protected; you can add tips for a job well done, break projects into milestones, or pay by the hour
• Create job postings for writers of specific skill levels, locations, time zones, and other qualifications
• Build long-lasting relationships with writers, editors, and other freelance professionals

Upwork limitations

• Users report the quality of content and communication varies between freelancers
• The rating system can result in low star ratings on your client account, discouraging top talent from accepting work

Upwork pricing

• Basic: $49.99+/month plus cost of content
• Enterprise : $849/month plus cost of content

Upwork ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (1,800+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)

Crowd Content is an enterprise content writing service with a network of more than 6,000 freelance copywriters. Use the platform to connect with writers of your chosen skill level and area of expertise to help scale your business with targeted content. 🎯

Crowd Content best features

• Projects that require fast turnaround times are often completed within 24-48 hours
• Flexible pricing allows you to adjust the per-word rate to match your project’s budget
• User-friendly platform makes it easy to place orders, pay freelancers, and review content
• Multiple content types, ranging from landing pages and blog articles to social media posts and marketing emails 

Crowd Content limitations

• Reviews mention difficulty finding freelancers who consistently produce high-quality work
• Users say the internal scoring system for writers and written content can be confusing

Crowd Content pricing

• Marketplace: $0.035+/word

Crowd Content ratings and reviews

• G2: 3.9/5 (10+ reviews)

My Content Pal provides you with stress-free, well-researched content. They have a strict no AI policy, guaranteeing 100% human-crafted, SEO-optimized content that will resonate with your brand’s unique voice and your audience. 

My Content Pal is one of the only agencies that allow you to work directly with the writer. They provide your brand with a dedicated writer who’ll work on your campaigns and interact directly with your team.

My Content Pal best features

• Strict no AI policy: Each piece of content is crafted by skilled human writers, ensuring brand alignment and authenticity. 
• SEO Success Manager: You’ll benefit from expert SEO insights from a dedicated SEO Success Manager.
• Build a relationship with your writer: You can engage directly with your dedicated writer.
• Loyalty program: Long-term customers will receive credits to use on the editing service or graphic design services.
• Affordable excellence: You can get premium content for as little as $0.08 per word.
• Customizable plans: Purchase words based on your requirements, from just 10,000 words to 200,000 words.

My Content Pal limitations

• You don’t get to pick your writer, but they’ll happily replace the writer if it’s not a good fit
• Reviewers report that it may take some time to get started. My Content Pal has a lengthy but thorough onboarding process.
• Content turnaround time of 72 hours for Dedicated Writer clients

My Content Pal pricing

• My Content Pal offers pricing from $0.08 per word with no hidden fees. Their packages are scalable to accommodate unique content needs. They offer a full refund if you’re unhappy with the content.

My Content Pal ratings and reviews

• Trustpilot : 4.8/5 with 54 reviews

Other Content Writing Tools

Not ready to hire a copywriter or commit to a content writing platform? Want to provide your in-house writers with the tools they need to succeed? We’ve got you covered with everything from content writing templates to industry-leading AI content generation.

ClickUp is the leading project management software on the market. While the platform doesn’t offer content writing services, it has several tools to help with press releases, product descriptions, and more.

Need to produce great content in a snap? ClickUp AI can generate emails, blog content, digital marketing copy, project briefs, meeting agendas, and status reports with simple prompts. It can also summarize meeting notes and generate action items, saving your team time and money. 🤩

Ready to connect your content to your workflows? Use ClickUp AI to create quality content in ClickUp Docs to enable seamless collaboration.

Want to give your content marketing strategy a facelift? Use ClickUp’s Content Management template to dial in your project plan. ✅

ClickUp can do it all. Seriously. Take a look at what you get:

• Content writing templates and communication plan templates for every purpose
• Hundreds of AI writing tools purpose-built for project management
• Content calendar templates to keep your projects on track
• Tools and features designed to improve workplace collaboration

ClickUp Teams Marketing makes it easy to brainstorm, plan, and execute content marketing campaigns across all platforms. Use it alongside ClickUp AI to generate campaign ideas, content briefs, case studies, and more without ever leaving the platform.

ClickUp best features

• Content calendar software to keep your marketing and SEO plans on point
• Hundreds of AI tools to help you produce high-quality content
• Library of over 1,000 ready-made templates to fast-track every project
• Content marketing software to boost your search engine rankings and drive traffic to your site

ClickUp limitations

• Some users report a learning curve when familiarizing themselves with ClickUp’s tools (solved with free video tutorials and FAQs)
• ClickUp AI is only available on paid plans

ClickUp pricing

• Free Forever
• Unlimited: $7/month per user
• Business: $12/month per user
• ClickUp AI is available on all paid plans for $5 per Workspace member per month

ClickUp ratings and reviews 

• G2: 4.7/5 (9,200+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,900+ reviews)

Words That Win

This curated list of the 11 best content writing services reflects evolving industry standards in industries across the board. Whether you’re in the market for SEO content writing services for your ecommerce site or need a freelancer to craft social media posts or white papers, you want vetted professionals who can deliver high-quality, original, and engaging content. 

Explore what other content writing tools can do for you. Get started for free today and sign up for ClickUp ! 🌞

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Home » Building Websites » Writing for the Web | 19 Expert Tips for Writing Online

Writing for the Web | 19 Expert Tips for Writing Online

Our independent research projects and impartial reviews are funded in part by affiliate commissions, at no extra cost to our readers. Learn more

The Ultimate Guide to Writing for the Web

We don’t want you to join them.

We’re here to make sure you soar over the common trip hazards, and set you on the path to creating stunning online content. Beat your competition, dazzle your readers, and breathe new life into your website with our in-depth guide.

We’ll cover the most important rules of writing for the web, and bring you exclusive insights from real experts who rely on producing stellar content for a living. 

Even web writing pros can stumble and lose their readers’ interest. Whether you’re starting a blog, writing copy for your business website, or managing social media accounts, this guide will give you actionable advice for improving engagement and increasing conversions.

Our first, unofficial tip is to keep introductions short – so we’d better move on to the good stuff!

Our handy infographic shows all 19 steps you need for writing for the web. Feel free to save it, share it, and go back to it whenever you need some helpful writing tips!

If you prefer a good old-fashioned list, here’s each of the steps again:

Top 19 Rules for Writing for the Web

Now you’re fully armed with our 19 simple steps, read on for a full breakdown of each, plus some exclusive bonus tips from the experts!

Further Information

• Check out our Website Builder Comparison Chart if building a website is your next step – it compares the best builders around!
• Are you going to use our expert web writing tips to start a blog? You might find our review of the Best Blogging Platforms helpful.
• Looking for something a little more specific? Our How to Write a Call to Action guide has some expert tips on creating persuasive copy.

If you’d rather watch than read, our video run-through of our top 19 rules for writing for the web is the perfect solution!

Before You Start

Tip #1: Research Your Reader

Tip #2: Know Your Enemy

#1. Research Your Reader

Before putting pen to paper – or, rather, fingers to keyboard – you need to get inside the mind of your readers. It’s essential to know your audience so that you can grab their interest and fulfil their needs. Ask yourself: why are people coming to my site? What are they looking for?

Once you have the answers to these questions, there’s only one thing to do: give the readers what they want. 

Readers are fickle, impatient, and flighty creatures – use the wrong language, or give them the wrong information, and they’ll be leaving your site before you can say “please don’t go.” Here are a few tips for keeping the customers satisfied:

• Create personas – try to make between three and five personas that represent different sections of your audience. You can do this through interviewing real-life readers, using demographic data from your site analytics, and sneaking a peek at your readers’ social profiles.
• Tailor your writing to your target audience – use the same language as your readers. If you’re writing for an older demographic, don’t use teenage slang words, and if you’re writing for an English or American audience, make sure you’re using the right language and references.
• Don’t stop asking questions – even once you’re releasing regular content, don’t assume you know what your readers want. Keep checking and researching to make sure your readers are happy.

Advice from the Experts

“One of the most essential elements of writing for the web is knowing your audience. Four years ago, we were attracting just over 100 organic visits to our blog per month. In a shift in tactics, we began to write regular, quality, optimised content targeted at the interests of our website visitors, and we now generate 2,500+ organic visits per month.”

#2. Know Your Enemy

Once you know your readers like they’re old friends, it’s time to research your competitors. You need to know two crucial things: who your competitors are, and what they’re doing .

Competitor research is essential for understanding what you need to do in order to get readers to choose your site over anyone else’s.

First, you need to identify your main competitors. Try to list your top ten rivals – if you have no idea, you can find out by Googling your main service, product, or topic, and seeing which other sites pop up the most.

Now you know who you’ve got to beat, settle in for a virtual stake out. Look at what type of content they’re producing – is it videos, blog posts, news stories, or downloads? What’s the level of quality? How frequently are they publishing fresh content?

Once you’ve got a good profile of your competitors, you can ask the most important question: what can I do better? 

Luke Budka , Director at TopLine Comms

“Understand what your prospects are searching for and why they’re searching for it; take a look at the content that appears when you search for what your prospects are searching for; then write better content – in that order!”

More Information

• Interview with Kentucky Native Plants Project : See how this online resource creates content tailored to its audience and market

Don't Scare Your Reader Away

Tip #3: Use Headings

Tip #4: Hook Your Reader

Tip #5: Keep Language Simple

Tip #6: Tell Readers Where They Are

You might have heard of the comparison of web users with wild animals , and that’s exactly what we’re talking about here. Today’s online readers are hunting for information, but they don’t want to waste tons of energy taking down the web equivalent of a giant buffalo. Just like a lion picking out its prey, they are constantly on the lookout for content they can easily digest.

If a reader isn’t happy with what they see, you can bet they’ll be gone in seconds. Harsh, right? Luckily, there are ways you can send all the right messages so you don’t scare your reader away.

#3. Use Headings

The best way to instantly put a reader at ease is to use headings. This gives a clear indication of your page’s content, without the reader actually having to, well, read any of it.

When’s the last time you read a web page from the beginning to the end, without jumping ahead or scanning sections? We bet it wasn’t any time recently.

Headings make it easy for readers to quickly get the gist of your content and head to the section they most want to read. Think of headings like sign posts, catching you reader’s attention and waving them in the right direction.

Headings also make your page look more inviting. There’s nothing worse than being confronted with a huge block of text when you’re browsing the internet!

#4. Hook Your Reader

How do you grab your reader’s attention and get them to read your article, instead of hitting the back button ? You need to create a hook. 

We all love a bit of drama. Controversy, mystery, surprising facts – they all draw us in with one key effect: we want to know more . If you can start your content with a fact, a question, a controversial comment, or even an anecdote, you stand a good chance of getting your readers’ attention.

#5. Keep Language Simple

While in school you’re encouraged to expand your mind and reach for the thesaurus at every possible opportunity, writing for the web is a little different. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. 

You should keep your writing simple – around the level you’d expect 12 year olds to easily understand. That’s right, you need to imagine you’re writing for seventh graders!

Using simple language doesn’t mean “dumbing down” your excellent content. In fact, it can actually take more talent to make simple writing sound good. (At least, that’s what we like to think!)

Simple language is more scannable, makes your content more accessible to a wider audience, and helps people understand your message much faster. 

❌ 1: Writing in uncomplicated, comprehensible language is imperative when creating content for an online audience, due to the reading patterns and habits most often portrayed by online readers, which differ massively from the tactics applied when reading other types of published materials.

✔️ 2: Writing in simple, user-friendly language is key when writing for the web. This is because people don’t read online content like they would read a book.

Which example are you more likely to engage with? Especially when you’re on your phone, checking this article in the spare five minutes between meetings at work? Whether you like it or not, “simple” is the universal language of the web.

#6. Tell Readers Where They Are

Something a lot of web writers forget is that your readers might have no idea what your site is about. Unlike books, there’s no beginning, middle, or end, and your content needs to reflect that.

Never assume your reader has been to your homepage or explored your about page – it’s likely they’ve only just stumbled across your site and expect answers straight away.

If you’re writing a series of connected blog posts or related guides, make sure you link to the previous one so your reader can go back and get some context. If you’re reviewing something, make sure to quickly recap what it is first.

You get the idea. We always start out our reviews and comparisons by briefly explaining what a website builder is, how drag-and-drop works, or what hosting is and why you need it, before getting into the meat of the article.

People who know these things already can skip ahead, but including this information makes sure you don’t alienate any readers who were looking for those answers.

Keep Your Reader

Tip #7: Front-load Information

Tip #8: Be Direct

Tip #9: Use a Conversational Tone

Tip #10: Be Active, Not Passive

Tip #11: Keep It Short

Tip #12: Be Generous With Visuals

Once you’ve managed to grab your reader’s attention, you need to keep them on your page. This is easier said than done. On average, people will only read around 20% of the words on a web page . (So, if you’re still reading this article – congratulations!)

Here are some simple tips and tricks for getting the most out of your readers’ limited attention spans.

#7. Front-load Information

Did you hear that the average human attention span is now shorter than that of a goldfish? We’re more distracted than ever before, losing concentration after just over eight seconds. 

This is why it’s vital to front-load your information , placing the key takeaways at the beginning of your piece rather than waiting until the conclusion.

This isn’t an Agatha Christie novel where you build suspense and give people the answers right at the very end. Instead, you need to give out the most important information as soon as possible.

You may have noticed that at the start of this article, we outlined what we would be covering and then immediately listed the key takeaways. This assures the reader they will be getting actual answers, removes any feeling of being dragged along, and even acts as a teaser.

For example, if you’re writing a comparison piece, don’t wait until the end to reveal the winner. Think about what you’d want if you were the reader – give answers straight away, then encourage them to keep reading to find out the “why” behind your argument.

By giving a summarized version of your content, you can open up your reader’s curiosity – you’ve proven you know what you’re talking about, and now they want to know more!

#8. Be Direct

When one is writing for an online audience, it can be hard to connect. There are so many voices, how do they get their words to stand out from the crowd?

You might be feeling a little confused right now, because we just stopped using direct address. Direct address is where you actually address the reader as “you.” Don’t get muddled up with the ambiguous “they” or the outdated “one” – save that one for the characters in Downton Abbey.

Use “you” to address your reader, use “we” to speak from the point of view of a company, and use “I” for an individual voice. 

This is more direct, and immediately sets up a relationship between you and your reader.

There are exceptions, such as news reports, but on the whole this is an important rule to stick to. Even banking and legal websites use direct language to appeal to their audiences, and you’ll see it all across the web – those “About Us” pages are all using direct address!

#9. Use a Conversational Tone

Question time: do you prefer chatting with your friends, or being lectured by someone using formal, lecturey language? We’re guessing we know the answer, and that’s why we write in a pretty conversational tone of voice.

This doesn’t work for all websites, but if you can use chatty language, we recommend it. Using familiar words, asking questions, throwing in recognized sayings, and inserting some personality can go a long way in engaging your reader.

Think about your favorite brands, websites, and blogs – what sort of tone do they use? Do they make use of everyday language and make their sentences playful? If so, that’s because they’re aiming straight for their target audience and creating a personal reading experience.

And that’s exactly what you need to do. Sometimes, it means bending a few of the rules you learned in high school. This can feel weird at first, but once you get a taste of that freedom, you’ll struggle to go back!

Here are some examples of ways you can make your writing less ‘college paper’ and more ‘catch-up chat’:

• Break up your sentences: You can chop up your sentences a bit. You know, for emphasis. Like we’re doing now!
• Start sentences the “wrong” way: Grammar lovers everywhere, look away, because when writing for the web you can start sentences with “and,” “but,”, “so,” and “because.” Go on, we know you want to.
• Put special sentences on their own line: If you’re making a point, stressing a certain phrase, or want the reader to remember something, put it on its own line. This can also be effective in controlling pace and humor.
• Be a little bit casual: You can use noises like phew , strikethroughs ( like this) , and even share your own anecdotes to connect with your readers. Be careful of going overboard with these, though – ration them carefully!
• Let your voice shine through: Your writing should reflect your company or brand, but that doesn’t mean your own unique style can’t add value. Trust us, your readers will appreciate the personal touch!

These techniques will help your writing sound more human, which in turn will help people connect with what you’re saying. Don’t be faceless – let your readers feel like they know you.

Advice from the Expert

Andy Golpys , Co-founder and Creative Director at MadeByShape

“My first and most fundamental tip is to be yourself and represent the personality of your brand. If you’re an informal agency who is direct and concise – go for it. On the other hand, if you’re a very serious, formal company who wear suits everyday then the language on the site has to represent this.”

#10. Be Active, Not Passive

This is a nifty writing trick that may sound technical but is actually easy once you know what to look for.

It’s time we introduced you to active versus passive writing . To be technical about it, when you write in the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action, whereas when you write in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.

That sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is, so let’s use an example instead. Let’s take the famous phrase, “the cat sat on the mat.” This is written in the active voice. If we rewrite it so that it’s passive, it would go: “the mat was sat on by the cat.” Not quite so catchy, is it?

You should always try to write in the active voice. This is because it’s a lot easier for readers to process – it takes less effort for our brains to understand, meaning we’re more likely to read more of it.

The passive voice is much less direct and personal than the active voice, making it more tactful – this makes it useful when emailing a colleague or drafting a complaint.

For example, saying “you didn’t finish the project on time” could lead to some uncomfortable office dramas, whereas “the project was not finished on time” is a lot less accusatory.

Writing in the active voice also helps to keep things clear, concise, and impactful. Passive writing can be vague and wordy, and risks confusing the reader rather than delivering your message clearly.

#11. Keep It Short

It’s one of the main rules of writing for an online audience: you need to get your point across in as few words as possible . Long sentences may have worked in the hands of Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce, but sadly they’re a big no-no when writing for the web.

And it’s not just sentences, either. Simple words, short sentences, and snappy paragraphs are the golden trio of successful web writing. 

Short sentences and paragraphs help you stay concise, and stop your reader drifting off halfway through your point. It’s all about keeping your reader’s attention and making the most out of every word.

A great way of testing whether your web writing is too wordy is to use a readability tool. These scan your work and pick out words and sentences that are too long.

We’d recommend Readable , which you can use for free. It’ll tell you which words and sentences are too long, where you’ve used the passive voice, and even whether your tone is more formal or conversational. You also get an overall grade – aim for a B or above.

#12. Be Generous With Visuals

Articles with images get 94% more views than those without. Yep, it’s not just your writing that’s important when you’re creating online content – you need visuals, too. 

Whether it’s photos, videos, infographics, or diagrams, visuals help people process information and grab their attention.

Why are we so drawn to images? Well, our brains are pretty much hard-wired for visual processing, meaning humans find it easier to process images at high speed than text. So, pictures aren’t just there to be pretty – they’re essential for keeping your reader engaged. 

Try to use images that are relevant to both your topic and your target audience. For example, if you know you’re writing for college students, don’t use images of pensioners enjoying their retirement.

You don’t have to spend a lot (or anything at all) on professional images. You can download free, high quality images from sites like Unsplash, or pay for credits from Adobe Stock.

A good way to up the impact of your visuals is to use pictures of people. It’s been found that people pay more attention to images with faces than those without – for example, photos of people on Instagram are 38% more likely to receive likes than faceless pictures!

Faces help to create feelings of empathy in your reader, and can even influence where your reader directs their attention.

Eye-tracking studies have found that we follow the gaze of people in images. So if you’re trying to get your readers to pay attention to a subscribe button, for example, this could be a good tactic to try out!

Don't Leave Anyone Out

Tip #13: Write for Screen Readers

Tip #14: Layer Your Writing for Skimmers and Scanners

Tip #15: Leave Out Jargon

The internet is there for anyone and everyone, no matter their technical ability or experience. When you’re writing for the web, you need to make sure your wonderful words are suitable for everyone to enjoy!

#13. Write for Screen Readers

A screen reader is a program that takes on-screen content (such as text, images, and links,) and puts it into a format that people with visual impairments can easily take in, such as speech or Braille.

It’s important to remember your writing won’t just be looked at by your readers – below are some easy things you can do to make your content more accessible to all types of readers:

• Structure your headings – screen readers often use headings to navigate pages, so make sure you’re being clear and structured with your page’s layout. A structured system would be H1, then H2, then H3, then back to H2 if needed. Don’t jump around between H1 and H6, for example, as this will be confusing for a screen reader.
• Be descriptive in your alt text – when you can’t see an image, you’re reliant on descriptive alt text (the image’s description, which will appear when you hover over it) to tell you what the picture is showing. Alt text is important for SEO too, so you should be doing this anyway, but make sure it’s giving users the full picture.
• Make your links clear – think about whether your links make sense on their own. “Click here” doesn’t give any idea of where the user might end up!
• Be careful of autoplaying videos – if a screen reader is turning text to speech, and then a video starts autoplaying on your page, it’s going to be confusing and unhelpful for the user. At least provide an option to turn off autoplay.
• Don’t be vague – be careful and think about if your page will make sense to someone who can’t see it. For example, in forms don’t just say “Tick box to confirm you have read this.” A screen reader may have skipped the form – instead, reiterate what the user is agreeing to, such as: “Registering now will confirm your attendance. Tick box to confirm you have read this.”

Why not try navigating your site with a screen reader yourself? This will give you the best idea of how accessible your content is to visually impaired people, and show you where you’re acing it already!

For more information on what you can do to make your site more accessible, read this article: I Used the Web for a Day Using a Screen Reader

#14. Layer Your Writing for Skimmers and Scanners

It’s sad, but true – not everyone is going to settle down with a cup of coffee, put their feet up, and read your piece from beginning to end. Most of your readers will be skimmers or scanners. 

Skimmers and scanners are looking for particular information, as quickly as possible. Skimmers are trying to get an overall feel for what the page is about, and if it’s something they’ll enjoy or find useful. Scanners pay a bit more attention – they have a specific question in mind, and are on the hunt.

‘How dare they treat my writing like that!’ you might be tempted to shout – but don’t. Skimmers and scanners deserve a great reading experience, especially as they make up the majority of your audience.

We’ve outlined a few key things you can do to make your text ‘skimmable’ and scannable. (And we’ve put it in bullet points, for all you skimmers and scanners out there!)

• Use headings – again, headings are your best friend!
• Use bold – use it sparingly to highlight key facts or important phrases
• Use white space – white space surrounds paragraphs and images. It’s important to break up your page and let your text breathe – it lets your reader’s brain breathe, too
• Use lists and bullet points – they’re easier for readers to digest!
• Use boxes – you can break important information into boxes to draw the reader’s attention

Don’t feel like all your detailed, in-depth copy is going to waste, however. If nothing else, Google smiles on quality, long-form content, so creating beautiful web writing will help your site rank well.

#15. Leave Out Jargon

Just. Don’t. Use. Jargon.

At least, if you can avoid it!

There’s no way to lose readers faster than making them feel stupid with niche technical terms.

There are times when it’s unavoidable to use jargon, especially if you’re writing about tech, medicine, or business. Here at Website Builder Expert, we write about website builders, hosting, and even coding – we’re no strangers to jargon!!

When you do have to include jargon in your writing, make sure you always explain it clearly for your reader first. The first time you use an acronym or abbreviation (for example, SEO,) give the proper name and explain it so your reader knows what you mean.

Never assume your reader knows what you know. That way, you don’t exclude anyone who may have missed the jargon memo.

(Oh, and SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, just in case anyone was wondering.)

Post-Writing Tips

Tip #16: Proofread Properly

Tip #17: Don’t Neglect Your Microcopy

Tip #18: Take Care Over Your Metadata

Tip #19: Say Hello to Social Media

The sad news is that’s all for our tips on writing your actual web copy – but the good news is the fun doesn’t end there: we’ve got four more steps for you to master so you can dazzle your audience. 

You’re so close to becoming a web writing master, so we’ll get straight to it – there’s no time to waste!

#16. Proof-read Properly

Read your writing through. Then read it again. Then take a break, have a coffee, go for a walk, and clear your head. Then read it through again .

Proof-reading is a crucial step. If any spelling mistakes or errors sneak through into the final version, it can seriously impact your reader’s trust in what you’re saying. It doesn’t come across as professional or reliable!

We recommend getting at least one other person to read through your work before publishing. It’s good to get a fresh pair of eyes as it’s easy to become blind to any small errors when you’ve been working on a piece for a while.

#17. Don’t Neglect Your Microcopy

Microcopy describes the small bits of copy that help users navigate a website. Error messages and link buttons are both examples of microcopy.

Below are our main tips for crafting good microcopy:

•  Address your reader’s concerns – you’ll see this on subscription forms when companies promise not to spam you or share your data.
• Be specific – with error messages, don’t just say “form incorrect, please try again.” Instead, be specific, and give an exact suggestion: “Your password is incorrect.”
• Provide action – microcopy can be the last barrier between your reader and the exit button. Always give them a next step – for example, if they can’t log in to their account, provide a link to recover their details or get help.
• Keep it short – it’s called microcopy for a reason!
• Follow through – button labels should match what happens when the user clicks on it. Users shouldn’t receive spam if you’ve promised no spam. Build trust by following through on your promises.

Microcopy is small but mighty. Don’t underestimate its power to impact your user’s decisions – good microcopy can be very persuasive, while bad microcopy can have your readers running for the hills.

