How to write an Article that Engages!

A compelling content platform like the Sun City Sentinel requires compelling content in order to keep people interested and coming back for more. The strength of platforms like this is the ability of the common average joe to write informative and interesting articles specifically for their fellow community members. Writing a good online article involves a number of steps and considerations. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started:

1. Choose Your Topic Wisely: Write about something you are knowledgeable about and interested in. This will make the writing process more enjoyable and your enthusiasm will come through in your writing.
2. Understand Your Audience: Know who your target audience is, and write with them in mind. Choose an appropriate section to put your article in. Understand your audience's interests, and use appropriate language to make your article relevant and engaging to them.
3. Create a Compelling Title: Your title is the first thing people see, so make sure it's compelling and interesting. It should give a clear idea of what the article is about, but also entice readers to click and read more.
4. Use an interesting Header Image: Your header image can make your article more engaging and easier to understand. Make sure you have the rights to use any media you include. Images should be reduced in file-size to below 500kb. This should be plenty to give you a nice, high resolution image that won't take too long to download. Consider uploading an image at least 800 pixels wide for good screen clarity. If you don't have any of your own custom images to use in your article... consider free stock image sites like Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay or Freepik. Remember, this image will be cropped to fit in the system, but will appear uncropped on your article page.
5. Start with an Engaging Introduction: Your introduction should draw readers in and make them want to continue reading. It could be an interesting statistic, a surprising fact, a question, or a bold statement.
6. Organize Your Content: Break your content into subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make it easy to read and understand. People often skim through content online, so making your article skimmable is important.
7. Use SEO Techniques: Use relevant keywords throughout your article to make it more likely to show up in search engine results. What would people search for to find your article online? Use those words in your article.
8. Provide Value: Make sure your article provides valuable information. Whether it's a how-to guide, an opinion piece, or a news update, it should be something your readers will find useful or interesting.
9. Proofread and Edit: Don't publish your article right after you finish writing it. Take some time to proofread and edit it. Check for grammatical errors, awkward sentences, and any information that could be clearer or more concise.
10. Include a Call to Action: At the end of your article, include a call to action. This could be encouraging readers to send you an email, visit a website, share your article on social media, sign up for your newsletter, or check out your other articles. Post links to any relevant websites you might want people to visit when they're done.

Remember, writing is a skill that improves with practice. The more you write, the better you'll get. So don't be discouraged if your first few articles aren't as good as you'd like them to be. Keep writing and improving, and you'll get there.