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Judy Cullins

Online readers love information, but be sure your information is crisp, clean, clear and concise.

1. Keep your paragraphs short, even a line or two. Online readers will ignore long batches of words in long paragraphs, whether in an ezine or at a Web site. That costs the author a lot of book sales. Respect readers who want material short and sweet.

2. Write tips in their correct format. First, use a verb command, such as "do this." Follow this by the benefits of doing it or by the cost of not doing it. Then, end with a how-to, Web resource, book title, or recommended coach. Use this three-sentence formula to bring the curious to you.

3. Make your heading compelling. If you haven't tested it on associates, or haven't edited it at least five times, it says "lackluster." People will delete it or click on to something new. Which one will you read? "How to Write an Article," or "Sell 300 Books in One Month by Writing a Short Article?"

4. Get to the point quickly--in the title and the first line. Keep your introduction down to a sentence or two, the same for a conclusion.

5. Tell your readers what you want them to do. They are waiting for your magic formula to make them richer, healthier, or enjoy great relationships. Make your copy strong, clear, and direct.

6. Target your article to your preferred audience. Not everyone will want your information, so include your audience in the title or introduction. When you focus your information, you write more compelling, focused copy that your readers will love. They will reward you by checking to where your book is sold.

7. Eliminate all superfluous words such as adjectives and adverbs like "ly" and passive verbs. Because of a lack of effort, novices ruin their work with sentences full of "is" and "was" linking verbs instead of bold verbs. Neither books, nor articles will sell with these "slugs."

Keep these tips in mind, so that your article will attract targeted potential buyers of your service, your Web site, and your products.

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