Hannah Whitfield, Content Manager at Website Builder Expert

“Word for word, your website’s microcopy is its most important content. It helps your users navigate through your site, and builds trust to enable them to take the desired action (or, ‘convert’) with confidence. Take the time to get it right. Look to brands you admire for inspiration, and use tools like Optimizely and Hotjar make sure you’re always testing, learning and improving.”

#18. Take Care Over Your Metadata

Metadata may sound like one of the robots from the Transformers films, but it’s actually just the page information that displays on the search engine results page.

It’s important to pay close attention to your metadata, because it affects how well your site ranks in the search results, and also impacts how many people choose to click through to your website, instead of the results listed above or below!

When you search in Google, you’ll see a meta title and meta description appear. The meta title is the blue heading which you click on to visit the site. The meta description is the little paragraph that appears underneath to tell you a bit about the page.

Meta Titles

Your meta title needs to be short and clearly tell the user what to expect from the page they’re about to visit. You should include your keywords in the meta title to help your page rank higher.

Your meta title shouldn’t just appeal to Google, though – you also need to persuade users to click on your link. There are a few tactics you can use to make your meta title more appealing and eye-catching than your competitors’, including:

• Use numbers – using numbers is especially good for guides, for example, “How to Get Your Dream Job in 5 Easy Steps.” It’s a good idea to use odd numbers when you’re trying to catch people’s attention – don’t believe us? Check out this case study on Odd vs Even Number Psychology .
• Use power words – carefully choose relevant power words to build trust, ignite curiosity, and generally make people want to click on your link. Example words include “amazing,” “exclusive,” “save,” and “top secret.”
• Include the date – you don’t have to do this, but it’s a good way of showing people your content is current and up to date.

Meta Descriptions

Unlike meta titles, meta descriptions don’t directly affect your rankings in the search results. However, they have a massive impact on whether people want to visit your page , so it still deserves love and lots of attention.

Meta descriptions shouldn’t be too long, but you want to cram lots of persuasiveness and information in there to entice visitors to your site. Be clear what the page is about, hint at what the visitor will find, and try to throw in a call to action as well , such as “start your blog today.”

#19. Say Hello to Social Media

We’ve come to the last step in our guide to writing for the web. Social media is a great place to share your writing with the world, but it’s also a platform that involves its own writing rules and pitfalls.

You shouldn’t try to share across every social platform that you can . Instead, pick the best ones for you and your target audience, and commit to producing some quality content for those channels.

It’s usually pretty obvious how you should write on social media – for example, everyone knows to keep it short on Twitter because it actually caps your character count – but there are a few little tips we think might help you out.

The first is to keep hold of your voice. Whether you’re an individual blogger or writing for a large corporation, your voice needs to be consistent across all your channels. That includes your site’s content, emails, and social media (get the most out of emails by learning how to increase your email open rate ).

The second is to keep your posts relevant. If you’re a legal firm, be careful about sharing cat videos or using abbreviations. Yes, these things are widely accepted on social channels, but aren’t so accepted for serious brands.

The third is to know exactly what you want to get out of your social media posts . Do you want to gain followers? Get people to click through to your website? Encourage existing followers to convert? Having this goal in mind will help focus your posts and keep your sharing relevant.

Writing for the Web: Roundup

Congratulations! You are now a fully fledged web writer, ready to create your own quality online content!

We’ve skimmed, scanned, dipped, and dived through the 19 steps you need to follow to beat your competitors and dazzle your readers. Let’s have a quick refresh of those steps.

Top 19 Steps for Writing for the Web

• Research your reader
• Know your enemy
• Use headings
• Hook your reader
• Keep language simple
• Tell readers where they are
• Front-load information
• Use a conversational tone
• Be active, not passive
• Keep it short
• Be generous with visuals
• Write for screen readers
• Layer your writing for skimmers and scanners
• Leave out jargon
• Proof-read properly
• Don’t neglect your microcopy
• Take care over your metadata
• Say hello to social media

From those early days of researching your readers all the way through to sharing your work on social media, you’ve come a long way.

We can’t wait to see what you’ll do with our tips – you’ll even come up with your own expert tips as you start to write your own web content. If you want some more advice, check out our copywriting techniques for actionable advice on writing better headlines, introductions, and more.

Now go forth and write, but come back to let us know how you get on!

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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Starting Your Website Content

Pamela wilson.

You have a brand-new website. Congratulations!

You may be wondering exactly how to write website content, though.

It’s a big job. Where do you start?

If you’d like tools and tips for how to make your writing faster and easier, scroll to the bottom of this post for a helpful video.

If you’re ready to write your website content, let’s get going!

First, it’s important to understand the difference between static, unchanging website pages like your: 

• Contact page
• Commerce-style pages like Store, Products, Services, or Work with Me

And website pages that update frequently like your:

• Blog or podcast content

As we tackle this topic of how to write your website content, we’re going to focus on getting your static pages created first. We’ll get them done, published, and working for you, and then we’ll work on how to write a blog post and other frequently published content.

First, a reality check, my friend. If you’re feeling slightly terrified at the thought of writing all that website content, I get it.

There are few things more intimidating than looking at a big, blank website that you have fill with content. 

Never fear: This post will cover how to write a content for your website, even if it’s brand-spanking new.

How to write website content when your site is new (and blank!)

The way to tackle this job is to prioritize what you’ll focus on.

Here’s how to write website content, in order of priority:

• Create a Home page where people can land.
• Create an About page so visitors know who’s behind the website.
• Create a Contact page so people have a way to reach you.

Once these three pages are complete, you’ve covered the basics.

Now you can focus on adding pages that take longer to create.

The next website content you’ll focus on writing depends on where you are in your business growth.

If you already have products or services to sell, you could create what I call a Commerce page. This is a page that offers links to your products or services. It can take a variety of forms. It might be:

• A Store page which displays all of your available products with links to purchase them
• A Services page which explains the services you provide with links to find out more
• A Work with Me page which details the kind of clients you help, how you work, and shares a way to take the first step toward working with you

If you don’t have anything ready to offer, no worries! You can skip directly to the next area of focus, your Content section.

By definition, this is the part of your website that will be updated frequently.

The most common content type (and the easiest kind to start with) is a blog.

If you’re wondering how to write a blog post, you have come to the right place! I’m going to cover that in detail in the next section.

What should be included in a blog post?

If you’ve never written a blog post before, the process can feel like a big mystery.

You may know a good blog post when you read one, but you may not be sure how to re-create it yourself.

I’ve written blog posts consistently since 2010. My work has appeared on some of the most high-traffic sites on the web, like Copyblogger , Duct Tape Marketing , Smart Blogger , and Problogger .

And I’ve written two much-loved books on content marketing, Master Content Marketing and Master Content Strategy .

I’ll let you in on a little secret that might surprise you …

For decades, I didn’t think I could write.

I was a graphic designer by trade.

I was naturally drawn to the visual side of marketing and became very good at creating logos, publications, brochures, annual reports, and newsletters.

But I was determined to build an online presence. To do that, I knew I had to figure out this “content marketing thing.”

That meant learning to write, even though I didn’t think I’d ever be good at it.

In order to learn from the masters, I started paying attention to the best blog content on the web. Over time, I began to see a pattern emerge.

I discovered that great blog posts — and effective content marketing — contained the same seven elements, over and over.

You can learn to master these seven essential elements of content marketing and use them in all the content you create for your website.

I’ll use a blog post as an example, but the same seven elements can be used to structure a podcast episode, a video (vlog) piece, and other frequently updated content.

Master these seven elements and you’ll know how to write website content that performs well and helps to grow your online business.

How to write a blog post: The 7 essential elements of effective content marketing

The best blog content contains all seven of the elements below.

Each section needs to be strong so it pulls its own weight and does the job it needs to do in your content.

1. Write a compelling headline

Want your blog to be clicked on and read?

Spend lots and lots of time (way more than you think) working on an engaging headline.

My favorite tools to use when I’m working on headlines are:

• A plain text document where I can brainstorm 10-25 headline ideas
• A site that allows me to “grade” and compare my best headline ideas. I like the Sharethrough headline analyzer .
• Coffee! (Or tea). Seriously — writing headlines is hard work. Caffeinate as needed.

Headline resources:

• My book Master Content Marketing has a whole chapter on writing headlines and includes 50 fill-in-the-blank formulas to help you create winning headlines. Get Master Content Marketing .
• Read How to Write Magnetic Headlines on Copyblogger.
• Register and download Headline Hacks from Smartblogger.

2. Craft an inviting first sentence

The very first sentence of your blog post is a make-or-break moment.

Keep it short, snappy, and casual. Write it like you’re writing to your best friend.

It needs to be inviting. It should be intriguing.

If it’s not, readers will click away and look elsewhere for their information.

First sentence resources:

• 10 Ways to Hook Blog Readers With Your Opening Line by my friend Amy Harrison .
• My book Master Content Marketing has a whole chapter on writing your first sentence. Really! Get Master Content Marketing .

3. Add an intro section

You may not have noticed that most blog posts have an intro section.

The intro section serves as a transition between your first sentence and your main content.

This is the first place on the page where you’re asking the reader to settle in and commit to reading what you’ve written.

Use it to summarize what they’re about to learn. Give them a preview of why you’ll make it worth their while to consume your content.

Intro section resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Writing Blog Post Introductions by Neil Patel
• Master Content Marketing has a chapter on crafting blog post introductions. Get Master Content Marketing .
• 7 Ways to Write Better Opening Paragraphs for Your Blog Posts by Barry Feldman on Orbit Media.

4. Write attention-getting subheads

Subheads are one of the most important ways you can make your online content easier to consume.

They serve as “signposts” that move the reader through your blog content.

(The podcast or video equivalent to subheads is the short introduction to a new section of the information being presented.)

In written content, subheads give people who are skimming through your written content a general idea of what it contains.

Subhead resources:

• How to Write Subheads that Hook (and Re-hook) Your Readers on Copyblogger
• The No-Nonsense Guide to Writing Online Headlines and Subheads by Enchanting Marketing
• My book Master Content Marketing includes a chapter on writing subheads, too. It includes information on how to format subheads and shares a compelling reason to write your headline and subheads before you write the rest of your content. Get Master Content Marketing .

5. Fill in your main copy

What do I mean by the “main copy?” It’s everything else.

It’s all the writing outside of the sections above and the sections below.

It’s the heart of your content, where you deliver the value you’ve promised.

Main copy resources:

• The best tip for writing your main copy from my book Master Content Marketing ? Write it fast. When you’re working on the first draft of your content, get your ideas down as fast as possible. Don’t re-read, edit, or polish. Get Master Content Marketing .
• Day Two: How to Fill in the Details of Your Winning Piece of Content on Problogger

6. Wrap it up with a summary

Here’s another content section you may not have noticed before, but the best content features it.

Toward the end of your content, it’s smart to summarize the topic you covered and move readers to the final content element — the call to action.

Your content summary is a way to look back and say, “Here’s what we covered.”

It’s a last opportunity to reinforce the information you shared so your reader retains it.

Summary resources:

• How to Summarize an Article on WikiHow
• Here’s what I share about writing a summary in Master Content Marketing . First, refer back to something mentioned at the beginning. Remind your reader about what they learning. Reinforce how they’ll benefit from having consumed the content. Get Master Content Marketing .

7. Add a call to action

Content marketing and blogging serve a business purpose.

Creating content helps your website get found on search engines. It attracts prospects to your business and it gives you a way to develop a trust-based relationship with them.

But if you don’t ask your readers to take action, you might as well skip the whole exercise!

Your call to action — placed at the very end of your content — will do this for you.

Call to action resources:

• Powerful Calls to Action: How to Get Your Reader to Take the Next Step on Copyblogger
• In Master Content Marketing I say “Your call to action is where business happens.” Your “CTA” doesn’t have to ask for a sale — you can request that people leave a comment or share your content on social media. Either way, make sure your call to action is convincing and direct, like this: Get Master Content Marketing .
• Call to Action: Five resources to help improve your CTA on MainWP

How to write website content like a pro

I hope that this simple breakdown was helpful. You don’t become a content pro overnight.

Take it day-by-day and build your website content in this order:

First, create the foundational pages that won’t change often

• Build a Home page that explains who you help and how you help them
• Create an About page so visitors can learn more about the person or people behind the website
• Build a Contact page so people can reach out

Have something ready to sell?

Have something to offer? Build a Commerce page next.

Use this page to offer your products or services. You can add to it over time. And if you haven’t developed any offers yet, skip this step and get started with the next one.

Finally, begin publishing regular content

Once you have the basics in place, focus on creating and publishing content on a regular basis. The seven essential elements to include in each piece of content are:

• A compelling tagline
• An inviting first sentence
• An intro section
• At least three subheads
• Your main copy
• A call to action

Now that you know how to write website content, do me a favor? (And yes, this is a call to action!)

Click one of the colorful social sharing buttons here and share this content on your favorite social platform.

Improve your online business writing skills — 5 favorite tools and tips

When I started my online business in 2010 I didn’t consider myself a writer.

I taught myself how to write for an online audience by learning and practicing — writing web copy and blog posts. Lots of blog posts!

Since those early days I’ve written three books and many thousands of words on my own site and sites like Copyblogger. If I can do it, so can you, my friend.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all my latest videos, hot off the digital press! Here’s the list of tools I mention in the above video:

• 750Words.com
• Hemingway Editor
• SendCheckIt Subject Line Tester
• Sharethrough Headline Grader
• Writesonic (affiliate link)

Remember, they’re only pixels

You may have always wondered how to write content for a website that’s brand new.

Staring at those blank web pages can feel incredibly daunting. But think of it like this — a blank page is an opportunity to carve out your own little corner of the web.

Remember, pixels are easy and fast to update. Don’t be afraid to create content and hit publish with the website content creation tips here.

NOTE: The illustrations in this post are taken directly from Master Content Marketing and were created by the brilliant D.J. Billings .

• Content Marketing & Copywriting , Online Business , Website Best Practices

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I’m Pamela Wilson

In 2010, at the age of 45, I started this site and grew it into a business that offers freedom, flexibility — and consistent revenue.

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World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience

Writing for the web articles & videos.

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UX Writing: Study Guide

Unsure where to start? Use this collection of links to our articles and videos to learn how to write and present information that aligns with users’ needs and online reading behaviors.

Content Standards in Design Systems

Content standards in design systems support a holistically consistent user experience and efficient collaboration between writers, content, and UI designers.

ChatGPT and Tone: Avoid Sounding Like a Robot

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Rewriting Digital Content for Brevity

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Dealing with Technical or Professional Jargon

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This Is Too Easy to Understand (UX Slogan #17)

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Writing Content for Generalists vs. Specialists

Best Font for Online Reading: No Single Answer

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Information Scent

Content Inventory and Auditing 101

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Privacy Policies and Terms of Use: 5 Common Mistakes

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The Biggest Mistake in Writing for the Web

How People Read Online: New and Old Findings

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The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice in UX Writing

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WEBSITE ESSENTIALS

10 tips for creating awesome website content that drives traffic

• Jennifer Kaplan

When it comes to using a website builder and making a website , your content should be your main priority. You don’t have to take our word for it though, you can look at the facts: Over one-third of visitors will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.

Great website content is written with both the readers and SEO in mind. And if you want to capture the attention you rightfully deserve, you’re going to need to put in some effort.

What is website content?

Website content includes all written and visual elements present on your site that provide information about your business, products or services to your site visitors. This includes, but is not limited to, text, images, videos, infographics, audio files, PDFs and various forms of interactive content.

Examples of text focused website content includes headlines, page copy or body text, blog posts , product descriptions, and downloadable content like eBooks or whitepapers. Examples of visual driven website content includes images, videos and infographics, all of which help to break up your website's text while engaging users.

Good website content should be relevant, valuable to the reader, and optimized with keywords for search engines to improve visibility. It should always reflect your company's brand voice and be consistent in style and quality across all pages. This means it will need updating regularly too.

Learn more about how to start a blog , with a blog maker.

10 tips to write engaging website content

We’ve compiled the following 10 tips on writing website content that will help you boost your traffic and conversion rates:

Get to know your audience

Provide value with your site content

Optimize your website content

Factor in website links

Keep content short and simple

Apply the inverted pyramid method

Avoid using jargon

Vary your word choices

Use calls-to-action

Make your content visually pleasing

01. Get to know your audience

Having an understanding of who you’re speaking to is something that you might’ve addressed back when you decided to start a business . Establishing how you will voice your offerings when you’re writing for the web takes that effort one step further. These words are meant to sell something, whether that’s an idea, product or service. And in order to do that, you’ll have to talk your audience’s language.

Consider your target market: What do they look like? Where are they from? What is their age range? What are their common interests? Write the answers to these questions down so that as you go through the proceeding tips and perfect your website content, you can keep this community at the front of your mind.

02. Provide value

It’s not enough to be a great writer who transcribes elegant text. You need to be able to provide value through your chosen words and copywriting. And now that you know who your audience is, you’ll want to speak directly to them and their interests. Ask yourself, “Would my targeted visitors care about this sentence?” for each and every line you write. Restructure your words to align with their desires, to fix their problems, and to spark their curiosity.

You should also consider the current Internet trends of content from relevant and popular blogs. Use these publications as inspiration for your own work - whether that’s your homepage text or your written blog posts. Find a way to do it better than them. In turn, you’ll become a natural salesman.

03. Optimize your website content

A great website full of targeted, valuable content is interesting and visually appealing but it’s unfortunately not going to get you noticed. Why? It’s apparent that you’ve worked so hard? What could you have possibly forgotten?

Enter, Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. SEO is the process of using several techniques to get your website ranking higher in specific keyword search results on search engines. These SEO tools will support you in your mission to befriend Google and users alike.

You’ll want to focus the grunt of your efforts on keywords. First, figure out what your keywords are and then make them your soulmate. In other words, do keyword research to discover the popular terms associated with the theme of your website, such as “fashion boutique” or “artisan pies.” Then, drop their name into sentences whenever naturally possible. Even mention them in the places where it might seem like no one is listening, such as your website’s description, your blog posts’ meta data and the alt text of your images.

04. Factor in website links

While we’re on the topic of SEO, you’ll want to also understand the power of linking. Linking to outside traffic sources (external linking) will help these search engines validate the credibility of your web content. It will also help you make friends with other site owners on the web, and improve the chances that they will want to link back to you.

Don’t just link to anyone though. You’ll want to first of all link to credible sources. Secondly, you’ll want to link to them only when it amplifies the strength of your content marketing strategy. For example, linking to stated facts and statistics, which will go far in legitimizing your content.

Through another process known as internal linking (or linking to your own pages), you’ll also experience great benefits. You can simplify your content and encourage readers to navigate the depths of your site by referencing blog posts and different site pages from one to the other. This will allow you to avoid saying too much in one area, which you’ll see in the next section can unfortunately deter favorable engagement rates.

05. Keep content short and simple

You’ve probably browsed at least one personal blog in your life with an ‘About’ page that’s a lengthy personalized summary. You might even mistake it for a short novel. Unless that was your BFF’s page, you undoubtedly skimmed it in a few seconds or disregarded it completely.

Let’s be frank. We all do love to write about ourselves and our businesses. We are proud and have so much to say about everything we stand for and all that we’ve accomplished. Yet, many of us tend to go on rants, which can be put an end to our high traffic hopes. No one wants that. So work on your content writing and make sure it is direct and straightforward to heighten the chances that it will get read all the way through.

Know that you don’t have to say everything here. In fact, in blog articles alone, 75% of readers prefer that posts are under 1,000 words . And likewise, you should keep things tempting by leaving your readers always wanting more.

06. Apply the inverted pyramid method

The inverted pyramid starts with the most important pieces of information, and then slowly declines in the order of priority - just in case your readers are lazy scrollers. So, begin by ranking your content to understand how to apply this method to your own work.

When you formulate your structure, still take into account organization and logic. Think of a story: Your title, your intro, and so forth. If done correctly, you’ll reap the rewards. This method is known to grab attention fast and keep it.

07. Avoid using jargon

Jargon is the inside jokes between you and the other parties in your industry. It’s specific to you but meaningless to most website visitors. Assume that the people who land on your site have never heard of your brand before or anything slightly related to it. Speak to them with words that are simple and easy to understand. This will enlarge the size of the potential audience that will read your content. With this in mind, writing evergreen content with topics that maintain consistent interest and search volume over time is a great way to ensure your material is relevant and appropriate for years to come.

08. Vary your word choices

This tip is as straightforward as your content should be. Readers don’t want to hear the same thing said over and over again. So except for your consistent use of keywords throughout your website content, change up your wording choices. For example, you don’t always have to say “buy,” you can sometimes say “purchase,” or “shop.”

To make sure you didn’t favor one word more than the rest, it’s best to have a friend or colleague go over your almost final content and look out for repetition. Also download one of our favorite Chrome Extensions , Power Thesaurus , so that you always have your alternative word choices available on hand.

09. Use calls-to-action

This step ensures that your content is effective. In fact, it’s so powerful that it’s the mission your words are driven behind. A CTA is the action item of what you want readers to do after you get them on your site, or the shiny button that you’ll want them to click on.

For instance, if your mission is to get readers to your newsletter, the microcopy on your CTA could read “Subscribe to our mailing list.” If it’s to get them to buy something, your CTA could be “Shop our store.”

As you can see in these examples, the CTA is very straightforward. You’ll want to use language of this sort, while potentially also evoking emotions through your own flare. Don’t stray aware from your brand’s personality though. It’s important to stay authentic throughout.

10. Make your content visually pleasing

The clock is always ticking, and time is of the essence. Why does that matter for your web content, though?

Grab attention with intriguing design. Beginning with your words, break them up into paragraphs, bulleted and numbered lists,and add in white space to allow it to breathe. Then consider your overall site’s layout. Always be on the lookout for trends, and browse your favorite websites to understand what’s working these days, from oversized fonts to split up screens and more. Understand what kind of images users respond to - infographics , for example, is also important here.

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The Complete Guide to Article Writing Format

Mastering the art of article writing can propel your career, establish you as an expert in your field, and drive traffic to your website or blog. Understanding how to structure and format an engaging article is critical for professional growth and capturing readers’ attention. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the essentials of article writing format, step-by-step instructions for crafting compelling content, various types of articles, best practices for formatting an article to capture leads, and much more. Read on to elevate your skills and learn how to create stunning articles that captivate audiences.

What is the Article Writing Format?

An article writing format is a structured template that guides writers to effectively communicate their ideas through clear organization, logical development, and coherent presentation. Adhering to a well-structured manner ensures that the author’s thoughts are easily understood by readers while maintaining consistency across different components such as headings, subheadings, introduction, body text, images or infographics, and conclusion.

What is the format for article writing?

The standard format for composing an article entails six primary elements:

• Heading : A captivating title sums up the topic or expresses a unique angle.
• Introduction : An engaging opening paragraph hooks readers by introducing the subject matter while sparking curiosity.
• Body : Well-structured paragraphs are subdivided into subsections or bullet points that clearly explain each point with concise language.
• Subheadings : These break up long stretches of text into manageable sections or highlight main ideas for easy scanning.
• Images and Infographics : Visual aids complement written content by further illustrating your points or presenting complex data in simplified form.
• Conclusion : A summary reiterating key highlights without repeating exact phrases used earlier – often ending with a call-to-action to provoke reader response.

Objectives of Article Writing

The article writing process involves various objectives to effectively communicate with your target audience. A well-crafted article serves multiple purposes, making it essential to content creation. By understanding the primary objectives of article writing, you can ensure that your content effectively meets its intended goals.

Inform and Educate

One of the key objectives of article writing is to inform and educate readers about a particular topic or subject matter. Incorporate accurate, up-to-date information backed by reliable sources into your content to achieve this goal. Providing information clearly and concisely helps maintain reader interest and enhances comprehension.

Engage the Reader

Engaging your reader is crucial to retaining their attention throughout the whole article. Utilize an active voice and conversational tone to create compelling content while maintaining professionalism. Incorporating personal anecdotes and real-life examples can make complex topics more relatable and accessible to readers.

Establish Authority and Expertise

Establishing yourself as an authoritative figure in your niche is another important objective of good article writing. To do so:

• Conduct thorough research
• Reference reputable sources
• Showcase industry expertise through insightful analysis

Expertise adds credibility to your content, encouraging readers to trust your opinions on relevant subjects.

Persuade Your Audience

When persuading readers to adopt a specific viewpoint, presenting solid arguments supported by credible evidence is vital. Employ persuasive techniques such as addressing counterarguments or providing data-driven insights to bolster your position convincingly.

Encourage Action

Some articles are written to influence readers towards taking action – whether it entails subscribing to an email newsletter, purchasing, or supporting a cause. Using persuasive language or offering incentives, such as exclusive benefits from acting promptly, can be helpful strategies for driving desired actions.

Four Types of Article Writing

An effective content creator should have a solid understanding of the four major types of article writing. Each type has its purpose, style, and intended audience. By mastering all these formats, you’ll be able to engage different readers effectively and convey your message precisely. This section explores the characteristics of expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive writing styles.

