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Writing articles is a good way to make money online and off-line. War">All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a brain.

It's really pretty simple once you're taught what you're supposed to do. And it amazes me how what you're about to learn isn't taught all the time. Really all you need to write a great article is this.

You're about to find out it's a 4 step process. This goes for professional freelance articles too. You can't beat this formula.

For short I call it: HCLC

Which stands for... Headline/Opening, Credibility, Lesson, Close. Sounds simple right? It is.

Now, you're going to discover there are certain ways you need to write the 4 sections. Even though it's simple to learn too!

If you have the nerve to start off writing for peanuts then as you increase in demand, start charging more (and most importantly, if you enjoy doing it), then read this from beginning to end. Because I guarantee by the end you'll know the simple format for writing an awesome article. And you'll be ready to start raking in some cash.

First off, articles are written for different reasons. Sometimes to drive direct traffic to your website. Sometimes to build your links. And other reasons.

Whatever might be the case, the most important element will be your headline. Nothing with a poor headline gets read. Books have been written on writing headlines, but here's the number one thing you need to remember about them.

Here it is: make sure you state a benefit the reader is going to get. It might sound like common sense. As they say... common sense isn't that common!

Avoid writing headlines that do not sum up what the reader is going to get out of it. If you can't think of a headline, start with *How To* or *_ Ways To.*

The next element your article needs is a good opening. In your opening, simply make a promise of what the person is going to get out of reading. Here you can go into more detail than in your headline, but same idea. You're just making a promise.

A benefit-oriented headline and opening will hook your reader in!

Next give a sentence or paragraph about your credibility if you have any. Or else your words won't be believed. You need to give a dose of credibility before they'll believe anything.

Now dive into the lesson. Here's where writing articles really begins. Don't try to warm your reader up. Fire away with instructions, facts, data, opinions.

At the end, simply conclude with what your reader should have gotten out of the article. ...That's really all there is to writing a great article.

1. Promise a benefit the person gets in your headline and expand on it in your opening paragraphs.

2. Give proof of credibility so that the reader will trust in your lesson.

3. Start teaching right away. Don't hold back and don't try to warm them up.

4. Wrap it all up with a summary of what they learned and what they're walking away with for reading your article.