The ability to write articles is one of the most powerful tools for any writer. An article is a written work that is an independent part of a publication. For example, a news article is a single news item within a newspaper or newsletter. To better understand articles, you’ll need to know about the different types of articles you typically see.
Type 1: the list item
“Top 10 Hawaii Honeymoon Destinations”
“5 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself from Flood Damage”
“15 ways to run over your own foot with a lawn mower”
“Natural remedies to cure toothache”
“How to eat 100 hotdogs in less than a minute!”
“4 steps to install your new flat screen TV”
What do each of these have in common? They are all articles that will give you advice or suggestions based on a list. These articles are usually structured in a numbered list format with supporting information for each numbered item.
The number one positive of a list item is clear organization. A structured list makes it easy to view and allows the reader to “skim” the author’s points. People like to learn things that require very little investment of time.
The two types of sub-articles in this category are the “Steps” and the “How To” article. These are also known as “process articles” because they explain to the reader how to accomplish something in steps.
“10 Easy Steps to Earn Over Ten Million Dollars Online…In One Week!”
People like to do things in steps. A step-by-step guide helps the reader put your advice or information into perspective, and ensures that they can put the advice in your articles into practice.
“How to speed up global warming”
Many “How To” articles will also feature an organizing list style. People expect a “How To” article that gives them specific information on how they can accomplish a desired task, and there are typically steps or topic points that correlate to how to accomplish a task. How-to articles may or may not be numbered, but are usually broken down into specific topic points that are clearly marked.
List articles are a popular type of article you’ll find on the web and in magazines, but they’re also commonly found in brochures, newspapers, and newsletters, as well as many other unconventional publishing methods.
Type 2: story elements
“Man Injured in Accident”
“The dog eats the shoe of a teenager”
“Margaret Thatcher: Self-Made Millionaire”
Story items can be viewed in different ways. The story can be time-sensitive (news), human-sensitive (human interest story), or related to a particular business or product (a third-person testimonial story). Each of these is a series of article writing courses on its own. However, we will focus on the basics of a news article to report a current and newsworthy event.
Reporting on an unfortunate person, event or happening is most likely to be done through a story article.
The key to story articles is to grab the reader’s attention and keep them reading the story to the end. Unlike list articles, story articles generally have a more complex organization and the reader will need to read on to get the full story (rather than skim through a set of basic bullet points).
The number one way to keep a reader reading is to start with a strong first sentence that engages the reader and tells the main details of the story. Something like “A Wasilla teenager was arrested for destroying an elderly man’s car with a baseball bat in a Wal-Mart parking lot early Monday morning” or “Margaret Thatcher, an 80-year-old Detroit woman, is experiencing the joy of becoming a millionaire in less than 4 weeks”.
I want to know more about these interesting stories. A good main prize will give the reader something interesting to think about and cause the reader to ask questions. Why did the teenager go crazy? How the heck did an 80 year old woman become a millionaire so fast?
Found primarily on the web, newspapers, and magazines, but can also be found in many other advertising mediums, story articles are a powerful way to bring a human touch and relevance to your writing.
Type 3: Personal Experience Items
“How I Stopped Drinking”
“Surviving 5 Kids”
“Overcoming the Momentum of Speed”
A personal experience article focuses on your own experience to teach or inform others about what you have learned. The key to these articles is to make them about the reader, not the author.
If you’re writing how you survived 5 children, of course you’re writing about the stress of being a parent. And while you may have experienced your share of spills, screams, fights, and sleepless nights, you need to make sure you relate to the reader. What can you share to help your reader cope with the difficulty of raising children, or what can they learn or benefit from your experience?
A personal experience article can be particularly helpful to your reader, since you’re getting information from someone who lived through it.
While these types of articles are not published as often as story or list articles, well-written personal experience articles are found in a variety of publications.
Type 4: Fact Articles
“Biography of Paris Hilton”
“Mating Habits of the Green-Spotted Leopard”
“Cars Made in 1929”
A factual article is an article that tells the facts. Simple enough? When you think of a factual article, think of Wikipedia, or better yet, an encyclopedia. Fact articles present facts about a topic we want to know more about.
One key to a factual article is referencing quality sources. Where did you get your information? If you want to appear to be an expert or authority on the subject, you’ll need to tell the reader where you got your information. Using reliable quality sources will give you credibility. Also, stay as impartial as possible. A factual article that uses opinion words is not really a factual article. It is an opinion piece. You wouldn’t say “Theodore Roosevelt was the greatest president of all time” or “The leopard couple is fun to watch” because that’s an opinion. You just want the cold, hard facts.
Factual articles are usually published in encyclopedias, web encyclopedias, or informational websites, but don’t be surprised if you find factual articles published in newspapers, newsletters, and brochures.
Type 5: Opinion or Analysis Articles
“Why do I hate Burger King advertising?”
“America is the land of the free…sometimes.”
“McCann should stay in jail”
Opinion articles give the author’s opinion on a particular topic. For example, if you’re outraged that a company is taking advantage of their customers, you could give your opinion on the matter so that other people know.
The best type of opinion pieces are those that use analysis to back up their opinion. You don’t want to just give your opinion, you want to demonstrate why your opinion is correct. To prove your opinion, you will need to cite facts and clearly state what is being argued.
Unlike factual articles, opinion articles are often biased because they take a position on the topic.
Opinion pieces are usually published in newspapers and on websites. They are also found in magazines (think fashion items). Be careful when recognizing opinion pieces, because some of them are presented as if they were facts.
Other types:
Because there are so many different types of articles, it would be impossible to go over each type. There are many ways to approach articles, and sometimes the author will choose to combine different elements from different types of articles. For example, some prefer to write their personal experience articles in an easy-to-follow list format. Below are some other types of articles you may come across as a writer.
Review Items
“The New Bond Movie: Failure”
“The new restaurant is top notch”
“Ten Reasons [Insert product] is a good value”
A review article discusses a company, service, event, or product. A review is biased because the author will quantify the value of what they are reviewing. The best reviews establish a criteria by which the reviewed article is established. For example, consider the statement: “The company is number one in writing services because it has an award-winning staff, free online courses, top-notch writing services, great resources for writers, and a driving community dedicated to improving the quality of the writings. word.” Now, of course, each of these would need to be tested, and the author should consider what other sites online are offering these similar services and how they rank. That’s what a review article is all about.
Recommended (or not recommended) articles
“Why You Shouldn’t Eat at McDonalds”
“Hanes underwear is the best”
“BlueStart Hosting increased my business sales”
The key to a recommendation article is to inform the reader about 1) what you are recommending and 2) why you are recommending it. If you are recommending a service, business, product or event, the key is not to make it into a sales pitch. It should be informative and present the facts of why you are recommending that the reader do something. For example, if you are recommending why someone should choose Hanes underwear, you can reference other brands of underwear and how they are not made of the same quality and comfortable fabric as Hanes. Let others know your personal experience as to why you recommend or don’t recommend a certain product.
Other less common articles you can write: cause and effect articles, compare and contrast articles, and medical articles.
Use these different article archetypes and watch your success as a writer skyrocket.