Expository Article Writing

Expository writing is an informative approach that educates readers about a specific topic or concept without expressing personal views or opinions. It requires extensive research and factual accuracy to present information clearly and concisely objectively. Some common examples of this article writing format include:

• How-to guides
• Product reviews
• News articles

When creating expository articles, consider the following elements:

• Develop a clear thesis statement or central idea.
• Use logical organization with headings and subheadings .
• Include credible sources and evidence to support claims.
• Keep your language precise, neutral, and easy to understand.

Persuasive Article Writing

In contrast to expository writing’s objective nature, persuasive writing articles aim to convince readers to adopt a particular viewpoint or take specific actions based on provided arguments. This article’s writing format often relies on emotional reasoning and rhetoric while incorporating strong evidence from reliable sources. Common examples of an argumentative article include opinion pieces, editorials, and product recommendations.

To craft compelling, persuasive content:

• Clearly state your position or argument.
• Provide well-reasoned points supported by facts or expert opinions.
• Address counterarguments respectfully while showing their weaknesses.
• Employ persuasive language techniques such as analogies or rhetorical questions.

Narrative Article Writing

Narrative articles focus on storytelling by sharing personal experiences or fictional tales for readers’ entertainment or enlightenment purposes. These stories typically follow chronological order with engaging characters and vivid descriptions; however, narrative-style business case studies or product testimonials can also be powerful marketing tools. Some examples are personal essays, anecdotes, and travelogues.

Tips for successful narrative writing:

• Utilize a robust and engaging hook to capture your audience’s attention.
• Develop relatable characters and realistic dialogue.
• Use descriptive language to paint a visual image for your audience.
• Follow a clear story arc with a beginning, middle, and end.

Descriptive Article Writing

Descriptive articles offer detailed descriptions of people, places, objects, or events to engage readers emotionally and create vivid mental images. Article writers often use sensory details (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) and figurative language (similes and metaphors) to bring the subject to life in this article’s writing format. Common instances include food reviews, travel experiences, and event reports.

To excel in descriptive writing:

• Choose a specific aspect or experience you want to convey.
• Use rich sensory information to evoke emotions or reactions.
• Employ figurative language strategically—don’t overdo it!
• Strive for an immersive experience by showing rather than telling.

Understanding these four article writing formats will allow you to craft compelling content tailored for each purpose and audience type successfully. Familiarize yourself with the unique characteristics of expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive styles to elevate your article-writing skills considerably.

The Article Writing Format

Understanding the article writing format is essential to producing high-quality, engaging content. An effective article-written format will help guide your readers through your ideas logically and clearly. This section will discuss the key components of a well-written article: Heading, Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.

An attention-grabbing heading is critical for drawing readers in. Make sure it accurately reflects the content of an article while keeping it concise and intriguing. Here are some tips you can follow:

• Use powerful vocabulary words that evoke emotion or curiosity
• Keep it short (ideally between 5-10 words)
• Avoid clickbait but make sure it generates interest
• Frame it as a question or use numbers if relevant (e.g., “5 Steps to Improve Your Sleep”)

Experiment with different formats to find what works best for your target audience when writing headings.

• Introduction

The introductory paragraph sets the stage for what readers should expect from your article. It aims to hook them into reading further by providing a glimpse of the value they’ll get by continuing. To achieve this, adhere to these guidelines:

• Start with an interesting fact or statistic that demonstrates the significance of your topic.
• Establish context and relevance by addressing why this topic matters to your readers.
• Give a brief overview of what you’ll discuss without diving too deep.
• End with a thought-provoking statement or question that encourages people to read on.

Remember that a strong introduction entices readers while setting expectations for the rest of the article.

The body comprises the bulk of your article content and forms the heart of its substance. In this section, elaborate on points introduced in earlier sections, supporting them with evidence such as research, anecdotal examples, clear statements, or expert quotes when necessary.

To write effectively in the body:

• Break down your main ideas into digestible subheadings to guide the reader.
• Be descriptive but concise – avoid excessive jargon and focus on conveying your key message.
• Use logical transitions between paragraphs or subsections to ensure a coherent flow of ideas.
• Utilize bullet points or numbered lists when presenting multiple concepts.
• Incorporate multimedia elements, such as images or graphics, to support and engage.

Organizing the body effectively ensures readers can easily understand and retain your present information.

Subheadings

Subheadings play a crucial role in enhancing the readability and organization of an article. They break up large chunks of text, making it easier for readers to consume the content and maintain their interest. Subheadings act as guideposts that lead the reader from one important component or topic to another, quickly conveying the essence of each section.

When incorporating subheadings into your article, consider the following tips:

• Make them informative: A good subheading should provide a snapshot of the section’s content. It should be concise yet descriptive enough to give the reader an idea of the topic that will be covered.
• Keep them consistent: Subheadings should maintain a consistent format throughout the article. This can involve using a similar font style, size, or emphasis. Consistency makes it easy for readers to recognize and navigate through different sections.
• Use SEO-friendly keywords: Including relevant keywords in your subheadings can improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your article, making it more discoverable by search engines. This strategy makes your content more likely to appear in users’ search results when they’re looking for information on your topic.
• Space them appropriately: Breaking up your content into logical sections helps improve readability. Avoid cramming too many subheadings close together or leaving large gaps between sections. A well-spaced article ensures a smooth reading experience and helps readers find the specific information they need.
• Keep paragraphs short -Ideally, paragraphs should not exceed three to five sentences in length. Focusing on one central idea per paragraph can help you create a clear and organized structure throughout your article.

Images and Infographics

Visual elements like images and infographics greatly enhance an article by providing visual appeal, enhancing understanding, and supporting the content. They can break up the lengthy text, making the content more digestible and engaging for readers.

• Use high-quality images: High-resolution images not only look professional, but they also convey your message more effectively. Ensure that the images you use are sharp, clear, and well-composed. Always credit the source of the image or make sure you have the appropriate permissions to use it.
• Relevance is key: Images and infographics should be directly related to the content they accompany. They should support the points being made and help clarify or elaborate on the information presented in the text. Avoid using irrelevant or generic images just for the sake of visual appeal.
• Opt for original visuals: Create or commission original images and infographics whenever possible. This not only adds a unique touch to your article but also helps set your content apart from others on similar topics.
• Use captions and descriptions: Including captions and descriptions with your images and infographics provides additional context and ensures that readers understand their relevance to the content. This can also improve the accessibility of your article for individuals who use screen readers or have visual impairments.
• Optimize for SEO: By including relevant keywords in the file names, alt text, and captions of your images and infographics, you can boost the overall SEO of your article. This helps search engines better understand the content and context of your visuals, making your content more discoverable.

A well-crafted conclusion is a closing statement that reaffirms your article’s main point(s). It reinforces what has been learned and provides direction for readers who want to explore further or take action related to your topic. Follow these tips to write a good and logical ending:

• Summarize key points made throughout the article without introducing new information.
• Highlight implications, real-world applications, or future trends relating to your subject matter.
• Invite feedback or discussion, or urge readers to consider the following steps (e.g., following a call-to-action). 
• Claim your mastery by crafting an end with a thought-provoking question or inspiring quote that leaves an impact.

By effectively crafting the final paragraph, you’ll leave your audience feeling satisfied and enriched by their reading experience while wanting more from you in future articles. Ultimately, mastering this article writing format empowers you to consistently create high–quality content–benefitting you and those who read it.

Step By Step Guide for Writing an Article

To write good articles, it’s crucial to follow a systematic approach that covers all aspects of the topic. This section discusses a step-by-step guide to use as a blueprint when writing good articles .

Step 1: Identify your target audience

Before diving into the writing process, it’s essential to determine who your target audience is. Your readers’ preferences and interests will significantly influence the content of your article and its tone. To identify them:

• Define demographic characteristics such as age, gender, location, and occupation.
• Determine their needs, aspirations, confusions, or problems they are facing.
• Assess their level of expertise in your chosen topic; are they beginners or experts?

Understanding your target audience helps customize the article format and ensure the content resonates with them.

1. Remember who you’re speaking to. Understand their passions, pains, and what keeps them up at night. Once this picture becomes clear:

• Shape your content’s tone to match their preferences – heavy jargon for professionals versus simpler terms for beginners.
• Provide answers or solutions tailored specifically for them. This attentiveness ensures your articles resonate deeply and foster loyalty from those who find sanctuary in your words.

2. Readers often approach articles with clear intentions – seeking answers, learning skills, or simply finding entertainment. Your mission is thus twofold: discern these intents accurately, then craft content that aligns perfectly with their quests:

• Research keywords they use when searching online.
• Deliver content formats meeting those searched criteria—from how-to guides to thought pieces.

Aligning with search intent satisfies readers and signals search engines that your content is valuable. This leads us to our next point gracefully.

Step 2: Select an appropriate topic and an attractive heading

Next, pick one topic relevant to your niche or industry and develop an attention-grabbing headline that will pique readers’ curiosity. A captivating heading encourages potential visitors to click on your link and read through the entire piece.

Some tips for selecting topics and creating headlines:

• Address current trends or industry developments,
• Tackle issues faced by your target audience,
• Pose thought-provoking questions,
• Use numbers in listicles (e.g., “10 Tips for __”),
• Implement power words such as ‘How-to,’ ‘Ultimate Guide,’ ‘Secrets,’ etc.

Step 3: Conduct thorough research

Once you’ve chosen your topic, invest time in researching. It not only raises credibility but also helps provide well-rounded, relevant information to a larger audience of readers. As you gather data:

• Seek reliable sources like academic articles, government publications, books by renowned authors, or interviews with subject-matter experts.
• Maintain organized notes with valuable findings, including statistics, case studies, or expert opinions.
• Cross-check data to ensure its authenticity and relevance.

Step 4: Write an article outline

Creating an outline serves as the backbone of a good article, ultimately contributing to a clear and coherent content structure. Divide the piece into logical sections like:

• Main body (subheadings)

You can further break down each section into smaller sub-sections or bullet points to make it more digestible for readers.

Step 5: Write and proofread

With your research and outline in place, begin writing using a conversational tone while keeping it professional and informative. Keep in mind the following considerations:

• Use active voice and simple sentences
• Create engaging, relatable content for your target audience
• Utilize appropriate transition phrases between ideas
• Incorporate relevant keywords throughout the article

After completing your rough draft, set aside some time before revisiting it with fresh eyes to proofread. Correct any grammatical mistakes, unclear sentences, or inconsistencies.

Use AI Tools to speed up the process

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can significantly help streamline the writing process. Some popular AI writing assistants include Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, INK, or Copy.ai , which offer features like grammar checks, readability score improvements, or even generating content ideas.

Step 6: Add images and infographics

Lastly, enhance your article by incorporating relevant visuals such as photos, illustrations, or infographics to aid comprehension or break up text-heavy portions. Ensure they are high-quality images, and remember to credit sources.

1. Include Relevant and High-Quality Visuals

We live in a highly visual society where images can communicate complex ideas swiftly and memorably. Enhance reader engagement by integrating visuals such as:

• Crisp photographs
• Informative charts
• Vibrant infographics

High-quality visuals serve as waypoints on the journey through your text, keeping audiences anchored and immersed.

Step 7: Optimize for SEO

Optimizing for SEO means more than sprinkling keywords throughout your text. It’s about making sure those seeking what you’ve written find it effortlessly amid the vast ocean of online information. Here lies an opportunity:

• Employ relevant keywords naturally within headings and body paragraphs.
• Anchor texts should flow smoothly with internal links , leading readers deeper into related topics on your site. 

By weaving SEO strategies through each paragraph, you enhance discoverability without sacrificing quality storytelling, a balance worthy of pursuit.

Article Writing Rules – Rules for Writing Good Articles

Following basic article writing rules is essential to create compelling and high-quality articles. These rules make the process easier and ensure your content is engaging, informative, and valuable to your readers. Let’s delve into these crucial guidelines that can elevate your article-writing skills.

Use Appropriate Keywords

Naturally integrating relevant keywords helps improve your article’s visibility, search engine rankings, and engagement rates. Be sure to use 3-5 of the appropriate keywords per section without compromising the quality of your content or forcing yourself to use them unnaturally.

Be Clear and Concise

Simplicity works wonders in the world of article writing. Keep sentences short and precise with a maximum of 15 words each since shorter sentences are easier for readers to read, understand, and absorb.

Maintain Coherence

Ensure that consecutive blocks of text don’t begin with the exact phrases or words to maintain coherence throughout the entire article. Each section should expand on the content covered previously while avoiding unnecessary repetition.

Stay Focused on Your Topic

Stay focused on your chosen subject matter by providing substantial information relevant to the topic at hand—straying too far from it may leave readers confused and disinterested.

Utilize Proper Formatting

Applying appropriate formatting techniques enhances readability by breaking down large chunks of text into smaller sections using headings, subheadings, bullet points, ordered lists, etc., making it enjoyable for readers.

Apply Logical Transitional Phrases

Using logical transitional phrases between ideas significantly improves readability as they connect related thoughts smoothly instead of relying solely on conjunctions like ‘and’ or ‘but.’

Fact-Check Your Content

Validate data through reliable sources like studies or research; this practice eliminates errors and boosts your content’s credibility.

Edit and Proofread

Ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity by thoroughly editing and proofreading your work, eliminating potential distractions for your readers in the form of errors or inconsistencies. Seeking feedback from a fellow article writer, editor, or reader can be incredibly valuable for enhancing the quality of your content.

By effectively applying these rules to your article writing process, you’ll notice increased engagement while providing the readers with the information they desire in a clear and user-friendly manner. Remember that practice makes perfect, so keep refining your skills to craft exceptional articles that captivate readers’ attention and sustain their interest throughout.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing

Even experienced writers can fall into common pitfalls that stall their articles from reaching their full potential. Let’s explore some frequent mistakes so you can steer clear of them.

Lack of Clarity or Coherence in Writing

Have you ever read a passage several times and still felt lost? A lack of clarity can leave readers confused and disengaged. To ensure that your thoughts flow seamlessly:

• Keep sentences short and sweet.
• Use subheadings to break up the text and organize thoughts.
• Transition smoothly between ideas with phrases like “Additionally” or “Another aspect to consider.”

Remember, article writing for websites should guide your reader through the topic like a knowledgeable friend leading the way in uncharted territory.

Poor Grammar and Spelling Errors

Nothing diminishes credibility quicker than grammar blunders or typos. They’re like little bumps on the road – each one jarring your reader from the experience.

• Utilize tools like Grammarly to catch sneaky errors.
• Never rely solely on spellcheck. Read aloud to see awkward phrasing.
• If feasible, have someone else review your work – fresh eyes find new mistakes.

Your command over language demonstrates professionalism and respect towards your audience. Don’t let simple slip-ups undercut your message.

Overuse or Misuse of Keywords

Keywords help people find your articles, but cramming them in willy-nilly makes for stilted reading. Keyword stuffing is a passe SEO tactic that today’s savvy algorithms easily spot as manipulative.

• Use keywords naturally within the context.
• Aim for keyword variations and synonyms to maintain readability.
• Concentrate on creating valuable content first; let keywords serve as subtle signposts rather than glaring billboards.

For website article writing, balance is key: enough keywords to be found by search engines but not so many that readers lose interest.

Insufficient or Inaccurate Research

In this digital age, everyone’s an expert…until they’re not. Ensure every fact you state could stand up in court if need be:

• Cross-check information against reputable sources.
• Cite statistics from authoritative studies (and link back where possible).
• Stay updated with recent data – because today’s fact might be tomorrow’s fiction.

Invest time in research – it reinforces your authority and trustworthiness as a writer much more than unfounded assertions ever could.

Lack of Originality or Unique Perspective

Lastly, don’t just rehash what’s out there. Offer something new:

• Fuse personal experience with external knowledge – it adds authenticity.
• Engage with controversial viewpoints (respectfully) to stimulate discussion.
• Present solutions, not just problems – be helpful, insightful, and inspirational.

Originality will set you apart from the informational echo chamber that often inundates web searches. Stand out by being distinctly YOU when engaging in article writing for website topics – it’s about adding value through unique insight as much as imparting wisdom through words.

How Should an Article Be Written?

The article writing process varies based on available resources and the chosen approach. To create compelling content, you have several options: hiring a freelancer, engaging an agency, or utilizing AI writing tools . Each method has its advantages and drawbacks. Let’s examine each option in detail.

Freelancer Article Writers

Hiring a freelancer is often the go-to choice for businesses seeking to outsource their article-writing tasks . By choosing this route, you gain access to various benefits:

• Expertise:  Freelance writers possess diverse skill sets to tackle multiple topics in different formats.
• Flexibility:  Working with a freelancer enables flexibility regarding deadlines and communication.
• Cost Savings:  Hiring freelancers may result in cost savings compared to engaging with an agency.

However, possible challenges include inconsistency in quality and uncertainties surrounding accountability.

When considering freelance writers for your articles, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Review their portfolio, focusing on relevant samples;
• Check online reviews or seek recommendations;
• Communicate your expectations regarding format, tone, and style;
• Discuss project timelines and payment terms.

Collaborating with an agency can provide access to comprehensive expertise while maintaining consistent results. Agencies typically offer teams of writers, editors, and graphic designers who work together cohesively on your projects.

Benefits of working with an agency include:

• Consistency:  A professional agency ensures overall consistency across all content produced.
• Scalability:  An agency can handle large-scale projects more efficiently than individual freelancers.
• Streamlined Communication:  Agencies usually assign a dedicated project manager for efficient communication.

On the downside, agencies tend to be more expensive than freelancers.

To find the right fit when exploring agency options:

• Research reputable agencies within your niche;
• Evaluate their offerings by verifying case studies or reviews;
• Discuss project scope, schedule, and budget before signing agreements.
• AI Article Writer

Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools like SEOwind have emerged as innovative solutions for content creation. These programs rely on advanced algorithms to generate articles at a faster pace. However, the degree of human involvement is still crucial for maintaining quality and effectiveness.

Some advantages of AI writing tools include the following:

• Efficiency:  AI-powered tools can generate articles swiftly, which may save time compared to manual writing.
• Content Ideas Generation:  They can provide content suggestions based on your chosen keywords or topics.
• Proofreading and Editing:  Many AI tools also assist in improving readability by identifying grammar errors and suggesting sentence structure improvements.

There are limitations when relying solely on AI-generated content , such as a potential lack of creativity, knowing the specifics of your domain or company, and problems with factual data.

To successfully leverage AI writing tools:

• Research reliable options that address your specific needs;
• Use them alongside human input, striking a balance between automation and human touch;
• Ensure thorough editing before publishing any AI-generated article .

Each method – freelancer, agency, or AI writing tool – has its strengths when creating articles that follow the ideal format. The key is understanding your requirements while ensuring your chosen approach complements your goals regarding quality, efficiency, and budget constraints in article production.

How Can I Start Writing Articles?

Starting to write articles may seem overwhelming, but with a step-by-step approach and understanding of the article writing format, you can successfully begin your journey. Here are some essential steps to consider when starting:

Define Your Interests and Expertise

Before delving into article writing, recognize your interests and areas of expertise. This will guide you in choosing relevant topics that align with your passion and knowledge.

Identify a Target Audience

Knowing your audience is crucial for any content creation. Understand your target readership’s demographics, preferences, needs, and language style.

Choose Article Writing Topics Wisely

Pick engaging topics based on current trends or issues your target audience faces. Conduct keyword research to identify popular search phrases related to the subject matter.

Learn Article Writing Fundamentals

Familiarize yourself with the components of an article writing format, such as heading, introduction, body, and conclusion. Study sample articles related to your niche to understand how professionals structure their work.

Plan Your Content

Create an outline before beginning the actual writing process. This will help you organize thoughts effectively while covering all necessary points within the content.

Write Regularly

Refining your skills takes time and practice; make it a priority to write consistently (daily or at least several times per week). Ensure you maintain focus on quality over quantity during this learning phase.

Edit Thoroughly

Reviewing your work is essential when crafting high-quality articles; eliminate errors or redundancy within sentences to ensure conciseness and clarity in communication.

Seek Feedback

Ask friends, family members, or colleagues for honest feedback regarding writing style, flow, tone, and accuracy — constructive criticism contributes to writing growth.

Expand into Different Formats

Experimentation allows improvement; explore different article formats, such as persuasive or descriptive writing, to strengthen your versatility in content creation.

Learn from Others

Study articles by other writers within your niche to observe their techniques and styles. Analyzing their approach empowers you to develop your unique voice over time.

Starting a career in article writing begins with self-awareness and an understanding of the target audience’s needs. Building a solid foundation in the essentials of article writing format, followed by consistent practice, leads to growth and success in this field. Embrace feedback and continuously challenge yourself by exploring various formats, styles, and niches within written communication.

Grow Your Article Writing with a Focused Niche

Choosing a focused niche is essential in honing your article writing skills, building credibility within your industry, and positioning yourself as an authority. A narrow niche will enable you to create specialized content that appeals to your target audience and meets their unique needs.

Benefits of Selecting a Specific Niche

• Expertise:  A concentrated focus allows you to deepen your understanding of the subject matter and build expertise – vital components for creating high-quality articles.
• Targeted content:  You can craft content tailored to your intended audience’s challenges and aspirations by zeroing in on a particular area.
• Establish authority and credibility:  Writing informative articles on topics related to your niche over time will help position you as an authoritative voice.
• Audience loyalty:  Readers searching for information about a specific topic are more likely to return for additional insights from writers who consistently provide valuable content in their area of interest.
• Higher relevance for SEO : Focusing on a specific type of content or set of keywords improves search engine optimization (SEO) performance because search engines find ranking pages containing relevant, authoritative information easier.

To succeed in growing your article writing by concentrating on one area, consider these strategies:

Identifying Your Niche

Selecting a suitable niche requires careful assessment of both personal interests and market demands. Aligning these two factors ensures sustained motivation while creating ample opportunities for professional growth.

• Evaluate personal passions: Choose a subject that genuinely fascinates or excites you since this will reflect positively on the quality and tone of your articles.
• Discover areas where readers need answers: Identify niches with insufficient high-quality content or new developments driving demand for updated resources.
• Assess competition: Research how other writers fare in potential niches by analyzing the format, quality, and reader engagement of existing articles.

Staying Updated in Your Niche

Once you have selected your niche, you must stay informed about new technical developments and trends within the industry. This will enable you to:

• Produce articles that are up-to-date and relevant,
• Address the ever-changing needs of your target readers,
• Offer insights based on recent research and findings.

To remain current, tap into resources such as:

• Industry news websites or reputable blogs,
• Research publications from authoritative sources,
• Online communities or social media groups related to your niche.

Adapting Article Writing Format for Your Niche

An effective article writing format resonates with your specific audience by addressing their unique concerns and interests. To tailor your article format for maximum effectiveness within your chosen niche:

• Understand your audience:  Identify the content preferences, knowledge level, and reading habits of people interested in your niche.
• Customize headings:  Use headings that reflect your target readers’ challenges or offer potential solutions specific to their context.
• Adjust tone and vocabulary:  Write using an appropriate tone of voice (professional or conversational) while incorporating industry-specific jargon where necessary to enhance credibility.
• Create captivating introductions:  Design introductions that grab attention with compelling hooks tied specifically to questions and concerns within the domain.
• Structure articles for easy scanning:  Utilize subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, and text formatting techniques such as boldface or italics to improve readability.

How Do I Know It’s a Good Niche?

Selecting the right niche is critical for successful article writing. A good niche is one that not only piques your interest but also has a substantial demand and audience. To determine if a specific niche is worth pursuing, consider the following factors:

Interest and Passion

First and foremost, check whether you have a genuine interest in the niche. Writing about something you are passionate about will make producing engaging and informative content easier. Having expertise in the subject matter also provides an added advantage.

Available Audience

A strong market presence with an existing audience indicates a potentially profitable niche. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to identify search volume trends on related topics within the chosen niche.

Competition

Analyze your competition before committing to any specific topic. Suppose there’s low competition for a particular keyword set or subtopic. In that case, it may be wise to pursue it further to position yourself as an authoritative source of information.

• High competition: Beware of overcrowded subjects where standing out from other writers might prove challenging.
• Moderate competition: Optimal scenario – there’s enough interest surrounding the topic, yet room exists to establish your voice as an expert.
• Low competition: Assess if low demand or limited content quality is causing fewer people to write about this subject; high-quality articles might still attract readership.

Monetization Potential

If generating income through article writing is part of your goals, assess the monetization potential for your chosen niche. Consider options such as affiliate marketing programs, sponsored posts, advertising revenue, or even creating eBooks based on your articles.

Evergreen Content Possibilities

Lastly, evaluate if your selected niche lends itself well to producing evergreen content – timeless information that remains relevant regardless of when it was published. Establishing evergreen content ensures steady traffic flow over time without constantly needing updates or relying solely on trending topics.

Considering these factors, you can ascertain if your chosen niche will lead to profitable and engaging article-writing experiences. As your expertise grows within a specific niche, generating fresh content and captivating readers will become increasingly effortless, allowing you to leverage your skills for greater success.

What is the Best Article Writing Format to Capture Leads?

Capturing leads through effective article writing has become essential in reaching your target audience and driving conversions. Creating quality content that resonates with readers in various formats helps showcase your expertise, fostering credibility and trust. To determine the best format for efficiently capturing leads using articles, consider incorporating these key elements:

Attention-Grabbing Headline

An enticing headline works as a hook that can grab the reader’s attention and pique their interest before they even start reading your content. Make sure to use powerful words that resonate with your target audience and ensure it demonstrates the value they would receive by reading the article.

