by: Susane B. Myers

Writing articles and putting them out on the web for everyone to see can be a little intimidating though at first, especially if you don't consider yourself a writer. Remember that you have a lot of knowledge in your area of expertise that your readers are looking for, so just start sharing that knowledge in articles. Let's take a look at how you can start writing your first article today.

Make a List

One of the easiest ways to write an article is to start with a list. Take out a piece of paper and jot down 5 reasons why… or 10 tips to do…. Your list will of course depend on your particular business but here are some examples: 5 reasons to take a multi vitamin, 10 tips to get your child to eat his vegetables, Top 5 ways to loose weight.

Now you write a little paragraph about each of your reasons or tips to explain them to your reader. Add an introduction to the topic at the beginning and close the article with a call to action such as start this today, visit this

Start with an Outline

I usually sit down with a pen and a notebook and start jotting down outlines for articles before I sit down at the computer to write the actual article. I come up with a title, a basic idea for the introduction and then just make a list of the major things I want to mention in the article. I also make a note of how I want to close the article. Then I'll sit down and type out the entire article, modifying my outline as needed to make the article flow.

Record Yourself

If you're more of a talker and love to tell others about your business, you may want to try recording yourself. Pretend you are telling a friend about a particular topic, maybe the benefits of using your product. Jut talk until you run out of stuff to say. Then listen to your recording and transcribe what you want to include in the article. You can record yourself on you computer, with a tape recorder, or use a MP3 player that records as well.

Interview Someone

Interviews make great articles as well. Find an expert on the topic you want to discuss in your article and either interview them in person (and record it) or email them the questions and have him or her send them back to you. Add a paragraph at the beginning about whom you interviewed and a little info about the person. You can close by summarizing the interview or highlighting a major point the expert made and encourage your readers to take action.

You can use the article you just wrote on your website, on your blog, or in your newsletter. You should also submit it to the article directories. Write a little resource box or author bio to the bottom of your article. When someone picks up an article from the directory to add it to their site or newsletter, they will also include your resource box with the link to your website, driving free traffic to your site.