Like the idea of writing articles, but struggling to know what to say and how to get started?
Let me start by saying a blank page is NOT a good place to start. I’m sure you’ve heard me say that writing articles is a great way to share your expertise and help your prospective clients find you. Through the article they get to know you and trust you can help them. However, if you’re stumbling at the first hurdle – WHAT to write about, let’s first of all address what’s underlying this very real block – the fear of getting started.
For many it brings you right back to school and when you had to write essays for teachers who would assess how “good” it was. We become very self-conscious and worried, and we get stuck asking “What would I say”, “who would listen”, “would it be good enough”. We have to overcome the fear of failure, fear of success, the fear of standing out and being different! And the only way to BLAST through these fears is to take Action.
So here are my 5 simple steps to writing articles, and making it easier to get over Writers Block.
Step 1. Get yourself into the right “state”.
You are the expert. Believe in what you know. What I’m saying is YOU already know way more than you even realise. You’ve trained often for years in holistic health and your therapy. You are an expert, so now it’s time to share it with others who really need to know about your service, solutions to their problems, and relief from their pain.
BREATHE
Step 2. Pick a topic around what you do (that you LOVE to talk about)
Maybe it’s around massage, reflexology OR maybe it’s around the a health problem you help with. Then list 3, 4 or as many “tips”, or “steps”, as you like, that you can write one line about. For example – 4 Workouts for Summer Confidence; 3 Ways to Avoid Back Pain; 5 Tips to Beautiful Skin etc etc. Then list Tip #1 – Tip #2 - And write just ONE line.
BREATHE
Step 3. Start with the end in mind.
Many writers like to start with the ending. This means they can backtrack but know where the story is going and what’s going to happen. You can do this too for your articles, and gives great clarity to the process. Think about what do you want your ideal client to know by the time they read your article.
Step 4. Take each tip and expand it.
Write one paragraph for each tip that you’ve written in #2 above. It could be something that is useful for the reader, a health suggestion, or even something to avoid. It’s up to you and what you’re writing about. This is not about what the teacher says. It’s about what you want to say to your reader – so use your natural voice. Imagine you’re saying it to one person, your ideal client for example. Keep what you say simple.
BREATHE
Step 5. Write and publish.
They say Revenge is Sweet – and if you have a teacher in your past who didn’t “like” what you wrote, now is the time to prove them wrong. Keep Step #1 top of mind. You are the expert, what you know is valuable to others. It does not need to be perfect, but it does need to get finished.
- Spell check it
- look at the overall layout,
- read it out loud – does it flow?
Start writing your articles using Step 1-4 above and give yourself a deadline to help make this a shorter process than it could be become. Then look at how you’re going to get your articles out there. Writing them is the first hurdle, the next hurdle is to get them seen.
Publishing -
- submit your article to online article directories such as EzineArticles.com,
- put them on your website,
- send them to your local newspaper,
- send them to clients via your own newsletter,
- leave them in your clinic reception for people to read.
There is no value in writing lots of articles, if you don’t let them be seen!
Good luck. Make a decision today to write your first article, set a deadline, choose a topic, and start writing. Oh, and BREATHE!
Then let me know what your first article topic is going to be about – just submit a comment after this post.