Introduction with Strong Value Proposition

The introduction to the perfect article should be engaging and provide a quick overview of what the reader can expect from the article. A solid value proposition is often indispensable in establishing why this piece will benefit them or solve their problem.

Include Infographics, Images, and Videos

Visual aid helps break up long walls of text and adds depth to your content while making it more appealing to readers. Including relevant infographics, images, or videos within an article enriches user experience leading to better engagement rates.

Easy-to-Digest Content Format

Consider employing one of these formats for better comprehension:

• Bullet points: They allow easy scanning.
• Subheadings: Allow breaking complex topics into smaller sections.
• Short paragraphs: Simplify structure while maintaining readability.

Remember to keep sentences short (up to 15 words) for better readability.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

Including a strong call-to-action at strategic points throughout the article encourages readers to download resources such as e-books or sign up for newsletters–thus capturing leads effectively.

Overall, choosing an article writing format highly depends on understanding which method resonates most with your target audience and the type of content produced. Experimenting with several approaches lets you ascertain which format yields better lead-capture results while consistently delivering value through compelling and informative content.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Article Writing

The journey of writing articles is filled with questions. Let’s tackle a few pressing queries to help you navigate the art of article writing.

What is the Ideal Length for an Article?

Ah, the age-old question: “How long should my article be?” There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends largely on your audience, topic complexity, and publication venue. However, a rule of thumb suggests:

• Short-form articles typically range from 500 to 800 words and are superb for online platforms where readers seek quick insights.
• Medium-length articles, hovering around 1,200 to 1,500 words, hit a sweet spot by providing enough space to delve deeper without over-testing readers’ attention spans.
• Long-form pieces stretch beyond 2,000 words and suit topics requiring comprehensive coverage or detailed storytelling.

Assessing what you aim to achieve with what an article in writing is helps solidify this decision. Remember engagement metrics because reader retention can drop if content feels needlessly drawn out.

Can I Use References or Citations in My Articles?

Absolutely! Referencing authoritative sources underpins your credibility and enriches your work by demonstrating thorough research. When you’re mulling over how to write articles for publication, consider these citation tips:

• Choose reliable sources such as scholarly journals or recognized experts in the field.
• Following the recommended citation style to bolster professionalism – APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian are common picks.
• Include citations when stating facts or figures that aren’t common knowledge.

Incorporating references demonstrates due diligence and respect towards intellectual property rights, a sign of meticulous writing articles ethos.

How Can I Make My Articles Stand Out from Others?

Every writer desires their prose to pop off the page—or screen—as uniquely compelling. Achieving standout status hinges on the following:

• Offering fresh perspectives: Bring something new to the table—uncommon insights, novel angles, or untold stories can distinguish your piece from others cluttering cyberspace.
• Engaging narrative: Storytelling isn’t just for fiction writers. Weaving anecdotes or creating vivid scenarios makes any topic more relatable and memorable.
• Voice authenticity: Your voice is as distinct as your fingerprints. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through while addressing an article in writing—readers gravitate toward authenticity.

Alongside exceptional content quality goes impeccable presentation—sleek formatting and crisp visuals if applicable—and applying solid SEO practices heightens visibility. Take care not only about what you say but how you say it. That’s how lasting impressions are made daily amidst the crowded cacophony of content.

Remember that these FAQs reflect just a fraction of considerations central to crafting successful articles. Dive into each phase with curiosity and caution for the best results!

Kate Kandefer

Entrepreneur passionate about scaling SaaS companies on a global B2B stage. My expertise in AI, SEO, and Content Marketing is my toolkit for driving tangible results. I'm a hands-on executor guided by results, deeply passionate about marketing, and skilled at aligning business objectives with people's needs and motivations. With a pragmatic mindset. My approach is all about clarity, efficiency, and open dialogue.

Table of Contents

• 1 What is the Article Writing Format?
• 2 Objectives of Article Writing
• 3 Four Types of Article Writing
• 4 The Article Writing Format
• 5 Step By Step Guide for Writing an Article
• 6 Article Writing Rules – Rules for Writing Good Articles
• 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing
• 8 How Should an Article Be Written?
• 9 How Can I Start Writing Articles?
• 10 Grow Your Article Writing with a Focused Niche
• 11 How Do I Know It’s a Good Niche?
• 12 What is the Best Article Writing Format to Capture Leads?
• 13 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Article Writing

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Last updated on Feb 07, 2023

The 50+ Best Writing Websites of 2024

The Internet is full of writing websites and blogs to help people reach their creative goals . If you’ve always dreamt of writing your own book, but don’t know how to get there — or if you’re in the process of writing, but feel unsure about what to do next — then it’s your lucky day! Here we have all the best writing websites of 2024 in one single place for your convenience. They’re also organized by category, and alphabetically within each of those categories, to make each one easier to find. Enjoy!

Best writing websites for writing craft and inspiration

1. Almost an Author

Offering up new content every day, Almost an Author covers a grand scope of writing topics. From genre-specific advice to emotional support on your writing journey, there's tons of useful info here for beginner and veteran writers alike.

2. Association of Writer & Writing Programs

Having just marked their 50th anniversary, AWP is one of the premier authorities on writing. The AWP website provides resources and ample opportunities for authors, teachers, and students at every point in their career. Here you’ll be able to find information about writing programs, career options, and conferences all over the world. Keep in mind, though, that access to some of these features is restricted to members only.

3. Creativity Portal

This is a wonderful hub for creative resources that has been around for a whopping nineteen years! Here you can find writing prompts , creative coaching, printable writing templates, and interviews with authors that will help nourish the right side of your brain.

4. Daily Writing Tips

As the name suggests, this site offers daily writing tips ranging from open-ended prompts and exercises to grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary. It also covers all writing levels and professions, so it doesn't matter how far along you are in your writing career — DWT is sure to help you out.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a master’s degree, you can get your own "DIY MFA" right here! This site (founded by Gabriela Pereira ) aims to cover everything you would learn in a graduate program, while giving you the freedom to choose your own areas of concentration and allocate your time as you please. 

6. Electric Literature

While not exactly a craft-focused website — so no straight-up writing advice or prompts — this nonprofit digital publisher showcases literature-related essays, criticism, and recommended readings. If you're looking to brush up on both literary theory and recent literary trends, Electric Lit is the place for you.

7. Fiction University

This virtual university, run by award-winning author Janice Hardy, contains tons of advice and concrete examples to help authors build a strong writing foundation. It's full of blog posts by professionals who share their own processes and techniques, providing tips not just on what you should do as a writer, but on how  to make it happen.

8. Helping Writers Become Authors

Longtime author K.M. Weiland offers writing advice that ranges from outlining and structuring to characterization and dialogue — plus all the little details in between. She updates her blog faithfully with topical posts that would pique any writer's (or non-writer's) interest.

9. Insecure Writer's Support Group

Writing is intimidating for everyone , whether you're a multi-published author or you're just starting out. That's why getting support, guidance, and motivation throughout the process is vital! On IWSG, you'll discover a wealth of information on writing, publishing, marketing, and anything else you might need to ultimately overcome your insecurities.

10. Literary Hub

LitHub boasts a superb selection of content for all things literary. Here you can get all the latest book-related news, posts on design and the craft, your daily dose of fiction, and sparkling reviews of new works. One of this site's best features is its section on literature in translation — a great resource for those who want to read books and authors from around the world.

11. LitReactor

The LitReactor blog consists of writing classes, workshops, and a myriad of posts on writing and books ( some of which are even written by us! ). There’s also an online magazine that includes interviews, criticism and analysis, and seasonally appropriate reads and recommendations.

12. LitRejections

An unfortunate occupational hazard of with writing is rejection. This is where a site like LitRejections comes into play! It offers personal stories to help discouraged writers persevere through rejection, and maintain hope and motivation as they move forward in their careers.

13. Live Write Thrive

In this website by professional writer and editor C.S. Lakin, you’ll find plenty of nuanced writing anecdotes and tips. Lakin also supplies annotated critiques that can help you prep your book for publication.

14. NaNoWriMo

Besides serving as the official information hub for NaNoWriMo , this site also lends constant support for those struggling to "win" National Novel Writing Month. Make sure to check out the NaNoWriMo forums, which are chock-full of other people's personal writing tips and strategies to get you through November — and every other month of the year — as a writer.

15. Now Novel

This comprehensive website, founded by author Bridget McNulty , is a go-to for just about every writing-related question you might have. Here you'll also find advice, courses, and even an author dashboard where you can keep track of your own writing progress.

16. Positive Writer

If you often feel uncertain about your creative abilities, this is the site for you. Bryan Hutchinson created Positive Writer to encourage and inspire all those who want to write, no matter how much experience or confidence they have.

17. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid offers a fantastic manuscript editing software that analyzes your writing and creates reports for you to learn from! This tool also includes a thesaurus, grammar checks, style suggestions, and more — you can learn all about it on the ProWritingAid blog, or in our review of the app !

18. She Writes

A well-established writing website with a feminist bent, She Writes is "the largest online community and content site for women writers... all around the world." The site features thoughtful posts and resources to help writers on their journeys, as well as a personal She Writes blog page for every user who signs up.

19. Well-Storied

Here you can find recent articles, workbooks, tutorials, and fascinating discussions on writing. Kristine Kieffer has an extensive archive of posts as well, where you can procure information on just about any topic related to books and writing.

20. The Write Practice

Fulfilling the promise of their name, every single post on this site emphasizes putting theory into practice! There's simply no better way to become a writer than by creating a routine, and that’s exactly what The Write Practice helps facilitate.

21. Writer’s Digest

Writer's Digest is one of the most encyclopedic writing websites out there — after all, the print magazine has been around for almost a century now! Here you’ll find genre and vocation-organized articles, events and competitions, webinars, templates, tutorials, and so much more.

22. Writer Unboxed

Writer Unboxed features articles by authors and industry professionals, focused specifically on the craft and business of fiction writing.

23. The Writing Cooperative

Plain and simple, this is a group of people who want to help each other become better writers. On Writing Cooperative, you will find articles that cover just about every aspect of the writing life. They also have monthly writing challenges to keep you incentivized, and there’s even a space where you can submit your own article to the blog!

24. Writing.com

This is an absolutely all-inclusive community for writers . It’s open to all levels and provides a creative, supportive environment for all members, as well as portfolios to store and display their writing. Like most writing websites, it also includes a plethora of writing tools , contests, and rewards.

25. Catapult: Don’t Write Alone

Don’t Write Alone is a blog written by the Catapult team dedicated to helping writers grow their skills. As a publisher and magazine founded in 2005, Catapult has seen a lot of works and now they’re spilling all the details. From interviews, to craft essays, to writer lifestyle essays, Catapult covers it all.

26. Kirkus Review’s Writers’ Center

Kirkus Review is known for its prestigious $50,000 dollar annual prize and its bi-monthly issues where they critique hundreds of recently published books. But, did you know they also have a section of their website devoted to helping emerging writers grow their skills and navigate the publishing industry? They’re always up to date on the latest trends — if they aren’t creating new trends themselves.

27. Writers Write

An invaluable resource for creative writers, business writers, or bloggers, Writers Write offers over 1400 articles, courses, and workbooks to help you take your writing practice to the next level. Alongside their educational content, they offer book reviews, trivia on famous authors, and prompts. Sign up for their inspirational newsletters for regular hits of motivation that will keep you writing.

28. The Narrative Arc

Beginning as a home to Andie R. Cranford’s writing journey, The Narrative Arc is now a treasure trove of practical tips and prompts to inspire your creativity. Breakdowns of popular books are particularly handy for the budding author — but whether exploring writing for the first time or tightening the bolts on your Franken-novel, the site's ideas on craft are elegant and inspiring.

Best writing websites in the publishing industry

29. Agent Query

This database allows authors to perform in-depth searches for literary agents . You can narrow your search by genre and keywords, view agents’ full profiles, and see if they are currently accepting queries — all for free!

30. The Creative Penn

Besides being a bestselling author on various topics, Joanna Penn is also a leading voice in self-publishing . On her punnily named site, you’ll find abundant information related to writing, self-publishing, marketing, and everything else you mind need to make a living as a writer.

31. Digital Pubbing

Digital Pubbing provides industry news, interviews with indie authors, and resources for learning all about ebooks and the publishing industry. In accordance with the name, this is the perfect site for any author hoping to absorb some serious digital knowledge.

32. The Independent Publishing Magazine

We know it might seem like we're repeating ourselves, but this website really is all about publishing (both independent and traditional, despite what the name indicates). Whatever info you need about self-publishing, trad pub, or hybrid publishing , you’ll definitely be able to find it here.

33. Publishers Weekly

And if you have a specific question about the publishing world, you’ll most likely find the answer here. This weekly magazine is packed full of news, reviews, announcements, and many other resources on the industry. It has been dubbed as "the Bible of the book business" and with its extensive archive, it’s easy to see why.

34. Publishing Perspectives

Publishing Perspectives is another leading source of publishing info, specializing in industry news and topical articles. Aimed at publishers, agents , and authors alike, it features a variety of posts that cover book fairs, distribution, education, and much more.

35. Query Shark

Not sure where your query letter is up to snuff? Query Shark offers the opportunity to have your query critiqued, and to read detailed query critiques of other authors' letters, so you can get the best possible results for your book. Be warned, though, that this sharp-toothed feedback isn't for the weak of heart.

36. Writer Beware

This amazingly thorough site compiles information on schemes and scams that affect authors , especially those run through email and the Internet. It’s sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, but obviously applies to authors everywhere. If you're a fresh-faced author trying to get published, definitely check it out — it could save you from losing thousands of dollars in an elaborate scam.

37. The Darling Axe

When the industry professionals at The Darling Axe aren’t working on manuscripts, they flock to the internet to share their hot takes on the publishing industry. They also host writing contests throughout the year to build a writing community and give unpublished authors the chance to get feedback from professionals.

Best writing websites for marketing and design

38. David Gaughran

An experienced author of historical adventures, short stories, and popular books for writers , David Gaughran is one of the definitive writing experts out there. His eponymous blog contains plenty of info on marketing and self-publishing, plus workshops to help aspiring authors. And similar to Writer Beware, he's the noble opposition of online publishing scams and scammers — so if you're frustrated by these issues, you'll discover a blissfully sympathetic voice on his blog.

39. Kikolani

Focused specifically on marketing, Kikolani offers tips and strategies for bloggers who want to grow their presence and attract more readers. Here you’ll find information on brand development , social media, customer retention, and other useful tips that you can put to good use as a blogger. (If you're just getting started, though, we'd recommend this course .)

40. Kindlepreneur

Dave Chesson is — in his own words — a “digital marketing nut.” His blog has all the information you could ever need about Kindle book publishing , how to write to market, increasing your rankings on Amazon, and lots more practical tips and advice.

41. Storiad

Storiad is a marketing platform that helps authors and publishers sell books. Go here for essential information on writing apps , databases, tools, and budgeting to help you run your own publishing campaign from start to finish.

42. Writers & Artists

Part of the distinguished Bloomsbury, Writers & Artists has quite a few articles on writing and the self-publishing process. They also offer editorial services and events on many different topics, like genre-specific writing courses and how to get connected with agents .

43. Your Writer Platform

Naturally, this site is dedicated to building your very own writer platform. There are tons of tips, resources, tools, how-tos, and even individual consulting services to help you build the platform that works best for you and your marketing needs.

Best writing blogs by industry professionals

44. Goins, Writer

Bestselling author Jeff Goins created this blog to share his thoughts on writing and to inspire others to chase their creative dreams. He's especially good at breaking complex topics down into digestible bits — new writers, go here for your primers.

45. Jane Friedman

With copious experience in the publishing industry, Jane Friedman offers online classes and articles on the entire process of book publishing. She's a real goldmine of business knowledge, so keep her in mind for when you're ready to publish your book.

46. Nail Your Novel

As a bestselling former ghostwriter who now publishes under her own name, Roz Morris provides advice about writing, self-publishing, and of course, ghostwriting . If you're interested in becoming a ghostwriter, be sure to check out her courses!

47. Nathan Bransford

Nathan Bransford is a former literary agent who posts all about the inner workings of publishing, as well and information on agents and self-publishing. He also does consultations, edits, and critiques . 

48. Rachelle Gardner

Skillful agent Rachelle Gardner has negotiated over 200 contracts with over twenty publishers and helped more than 100 authors fulfill their dreams of publishing. On her blog, she offers writing, publishing, and social media coaching, along with general writing and publishing tips.

49. Kris Writes

For regular insights from a New York Times bestselling author, look no further than Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blog. On Mondays, she posts free short stories for authors to find inspiration in, and Wednesdays she posts in her “Business Musings” collection where she breaks down news from the publishing industry and offers her inside opinions. 

50. The Marginalian  

Maria Popova describes her site as “a record of my own becoming as a person — intellectually, creatively, spiritually, poetically — drawn from my extended marginalia on the search for meaning across literature, science, art, philosophy, and the various other tendrils of human thought and feeling.” She sends out a Sunday newsletter with thoughtful deconstruction of the week’s best liberal arts goings-on to help broaden her readers’ appreciation of the creative world.

51. John August

For all the screenwriters out there, John August co-hosts a weekly podcast with fellow screenwriter Craig Mazin discussing both the craft and business of screenwriting while breaking down popular movies. To help screenwriters really get a feel for the process of working with a studio, John has posted multiple versions of scripts from different stages in the production process on films and series he’s written, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Big Fish , and Chernobyl .

What are some of your favorite writing websites? Let us know in the comments below!

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12 Free Platforms For Writers To Publish Articles Online

Are you a new writer looking to publish your articles? Choosing the right digital publishing platform might be a little confusing at first.

Before looking for the best publishing options, you need to decide which platforms are suited to your topic or writing style. Are you interested in writing opinion pieces, sharing personal experiences, providing expert advice, or publishing on academic topics?

Every platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. It’s all about finding one that aligns best with your writing style, topics, and intended audience.

You can check the suggestions in this article to help you decide which platforms will offer you the best chance of finding new readers.

You can publish articles online right now

With digital publishing, it is easy for anyone to learn how to write and publish articles .

There are many online publishing platforms for writers, so you can publish your writing in a matter of minutes.

What works for one writer might not work for the other. Are you writing essays or how-to guides ? It is also important to know who your audience is when choosing article publishing sites.

Do you want to reach teens, young adults, or adults? Are you trying to reach young entrepreneurs or established business owners?

Are you writing poems? There are also many free sites where you can publish your poetry .

Consider the types of articles you want to write and the audience you want to write for. Then, you can go ahead and find the best online publishing platforms.

There are also plenty of free writing apps to help you write great content that readers will love. But you should always use a reliable online grammar checker to make sure your writing is as perfect as possible.

Then, you can bring your vision and ideas to the world with digital content. With so many people reading articles and online content on laptops, smartphones, and tablets, there is always an audience for new writers.

There are many online magazines and sites that accept articles for free. It’s up to you to find the best digital publishing solution to suit your needs.

To get you started, here is a list of platforms offering free article publishing.

Medium is a very popular free publishing site where you can share your writing. You can connect with more sophisticated and dedicated readers than you might find on other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook.

However, it is similar to a social network in its ease of connecting with other Medium users. But it is best suited to long-form writing.

It is very easy to create and set up your Medium account. Then, take a quick tour and read the FAQs. You are now ready to be published online with your first article.

The publishing tools are super easy to use with click and edit or drag and drop to move elements.

Your content on Medium should be full-length articles that are highly informative. Using original images is highly recommended.

Be aware, though, that it is not a publishing platform suited to short and obvious promotional blog posts.

You can read our how-to-use Medium guide for more detailed information about the submission guidelines. But they are quite straightforward.

2. Linkedin Articles

You are probably already on Linkedin. So why not publish your articles there?

Follow the instructions for publishing LinkedIn articles , and you are ready to go.

With so many people on the site, you are bound to find readers for professional articles.

It has to be one of the best places to help you gain readers.

3. Publish PDF

This really is the easiest way to publish your writing online.

You don’t even need to have a website or blog.

All you need is a PDF file and your Google account.

Best of all, Google indexes PDF documents , so yours may appear in Google Search.

Read our quick tutorial on how to publish a PDF article online , and you will be ready to publish immediately.

4. Scoop.It

Scoop.It is one of the most popular free publishing platforms for new writers.

You can publish great magazines on this website, and it does what it promises.

There is a function where you can find great content to help as inspiration.

Simply use appropriate keywords, and you will be flooded with information.

You can find some excellent content on Issuu  and some entertaining writing as well.

It is a user-friendly platform where anyone can create digital publications.

You don’t need to use any publishing software.

You can also sell your digital magazine directly from the website, making it possible to earn some money.

Issuu is definitely one of the leading platforms for anyone who has something worthwhile to say.

With more than 15,000 updates daily, it is clear why it is so popular with article writers.

It also gives you the opportunity to reach a lot of people with your writing. It doesn’t matter what your passion is; there is a place for you on this platform.

Your magazine can be about anything from cats to basketball, so there are no boundaries.

If you are a photographer who wants to share your multimedia with the world, you might find that Yudo is for you.

On this platform, you can mix your writing, videos, photographs, and audio.

Who wouldn’t like to read a digital magazine that offers all of these features?

It makes for a more exciting read, so it could be worth a shot.

All you need to have is a passion and start working hard at it.

7. ArticleSeen

ArticleSeen  prefers original content. But that is what you should do when posting your articles online.

If you want free exposure for your writing, this is a good site to help you on your way.

There is a good choice of categories, which means you are sure to find one that suits your writing topic.

8. PUB HTML5

PUB HTML5 is free of charge, so you can see if it is the right digital publishing tool for you.

The design is sleek and simple, which is what you want as a beginner.

You don’t want websites that are confusing to use.

But the great thing about this platform is that your publications will appear professional on all devices.

It can be a computer or a mobile device. The results are the same.

You can publish interactive elements in magazines, catalogs, and brochures and create rich-media flipping books.

If you are trying to get your name out there as an influential writer, you might want to give this website a try.

With over 500,000 publishers using this website, you can understand why I included Joomag  in this list.

You can manage your subscribers on this platform and add more when you please.

It gives you full control over your publications.

Use a good grammar checker to help you write flawless articles. Then, you can launch your own campaign.

You can use your mailing list to notify all of your subscribers when you publish a new article.

As a plus, you can send emails that you write for your subscribers to make them feel part of the team.

It is an easy way to promote your work.

10. ArticleBiz

ArticleBiz offers you the chance to get your articles picked up by online publishers.

It’s very easy to submit your articles.

When you do, you will also complete a resource box. It is a short bio about yourself. You can include your email and website address information.

You can choose from a huge range of categories for your articles.

It has an Alexa ranking of 210,908. So it certainly gets a lot of traffic and readers.

If you are new to article writing, it is a great site to make a start with your online publishing.

11. Substack

For writers open to a different approach in publishing, Substack is well worth investigating.

It’s a free platform you can join to post your articles. But the big focus with Substack is on getting readers to subscribe to your writing.

Your articles will certainly be available online. But if your sole aim is to get your articles to rank high on search engines, Medium might be a better option.

However, if you want to build a loyal readership, there’s no better way than to attract email subscribers.

You can start by offering your articles for free. But if you can build some traction and your mailing list, there is an option to monetize your writing later.

Many high-profile writers are already earning money from paid subscribers, but some new writers are also succeeding.

If you only want to publish one or two, it’s not the platform for you.

But if you want to make writing your passion and publish regular articles on your topic, Substack might be precisely the right publishing option for you.

12. Google Sites

When you want to have more control over your articles, you might consider using Google Sites .

It’s a simple website builder from Google. The two big advantages are that it’s free and very easy to use.

All you need is your Google account to log in and get started.

You can set up your new site in only a few minutes. Just make sure you make it available online.

Once you start adding your articles, you then have a chance of them being indexed by Google.

Like other website platforms, you can add gadgets to create interest. But they are basic.

Submitting your articles to a lot of different sites can be time-consuming and difficult to track.

But with your own site, you are in control of all your content.

Google Sites is a great option when all you want is a free, simple, and easy way to publish your articles in one place.

When you see the choices you have, there are no limits today on interactive content creation and digital publishing.

Anyone can learn to publish articles once they decide to start. All you need to do is find new topic ideas .

With all these fantastic platforms available to you, all you have to do is get to work and start writing.

Many have native apps for iOS, Android, and Google Play. Check your App stores.

Before you know it, you are going to be writing for free article submission sites .

All you need is to use your drive and passion to get you heading toward your goals.

Give one of these websites a try, and you will be publishing your fantastic articles in no time at all.

Related reading: Where To Publish Short Stories Online

About The Author

Derek Haines

More articles.

Should You Accept Free And Paid Guest Posts On Your Site?

The Top 11 Free Article Submission Sites For New Writers

Is This Publisher Legitimate? How You Can Make Your Decision

52 thoughts on “12 free platforms for writers to publish articles online”.

I am a retired man with a technical background. I have written many articles on varied subjects but have never published. The subject matter includes science, religion, political and current events. The articles vary in length from one page to 20 pages. Have you ane suggestions for an appropriate posting site?

