Article Writing Tips: How To Write An Article That Solves A Small Problem (And Makes A Big Impact!)

When you set out to write an article, the first thing you'll do is select a topic. Your article topic should always be related to the general niche of your website. The article should not be about your website, but just about the general topic of your site. For example, if your website is about photography, then all of your articles will be related to that topic in some way.

After you've determined what the general subject matter of your website is, you need to decide what specific topic you'll cover in your article. There are so many things that you could write about under the general subject of your niche, how can you choose exactly what to write about?

One strategy is to write an article that teaches how to do something necessary and very simple related to your niche. For example, a fisherman might teach how to bait a hook or how to select a lure. A business coach might teach how to select a business name.

Another strategy is to write an article that solves a small problem. For example, a runner might write an article that addresses how to pick out the right pair of running shoes. A person with a parenting website might write an article that teaches how to introduce new foods to a baby.

These two types of articles are both great to use when deciding what to write about.

There are some perks to writing on a really small topic:

1 - You'll end up with a really focused, problem solving article, which is the type of content that most readers are looking for in the first place.

2 - You'll make your readers feel good about themselves. The great thing about articles that address small problems is that they tend to be very simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. When someone reads your article and clearly understands the information, he or she feels smart, which leaves the person with a great impression of the article and you.

3 - You'll be hedging out the competition. A lot of writers overlook "little" topics in favor of bigger and more general ones. They think that such a small topic isn't worthy of a whole article, which is fine because that makes it easier for your article to rank high in search engines.

How do you write an article that solves a small problem?

Step 1: When you're trying to decide what small problem to address in your article, ask yourself these questions:

- If you had just ten minutes to spend with a beginner in your niche, what pivotal advice would you give him or her?

- What is an easily resolved mistake that you see people in your niche making on a routine basis?

- If you could tell your readers just one simple thing to do to get better results, what would you tell them?

Step 2: After you've determined your topic, your goal is to write in a very detailed and focused manner.

You might think that your topic is too small to warrant a whole article being devoted to it, but if you go really in depth and provide lots of crucial details, you'll be surprised at how quickly the article takes shape.

Remember, when people are looking for information online, they're usually doing so because there is one simple thing that they're in the dark about. They just need basic, to-the-point information--nothing complex or fancy.

Step 3: Create steps for your tutorial.

Your article is basically a tutorial, and by breaking it into steps and numbering them, you're formatting your article so that it's very easy for readers to skim and gather the information they need.

Maybe you say, "I don't want readers to skim my article--I want them to read every word!"

Unfortunately, that's not the way it works. Content on the internet is usually read "on the run", so it helps to format your article so that people can skim through it at a glance.

Step 4: Tell the reader how making this very small change will make a big impact.

It's easy for people to assume that such a simple change might not matter, but for many niches, success is in the details. Your readers just might need you to point out how this tiny detail you're addressing in your article makes a big difference.

Action Step:

This week, brainstorm some ideas for article topics that solve small problems, then write at least one article. What topics did you decide on?