Home
>
Article Writing
>
How to Write a Short Article Under 500 Words

How to Write a Short Article Under 500 Words

Online publishers, ezine subscribers, and Web visitors want short, useful information. Use this "500-Word Article Formula" to create trusting, confident, and lifelong clients and customers.

How to Write this Short Article

1. Create a benefit-driven title so people will open your email. Put pizzazz into your title. Dare to be outrageous!

2. Create a snappy one to three-sentence introduction preceded by a hook. Include what's in it for your audience. How will your article improve their lives or business?

3. Know your article's purpose and specific audience and narrow your slant or focus just for them.

This article's audience includes business people who want to promote their product or service through a short article. It appeals to small business people, professionals, coaches, or consultants who have a book or service to sell. It appeals to Web site publishers and opt-in (no spam) ezine publishers who want free articles to attract new customers.

4. Write an outline with four to six major points you want to make before you write.

My outline and headings for this article include the seven ways to write this article:

1. Write for Your Targeted Market.
2. Write an Outline First
3. Write Each Paragraph to Support Your Outline Headings
4. Write An Outline With Four-Six Sub Points
5. Write Two- Four Sentences for Each Paragraph
6. Create Four-Six Paragraphs from Each Heading
7. Revise Copy Looking for Ways to Tighten Your Article

Remember each sentence must support the thesis statement, that's the one major benefit of how you will solve your reader's particular challenge. In this one, I give you 7 solutions for writing a short article.

Break down each paragraph into three standard-length sentences (15-17 words each). For drama, write one or two shorter sentences. One paragraph contains around 100 words. Five paragraphs of five sentences of 20 or less words will equal close to 500 words.

6. Create Four to Six Paragraphs From Your Outline

All sub points must also support the thesis. Write concise, compelling paragraphs that explain and give examples.

If you write over 100 words, tighten your copy. Leave out stories or analogies. Shorten examples. Cut redundant sentences, phrases, and words. Drop most "is" verb forms and "ands." They slow the copy and the reader down, a cardinal sin in writing. Bored readers will leave. Instead, use vital, action verbs and colorful nouns.

7. Revise Looking for Ways to Tighten Your Article

- Use bullets to clarify and shorten copy

- Reduce or eliminate quotes and anecdotes.

- Replace -ly adverbs and adjectives with picture or feeling power verbs and nouns.

- Let go of superfluous words like "that."

- Use one or two-syllable words for readable, direct copy.

For your conclusion, write only a sentence or two to either sum up or point out benefits. When you write under 500-word-articles of about one page, Online publishers, Web Masters and potential clients will read them, pass them on, and eventually buy from you.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," "How to Market your Business on the Internet," and "Create your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The Book Coach Says..." and "Business Tip of the Month" at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 155 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com.

experienced cleaning professionals Winnetka ...

In The News:

Uber teen accounts now feature live video streaming from the driver's camera, but encrypted recordings stay on Uber's servers for up to 14 days.

Router firewalls and software firewalls serve different roles in protecting your home Wi-Fi from unwanted traffic and suspicious connections.

A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.

Amazon's Alexa+ rolls out free to Fire TV devices across the U.S., but hands-free microphones and stored voice data raise key privacy questions.

Meta's new teen accounts settlement sets a default two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook, plus night mode and school mode restrictions.

The CareCloud data breach exposed Social Security numbers, banking information and medical records belonging to more than 3.75 million people.

Waymo reveals its custom 5-nanometer chip and dual computing systems designed to take over instantly if the robotaxi's primary computer fails.

Identity theft now includes account takeover, phone hijacking and payment card exposure. Here's what to look for in identity theft protection services.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI and Justice Department seized domains tied to QScan and QTRouter, tools allegedly used by China-linked hackers to breach NASA and other agencies.

Uber Eats drone delivery launches later this year through a Zipline partnership, starting in Dallas and Houston with a goal of one million daily flights.

Medicare Open Enrollment scams start with data broker targeting months before October. Learn why August is the time to remove your personal info.

The World Humanoid Robot Games' crashes show how far the technology still needs to go to be useful, "Survivor" reality TV star and robotics scientist Christian Hubicki says.

X-Humanoid's TianGong Ultra ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds at Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, beating last year's winner by more than half.

A tap-to-pay charity scam is turning small $15 or $20 donations into charges of nearly $5,000, with victims losing thousands before they notice.

Kurt Knutsson shares seven emergency preparedness lessons from surviving Hurricane Katrina inside a New Orleans hotel as conditions turned desperate.

A contractor stored credentials in a Google Doc set to "Anyone with the link," and Google Search autocomplete eventually surfaced the password string.

New Orleans 911 uses Carbyne AI to triage repeat auto crash calls, but strict limits keep human call-takers in control of all other emergencies.

A single card skimmer can generate $1 million in stolen funds, and Secret Service video shows criminals installing them in under two seconds.

ChatGPT, Meta AI and Google now use memory, connected apps and past chats to personalize ads and responses in ways most users overlook today.

MagicalAuth by Glide.id uses cryptographic SIM credentials to verify bank logins without sending SMS OTP codes that scammers can intercept or phish.

A humanoid robot named Lightning Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, edging Usain Bolt's record.

An AI agent using Claude AI canceled another person's gym booking after finding a security flaw in the reservation system's authorization checks.

Trump signed a memorandum allowing vetted private U.S. companies to conduct cyber operations against foreign criminal organizations under oversight.

Your Social Security number appeared in a breach, but exposure and identity theft are not the same. Here's how identity restoration actually works.

How to Write a Short Article Under 500 Words

Article Writing