You cover a lot of topics, and different lengths, Phil.

It might be difficult to find one platform for them all.

Perhaps setting up a free blog, such as with Blogger or WordPress, might be a better move.

Thanks, I’ll look into that.

I have written quite a few articles, most of them being inspirational. Some are in the form of messages learnt from incidents in everyday life. I also feel that as a citizen on this planet, it is my duty to share the good things I have learnt, so others can benefit too. Am wondering where would be a good place to begin publishing. Thanks.

Derek, I am a decent lady, not available for romance, but just want you to know that I like your way; I just like your website & the way you make your comments and respond to questions. There’s just something about you. I like you.

Thank you. I’m happy to hear that you enjoy the content of the site.

I think writing story’s and publishing them and seeing how people comment, will help me when i get older and see what I want to be. I haven’t chosen yet I’ve always wanted to be a journalist or a media worker, honestly, I don’t yet…

I notice that as a new writer, I have strong passion to publish. But I believe there is the need to learn to make my writing ‘clean’, mistake-free and perfect for my readers before publishing. What writing training apps would you recommend to help me ‘sanitize’ my writing?

I would suggest Prowritingaid for a new writer. It’s got everything you need to edit and improve your writing.

Will be paid for publishing articles on this platform listed above?

Will try this

I’m seventy-two and have been writing for a long time. I have a folder full of articles and I also have a folder full of science fiction stories. I have poetry and comics. I need a platform that allows me to publish as I please.

I’m an unpublished writer with several manuscripts. Do these platforms here publish novels?

No, Samuel. These sites are only suitable for publishing articles.

If you want to publish novels, try Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or Draft2Digital.

Hello Derek, I’m new to writing articles, but I wasn’t to write articles focusing on Young People and their struggles. I would like to build some readership for my article. What site do you recommend? Thank you.

You can use any site, Paul. But before you do, make sure your writing is perfect. In your comment, I’m sure you meant, wanted to write, and not wasn’t to write. You can’t expect to find readers if you make errors like this. Always, always check your writing before you hit the button.

Dear Derek, I would like to write articles about personal awareness and development. I am a new writer and I would like to reach a large odience eventually .. which platform would you recommend, please?

The best platform is always the one that you feel will work for you, Paoletta. But if you are looking at building a readership, Medium and Substack are two you might consider.

I’m really grateful to have stumbled on this site which I believe will greatly help me in publishing my articles. I do news articles that focus much more on culture. But I sort of publish stuff that is newsworthy so I also write on crisis in Africa.

Be aware that on Medium your articles and you as an author won’t be searchable until you get a critical mass of readers and followers/claps. Which means that you need to actively promote your writing, for strangers to find your page on any given day (except the few first hours of the publication). Very disappointed.

Medium is no different from any other form of publishing articles. You need a certain amount of traction before it can rank in Google Search.

For a blog post, you need backlinks. On Medium, you need followers and claps.

It’s pretty standard stuff, but not disappointing if you know how to promote what you post.

There are no free rides at getting articles to rank. You still need to work on it to be successful.

i need to publish my story about chronic kidney disease and kidney transplants, the need for kidney donors and how this need is affected by the Covid pandemic.; and my personal need for a transplant to save my life. Where is the best place to submit my article?

Use any of the sites listed in this article. But I would try Medium first.

I need to publish my article which are explain about lidar technology. Where can I publish my article?

Dear sir I need to publish my paper which concerns on climate. so how can I publish it?

Really grateful to get these platforms to publish my article. Thanks to you for gifting us such information for these platforms.

how I can publish the article ??

Good information but why did you not include Substack?

this is great where do i publish my scholarly articles and class modules

Hi Derek, Impressive Collection shared on Free Publishing Articles. Would like to know where we can share technical content.

Ok how can I publish

Hey this is Simeone here. I already participate in the Medium corporative community, it is a good platform for publishing your stories online. I only have a technical problems with the platform. I’m hoping to enjoy my writing of articles with these other platforms.

According to me the best usage of time is writing. It makes an individual to think widely on every aspect. Writing enable person to do brainstorming over the topic. This improves the writing work of writer.

Thank you very much! I spent about 2-3 hours and looked at these sites. Medium appears to be educational and very helpful for beginning writers! I will use it and promote it! See where I am with it by the end of the year! Thank you again! Edina Back, Executive Establishment Officer, Personnel Efficiency Foundation

Good morning. Please I am a prolific writer. I write on a broad range of topics and areas ranging from Marriage, Relationship, Politics, amongst others. How do I publish my articles please?

Fine, thank you.

I want to publish my poetries. Where I can get it published?

I have 200 pages of musings and poetry in RHYMING format. Deep thoughts and shallow—-should it be published? C R Petty Col USMC Ret.

I’m looking for free publishing platform. I want to publish an article I wrote while I was in college. This an academic article for educators (teaching profession). What is the appropriate website for that.

Hlo sir/mam, we are the students of masters. Sir we want to publish our research article in your site. So sir please give us the details regarding publication criteria or fees. We shall be thankful to you for this kind of purpose.

As they say always seek knowledge I would like to seek knowledge and become one of the best poets ever in history by explaining to people about what’s love

Kindly please keep providing me the work related to writing . Iam hard working and dedicated.

“Life is my teacher and living is my lesson.” I believe everyday you live, you learn alot from life. When you stop living is when the lessons stop. Article is informative and useful. Reading it has set me in motion. I now know how to proceed. The lessons are a step forward in the right direction.

Very valuable information. Lot of secrets, thank you.

Hello Lisa, Great article. Thanks for bringing these tools on one platform for the world. Keep up the good work. Regards

Hello we are publishing house based in Rwanda Africa, we would like to get in touch with you for more information on the on how we can work with you in publishing working in have books for kids both fiction and non fiction kindly tell me how we can work together. Waiting from you soonest Best Regards Andrew.

Please use our site contact form if you wish to get in touch with us.

I want to publish a book. What is the process ? Can I contact you ?Nearest office ?

We only offer advice articles on our site, Abraham. Sorry, but we do not offer personal support or coaching.

Is it possible to publish a small article regarding medical science

Frankly speaking, and as human beings, we always learn from one another. You may good in x and I’m good at y, for that reason I may need your help and you may need my help. It’s a mutual learning.

Hi Derek Haines, I would like to publish my short gospel articles, Where do I start?

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37 Sites That Pay to Write Articles Online

by Stanley Udegbunam | Dec 26, 2023 | Making Money | 0 comments

Are you looking for sites that pay to write articles online? Working from home as a freelance article writer allows you to do so. Every day, new job opportunities for article writers are posted.

Numerous opportunities exist for freelance writers to earn income while doing what they love. From content creation to blogging, there are countless websites and platforms that offer compensation for quality written content. 

In this article, we will explore 37 websites that pay writers for their articles. I’ve categorized them into three – niche platforms, freelance, and writing platforms.

Let’s get to it!

Table of Contents

Niche Platforms

Niche platforms cater to writers with expertise or a passion for particular niches. As a result, you can share your knowledge and earn income within the chosen niches. Below are some popular niche platforms.

1. Neptune 

Neptune is a metadata repository for machine learning researchers and engineers that includes experiment tracking and model registration.

Neptune is used for machine learning research. As a result, they are mostly anticipating data science and machine learning-related content. 

So, if you have a background in AI/ML, this platform is for you.

Payment ranges from $250 to $500 per tutorial.

Learn more about   Neptune

Food52 focuses on food and cooking. They allow food enthusiasts to write recipes, tips, and articles and earn money through their Partner Program. 

Payment: Depending on the estimated length and volume of work, Food52 pays flat prices as opposed to per word. This may be as little as $200 for a brief post or simple recipe (plus up to $50 for ingredient reimbursements). Or as much as $500 for bigger projects.

Learn more about   Food52

3. LogRocket 

Tutorials on React, Redux, Node.js, Wasm, GraphQL, Rust, Flutter, and other technologies are in high demand.

LogRocket combines session replay, error monitoring, and product analytics to enable software teams to build the best online and mobile product experiences possible.

The LogRocket blog is a well-known resource among front-end developers worldwide. 

Payment ranges from $250 to $400 per article.

Learn more about   LogRocket

4. Wellbeing

This Australian-based journal has a physical and online presence and covers a wide range of health and wellness subjects. 

Wellbeing accepts submissions based on four main article kinds. These include travel, special reports, and real-life experiences. 

Payment ranges from $150-$1700 (AU) for articles up to 2000 words.

Learn more about   Wellbeing 

5. The Krazy Coupon Lady

The Krazy Coupon Lady is a website that provides coupons and money-saving ideas. 

Their content is centered on offering helpful guides on how to save money using coupons and other tactics. 

You may check out The Krazy Coupon Lady’s writer’s standards and submission procedures on their website if you’re interested in contributing to their publication.

Payment:   This ranges between $50 and $100 per article.

Learn more about   The Krazy Coupon Lady

6. Tutorialspoint

Tutorialspoint is a website for all technical individuals since it provides step-by-step instructions for every technological issue.

Almost every techie has heard of this company. Their site is full of technical information. 

But as we all know, new technology is released every month. Thus, the need for writers never ends.

Payment ranges from $250 to $500 for each tutorial.

Learn more about   Tutorialspoint

7. English Island Journal

The English Island Journal addresses issues relating to the conservation of wildlife and land, scientific and technological advancements, environmental protection and public policy, energy, agriculture, and animal rights. 

Content that explores the connections between environmental challenges and other social justice and human rights concerns particularly piques their interest. 

They news writers to write news, articles, analysis, features, interviews, and reviews and not fiction or poetry.

Payment:   $0.25 cents/word for 1,200-1,500 words and longer investigative features (2,500-3,000 words). Expect to earn about $750-$1000 for an in-depth feature story (4,000 words).

Learn more about   English Island Journal 

VICE is a media firm that pays authors for their work and covers politics, culture, and news. 

They attract a large number of those who are interested in current affairs, social issues, and culture and have a reputation for their edgy and thought-provoking content. 

Your post must meet their strict editing standards and be well-researched, educational, and captivating in order to be published.  

Payment:   This ranges between $250 and $500 for each article.

Learn more about   VICE

9. Income Diary

Income Diary is a platform and website that offers various resources, articles, and guidance related to online business, entrepreneurship, and Internet marketing. The firm began as a graphic forum, with 1000 users signing up in just six months.

Income Diary operates profitably with 400 blog entries, 7 instructional courses, and software that sells and influences millions of users.

They require articles on SEO, startup business, social media, blogging, and more. 

Payment:    $200 for articles with a minimum of 1,500 words.

Learn more about   Income Diary

Auth0 is a versatile, simple-to-use solution for adding authentication and authorization services to an application. It is a user-friendly, extensible authentication and authorization framework. 

It is the world’s most-read developer blog. Here, developers talk about issues such as security, Python, and so on.

Payment:   Up to $500 per article.

Learn more about   Auth0

11. Cooking Detective

Cooking Detective is a website dedicated to studying various culinary and cooking-related subjects. 

Writers who want to share their culinary knowledge can write various articles. These topics can be on kitchen appliances, recipes, and other facets of the culinary industry. If you love food and enjoy writing about it, 

Cooking Detective gives you the chance to share your expertise while also earning money for your efforts. 

Payment costs up to  $75 for each article. 

Learn more about   Cooking Detective 

12. Transition Abroad

Transition Abroad is a travel magazine. it encompasses a broad variety of subjects relating to travel, work, schooling, living, volunteering overseas, and more. 

There are a ton of themes available in their writer’s handbook.

The pandemic caused this website to prioritize articles that highlight “your experience with virtual internship programs.

It includes virtual volunteering, virtual learning (including language study), online teaching and other international jobs, and online learning to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). 

Payment:    From $75 to $150 for an article in the 1250-3000+ word range. The average payment is $100. 

Learn more about   Transition Abroad

13. Christian Science Monitor

Christian Science Monitor provides news from across the world and the United States. 

It also features individuals changing the world and a Christian viewpoint on science, literature, the new economy, and energy.

Payment:   $.036 cents/word for 1,100-word profiles 

Learn more about   Christian Science Monitor

14. Geeks for Geeks

This is a geeky computer science portal. It comprises articles on computer science and programming that are well-written, well-thought-out, and explained.

It is a website that provides blogs, articles, and tutorials on computer science topics. Other services include computer science courses and IT interviews to help individuals in studying.

Payment:   $50-$100 for each article and prize.

Learn more about   Geeks for Geeks

15. CSS-Tricks

CSS-Tricks is a popular website among developers. This is because it gives answers to complex CSS ideas, making the developer’s life easier.

This is an excellent platform for learning CSS. It also gives an opportunity for authors interested in authoring articles about web development, particularly CSS.

Payment ranges from $300 to $400 for each post.

Learn more about   CSS-Tricks

16. Writer’s Digest

For the writing community, Writer’s Digest pays writers for articles about writing tips and techniques.

Writer’s Digest is currently accepting submissions from freelance writers. They are a print magazine with a circulation of 110,000. They have readers all over the world, but largely in North America.

Payment:   Up to $1,200 per article. 

Learn more about   Writer’s Digest

17. FundsforWriters 

FundsforWriters is a website that helps writers with tools and support.

They provide details about employment, gigs, freelancing, writing grants, and competitions for writers.

Payment:   Between $50 to $ 150 per article

Learn more about   FundsforWriters

18. SitePoint

SitePoint is one of the largest online communities for web professionals. It has a huge, active forum and hundreds of lessons.

Also, it includes a diverse selection of books, kits, and other instructional items.

SitePoint is a community for web developers to share their love of creating amazing Internet content. 

Articles about   Jamstack ,   Gatsby ,   Figma ,   Rust , and current web technologies are in high demand.

Payment ranges from $250 to $500 per article.

Learn more about   SitePoint

19. FreelanceMom

This website is dedicated to motherhood and pursuing career dreams. 

FreelanceMom prioritizes real-life stories, case studies, advice, and personal articles. All of these come with lessons learned about motherhood. 

However, this website is not limited to women alone. Men can also apply. 

Payment:   Rangers between $75 and $100

Learn more about   FreelanceMom

20. A List Apart

This platform is dedicated to web designers and developers. It offers payment for insightful articles on web design and development.

The platform primarily publishes articles, essays, and tutorials that cover a wide range of topics related to web design, web development, user experience (UX), and web standards.

They often seek out insightful and well-researched articles from industry experts and pay for contributions.

This approach has led to the publication of many influential and thought-provoking pieces on various aspects of web design and development.

Payment:   $100 per article

Learn more about   A List Apart

21. The Write Life

The Write Life is a website that provides authors with resources and guidance and also compensates writers for their work. 

They are known for sharing educational and interesting articles on a range of writing-related subjects.

This spans marketing, publishing, freelance writing, and more. 

In addition, they provide an array of tools and services for writers, such as community forums, job boards, and courses.

Payment:   It ranges from $75 to $100 for each article.

Learn more about   The Write Life

22. Great Escape Publishing

Great Escape Publishing focuses on a specific niche, which is travel writing and photography. They provide resources, training, and guidance for individuals interested in pursuing careers in this niche.

Great Escape Publishing offers a range of resources, including workshops, courses, and events. 

This will help aspiring writers and photographers hone their skills and find opportunities to get their work published.

Payment:   $150 for interviews, personal stories, and any articles they request.

Learn more about   Great Escape Publishing 

23. Nutri Inspector

The blog Nutri Inspector focuses on diet, nutrition, and weight loss. 

They release fresh, educational content, product evaluations, recipes, and how-to manuals.

You should apply for this blog if you’re interested in writing about fitness, diet and nutrition, and weight reduction strategies.

Payment:   Ultimate how-to guides (3000-4000 words): $120-$180

• Informational articles (2000-3000 words): $120
• Product reviews (1000 words): $60

Learn more about   Nutri Inspector 

24. Copyhackers

For authors who appreciate writing about branding, marketing, and user experience (UX) design, Copyhackers offers a number of chances. 

They also welcome submissions regarding advice for freelancers and entrepreneurship. 

If you would like to contribute to Copyhackers, go to their website, read the submission rules, and select an area of expertise to begin writing about. 

Payment:   $300 to $1,000 in income per article

Learn more about   Copyhackers

Freelancing Platforms 

1. textbroker.

Textbroker is a well-known network that serves as a hub for freelance writers wishing to work on a range of writing projects for a number of customers. 

The site functions as a content mill. 

Textbroker is a realistic option for authors looking for flexibility and the opportunity to make money via their writing abilities.

Payment ranges from $0.07 to $0.10 per word.

Learn more about   Textbroker

2. WriterAccess

WriterAccess is a platform that serves as a bridge between skilled writers and clients in search of high-quality content. 

It offers a space for writers to showcase their talents and cater to the diverse needs of clients.

One of the distinguishing features of WriterAccess is its adaptable compensation system. 

Writers on this platform are categorized according to their performance and expertise, often represented by star ratings.  

Payment ranges from $0.10 per word.

Learn more about   WriterAccess    

Cracked is a well-known online platform popular for its humorous stories. 

Cracked, known for its distinct and funny style, allows authors to exhibit their wit and humor. It is a site worth considering if you’re an aspiring writer with a sense of humor.

Payment costs up to  $200 for each piece.

Learn more about   Cracked .  

4. Vocal Media

Vocal Media has a number of writing challenges and contests where you may enter your work for a chance to win money.

Furthermore, their Vocal+ program compensates authors with a monthly fee for unique material.

Payment varies according to the effectiveness of your submissions. Members of Vocal+ may earn around $6 for every 1,000 readings.

Learn more about   Vocal Media

One of the most often-used websites for writers to locate jobs online is Upwork.   

Writers, graphic designers, videographers, marketers, and other creative workers can choose from a wide range of jobs available. 

All you need to do is complete your profile and upload samples of your written work. You may look for jobs and submit bids for the projects you’re interested in after your profile is complete.

Payment:   $5 to $20 per hour or $0.01 to $0.03 per word

 Learn more about   Upwork

nDash is a website that mainly serves as a platform for freelancers and writers. 

It connects writers with companies or clients who want written content.

It gives them a place to promote their writing skills and work with customers on a range of content projects, including whitepapers, blog posts, and articles.

Payment:    $150 – $450

Learn more about   nDash

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How can I find websites that pay for writing articles?

You can find websites that pay for articles by searching on popular freelance platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr. 

Additionally, you can explore dedicated platforms like Medium’s Partner Program, HubPages, Vocal Media, and Listverse, which pay writers for their content.

2. What types of articles are in demand on these sites?

The demand for articles can vary, but some popular categories include technology, health, finance, lifestyle, travel, and personal development. 

3. How much can I earn from writing articles online?

Earnings depend on factors such as your experience, niche expertise, and the platform you write for. Payment can range from a few dollars per article to hundreds of dollars, especially if you gain a reputation as an expert in your field. 

4. Do I need to have prior writing experience to get paid for my articles?

While prior writing experience is beneficial, it’s not always a strict requirement. Some websites and platforms are open to writers at various skill levels.

Final Thoughts

Remember, freelance writing is a competitive field. But with dedication and the right strategies, you can build a successful career and get paid for your articles. 

Try out the aforementioned platforms today and start earning when you write. Your determination and persistence will pay off in the long run. 

Good luck in your writing journey!

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What is ChatGPT and why does it matter? Here's what you need to know

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot with natural language processing (NLP) that allows you to have human-like conversations to complete various tasks. The  generative AI  tool can answer questions and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, code, and more.

Also :  How to use ChatGPT: What you need to know now

It's currently  open to use for free . A paid subscription version called ChatGPT Plus launched in February 2023 with access to priority access to OpenAI's latest models and updates.

Who made ChatGPT?

AI startup OpenAI launched ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. OpenAI has also developed  DALL-E 2  and DALL-E 3 , popular  AI image generators , and Whisper, an automatic speech recognition system. 

Who owns ChatGPT currently?

OpenAI owns ChatGPT. Microsoft is a major investor in OpenAI thanks to multiyear, multi-billion dollar  investments. Elon Musk was an investor when OpenAI was first founded in 2015, but has since completely severed ties with the startup and created his own AI chatbot, Grok .

How can you access ChatGPT?

On April 1, 2024, OpenAI stopped requiring you to log in to use ChatGPT. Now, you can access ChatGPT simply by visiting  chat.openai.com . You can also access ChatGPT  via an app on your iPhone  or  Android  device.

Once you visit the site, you can start chatting away with ChatGPT. A great way to get started is by asking a question, similar to what you would do with Google. You can ask as many questions as you'd like.

Also: ChatGPT no longer requires a login, but you might want one anyway. Here's why

There are still some perks to creating an OpenAI account, such saving and reviewing your chat history and accessing custom instructions. Creating an OpenAI account is entirely free and easy. You can even log in with your Google account.

For step-by-step instructions, check out ZDNET's guide on  how to start using ChatGPT . 

Is there a ChatGPT app?

Yes, an official ChatGPT app is available for both iPhone and Android users. 

Also: ChatGPT dropped a free app for iPhones. Does it live up to the hype?

Make sure to download OpenAI's app, as there are a plethora of copycat fake apps listed on Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store that are not affiliated with the startup.

Is ChatGPT available for free?

ChatGPT is free to use, regardless of what you use it for, including writing, coding, and much more. 

There is a subscription option , ChatGPT Plus, that users can take advantage of that costs $20/month. The paid subscription model guarantees users extra perks, such as priority access to GPT-4o and the latest upgrades. 

Also: ChatGPT vs ChatGPT Plus: Is it worth the subscription fee?

Although the subscription price may seem steep, it is the same amount as Microsoft Copilot Pro and Google One AI, Microsoft's and Google's premium AI offerings. 

The free version is still a solid option as it can access the same model and most of the same perks. One major exception: only subscribers get guaranteed access to GPT-4o when the model is at capacity. 

I tried using ChatGPT and it says it's at capacity. What does that mean?

The ChatGPT website operates using servers. When too many people hop onto these servers, they may overload and can't process your request. If this happens to you, you can visit the site later when fewer people are trying to access the tool. You can also keep the tab open and refresh it periodically. 

Also: The best AI chatbots

If you want to skip the wait and have reliable access, you can subscribe to  ChatGPT Plus  for general access during peak times, faster response times, and priority access to new features and improvements, including priority access to GPT-4o.

You can also try using Bing's AI chatbot, Copilot . This chatbot is free to use, runs on GPT-4, has no wait times, and can access the internet for more accurate information.

What is ChatGPT used for?

ChatGPT has many functions in addition to answering simple questions. ChatGPT can compose essays , have philosophical conversations, do math, and even code for you . 

The tasks ChatGPT can help with also don't have to be so ambitious. For example, my favorite use of ChatGPT is for help creating basic lists for chores, such as packing and grocery shopping, and to-do lists that make my daily life more productive. The possibilities are endless. 

ZDNET has published many ChatGPT how-to guides. Below are some of the most popular ones. 

Use ChatGPT to: 

• Write an essay
• Create an app
• Build your resume
• Write Excel formulas
• Summarize content
• Write a cover letter
• Start an Etsy business
• Create charts and tables
• Write Adruino drivers

Can ChatGPT generate images?

Yes, ChatGPT can generate images, but only for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Since OpenAI discontinued DALL-E 2 in February 2024, the only way to access its most advanced AI image generator, DALL-E 3, through OpenAI's offerings is via its chatbot and ChatGPT Plus subscription.

Also: DALL-E adds new ways to edit and create AI-generated images. Learn how to use it

Microsoft's Copilot offers image generation, which is also powered by DALL-E 3, in its chatbot for free. This is a great alternative if you don't want to shell out the money for ChatGPT Plus.

How does ChatGPT work?

ChatGPT runs on a large language model (LLM) architecture created by OpenAI called the  Generative Pre-trained Transformer  (GPT). Since its launch, the free version of ChatGPT ran on a fine-tuned model in the GPT-3.5 series until May 2024, when the startup upgraded the model to GPT-4o. 

Also:   Here's a deep dive into how ChatGPT works  

With a subscription to ChatGPT Plus , you can access GPT-3.5, GPT-4, or  GPT-4o . Plus, users also have the added perk of priority access to GPT-4o, even when it is at capacity, while free users get booted down to GPT-3.5. 

Generative AI models of this type are trained on vast amounts of information from the internet, including websites, books, news articles, and more.

What does ChatGPT stand for?

As mentioned above, the last three letters in ChatGPT's namesake stand for Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), a family of large language models created by OpenAI that uses deep learning to generate human-like, conversational text. 

Also: What does GPT stand for? Understanding GPT 3.5, GPT 4, GPT-4 Turbo, and more

The "Chat" part of the name is simply a callout to its chatting capabilities. 

Is ChatGPT better than a search engine?

ChatGPT is a language model created to converse with the end user. A search engine indexes web pages on the internet to help users find information. One is not better than the other, as each suit different purposes. 

When searching for as much up-to-date, accurate information as you can access, your best bet is a search engine. It will provide you with pages upon pages of sources you can peruse. 

Also: The best AI search engines of 2024: Google, Perplexity, and more

As of May, the free version of ChatGPT can get responses from both the GPT-4o model and the web. It will only pull its answer from, and ultimately list, a handful of sources, as opposed to showing nearly endless search results.

For example, I used GPT-4o to answer, "What is the weather today in San Francisco?" The response told me it searched four sites and provided links to them. 

