How to Write an Article Using a Template

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a simple way to cut your writing time in half?

Actually, there is.

I’m talking about templates.

As a freelance writer, blogger, and editor, I use a lot of templates. I have templates for article queries, job proposals, contracts, product descriptions, reviews, blog posts, and of course, articles. I use these templates in all of my creative work, from freelance projects to personal blog posts. I rarely start a project without either creating or tweaking a template.

When I first started writing professionally, I believed, as many people do, that templates limit creativity. It’s a popular myth that using templates results in writing that is rigid, boring, and amateurish. Some people even believe that using a template is cheating or lazy. I believed that once, too. But I know better now.

When used correctly, a template can be an amazingly helpful tool in your writing endeavors. A  well made  template gives your article structure without sacrificing creativity. It ensures that you include all of the most important elements, allowing you to focus on   content, safe in the knowledge that the resulting article will be well structured and organized. With a template, you can spend less time worrying about how to write your articles and more time actually writing them!

So, what’s the catch?

Unfortunately, all templates are not created equally. Some are too rigid. Others offer about as much help as a high school essay outline. You also have to find the right template for your project.  Once you’ve done that, it’s simply a matter of knowing how to use a template and writing the best article you can.

Choosing the Right Template

A great article starts with finding the right template for the job. Article templates are designed to serve a specific purpose. Some are meant to entertain and inform. Others are meant to convince the reader to buy a product. Still others are created to change minds or suggest new ways of thinking. When choosing a template, pay attention to what the template is designed to do. Make sure the template fits the needs and purpose of the project.

You may also want to look for a template that offers helpful tips and advice. Each of my templates  are  filled with little tips and comments to help you write the best article possible. Flexibility is another good trait to look for.  Great templates give you room to be yourself, offering options and suggestions, rather than rigid instructions and rules.

Writing with Templates

Once you’ve chosen your template, it’s time to start writing your article.

Start with a Great Idea – Think carefully about your article idea before you begin. Your first idea may not be your best. A few minutes of brainstorming can make the difference between an article that falls flat and one that goes viral. So, give yourself time to think about your topic. Then tweak it until you’re completely satisfied with it. You may want to widen or narrow the scope of the article or write for a more specific audience. Or you could combine two topics  for  a completely new perspective on the topic. Try not to write something that’s been written a hundred times before. Instead, write something new and interesting. Write something that only you can write.

Know Your Audience –  Now that you know what you want to write about, it’s time to consider your audience. Who are you writing for? Do you already have a publication in mind or will you be posting this article on your own blog or website? Think about who you want to read your article and what their expectations will be. How much experience do they have with the topic? What do they want most? What do they struggle with? Knowing the answers to these questions  can help you to write an article that people will actually want to read.

Choose a Format and Adjust Your Template –  The format you use relies on a number of things, including the topic, audience, and publication. What kind of article best fits this topic and situation? How should your article be organized? An article about the best restaurants in your area would be structured very differently than an article about ridding your home of termites.

Some formats include:

• How to/Step by Step
• Advice and Tips
• Review/Pros and Cons
• Problem and Solution
• List Article/Top Picks
• Beginner’s Guide/Introduction
• The Truth About…
• News Article
• Local Guide

If you’ve already chosen an article template, you may find that it no longer fits your  article idea and format. In that case, you’ll either want to adjust the template to make it fit or find another template. Once you have some experience using templates, you may even want to write your own.

Determine Your Article’s Promise or Purpose –  An article must do two things in order to be successful:
1. It must make a promise to the reader.
2. It must deliver on that promise.

Your article’s promise is what will entice the reader to stick around past the introduction.

Your articles promise should include:
Topic –  What are you writing about?
Scope –  Specifically, what information are you providing?
Audience –  Who are you writing this for?
Value to the Reader –  How will this information benefit the reader?

If you can answer all of these questions in your introduction, your reader will have enough information to know whether or not this article is for them. Then, you just have to make sure you follow through on that promise.

Do Your Research – Now that you know your article’s topic, format, and purpose,   you can start researching your article. Do as much research as you think is appropriate. You may need to do a hefty amount of research or simply a bit of fact-checking. If you know enough about the topic to write your article without research, that’s okay too. Just make sure to make a note of where your research came from. You don’t want to take credit for information that isn’t your own. Also, be clear about the differences between facts, opinions, and theories. Confusing these can destroy both your authority and credibility.

