Writing an effective article that leaves a lasting impression on your audience takes a combination of creativity, strategy, and presentation. Understanding the essential elements of an article, such as the structure, flow, and content, is the first step to captivating your readers and writing an article that achieves your objectives. In this article, we’ll explore the anatomy of an effective article and break down the key components: the title and introduction, structure and flow, and conclusion. Keep reading to get started.
The Title and Introduction
When your reader clicks on your article, the title is the first thing they see. Since the title is your first chance to capture their attention and spark curiosity, it should be clear and compelling and set the tone for the article. After all, studies show that users decide within 10–20 seconds whether to stay or leave a web page. A strong title should demonstrate the value of the article; it should also be relevant to the content so the reader knows what to expect.
After the title is the introduction. Besides briefly outlining what the content of the article will cover; the introduction should grab the reader’s attention and convince them to keep reading. You can do this by including a thought-provoking question, inspirational quote, or relevant statistic. This helps establish the context of the article and gives the reader a reason to continue.
The Structure and Flow
The body of an article is where the bulk of the information is presented, and it needs to be structured in a way that’s easy to follow, especially considering that 43% of readers admit to skimming blog posts. To facilitate skim reading and optimize content for mobile devices, break the body content into distinct sections with clear headings and subheadings. Each section should focus on a specific idea or point, with each paragraph supporting the main idea. Since large blocks of text can overwhelm readers, keep paragraphs brief and concise and incorporate bullet lists where necessary.
To make content more relatable and easier to understand, avoid unnecessarily complex technical language or jargon. To back up your arguments, include evidence such as concrete examples, data, and quotes from subject-matter experts in the body content. While not usually a requirement, incorporating visual aids, e.g., graphs, tables, or images, can help break up the text and enhance the reading experience.
The Conclusion
A strong conclusion is just as important as an attention-grabbing introduction. It should summarize the main ideas of the article without direct repetition, and it should leave the reader with their next steps. Depending on the purpose of the article, it’s sometimes appropriate to include a call to action, a line that encourages the reader to do something specific, such as making a purchase, sharing a post on social media, or signing up for a newsletter.
The conclusion should reiterate your primary points and provide closure, perhaps ending with a powerful, impactful statement or future prediction. However, the conclusion is not the place to introduce new ideas – all new information should be presented in the main portion of the article. It should simply reinforce the message in your body content and leave the reader with a final thought to reflect on.