If you are looking for a platform that can explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner, then ChatGPT might be what you want. If you want the best of both worlds, there are plenty of AI search engines on the market that combine both.

What are ChatGPT's limitations?

Despite its impressive capabilities, ChatGPT still has limitations. Users sometimes need to reword questions multiple times for ChatGPT to understand their intent. A bigger limitation is a lack of quality in responses, which can sometimes be plausible-sounding but are verbose or make no practical sense. 

Instead of asking for clarification on ambiguous questions, the model guesses what your question means, which can lead to poor responses. Generative AI models are also subject to hallucinations, which can result in inaccurate responses.

Does ChatGPT give wrong answers?

As mentioned above, ChatGPT, like all language models, has  limitations  and can give nonsensical answers and incorrect information, so it's important to double-check the data it gives you.

Also: 8 ways to reduce ChatGPT hallucinations

OpenAI recommends that you provide feedback on what ChatGPT generates by using the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons to improve its underlying model. You can even join the startup's Bug Bounty program , which offers up to $20,000 for reporting security bugs and safety issues.

Can ChatGPT refuse to answer my prompts?

AI systems like ChatGPT can and do reject  inappropriate requests . The AI assistant can identify inappropriate submissions to prevent the generation of unsafe content.

Also:  6 things ChatGPT can't do (and another 20 it refuses to do)

These submissions include questions that violate someone's rights, are offensive, are discriminatory, or involve illegal activities. The ChatGPT model can also challenge incorrect premises, answer follow-up questions, and even admit mistakes when you point them out.

These guardrails are important. AI models can generate advanced, realistic content that can be exploited by bad actors for harm, such as spreading misinformation about public figures and influencing elections .

Can I chat with ChatGPT?

Although some people use ChatGPT for elaborate functions, such as writing code or even malware , you can use ChatGPT for more mundane activities, such as having a friendly conversation. 

Also:  Do you like asking ChatGPT questions? You could get paid (a lot) for it

Some conversation starters could be as simple as, "I am hungry, what food should I get?" or as elaborate as, "What do you think happens in the afterlife?" Either way, ChatGPT is sure to have an answer for you. 

Is ChatGPT safe?

People are expressing concerns about AI chatbots replacing or atrophying human intelligence. For example, a chatbot can write an article on any topic efficiently (though not necessarily accurately) within seconds, potentially eliminating the need for human writers.

Chatbots can also write an entire essay within seconds, making it easier for students to cheat or avoid learning how to write properly. This even led  some school districts to block access  when ChatGPT initially launched. 

Also:  Generative AI can be the academic assistant an underserved student needs

Now, not only have many of those schools decided to unblock the technology, but some higher education institutions have been  catering their academic offerings  to AI-related coursework. 

Another concern with AI chatbots is the possible spread of misinformation. ChatGPT itself says: "My responses are not intended to be taken as fact, and I always encourage people to verify any information they receive from me or any other source." OpenAI also notes that ChatGPT sometimes writes "plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers."

Also:  Microsoft and OpenAI detect and disrupt nation-state cyber threats that use AI, report shows

Lastly, there are ethical concerns regarding the information ChatGPT was trained on, since the startup scraped the internet to train the chatbot. 

It also automatically uses people's interactions with the free version of the chatbot to further train its models, raising privacy concerns. OpenAI lets you turn off training in ChatGPT's settings.

Does ChatGPT plagiarize?

Yes, sort of. OpenAI scraped the internet to train ChatGPT. Therefore, the technology's knowledge is influenced by other people's work. Since there is no guarantee that when OpenAI outputs its answers it is entirely original, the chatbot may regurgitate someone else's work in your answer, which is considered plagiarism. 

Is there a ChatGPT detector?

Concerns about students using AI to cheat mean the need for a ChatGPT text detector is becoming more evident. 

In January 2023, OpenAI released a free tool to target this problem. Unfortunately, OpenAI's "classifier" tool could only correctly identify 26% of AI-written text with a "likely AI-written" designation. Furthermore, it provided false positives 9% of the time, incorrectly identifying human-written work as AI-produced. 

The tool performed so poorly  that, six months after being released, OpenAI it shut down "due to its low rate of accuracy." Despite the tool's failure, the startup claims to be researching more effective techniques for AI text identification.

Also: OpenAI unveils text-to-video model and the results are astonishing

Other AI detectors exist on the market, including GPT-2 Output Detector ,  Writer AI Content Detector , and Content at Scale's AI Content Detection  tool. ZDNET put these tools to the test, and the results were underwhelming: all three were found to be unreliable sources for spotting AI, repeatedly giving false negatives. Here are  ZDNET's full test results .

What are the common signs something was written by ChatGPT?

Although tools aren't sufficient for detecting ChatGPT-generated writing, a  study  shows that humans could detect AI-written text by looking for politeness. The study's results indicate that  ChatGPT's writing style is extremely polite . And unlike humans, it cannot produce responses that include metaphors, irony, or sarcasm.

Will my conversations with ChatGPT be used for training?

One of the major risks when using generative AI models is that they become more intelligent by being trained on user inputs. Therefore, when familiarizing yourself with how to use ChatGPT, you might wonder if your specific conversations will be used for training and, if so, who can view your chats.

Also:  This ChatGPT update fixed one of my biggest productivity issues with the AI chatbot

OpenAI will use your conversations with the free chatbot to automatically training data to refine its models. You can opt out of the startup using your data for model training by clicking on the question mark in the bottom left-hand corner, Settings, and turning off "Improve the model for everyone."

What is GPT-4?

GPT-4 is OpenAI's language model that is much more advanced than its predecessor, GPT-3.5. Users can access GPT-4 by subscribing to ChatGPT Plus for $20 per month or using Microsoft's Copilot.

Also: What does GPT stand for? Understanding GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and more

GPT-4 has advanced intellectual capabilities, meaning it outperforms GPT-3.5 in a series of simulated benchmark exams. The newer model also supposedly produces fewer hallucinations. 

What is GPT-4o?

GPT-4o is OpenAI's latest, fastest, and most advanced flagship model. As the name implies, it has the same intelligence as GPT-4. However, the "o" in the title stands for "omni," referring to its multimodal capabilities, which allow it to understand text, audio, image, and video inputs and output text, audio, and image outputs. 

Also:  6 ways OpenAI just supercharged ChatGPT for free users

The model is 50% cheaper in the API than GPT-4 Turbo while still matching its English and coding capabilities and outperforming it in non-English languages, vision, and audio understanding -- a big win for developers.

Are there alternatives to ChatGPT worth considering?

Although ChatGPT gets the most buzz, other options are just as good -- and might even be better suited to your needs. ZDNET has created a list of the best chatbots, which have all been tested by us and show which tool is best for your requirements. 

Also: 4 things Claude AI can do that ChatGPT can't

Despite ChatGPT's extensive abilities, there are major downsides to the AI chatbot. If you want to try the technology, there are plenty of other options: Copilot , Claude , Perplexity ,  Jasper , and more.  

Is ChatGPT smart enough to pass benchmark exams?

Yes, ChatGPT is capable of passing a series of benchmark exams. A professor at Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania's business school, used ChatGPT to take an MBA exam and the results were quite impressive. 

ChatGPT not only passed the exam, but the tool scored between a B- and a B. The professor, Christian Terwiesch, was impressed at its basic operations management, process analysis questions, and explanations.

OpenAI also tested the chatbot's ability to pass benchmark exams. Although ChatGPT could pass many of these benchmark exams, its scores were usually in the lower percentile. However, with GPT-4, ChatGPT can score much higher.

For example, ChatGPT using GPT-3.5 scored in the lower 10th percentile of a simulated Bar Exam, while GPT-4 scored in the top 10th percentile. You can see more examples from OpenAI in the chart below.

Can ChatGPT be used for job application assistance?

Yes, ChatGPT is a great resource to help with job applications. Undertaking a job search can be tedious and difficult, and ChatGPT can help you lighten the load. ChatGPT can build your resume  and write a cover letter .

Also :  How to use ChatGPT to write an essay

If your application has any written supplements, you can use ChatGPT to help you write those essays or personal statements . 

What are the most common ChatGPT plugins, and how do I use them?

Plugins allowed ChatGPT to connect to third-party applications, including access to real-time information on the web. The plugins expanded ChatGPT's abilities , allowing it to assist with many more activities, such as planning a trip or finding a place to eat. 

Also:  My two favorite ChatGPT Plus features and the remarkable things I can do with them

On March 19, 2024, however, OpenAI stopped allowing users to install new plugins or start new conversations with existing ones. Instead, OpenAI replaced plugins with GPTs , which are easier for developers to build. 

Users can find 3 million ChatGPT chatbots, also known as GPTs, on the GPT store. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of spam in the GPT store.

What is Microsoft's involvement with ChatGPT?

Microsoft was an early investor in OpenAI, the AI startup behind ChatGPT, long before ChatGPT was released to the public. Microsoft's first involvement with OpenAI was in 2019, when the company invested $1 billion, and then another $2 billion in the years after. In January 2023, Microsoft extended its partnership with OpenAI through a multiyear, multi-billion dollar investment .

Also: ChatGPT vs. Copilot: Which AI chatbot is better for you?

 Neither company disclosed the investment value, but unnamed sources told Bloomberg that it could total $10 billion over multiple years. In return, OpenAI's exclusive cloud-computing provider is Microsoft Azure, powering all OpenAI workloads across research, products, and API services.

Microsoft has also used its OpenAI partnership to revamp its Bing search engine and improve its browser. 

On February 7, 2023, Microsoft unveiled a new Bing tool , now known as Copilot, that runs on OpenAI's GPT-4, customized specifically for search.

What does Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) have to do with ChatGPT?

In February 2023,  Microsoft unveiled  a new version of Bing -- and its standout feature was its integration with ChatGPT. When it was announced, Microsoft shared that Bing Chat, now Copilot, was powered by a next-generation version of OpenAI's large language model, making it "more powerful than ChatGPT." Five weeks after the launch, Microsoft revealed that Copilot had been running on GPT-4 before the model had even launched. 

How does Copilot compare to ChatGPT?

Copilot uses OpenAI's GPT-4, which means that since its launch, it has been more efficient and capable than the standard, free version of ChatGPT. At the time, Copilot boasted several other features over ChatGPT, such as access to the internet, knowledge of current information, and footnotes.

In May 2024, however, OpenAI supercharged the free version of its chatbot with GPT-4o. The upgrade gave users GPT-4 level intelligence, the ability to get responses from the web via ChatGPT Browse with Bing, analyze data, chat about photos and documents, use GPTs, access the GPT Store, and Voice Mode. Therefore, after the upgrade, ChatGPT reclaimed its crown as the best AI chatbot. 

What is Gemini and how does it relate to ChatGPT?

Gemini is Google's AI chat service, a rival to ChatGPT. On February 6, 2023, Google introduced its experimental AI chat service, which was then called Google Bard. Over a month after the announcement, Google began rolling out  access to Bard first via a waitlist . Now, it is available to the general public. 

Artificial Intelligence

Chatgpt vs. copilot: which ai chatbot is better for you, what does gpt stand for understanding gpt-3.5, gpt-4, gpt-4o, and more, chatgpt vs. chatgpt plus: is a paid subscription still worth it.

Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever

Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas

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Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET on April 6, 2024.

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MY FIRST GLIMPSE of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, from the window of an approaching Miami cab, brings on a feeling of vertigo, nausea, amazement, and distress. I shut my eyes in defense, as my brain tells my optic nerve to try again.

The ship makes no sense, vertically or horizontally. It makes no sense on sea, or on land, or in outer space. It looks like a hodgepodge of domes and minarets, tubes and canopies, like Istanbul had it been designed by idiots. Vibrant, oversignifying colors are stacked upon other such colors, decks perched over still more decks; the only comfort is a row of lifeboats ringing its perimeter. There is no imposed order, no cogent thought, and, for those who do not harbor a totalitarian sense of gigantomania, no visual mercy. This is the biggest cruise ship ever built, and I have been tasked with witnessing its inaugural voyage.

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“Author embarks on their first cruise-ship voyage” has been a staple of American essay writing for almost three decades, beginning with David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again,” which was first published in 1996 under the title “Shipping Out.” Since then, many admirable writers have widened and diversified the genre. Usually the essayist commissioned to take to the sea is in their first or second flush of youth and is ready to sharpen their wit against the hull of the offending vessel. I am 51, old and tired, having seen much of the world as a former travel journalist, and mostly what I do in both life and prose is shrug while muttering to my imaginary dachshund, “This too shall pass.” But the Icon of the Seas will not countenance a shrug. The Icon of the Seas is the Linda Loman of cruise ships, exclaiming that attention must be paid. And here I am in late January with my one piece of luggage and useless gray winter jacket and passport, zipping through the Port of Miami en route to the gangway that will separate me from the bulk of North America for more than seven days, ready to pay it in full.

The aforementioned gangway opens up directly onto a thriving mall (I will soon learn it is imperiously called the “Royal Promenade”), presently filled with yapping passengers beneath a ceiling studded with balloons ready to drop. Crew members from every part of the global South, as well as a few Balkans, are shepherding us along while pressing flutes of champagne into our hands. By a humming Starbucks, I drink as many of these as I can and prepare to find my cabin. I show my blue Suite Sky SeaPass Card (more on this later, much more) to a smiling woman from the Philippines, and she tells me to go “aft.” Which is where, now? As someone who has rarely sailed on a vessel grander than the Staten Island Ferry, I am confused. It turns out that the aft is the stern of the ship, or, for those of us who don’t know what a stern or an aft are, its ass. The nose of the ship, responsible for separating the waves before it, is also called a bow, and is marked for passengers as the FWD , or forward. The part of the contemporary sailing vessel where the malls are clustered is called the midship. I trust that you have enjoyed this nautical lesson.

I ascend via elevator to my suite on Deck 11. This is where I encounter my first terrible surprise. My suite windows and balcony do not face the ocean. Instead, they look out onto another shopping mall. This mall is the one that’s called Central Park, perhaps in homage to the Olmsted-designed bit of greenery in the middle of my hometown. Although on land I would be delighted to own a suite with Central Park views, here I am deeply depressed. To sail on a ship and not wake up to a vast blue carpet of ocean? Unthinkable.

Allow me a brief preamble here. The story you are reading was commissioned at a moment when most staterooms on the Icon were sold out. In fact, so enthralled by the prospect of this voyage were hard-core mariners that the ship’s entire inventory of guest rooms (the Icon can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers, but its inaugural journey was reduced to 5,000 or so for a less crowded experience) was almost immediately sold out. Hence, this publication was faced with the shocking prospect of paying nearly $19,000 to procure for this solitary passenger an entire suite—not including drinking expenses—all for the privilege of bringing you this article. But the suite in question doesn’t even have a view of the ocean! I sit down hard on my soft bed. Nineteen thousand dollars for this .

The viewless suite does have its pluses. In addition to all the Malin+Goetz products in my dual bathrooms, I am granted use of a dedicated Suite Deck lounge; access to Coastal Kitchen, a superior restaurant for Suites passengers; complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream (“the fastest Internet at Sea”) “for one device per person for the whole cruise duration”; a pair of bathrobes (one of which comes prestained with what looks like a large expectoration by the greenest lizard on Earth); and use of the Grove Suite Sun, an area on Decks 18 and 19 with food and deck chairs reserved exclusively for Suite passengers. I also get reserved seating for a performance of The Wizard of Oz , an ice-skating tribute to the periodic table, and similar provocations. The very color of my Suite Sky SeaPass Card, an oceanic blue as opposed to the cloying royal purple of the standard non-Suite passenger, will soon provoke envy and admiration. But as high as my status may be, there are those on board who have much higher status still, and I will soon learn to bow before them.

In preparation for sailing, I have “priced in,” as they say on Wall Street, the possibility that I may come from a somewhat different monde than many of the other cruisers. Without falling into stereotypes or preconceptions, I prepare myself for a friendly outspokenness on the part of my fellow seafarers that may not comply with modern DEI standards. I believe in meeting people halfway, and so the day before flying down to Miami, I visited what remains of Little Italy to purchase a popular T-shirt that reads DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL across the breast in the colors of the Italian flag. My wife recommended that I bring one of my many T-shirts featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, as all Americans love the beagle and his friends. But I naively thought that my meatball T-shirt would be more suitable for conversation-starting. “Oh, and who is your ‘daddy’?” some might ask upon seeing it. “And how long have you been his ‘little meatball’?” And so on.

I put on my meatball T-shirt and head for one of the dining rooms to get a late lunch. In the elevator, I stick out my chest for all to read the funny legend upon it, but soon I realize that despite its burnished tricolor letters, no one takes note. More to the point, no one takes note of me. Despite my attempts at bridge building, the very sight of me (small, ethnic, without a cap bearing the name of a football team) elicits no reaction from other passengers. Most often, they will small-talk over me as if I don’t exist. This brings to mind the travails of David Foster Wallace , who felt so ostracized by his fellow passengers that he retreated to his cabin for much of his voyage. And Wallace was raised primarily in the Midwest and was a much larger, more American-looking meatball than I am. If he couldn’t talk to these people, how will I? What if I leave this ship without making any friends at all, despite my T-shirt? I am a social creature, and the prospect of seven days alone and apart is saddening. Wallace’s stateroom, at least, had a view of the ocean, a kind of cheap eternity.

Worse awaits me in the dining room. This is a large, multichandeliered room where I attended my safety training (I was shown how to put on a flotation vest; it is a very simple procedure). But the maître d’ politely refuses me entry in an English that seems to verge on another language. “I’m sorry, this is only for pendejos ,” he seems to be saying. I push back politely and he repeats himself. Pendejos ? Piranhas? There’s some kind of P-word to which I am not attuned. Meanwhile elderly passengers stream right past, powered by their limbs, walkers, and electric wheelchairs. “It is only pendejo dining today, sir.” “But I have a suite!” I say, already starting to catch on to the ship’s class system. He examines my card again. “But you are not a pendejo ,” he confirms. I am wearing a DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL T-shirt, I want to say to him. I am the essence of pendejo .

Eventually, I give up and head to the plebeian buffet on Deck 15, which has an aquatic-styled name I have now forgotten. Before gaining entry to this endless cornucopia of reheated food, one passes a washing station of many sinks and soap dispensers, and perhaps the most intriguing character on the entire ship. He is Mr. Washy Washy—or, according to his name tag, Nielbert of the Philippines—and he is dressed as a taco (on other occasions, I’ll see him dressed as a burger). Mr. Washy Washy performs an eponymous song in spirited, indeed flamboyant English: “Washy, washy, wash your hands, WASHY WASHY!” The dangers of norovirus and COVID on a cruise ship this size (a giant fellow ship was stricken with the former right after my voyage) makes Mr. Washy Washy an essential member of the crew. The problem lies with the food at the end of Washy’s rainbow. The buffet is groaning with what sounds like sophisticated dishes—marinated octopus, boiled egg with anchovy, chorizo, lobster claws—but every animal tastes tragically the same, as if there was only one creature available at the market, a “cruisipus” bred specifically for Royal Caribbean dining. The “vegetables” are no better. I pick up a tomato slice and look right through it. It tastes like cellophane. I sit alone, apart from the couples and parents with gaggles of children, as “We Are Family” echoes across the buffet space.

I may have failed to mention that all this time, the Icon of the Seas has not left port. As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks. After the sun sets, in the far, dark distance, another circus-lit cruise ship ruptures the waves before us. We glance at it with pity, because it is by definition a smaller ship than our own. I am on Deck 15, outside the buffet and overlooking a bunch of pools (the Icon has seven of them), drinking a frilly drink that I got from one of the bars (the Icon has 15 of them), still too shy to speak to anyone, despite Sister Sledge’s assertion that all on the ship are somehow related.

Kim Brooks: On failing the family vacation

The ship’s passage away from Ron DeSantis’s Florida provides no frisson, no sense of developing “sea legs,” as the ship is too large to register the presence of waves unless a mighty wind adds significant chop. It is time for me to register the presence of the 5,000 passengers around me, even if they refuse to register mine. My fellow travelers have prepared for this trip with personally decorated T-shirts celebrating the importance of this voyage. The simplest ones say ICON INAUGURAL ’24 on the back and the family name on the front. Others attest to an over-the-top love of cruise ships: WARNING! MAY START TALKING ABOUT CRUISING . Still others are artisanally designed and celebrate lifetimes spent married while cruising (on ships, of course). A couple possibly in their 90s are wearing shirts whose backs feature a drawing of a cruise liner, two flamingos with ostensibly male and female characteristics, and the legend “ HUSBAND AND WIFE Cruising Partners FOR LIFE WE MAY NOT HAVE IT All Together BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL .” (The words not in all caps have been written in cursive.) A real journalist or a more intrepid conversationalist would have gone up to the couple and asked them to explain the longevity of their marriage vis-à-vis their love of cruising. But instead I head to my mall suite, take off my meatball T-shirt, and allow the first tears of the cruise to roll down my cheeks slowly enough that I briefly fall asleep amid the moisture and salt.

I WAKE UP with a hangover. Oh God. Right. I cannot believe all of that happened last night. A name floats into my cobwebbed, nauseated brain: “Ayn Rand.” Jesus Christ.

I breakfast alone at the Coastal Kitchen. The coffee tastes fine and the eggs came out of a bird. The ship rolls slightly this morning; I can feel it in my thighs and my schlong, the parts of me that are most receptive to danger.

I had a dangerous conversation last night. After the sun set and we were at least 50 miles from shore (most modern cruise ships sail at about 23 miles an hour), I lay in bed softly hiccupping, my arms stretched out exactly like Jesus on the cross, the sound of the distant waves missing from my mall-facing suite, replaced by the hum of air-conditioning and children shouting in Spanish through the vents of my two bathrooms. I decided this passivity was unacceptable. As an immigrant, I feel duty-bound to complete the tasks I am paid for, which means reaching out and trying to understand my fellow cruisers. So I put on a normal James Perse T-shirt and headed for one of the bars on the Royal Promenade—the Schooner Bar, it was called, if memory serves correctly.

I sat at the bar for a martini and two Negronis. An old man with thick, hairy forearms drank next to me, very silent and Hemingwaylike, while a dreadlocked piano player tinkled out a series of excellent Elton John covers. To my right, a young white couple—he in floral shorts, she in a light, summery miniskirt with a fearsome diamond ring, neither of them in football regalia—chatted with an elderly couple. Do it , I commanded myself. Open your mouth. Speak! Speak without being spoken to. Initiate. A sentence fragment caught my ear from the young woman, “Cherry Hill.” This is a suburb of Philadelphia in New Jersey, and I had once been there for a reading at a synagogue. “Excuse me,” I said gently to her. “Did you just mention Cherry Hill? It’s a lovely place.”

As it turned out, the couple now lived in Fort Lauderdale (the number of Floridians on the cruise surprised me, given that Southern Florida is itself a kind of cruise ship, albeit one slowly sinking), but soon they were talking with me exclusively—the man potbellied, with a chin like a hard-boiled egg; the woman as svelte as if she were one of the many Ukrainian members of the crew—the elderly couple next to them forgotten. This felt as groundbreaking as the first time I dared to address an American in his native tongue, as a child on a bus in Queens (“On my foot you are standing, Mister”).

“I don’t want to talk politics,” the man said. “But they’re going to eighty-six Biden and put Michelle in.”

I considered the contradictions of his opening conversational gambit, but decided to play along. “People like Michelle,” I said, testing the waters. The husband sneered, but the wife charitably put forward that the former first lady was “more personable” than Joe Biden. “They’re gonna eighty-six Biden,” the husband repeated. “He can’t put a sentence together.”

After I mentioned that I was a writer—though I presented myself as a writer of teleplays instead of novels and articles such as this one—the husband told me his favorite writer was Ayn Rand. “Ayn Rand, she came here with nothing,” the husband said. “I work with a lot of Cubans, so …” I wondered if I should mention what I usually do to ingratiate myself with Republicans or libertarians: the fact that my finances improved after pass-through corporations were taxed differently under Donald Trump. Instead, I ordered another drink and the couple did the same, and I told him that Rand and I were born in the same city, St. Petersburg/Leningrad, and that my family also came here with nothing. Now the bonding and drinking began in earnest, and several more rounds appeared. Until it all fell apart.

