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How To Write a How-To Article
by Jerrilynn B. Thomas
The media does not want to receive promotional articles whose sole purpose is to advertise your business. They have ad space
that you can purchase. What they do want from you is an educational and informative article that entertains their audience to
keep them reading their publication. In return for your knowledge, they will let you write a promotional paragraph about
yourself and your business along with your contact information.
How-to articles are the easiest to get published. Writing one requires in-depth knowledge of your audience and organizational
writing skills. Before you write your how-to article, you need to come up with an interesting topic that relates to your
business which is also of interest to your target
market. You want to impress your them with your knowledge. Make a list of the products and services that your business provides.
Put a check mark by the ones that require supplemental information or prep instructions before they can be utilized.
A web site designer could write about to how to gather content for a web site. An interior designer could write about how to
prep a room or home to be painted and decorated. A real estate agent could write about how to prepare for the home buying
process.
Once you've chosen your topic, you need to come up with a dynamic headline that makes readers stop skimming through the content
page and turn to your article. Powerful words such as Discover, Fun, How-to, Helpful, Informative, Save, Safe, Successful,
Profit, Profitable, Quick, Exciting, Easy, Popular,
and Proven should be used at the beginning of your headline. These words are guaranteed to attract attention. Successful
Internet Search Tips to Reduce your Surfing Time, Exciting Decorating Techniques to Add Romance to Your Bedroom, and Fun Ways to
Entertain Your Children During Christmas Vacation are excellent examples of how to incorporate powerful words into your
headline.
A strong opening paragraph is needed to introduce your topic. A good how-to article addresses an unforeseen problem in the first
paragraph and then tells how to solve it in a timely manner in the proceeding paragraphs. In the previous paragraph, I gave some
headline examples. The unforeseen problem in Successful Internet Search Tips to Reduce Your Surfing Time could be not meeting
your boss's deadline to have a report done on his competitors because your search words generated too many web sites for you to
visit and many of the sites did not even relate to your research project. After you've decided what problem your article will
address, outline all of the steps required to solve it. Once you've written them down, go back and fill in the supplemental
information for each step. Make the information as concise as possible by giving only the pertinent information. A long drawn
out explanation will only bore your audience. Each step can be turned into a paragraph or have a bullet beside it.
The final paragraph should sum up the problem and its solutions. Below your final paragraph is where you will place your
resource information. It should tell briefly about and you and your business. Be very subtle with your sales pitch. Use my
resource information below as an example. Good luck!
PR stylist Jerrilynn B. Thomas specializes in upscale PR makeovers on micro-businesswomen whose previous PR strategies produced
poor results. Clients can request the High Power, Prestige or Posh PR Makeover. Assistance with throwing a business shower to
draw attention to their new business is available. Businesswomen can also request to have a magazine style business profile
written to shine the spotlight on their expertise. If you would like a PR makeover to make yourself more newsworthy, contact her
at pr@jerrilynnbthomas.com.
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