Outline Your Article – Once you’ve done your research, start organizing your key points and information using your template. You don’t have to write in full sentences or use a lot of detail. Just get the basics down. This will allow you to see the overall structure of your article and look for possible problems.

Write With Balance –  Once you’ve got your article outlined, it’s time to write! No matter the topic, it’s generally best to write in a friendly, relaxed tone, as though you were talking to someone sitting next to you. Don’t worry about getting it exactly right, the first time. This is a first draft. There’s plenty of time for editing and revising once the article is written. Try to write your article through to the end before making changes. Personally, I recommend writing the body of the article first, then going back and writing the intro and the conclusion. But you can write your article in any order you like.

Use the guidelines and prompts to help you write. If you’re using one of my templates, you’ll notice a lot of tips and advice within the article. Use what works for you and your situation. Ignore what doesn’t. Trust your instincts. If you feel like moving away from the template for a few sentences or paragraphs, that’s okay. If you hit a point where you feel the template is no longer helpful to your article, that’s okay too. The point of the template is to provide a bit of structure and keep you from getting stuck. It also offers advice to remind you of what is important and what your article needs in order to be entertaining and easy to read. How you use it is completely up to you. You may decide to follow the template to the letter, one sentence prompt at a time. Or you may decide to read the template and then write the article using what you’ve learned from it. Or, like most people, you’ll fall somewhere in the middle. No one way is better than any other.

Brighten, Revise, and Edit your Article –  Once you’ve written your first draft, you can start improving it. Read through your article, looking for ways to improve it. Here are a few things you can do:

• Split up any extra long paragraphs, so the article will be easier to read.
• Break up or condense long sentences, checking for possible run-ons.
• Replace unnecessarily lengthy phrases with shorter ones.
• Look for unnecessary words or words that weaken your writing. These include most adverbs and hesitation words like really, honestly, very, and truly, okay, and well.
• Look for instances of too formal writing, including anything that draws too much attention to the fact that it is an article. This includes phrases like: In this article, what can I say, and in my opinion.
• Cut any apologetic writing. Don’t apologize for your opinions or say things like: it’s just my opinion, sorry but, and it’s just me.
• Look for words that are used too frequently and replace them with something more original. Just be careful not to start sounding like a thesaurus. If you have to look up a word, your reader probably will too.
• Look for opportunities to be more creative, using interesting word choices, humor, alliteration, and more.
• Add descriptive writing to make your article more entertaining. Bring out your inner storyteller by adding details and descriptive language to make your article more fun to read.
• Make sure all names, titles, and other proper nouns are capitalized and spelled correctly. It’s all too easy to make a mistake like this and people generally dislike it when you get their names wrong.
• Look for sudden changes in tone or topic and add transitions or make adjustments, so that the article sounds natural and relaxed.
• Read your article out loud to catch errors your eyes might miss when you read silently. Or have a friend read it out loud to you. Make notes while you listen of anything that sounds awkward or wrong.
• Check your article with a grammar checker like Grammarly to catch errors.

Prepare your Article for Publication –  Congrats! Your article is written. Now, let’s get it ready for publication.

Start with a great title! Don’t just make the title whatever sounds obvious. Put some thought into it. There are a few great articles out there about creating great titles. Read a few. You’ll be surprised at what works and what doesn’t.

Add a few great images. Images are important. If you can include images, make sure that the ones you find fit your article and are visually interesting. Also, make sure you get the rights to use the images. Either use an image you took yourself, purchase a stock photo, or find one of the many sites that offer free, copyright free stock images. Don’t forget to include a caption, especially for the first image (which should go right below the title). It can increase the chances that your article will be read.

Choose a few interesting, relevant hashtags to include when you share your article on social media.

Post Your Article – Congrats! You’re done! You’ve used the template to create a well structured article. If you’ve followed the instructions and edited it carefully, it should be a well written article that is interesting, fun, and easy to read. Great job! Now, get that thing online so that others can see how awesome it is! And send me a link when you’re done. You can post it as a comment on this page or on the blog post for the template you used.

I hope you had fun writing this article with me!

If you have any questions about any of it or want to request a specific template, just let me know.

Happy Writing!

-Brinna