Read: Gary Shteyngart on watching Russian television for five days straight

My new friend, whom I will refer to as Ayn, called out to a buddy of his across the bar, and suddenly a young couple, both covered in tattoos, appeared next to us. “He fucking punked me,” Ayn’s frat-boy-like friend called out as he put his arm around Ayn, while his sizable partner sizzled up to Mrs. Rand. Both of them had a look I have never seen on land—their eyes projecting absence and enmity in equal measure. In the ’90s, I drank with Russian soldiers fresh from Chechnya and wandered the streets of wartime Zagreb, but I have never seen such undisguised hostility toward both me and perhaps the universe at large. I was briefly introduced to this psychopathic pair, but neither of them wanted to have anything to do with me, and the tattooed woman would not even reveal her Christian name to me (she pretended to have the same first name as Mrs. Rand). To impress his tattooed friends, Ayn made fun of the fact that as a television writer, I’d worked on the series Succession (which, it would turn out, practically nobody on the ship had watched), instead of the far more palatable, in his eyes, zombie drama of last year. And then my new friends drifted away from me into an angry private conversation—“He punked me!”—as I ordered another drink for myself, scared of the dead-eyed arrivals whose gaze never registered in the dim wattage of the Schooner Bar, whose terrifying voices and hollow laughs grated like unoiled gears against the crooning of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

But today is a new day for me and my hangover. After breakfast, I explore the ship’s so-called neighborhoods . There’s the AquaDome, where one can find a food hall and an acrobatic sound-and-light aquatic show. Central Park has a premium steak house, a sushi joint, and a used Rolex that can be bought for $8,000 on land here proudly offered at $17,000. There’s the aforementioned Royal Promenade, where I had drunk with the Rands, and where a pair of dueling pianos duel well into the night. There’s Surfside, a kids’ neighborhood full of sugary garbage, which looks out onto the frothy trail that the behemoth leaves behind itself. Thrill Island refers to the collection of tubes that clutter the ass of the ship and offer passengers six waterslides and a surfing simulation. There’s the Hideaway, an adult zone that plays music from a vomit-slathered, Brit-filled Alicante nightclub circa 1996 and proves a big favorite with groups of young Latin American customers. And, most hurtfully, there’s the Suite Neighborhood.

I say hurtfully because as a Suite passenger I should be here, though my particular suite is far from the others. Whereas I am stuck amid the riffraff of Deck 11, this section is on the highborn Decks 16 and 17, and in passing, I peek into the spacious, tall-ceilinged staterooms from the hallway, dazzled by the glint of the waves and sun. For $75,000, one multifloor suite even comes with its own slide between floors, so that a family may enjoy this particular terror in private. There is a quiet splendor to the Suite Neighborhood. I see fewer stickers and signs and drawings than in my own neighborhood—for example, MIKE AND DIANA PROUDLY SERVED U.S. MARINE CORPS RETIRED . No one here needs to announce their branch of service or rank; they are simply Suites, and this is where they belong. Once again, despite my hard work and perseverance, I have been disallowed from the true American elite. Once again, I am “Not our class, dear.” I am reminded of watching The Love Boat on my grandmother’s Zenith, which either was given to her or we found in the trash (I get our many malfunctioning Zeniths confused) and whose tube got so hot, I would put little chunks of government cheese on a thin tissue atop it to give our welfare treat a pleasant, Reagan-era gooeyness. I could not understand English well enough then to catch the nuances of that seafaring program, but I knew that there were differences in the status of the passengers, and that sometimes those differences made them sad. Still, this ship, this plenty—every few steps, there are complimentary nachos or milkshakes or gyros on offer—was the fatty fuel of my childhood dreams. If only I had remained a child.

I walk around the outdoor decks looking for company. There is a middle-aged African American couple who always seem to be asleep in each other’s arms, probably exhausted from the late capitalism they regularly encounter on land. There is far more diversity on this ship than I expected. Many couples are a testament to Loving v. Virginia , and there is a large group of folks whose T-shirts read MELANIN AT SEA / IT’S THE MELANIN FOR ME . I smile when I see them, but then some young kids from the group makes Mr. Washy Washy do a cruel, caricatured “Burger Dance” (today he is in his burger getup), and I think, Well, so much for intersectionality .

At the infinity pool on Deck 17, I spot some elderly women who could be ethnic and from my part of the world, and so I jump in. I am proved correct! Many of them seem to be originally from Queens (“Corona was still great when it was all Italian”), though they are now spread across the tristate area. We bond over the way “Ron-kon-koma” sounds when announced in Penn Station.

“Everyone is here for a different reason,” one of them tells me. She and her ex-husband last sailed together four years ago to prove to themselves that their marriage was truly over. Her 15-year-old son lost his virginity to “an Irish young lady” while their ship was moored in Ravenna, Italy. The gaggle of old-timers competes to tell me their favorite cruising stories and tips. “A guy proposed in Central Park a couple of years ago”—many Royal Caribbean ships apparently have this ridiculous communal area—“and she ran away screaming!” “If you’re diamond-class, you get four drinks for free.” “A different kind of passenger sails out of Bayonne.” (This, perhaps, is racially coded.) “Sometimes, if you tip the bartender $5, your next drink will be free.”

“Everyone’s here for a different reason,” the woman whose marriage ended on a cruise tells me again. “Some people are here for bad reasons—the drinkers and the gamblers. Some people are here for medical reasons.” I have seen more than a few oxygen tanks and at least one woman clearly undergoing very serious chemo. Some T-shirts celebrate good news about a cancer diagnosis. This might be someone’s last cruise or week on Earth. For these women, who have spent months, if not years, at sea, cruising is a ritual as well as a life cycle: first love, last love, marriage, divorce, death.

Read: The last place on Earth any tourist should go

I have talked with these women for so long, tonight I promise myself that after a sad solitary dinner I will not try to seek out company at the bars in the mall or the adult-themed Hideaway. I have enough material to fulfill my duties to this publication. As I approach my orphaned suite, I run into the aggro young people who stole Mr. and Mrs. Rand away from me the night before. The tattooed apparitions pass me without a glance. She is singing something violent about “Stuttering Stanley” (a character in a popular horror movie, as I discover with my complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream Internet at Sea) and he’s loudly shouting about “all the money I’ve lost,” presumably at the casino in the bowels of the ship.

So these bent psychos out of a Cormac McCarthy novel are angrily inhabiting my deck. As I mewl myself to sleep, I envision a limited series for HBO or some other streamer, a kind of low-rent White Lotus , where several aggressive couples conspire to throw a shy intellectual interloper overboard. I type the scenario into my phone. As I fall asleep, I think of what the woman who recently divorced her husband and whose son became a man through the good offices of the Irish Republic told me while I was hoisting myself out of the infinity pool. “I’m here because I’m an explorer. I’m here because I’m trying something new.” What if I allowed myself to believe in her fantasy?

“YOU REALLY STARTED AT THE TOP,” they tell me. I’m at the Coastal Kitchen for my eggs and corned-beef hash, and the maître d’ has slotted me in between two couples. Fueled by coffee or perhaps intrigued by my relative youth, they strike up a conversation with me. As always, people are shocked that this is my first cruise. They contrast the Icon favorably with all the preceding liners in the Royal Caribbean fleet, usually commenting on the efficiency of the elevators that hurl us from deck to deck (as in many large corporate buildings, the elevators ask you to choose a floor and then direct you to one of many lifts). The couple to my right, from Palo Alto—he refers to his “porn mustache” and calls his wife “my cougar” because she is two years older—tell me they are “Pandemic Pinnacles.”

This is the day that my eyes will be opened. Pinnacles , it is explained to me over translucent cantaloupe, have sailed with Royal Caribbean for 700 ungodly nights. Pandemic Pinnacles took advantage of the two-for-one accrual rate of Pinnacle points during the pandemic, when sailing on a cruise ship was even more ill-advised, to catapult themselves into Pinnacle status.

Because of the importance of the inaugural voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, more than 200 Pinnacles are on this ship, a startling number, it seems. Mrs. Palo Alto takes out a golden badge that I have seen affixed over many a breast, which reads CROWN AND ANCHOR SOCIETY along with her name. This is the coveted badge of the Pinnacle. “You should hear all the whining in Guest Services,” her husband tells me. Apparently, the Pinnacles who are not also Suites like us are all trying to use their status to get into Coastal Kitchen, our elite restaurant. Even a Pinnacle needs to be a Suite to access this level of corned-beef hash.

“We’re just baby Pinnacles,” Mrs. Palo Alto tells me, describing a kind of internal class struggle among the Pinnacle elite for ever higher status.

And now I understand what the maître d’ was saying to me on the first day of my cruise. He wasn’t saying “ pendejo .” He was saying “Pinnacle.” The dining room was for Pinnacles only, all those older people rolling in like the tide on their motorized scooters.

And now I understand something else: This whole thing is a cult. And like most cults, it can’t help but mirror the endless American fight for status. Like Keith Raniere’s NXIVM, where different-colored sashes were given out to connote rank among Raniere’s branded acolytes, this is an endless competition among Pinnacles, Suites, Diamond-Plusers, and facing-the-mall, no-balcony purple SeaPass Card peasants, not to mention the many distinctions within each category. The more you cruise, the higher your status. No wonder a section of the Royal Promenade is devoted to getting passengers to book their next cruise during the one they should be enjoying now. No wonder desperate Royal Caribbean offers (“FINAL HOURS”) crowded my email account weeks before I set sail. No wonder the ship’s jewelry store, the Royal Bling, is selling a $100,000 golden chalice that will entitle its owner to drink free on Royal Caribbean cruises for life. (One passenger was already gaming out whether her 28-year-old son was young enough to “just about earn out” on the chalice or if that ship had sailed.) No wonder this ship was sold out months before departure , and we had to pay $19,000 for a horrid suite away from the Suite Neighborhood. No wonder the most mythical hero of Royal Caribbean lore is someone named Super Mario, who has cruised so often, he now has his own working desk on many ships. This whole experience is part cult, part nautical pyramid scheme.

From the June 2014 issue: Ship of wonks

“The toilets are amazing,” the Palo Altos are telling me. “One flush and you’re done.” “They don’t understand how energy-efficient these ships are,” the husband of the other couple is telling me. “They got the LNG”—liquefied natural gas, which is supposed to make the Icon a boon to the environment (a concept widely disputed and sometimes ridiculed by environmentalists).

But I’m thinking along a different line of attack as I spear my last pallid slice of melon. For my streaming limited series, a Pinnacle would have to get killed by either an outright peasant or a Suite without an ocean view. I tell my breakfast companions my idea.

“Oh, for sure a Pinnacle would have to be killed,” Mr. Palo Alto, the Pandemic Pinnacle, says, touching his porn mustache thoughtfully as his wife nods.

“THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S your time, buddy!” Hubert, my fun-loving Panamanian cabin attendant, shouts as I step out of my suite in a robe. “Take it easy, buddy!”

I have come up with a new dressing strategy. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam. The response among my fellow cruisers has been ecstatic. “Look at you in the robe!” Mr. Rand cries out as we pass each other by the Thrill Island aqua park. “You’re living the cruise life! You know, you really drank me under the table that night.” I laugh as we part ways, but my soul cries out, Please spend more time with me, Mr. and Mrs. Rand; I so need the company .

In my white robe, I am a stately presence, a refugee from a better limited series, a one-man crossover episode. (Only Suites are granted these robes to begin with.) Today, I will try many of the activities these ships have on offer to provide their clientele with a sense of never-ceasing motion. Because I am already at Thrill Island, I decide to climb the staircase to what looks like a mast on an old-fashioned ship (terrified, because I am afraid of heights) to try a ride called “Storm Chasers,” which is part of the “Category 6” water park, named in honor of one of the storms that may someday do away with the Port of Miami entirely. Storm Chasers consists of falling from the “mast” down a long, twisting neon tube filled with water, like being the camera inside your own colonoscopy, as you hold on to the handles of a mat, hoping not to die. The tube then flops you down headfirst into a trough of water, a Royal Caribbean baptism. It both knocks my breath out and makes me sad.

In keeping with the aquatic theme, I attend a show at the AquaDome. To the sound of “Live and Let Die,” a man in a harness gyrates to and fro in the sultry air. I saw something very similar in the back rooms of the famed Berghain club in early-aughts Berlin. Soon another harnessed man is gyrating next to the first. Ja , I think to myself, I know how this ends. Now will come the fisting , natürlich . But the show soon devolves into the usual Marvel-film-grade nonsense, with too much light and sound signifying nichts . If any fisting is happening, it is probably in the Suite Neighborhood, inside a cabin marked with an upside-down pineapple, which I understand means a couple are ready to swing, and I will see none of it.

I go to the ice show, which is a kind of homage—if that’s possible—to the periodic table, done with the style and pomp and masterful precision that would please the likes of Kim Jong Un, if only he could afford Royal Caribbean talent. At one point, the dancers skate to the theme song of Succession . “See that!” I want to say to my fellow Suites—at “cultural” events, we have a special section reserved for us away from the commoners—“ Succession ! It’s even better than the zombie show! Open your minds!”

Finally, I visit a comedy revue in an enormous and too brightly lit version of an “intimate,” per Royal Caribbean literature, “Manhattan comedy club.” Many of the jokes are about the cruising life. “I’ve lived on ships for 20 years,” one of the middle-aged comedians says. “I can only see so many Filipino homosexuals dressed as a taco.” He pauses while the audience laughs. “I am so fired tonight,” he says. He segues into a Trump impression and then Biden falling asleep at the microphone, which gets the most laughs. “Anyone here from Fort Leonard Wood?” another comedian asks. Half the crowd seems to cheer. As I fall asleep that night, I realize another connection I have failed to make, and one that may explain some of the diversity on this vessel—many of its passengers have served in the military.

As a coddled passenger with a suite, I feel like I am starting to understand what it means to have a rank and be constantly reminded of it. There are many espresso makers , I think as I look across the expanse of my officer-grade quarters before closing my eyes, but this one is mine .

A shocking sight greets me beyond the pools of Deck 17 as I saunter over to the Coastal Kitchen for my morning intake of slightly sour Americanos. A tiny city beneath a series of perfectly pressed green mountains. Land! We have docked for a brief respite in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. I wolf down my egg scramble to be one of the first passengers off the ship. Once past the gangway, I barely refrain from kissing the ground. I rush into the sights and sounds of this scruffy island city, sampling incredible conch curry and buckets of non-Starbucks coffee. How wonderful it is to be where God intended humans to be: on land. After all, I am neither a fish nor a mall rat. This is my natural environment. Basseterre may not be Havana, but there are signs of human ingenuity and desire everywhere you look. The Black Table Grill Has been Relocated to Soho Village, Market Street, Directly Behind of, Gary’s Fruits and Flower Shop. Signed. THE PORK MAN reads a sign stuck to a wall. Now, that is how you write a sign. A real sign, not the come-ons for overpriced Rolexes that blink across the screens of the Royal Promenade.

“Hey, tie your shoestring!” a pair of laughing ladies shout to me across the street.

“Thank you!” I shout back. Shoestring! “Thank you very much.”

A man in Independence Square Park comes by and asks if I want to play with his monkey. I haven’t heard that pickup line since the Penn Station of the 1980s. But then he pulls a real monkey out of a bag. The monkey is wearing a diaper and looks insane. Wonderful , I think, just wonderful! There is so much life here. I email my editor asking if I can remain on St. Kitts and allow the Icon to sail off into the horizon without me. I have even priced a flight home at less than $300, and I have enough material from the first four days on the cruise to write the entire story. “It would be funny …” my editor replies. “Now get on the boat.”

As I slink back to the ship after my brief jailbreak, the locals stand under umbrellas to gaze at and photograph the boat that towers over their small capital city. The limousines of the prime minister and his lackeys are parked beside the gangway. St. Kitts, I’ve been told, is one of the few islands that would allow a ship of this size to dock.

“We hear about all the waterslides,” a sweet young server in one of the cafés told me. “We wish we could go on the ship, but we have to work.”

“I want to stay on your island,” I replied. “I love it here.”

But she didn’t understand how I could possibly mean that.

“WASHY, WASHY, so you don’t get stinky, stinky!” kids are singing outside the AquaDome, while their adult minders look on in disapproval, perhaps worried that Mr. Washy Washy is grooming them into a life of gayness. I heard a southern couple skip the buffet entirely out of fear of Mr. Washy Washy.

Meanwhile, I have found a new watering hole for myself, the Swim & Tonic, the biggest swim-up bar on any cruise ship in the world. Drinking next to full-size, nearly naked Americans takes away one’s own self-consciousness. The men have curvaceous mom bodies. The women are equally un-shy about their sprawling physiques.

Today I’ve befriended a bald man with many children who tells me that all of the little trinkets that Royal Caribbean has left us in our staterooms and suites are worth a fortune on eBay. “Eighty dollars for the water bottle, 60 for the lanyard,” the man says. “This is a cult.”

“Tell me about it,” I say. There is, however, a clientele for whom this cruise makes perfect sense. For a large middle-class family (he works in “supply chains”), seven days in a lower-tier cabin—which starts at $1,800 a person—allow the parents to drop off their children in Surfside, where I imagine many young Filipina crew members will take care of them, while the parents are free to get drunk at a swim-up bar and maybe even get intimate in their cabin. Cruise ships have become, for a certain kind of hardworking family, a form of subsidized child care.

There is another man I would like to befriend at the Swim & Tonic, a tall, bald fellow who is perpetually inebriated and who wears a necklace studded with little rubber duckies in sunglasses, which, I am told, is a sort of secret handshake for cruise aficionados. Tomorrow, I will spend more time with him, but first the ship docks at St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie, the capital, is more charming in name than in presence, but I still all but jump off the ship to score a juicy oxtail and plantains at the well-known Petite Pump Room, overlooking the harbor. From one of the highest points in the small city, the Icon of the Seas appears bigger than the surrounding hills.

I usually tan very evenly, but something about the discombobulation of life at sea makes me forget the regular application of sunscreen. As I walk down the streets of Charlotte Amalie in my fluorescent Icon of the Seas cap, an old Rastafarian stares me down. “Redneck,” he hisses.

“No,” I want to tell him, as I bring a hand up to my red neck, “that’s not who I am at all. On my island, Mannahatta, as Whitman would have it, I am an interesting person living within an engaging artistic milieu. I do not wish to use the Caribbean as a dumping ground for the cruise-ship industry. I love the work of Derek Walcott. You don’t understand. I am not a redneck. And if I am, they did this to me.” They meaning Royal Caribbean? Its passengers? The Rands?

“They did this to me!”

Back on the Icon, some older matrons are muttering about a run-in with passengers from the Celebrity cruise ship docked next to us, the Celebrity Apex. Although Celebrity Cruises is also owned by Royal Caribbean, I am made to understand that there is a deep fratricidal beef between passengers of the two lines. “We met a woman from the Apex,” one matron says, “and she says it was a small ship and there was nothing to do. Her face was as tight as a 19-year-old’s, she had so much surgery.” With those words, and beneath a cloudy sky, humidity shrouding our weathered faces and red necks, we set sail once again, hopefully in the direction of home.

THERE ARE BARELY 48 HOURS LEFT to the cruise, and the Icon of the Seas’ passengers are salty. They know how to work the elevators. They know the Washy Washy song by heart. They understand that the chicken gyro at “Feta Mediterranean,” in the AquaDome Market, is the least problematic form of chicken on the ship.

The passengers have shed their INAUGURAL CRUISE T-shirts and are now starting to evince political opinions. There are caps pledging to make America great again and T-shirts that celebrate words sometimes attributed to Patrick Henry: “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” With their preponderance of FAMILY FLAG FAITH FRIENDS FIREARMS T-shirts, the tables by the crepe station sometimes resemble the Capitol Rotunda on January 6. The Real Anthony Fauci , by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears to be a popular form of literature, especially among young men with very complicated versions of the American flag on their T-shirts. Other opinions blend the personal and the political. “Someone needs to kill Washy guy, right?” a well-dressed man in the elevator tells me, his gray eyes radiating nothing. “Just beat him to death. Am I right?” I overhear the male member of a young couple whisper, “There goes that freak” as I saunter by in my white spa robe, and I decide to retire it for the rest of the cruise.

I visit the Royal Bling to see up close the $100,000 golden chalice that entitles you to free drinks on Royal Caribbean forever. The pleasant Serbian saleslady explains that the chalice is actually gold-plated and covered in white zirconia instead of diamonds, as it would otherwise cost $1 million. “If you already have everything,” she explains, “this is one more thing you can get.”

I believe that anyone who works for Royal Caribbean should be entitled to immediate American citizenship. They already speak English better than most of the passengers and, per the Serbian lady’s sales pitch above, better understand what America is as well. Crew members like my Panamanian cabin attendant seem to work 24 hours a day. A waiter from New Delhi tells me that his contract is six months and three weeks long. After a cruise ends, he says, “in a few hours, we start again for the next cruise.” At the end of the half a year at sea, he is allowed a two-to-three-month stay at home with his family. As of 2019, the median income for crew members was somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000, according to a major business publication. Royal Caribbean would not share the current median salary for its crew members, but I am certain that it amounts to a fraction of the cost of a Royal Bling gold-plated, zirconia-studded chalice.

And because most of the Icon’s hyper-sanitized spaces are just a frittata away from being a Delta lounge, one forgets that there are actual sailors on this ship, charged with the herculean task of docking it in port. “Having driven 100,000-ton aircraft carriers throughout my career,” retired Admiral James G. Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, writes to me, “I’m not sure I would even know where to begin with trying to control a sea monster like this one nearly three times the size.” (I first met Stavridis while touring Army bases in Germany more than a decade ago.)

Today, I decide to head to the hot tub near Swim & Tonic, where some of the ship’s drunkest reprobates seem to gather (the other tubs are filled with families and couples). The talk here, like everywhere else on the ship, concerns football, a sport about which I know nothing. It is apparent that four teams have recently competed in some kind of finals for the year, and that two of them will now face off in the championship. Often when people on the Icon speak, I will try to repeat the last thing they said with a laugh or a nod of disbelief. “Yes, 20-yard line! Ha!” “Oh my God, of course, scrimmage.”

Soon we are joined in the hot tub by the late-middle-age drunk guy with the duck necklace. He is wearing a bucket hat with the legend HAWKEYES , which, I soon gather, is yet another football team. “All right, who turned me in?” Duck Necklace says as he plops into the tub beside us. “I get a call in the morning,” he says. “It’s security. Can you come down to the dining room by 10 a.m.? You need to stay away from the members of this religious family.” Apparently, the gregarious Duck Necklace had photobombed the wrong people. There are several families who present as evangelical Christians or practicing Muslims on the ship. One man, evidently, was not happy that Duck Necklace had made contact with his relatives. “It’s because of religious stuff; he was offended. I put my arm around 20 people a day.”

Everyone laughs. “They asked me three times if I needed medication,” he says of the security people who apparently interrogated him in full view of others having breakfast.

Another hot-tub denizen suggests that he should have asked for fentanyl. After a few more drinks, Duck Necklace begins to muse about what it would be like to fall off the ship. “I’m 62 and I’m ready to go,” he says. “I just don’t want a shark to eat me. I’m a huge God guy. I’m a Bible guy. There’s some Mayan theory squaring science stuff with religion. There is so much more to life on Earth.” We all nod into our Red Stripes.

“I never get off the ship when we dock,” he says. He tells us he lost $6,000 in the casino the other day. Later, I look him up, and it appears that on land, he’s a financial adviser in a crisp gray suit, probably a pillar of his North Chicago community.

THE OCEAN IS TEEMING with fascinating life, but on the surface it has little to teach us. The waves come and go. The horizon remains ever far away.

I am constantly told by my fellow passengers that “everybody here has a story.” Yes, I want to reply, but everybody everywhere has a story. You, the reader of this essay, have a story, and yet you’re not inclined to jump on a cruise ship and, like Duck Necklace, tell your story to others at great pitch and volume. Maybe what they’re saying is that everybody on this ship wants to have a bigger, more coherent, more interesting story than the one they’ve been given. Maybe that’s why there’s so much signage on the doors around me attesting to marriages spent on the sea. Maybe that’s why the Royal Caribbean newsletter slipped under my door tells me that “this isn’t a vacation day spent—it’s bragging rights earned.” Maybe that’s why I’m so lonely.

Today is a big day for Icon passengers. Today the ship docks at Royal Caribbean’s own Bahamian island, the Perfect Day at CocoCay. (This appears to be the actual name of the island.) A comedian at the nightclub opined on what his perfect day at CocoCay would look like—receiving oral sex while learning that his ex-wife had been killed in a car crash (big laughter). But the reality of the island is far less humorous than that.

One of the ethnic tristate ladies in the infinity pool told me that she loved CocoCay because it had exactly the same things that could be found on the ship itself. This proves to be correct. It is like the Icon, but with sand. The same tired burgers, the same colorful tubes conveying children and water from Point A to B. The same swim-up bar at its Hideaway ($140 for admittance, no children allowed; Royal Caribbean must be printing money off its clientele). “There was almost a fight at The Wizard of Oz ,” I overhear an elderly woman tell her companion on a chaise lounge. Apparently one of the passengers began recording Royal Caribbean’s intellectual property and “three guys came after him.”

I walk down a pathway to the center of the island, where a sign reads DO NOT ENTER: YOU HAVE REACHED THE BOUNDARY OF ADVENTURE . I hear an animal scampering in the bushes. A Royal Caribbean worker in an enormous golf cart soon chases me down and takes me back to the Hideaway, where I run into Mrs. Rand in a bikini. She becomes livid telling me about an altercation she had the other day with a woman over a towel and a deck chair. We Suites have special towel privileges; we do not have to hand over our SeaPass Card to score a towel. But the Rands are not Suites. “People are so entitled here,” Mrs. Rand says. “It’s like the airport with all its classes.” “You see,” I want to say, “this is where your husband’s love of Ayn Rand runs into the cruelties and arbitrary indignities of unbridled capitalism.” Instead we make plans to meet for a final drink in the Schooner Bar tonight (the Rands will stand me up).

Back on the ship, I try to do laps, but the pool (the largest on any cruise ship, naturally) is fully trashed with the detritus of American life: candy wrappers, a slowly dissolving tortilla chip, napkins. I take an extra-long shower in my suite, then walk around the perimeter of the ship on a kind of exercise track, past all the alluring lifeboats in their yellow-and-white livery. Maybe there is a dystopian angle to the HBO series that I will surely end up pitching, one with shades of WALL-E or Snowpiercer . In a collapsed world, a Royal Caribbean–like cruise liner sails from port to port, collecting new shipmates and supplies in exchange for the precious energy it has on board. (The actual Icon features a new technology that converts passengers’ poop into enough energy to power the waterslides . In the series, this shitty technology would be greatly expanded.) A very young woman (18? 19?), smart and lonely, who has only known life on the ship, walks along the same track as I do now, contemplating jumping off into the surf left by its wake. I picture reusing Duck Necklace’s words in the opening shot of the pilot. The girl is walking around the track, her eyes on the horizon; maybe she’s highborn—a Suite—and we hear the voice-over: “I’m 19 and I’m ready to go. I just don’t want a shark to eat me.”

Before the cruise is finished, I talk to Mr. Washy Washy, or Nielbert of the Philippines. He is a sweet, gentle man, and I thank him for the earworm of a song he has given me and for keeping us safe from the dreaded norovirus. “This is very important to me, getting people to wash their hands,” he tells me in his burger getup. He has dreams, as an artist and a performer, but they are limited in scope. One day he wants to dress up as a piece of bacon for the morning shift.

THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC (the Icon of the Seas is five times as large as that doomed vessel) at least offered its passengers an exciting ending to their cruise, but when I wake up on the eighth day, all I see are the gray ghosts that populate Miami’s condo skyline. Throughout my voyage, my writer friends wrote in to commiserate with me. Sloane Crosley, who once covered a three-day spa mini-cruise for Vogue , tells me she felt “so very alone … I found it very untethering.” Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes in an Instagram comment: “When Gary is done I think it’s time this genre was taken out back and shot.” And he is right. To badly paraphrase Adorno: After this, no more cruise stories. It is unfair to put a thinking person on a cruise ship. Writers typically have difficult childhoods, and it is cruel to remind them of the inherent loneliness that drove them to writing in the first place. It is also unseemly to write about the kind of people who go on cruises. Our country does not provide the education and upbringing that allow its citizens an interior life. For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.

A day or two before I got off the ship, I decided to make use of my balcony, which I had avoided because I thought the view would only depress me further. What I found shocked me. My suite did not look out on Central Park after all. This entire time, I had been living in the ship’s Disneyland, Surfside, the neighborhood full of screaming toddlers consuming milkshakes and candy. And as I leaned out over my balcony, I beheld a slight vista of the sea and surf that I thought I had been missing. It had been there all along. The sea was frothy and infinite and blue-green beneath the span of a seagull’s wing. And though it had been trod hard by the world’s largest cruise ship, it remained.

This article appears in the May 2024 print edition with the headline “A Meatball at Sea.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

‘I’m looking for a man in finance’: how a sampled sound bite can turn a dance track into an earworm

Lecturer in Psychology, University of Wollongong

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Timothy Byron does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Wollongong provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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“I’m looking for a man in finance,” the TikTok user, @girl_on_couch, says blandly, looking around the room and then into the camera. “Trust fund. 6'5. Blue eyes. Finance.” In the caption, she urges someone to turn her sound bite into “an actual song plz”.

From this little bit of spoken audio sprang the song that’s suddenly everywhere on social media: I’m looking for a man in finance .

A quick browse on Spotify reveals several music producers, such as Billen Ted, Hiko and Ketno, have since featured this spoken phrase on various dance tracks. Billen Ted even show how they did it.

The result is undeniably an earworm – a song that all-too-easily gets stuck in your head. On TikTok and Instagram, users are making their versions of the song, dancing to it around lounge rooms or dance festivals , or muttering adaptations of it as they work or multitask.

Sampled speech in song

It is, of course, not the first time a little bit of spoken audio has formed the central pillar of a wildly popular dance track.

Remember Get on the Beers ? This viral track sampled a then-Victorian Premier Dan Andrews speech imploring people to stay home during the early days of the COVID pandemic. The song, by Mashd N Kutcher, was later described as “an unofficial anthem for Melbournians coming out of lockdown”.

Older readers will remember Pauline Pantsdown’s I don’t like it , which cheekily included unauthorised vocal samples from conservative politician Pauline Hanson.

Another memorable example is The Avalanches’ hugely acclaimed song Frontier Psychiatrist , with its surreal mix of samples and repeated spoken refrain: “that boy needs therapy”.

So what makes a great speech sample in a song, and why are they often so memorable?

Recogniseable but recontextualised

I’m a music researcher with a special interest in earworms, and wrote about memorable audio samples in my book with Jadey O'Regan, Hooks in Popular Music .

As we argue in our book, an audio sample such as “I’m looking for a man in finance” has to capture our attention and be memorable to be a hook. There is a barrage of noise on the internet and in our phones. For a sample to rise above that barrage, it has to have attention-grabbing audio properties, but also fit with our expectations and desires.

One way to become salient and memorable in this way is by being recognisable but recontextualised. If we already have some memory of a particular bit of spoken word, then hearing it in a new context such as a dance song will more easily capture our attention. We respond to what we recognise. Many people had seen and heard the original @girl_on_couch TikTok, so recognised it readily in the dance tracks that sampled it.

Another way to become salient and memorable is to reflect the way we feel, or the way we want to feel. Get on the Beers is another great example.

Australians were glued to their TVs to hear the daily speeches of state premiers during COVID lockdowns. It was a tense time. A lot of the big hits in that lockdown era were quite sad songs about being lonely, such as The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights and Heatwaves by Glass Animals .

Then Get on the Beers , which originally came out in 2020, experienced a surge of popularity as lockdowns ended. Thanks to some creative remixing, Dan Andrews seemed now to urge us to get to the pub asap. His soundbite was recognisable but recontextualised, in a track that felt cathartic for a populace very sick of lockdowns.

Accent, cadence and rhythm

The other thing that can make a speech sound bite memorable and ripe for remix in a song has to do with patterns of speech. That includes tone of voice and accent (there’s something catchy about @girl_on_couch’s deliberately hammed-up valley girl Californian accent, with all its vocal fry).

A staccato rhythm, an accidental rhyme, the cadence of a sentence – factors like these can conspire to create a line that is unusual, memorable and endlessly repeatable.

Southend’s song The Winner Is… , which focuses on the moment it was announced Sydney would host the 2000 Olympics, is another example. It captures a moment of celebration and release.

It’s hard to know whether this song would have been as popular if it wasn’t for the brilliantly memorable way former Olympics chief Juan Antonio Samaranch, originally from Spain, pronounced the word “Sydney”.

Speech as music

When you sample some speech and put it on a loop, people stop paying attention to the meaning of the words. They start paying attention to the sound, rhythm and melody of the voice. People hear speech as music.

This is what Diana Deutsch, a professor of psychology at the University of California, called the “ speech-to-song illusion ”. Her research looked at how the phrase “sometimes behave so strangely” suddenly appears “to burst into song”, even if no other musical elements are added.

That is playing a role in all successful spoken samples. The effect is even stronger once you emphasise the rhythm of speech by putting it to a dance beat.

Add in the viral power of TikTok, which makes it easier than ever for users to rework and recontextualise video and audio, and it’s no great surprise I’m looking for a man in finance has become such an earworm.

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Guest Essay

It’s Time to End the Quiet Cruelty of Property Taxes

By Andrew W. Kahrl

Dr. Kahrl is a professor of history and African American studies at the University of Virginia and the author of “The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America.”

Property taxes, the lifeblood of local governments and school districts, are among the most powerful and stealthy engines of racism and wealth inequality our nation has ever produced. And while the Biden administration has offered many solutions for making the tax code fairer, it has yet to effectively tackle a problem that has resulted not only in the extraordinary overtaxation of Black and Latino homeowners but also in the worsening of disparities between wealthy and poorer communities. Fixing these problems requires nothing short of a fundamental re-examination of how taxes are distributed.

In theory, the property tax would seem to be an eminently fair one: The higher the value of your property, the more you pay. The problem with this system is that the tax is administered by local officials who enjoy a remarkable degree of autonomy and that tax rates are typically based on the collective wealth of a given community. This results in wealthy communities enjoying lower effective tax rates while generating more tax revenues; at the same time, poorer ones are forced to tax property at higher effective rates while generating less in return. As such, property assessments have been manipulated throughout our nation’s history to ensure that valuable property is taxed the least relative to its worth and that the wealthiest places will always have more resources than poorer ones.

Black people have paid the heaviest cost. Since they began acquiring property after emancipation, African Americans have been overtaxed by local governments. By the early 1900s, an acre of Black-owned land was valued, for tax purposes, higher than an acre of white-owned land in most of Virginia’s counties, according to my calculations, despite being worth about half as much. And for all the taxes Black people paid, they got little to nothing in return. Where Black neighborhoods began, paved streets, sidewalks and water and sewer lines often ended. Black taxpayers helped to pay for the better-resourced schools white children attended. Even as white supremacists treated “colored” schools as another of the white man’s burdens, the truth was that throughout the Jim Crow era, Black taxpayers subsidized white education.

Freedom from these kleptocratic regimes drove millions of African Americans to move to Northern and Midwestern states in the Great Migration from 1915 to 1970, but they were unable to escape racist assessments, which encompassed both the undervaluation of their property for sales purposes and the overvaluation of their property for taxation purposes. During those years, the nation’s real estate industry made white-owned property in white neighborhoods worth more because it was white. Since local tax revenue was tied to local real estate markets, newly formed suburbs had a fiscal incentive to exclude Black people, and cities had even more reason to keep Black people confined to urban ghettos.

As the postwar metropolis became a patchwork of local governments, each with its own tax base, the fiscal rationale for segregation intensified. Cities were fiscally incentivized to cater to the interests of white homeowners and provide better services for white neighborhoods, especially as middle-class white people began streaming into the suburbs, taking their tax dollars with them.

One way to cater to wealthy and white homeowners’ interests is to intentionally conduct property assessments less often. The city of Boston did not conduct a citywide property reassessment between 1946 and 1977. Over that time, the values of properties in Black neighborhoods increased slowly when compared with the values in white neighborhoods or even fell, which led to property owners’ paying relatively more in taxes than their homes were worth. At the same time, owners of properties in white neighborhoods got an increasingly good tax deal as their neighborhoods increased in value.

As was the case in other American cities, Boston’s decision most likely derived from the fear that any updates would hasten the exodus of white homeowners and businesses to the suburbs. By the 1960s, assessments on residential properties in Boston’s poor neighborhoods were up to one and a half times as great as their actual values, while assessments in the city’s more affluent neighborhoods were, on average, 40 percent of market value.

Jersey City, N.J., did not conduct a citywide real estate reassessment between 1988 and 2018 as part of a larger strategy for promoting high-end real estate development. During that time, real estate prices along the city’s waterfront soared but their owners’ tax bills remained relatively steady. By 2015, a home in one of the city’s Black and Latino neighborhoods worth $175,000 received the same tax bill as a home in the city’s downtown worth $530,000.

These are hardly exceptions. Numerous studies conducted during those years found that assessments in predominantly Black neighborhoods of U.S. cities were grossly higher relative to value than those in white areas.

These problems persist. A recent report by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy found that property assessments were regressive (meaning lower-valued properties were assessed higher relative to value than higher-valued ones) in 97.7 percent of U.S. counties. Black-owned homes and properties in Black neighborhoods continue to be devalued on the open market, making this regressive tax, in effect, a racist tax.

The overtaxation of Black homes and neighborhoods is also a symptom of a much larger problem in America’s federated fiscal structure. By design, this system produces winners and losers: localities with ample resources to provide the goods and services that we as a nation have entrusted to local governments and others that struggle to keep the lights on, the streets paved, the schools open and drinking water safe . Worse yet, it compels any fiscally disadvantaged locality seeking to improve its fortunes to do so by showering businesses and corporations with tax breaks and subsidies while cutting services and shifting tax burdens onto the poor and disadvantaged. A local tax on local real estate places Black people and cities with large Black populations at a permanent disadvantage. More than that, it gives middle-class white people strong incentives to preserve their relative advantages, fueling the zero-sum politics that keep Americans divided, accelerates the upward redistribution of wealth and impoverishes us all.

There are technical solutions. One, which requires local governments to adopt more accurate assessment models and regularly update assessment rolls, can help make property taxes fairer. But none of the proposed reforms being discussed can be applied nationally because local tax policies are the prerogative of the states and, often, local governments themselves. Given the variety and complexity of state and local property tax laws and procedures and how much local governments continue to rely on tax reductions and tax shifting to attract and retain certain people and businesses, we cannot expect them to fix these problems on their own.

The best way to make local property taxes fairer and more equitable is to make them less important. The federal government can do this by reinvesting in our cities, counties and school districts through a federal fiscal equity program, like those found in other advanced federated nations. Canada, Germany and Australia, among others, direct federal funds to lower units of government with lower capacities to raise revenue.

And what better way to pay for the program than to tap our wealthiest, who have benefited from our unjust taxation scheme for so long? President Biden is calling for a 25 percent tax on the incomes and annual increases in the values of the holdings of people claiming more than $100 million in assets, but we could accomplish far more by enacting a wealth tax on the 1 percent. Even a modest 4 percent wealth tax on people whose total assets exceed $50 million could generate upward of $400 billion in additional annual revenue, which should be more than enough to ensure that the needs of every city, county and public school system in America are met. By ensuring that localities have the resources they need, we can counteract the unequal outcomes and rank injustices that our current system generates.

Andrew W. Kahrl is a professor of history and African American studies at the University of Virginia and the author of “ The Black Tax : 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America.”

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Software may be eating the world , but it is also heating it.

In December 2023, representatives from nearly 200 countries gathered in Dubai for COP28, the U.N.’s climate-change conference, to discuss the urgent need to lower emissions. Meanwhile, COP28’s website produced 3.69 grams of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) per page load, according to the website sustainability scoring tool Ecograder . That appears to be a tiny amount, but if the site gets 10,000 views each month for a year, its emissions would be a little over that of a one-way flight from San Francisco to Toronto.

This was not inevitable. Based on Ecograder’s analysis, unused code, improperly sized images, and third-party scripts, among other things, affect the COP28 website’s emissions. These all factor into the energy used for data transfer, loading, and processing, consuming a lot of power on users’ devices. Fixing and optimizing these things could chop a whopping 93 percent from the website’s per-page-load emissions, Ecograder notes.

While software on its own doesn’t release any emissions, it runs on hardware in data centers and steers data through transmission networks, which account for about 1 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions each. The information and communications technology sector as a whole is responsible for an estimated 2 to 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By 2040, that number could reach 14 percent —almost as much carbon as that emitted by air, land, and sea transport combined.

Within the sphere of software, artificial intelligence has its own sustainability issues. AI company Hugging Face estimated the carbon footprint of its BLOOM large language model across its entire life cycle, from equipment manufacturing to deployment. The company found that BLOOM’s final training emitted 50 tonnes of CO 2 —equivalent to about a dozen flights from New York City to Sydney.

Green software engineering is an emerging discipline consisting of best practices to build applications that reduce carbon emissions. The green software movement is fast gaining momentum. Companies like Salesforce have launched their own software sustainability initiatives , while the Green Software Foundation now comprises 64 member organizations, including tech giants Google , Intel , and Microsoft . But the sector will have to embrace these practices even more broadly if they are to prevent worsening emissions from developing and using software.

What Is Green Software Engineering?

The path to green software began more than 10 years ago. The Sustainable Web Design Community Group of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was established in 2013, while the Green Web Foundation began in 2006 as a way to understand the kinds of energy that power the Internet. Now, the Green Web Foundation is working toward the ambitious goal of a fossil-free Internet by 2030.

Green Software Resources

• The Green Software Foundation offers a catalog of green software patterns for AI, the cloud, and the Web.
• The W3C’s Sustainable Web Design Community Group released a draft of its Web sustainability guidelines , with both tactical and technical recommendations for business and product strategy, user-experience design, Web development, and hosting and infrastructure. The draft guidelines also include impact and effort ratings to give software engineers an idea of the level of difficulty in terms of implementation and the level of impact in terms of sustainability.

“There’s an already existing large segment of the software-development ecosystem that cares about this space—they just haven’t known what to do,” says Asim Hussain , chairperson and executive director of the Green Software Foundation and former director of green software and ecosystems at Intel .

What to do, according to Hussain, falls under three main pillars : energy efficiency, or using less energy; hardware efficiency, or using fewer physical resources; and carbon-aware computing, or using energy more intelligently. Carbon-aware computing, Hussain adds, is about doing more with your applications during the periods when the electricity comes from clean or low-carbon sources—such as when wind and solar power are available—and doing less when it doesn’t.

The Case for Sustainable Software

So why should programmers care about making their software sustainable? For one, green software is efficient software, allowing coders to cultivate faster, higher-quality systems, says Kaspar Kinsiveer , a team lead and sustainable-software strategist at the software-development firm Helmes .

These efficient systems could also mean lower costs for companies. “One of the main misconceptions about green software is that you have to do something extra, and it will cost extra,” Kinsiveer says. “It doesn’t cost extra—you just have to do things right.”

Green software is efficient software, allowing coders to cultivate faster, higher-quality systems.

Other motivating factors, especially on the business side of software, are the upcoming legislation and regulations related to sustainability. In the European Union, for instance, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive requires companies to report more on their environmental footprint, energy usage, and emissions, including the emissions related to the use of their products .

Yet other developers may be motivated by the climate crisis itself, wanting to play their part in fostering a habitable planet for the coming generations. And software engineers have tremendous influence on the actual purpose and emissions of what they build.

“It’s not just lines of code. Those lines have an impact on human beings,” says June Sallou , a postdoctoral researcher specializing in sustainable-software engineering at the Delft University of Technology , in the Netherlands. Because of AI’s societal impact in particular, she adds, developers have a responsibility to ensure that what they’re creating isn’t damaging the environment.

Building Greener Websites and Apps

The makers of COP28’s website could have taken a page from directories like Lowwwcarbon , which highlights examples of existing low-carbon websites. The company website of the Netherlands-based Web design and branding firm Tijgerbrood , for instance, emits less than 0.1 grams of carbon per page view.

Creating sustainable websites like Tijgerbrood’s is a team effort that involves different roles—from business analysts who define software requirements to designers, architects, and those in charge of operations—and includes green practices that can be applied at each stage of the software-development process.

Tips for Greener Websites and Apps

First, analysts will have to consider if the feature, app, or software they’re designing should even be developed in the first place. Tech is often about creating the next new thing, but making software sustainable also entails decisions on what not to build, and that may require a shift in mind-set.

The design stage is all about choosing efficient algorithms and architectures. “Think about sustainability before going into the solution—and not after,” says Chiara Lanza , a researcher at the Sustainable AI unit of the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya , in Barcelona.

During the development stage, programmers need to focus on optimizing code. “We need the overall amount of energy we’re using to run software to go down. Some of that will come from writing [code] efficiently,” says Hannah Smith , a sustainable digital tech consultant and director of operations at the Green Web Foundation.

Tijgerbrood ’s website optimized the company’s code by using low-resolution images and modern image formats, loading animations only when a user scrolls them into view, and removing unnecessary code. These techniques help speed up data transfer, loading, and processing on a user’s device. The website also uses minimal JavaScript. “When a user loads a website [with] a lot of JavaScript, it causes them to use a lot more energy on their own device because their device is having to do all the work of reading the JavaScript and running [it],” explains Smith.

When it comes to operations, one of the most impactful actions you can take is to select a sustainable Web hosting or cloud-computing provider. The Green Web Foundation has a tool to check if your website runs on green energy , as well as a directory of hosting providers powered by renewable energy . You can also ask your hosting provider if you can scale how your software runs in the cloud so that peak usage is powered by green energy or pause or switch off certain services during nonpeak hours.

AI the Green Way

Programmers can apply green software strategies when developing AI as well. Trimming training data is one of the major ways to make AI systems greener. Starting with data collection and preprocessing, it’s worth thinking about how much data is really needed to do the job. It may pay to clean the dataset to remove unnecessary data, or select only a subset of the dataset for training.

“The larger your dataset is, the more time and computation it will take for the algorithm to go through all the data,” hence using up more energy, says Sallou .

For instance, in a study of six different AI algorithms that detect SMS spam messages, Sallou and her colleagues found that the random forest algorithm , which combines the output of a collection of decision trees to make a prediction, was the most energy-greedy algorithm. But reducing the size of the training dataset to 20 percent—only 1,000 data points out of 5,000—dropped the energy consumption of training by nearly 75 percent, with only a 0.06 percent loss in accuracy.

Choosing a greener algorithm could also save carbon. Tools like CodeCarbon and ML CO 2 Impact can help make the choice by estimating the energy usage and carbon footprint of training different AI models.

Tips for Greener AI

Tools for measuring software’s carbon footprint.

To write green code, developers need a way of measuring the actual carbon emissions across a system’s entire life cycle. It’s a complex feat, given the myriad processes involved. If we take AI as an example, its life cycle encompasses raw material extraction, materials manufacturing, hardware manufacturing, model training, model deployment, and disposal—and not all of these stages have available data.

“We don’t understand huge parts of the ecosystem at the moment, and access to reliable data is tough,” Smith says. The biggest need, she adds, is “open data that we can rely on and trust” from big tech data-center operators and cloud providers like Amazon , Google, and Microsoft .

Until that data surfaces, a more practical approach would be to measure how much power software consumes. “Just knowing the energy consumption of running a piece of software can impact how software engineers can improve the code,” Sallou says.

Developers themselves are heeding the call for more measurement, and they’re building tools to meet this demand. The W3C’s Sustainable Web Design Community Group, for instance, plans to provide a test suite to measure the impacts of implementing its Web sustainability guidelines. Similarly, the Green Software Foundation wrote a specification to calculate the carbon intensity of software systems. For accurate measurements, Lanza suggests isolating the hardware in which a system runs from any other operations and to avoid running any other programs that could influence measurements.

Other tools developers can use to measure the impact of green software engineering practices include dashboards that give an overview of the estimated carbon emissions associated with cloud workloads, such as the AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool and Microsoft’s Azure Emissions Impact Dashboard ; energy profilers or power monitors like Intel’s Performance Counter Monitor ; and tools that help calculate the carbon footprint of websites, such as Ecograder , Firefox Profiler , and Website Carbon Calculator .

Green Software Measurement Tools 

Developers can use these tools to measure the impact of green software engineering practices.

The Future Is Green

Green software engineering is growing and evolving, but we need more awareness to help the discipline to become more widespread. This is why, in addition to its Green Software for Practitioners course , the Green Software Foundation aims to create more training courses, some of which may even lead to certifications. Likewise, Sallou coteaches a graduate course in sustainable software engineering , whose syllabus is open and can be used as a foundation for anyone looking to build a similar course. Providing this knowledge to students early on, she says, could ensure they bring it to their workplaces as future software engineers.

In the realm of artificial intelligence, Navveen Balani , an AI expert and Google Cloud Certified Fellow who also serves on the Green Software Foundation’s steering committee, notes that AI could inherently include green AI principles in the coming years, much like how security considerations are now an integral part of software development. “This shift will align AI innovation with environmental sustainability, making green AI not just a specialty but an implied standard in the field,” he says.

As for the Web, Smith hopes the Green Web Foundation will cease to exist by 2030. “Our dream as an organization is that we’re not needed, we meet our goal, and the Internet is green by default,” she says.

Kinsiveer has observed that in the past, software had to be optimized and built well because hardware then was lacking. As hardware performance and innovation leveled up, “the quality of programming itself went down,” he says. But now, the industry is coming full circle, going back to its efficiency roots and adding sustainability to the mix.

“The future is green software,” Kinsiveer says. “I cannot imagine it any other way.”

• AI in the 2020s Must Get Greener—and Here’s How ›
• Making Information Tech Greener Can Help Address the Climate Crisis ›
• Why Bloat Is Still Software’s Biggest Vulnerability ›
• Software Sucks, but It Doesn’t Have To - IEEE Spectrum ›
• Green Software Foundation | GSF ›

Rina Diane Caballar is a writer covering tech and its intersections with science, society, and the environment. An IEEE Spectrum Contributing Editor, she's a former software engineer based in Wellington, New Zealand.

The impact of CO2 on climate change is a very controversial theme.

CO2 is the gas of life. Many scientists says (ex.: Freeman Dyson) that CO2 is making the earth greener. CO2 is food for the plants. Also the climate alarmism is causing the increase of the energy costs that is making the situation in developing countries even worst. I am totally against pollution. I think we must fight pollution, but C02 is not a polluting gas

See the opinion of Dr. Judith Curry, Dr.Richard Lindzen and the greenpeace founder Patrick Moore about it.

That's is a new prospect to look at things, but I doubt whether we really care this.I have never seen an article on CO2 emission due to nonsense wars/conflicts going all around. We tend to account the incremental CO2 emission but close our eyes to the giant ones.

I can't take this article seriously without a discussion on how much energy Bitcoin mining takes.

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