Yesterday, I talked about writing blog posts. Articles are similar to blog posts, except they are posted on other places besides your website.

You can write for magazines, journals, newsletters, newspapers, or even other blogs and websites. You can also post these articles on social media, such as Facebook or LinkedIn. The possibilities are endless.

The big question everybody wrestles with is, “Where do I start?” It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options, so let me present two great ones.

The first is writing articles for other bloggers. This is a super easy win. If you know someone who writes about the same topics you do, ask if they would be willing to do an article swap.

I remember a few years ago when a few other bloggers and myself did a series on leadership in the movies, and we did guest appearances on each other’s blogs. It was a blast.

The second is to submit an article to a site where you can get accepted fairly easily. I recommend The Good Men Project. This is a large media site with several million visitors per month. I used to be a lead editor there, as well as a writer. They are always looking for new writers. Plus, it’s a great way to hone your writing skills and build your audience.

For example, one time I wrote an article on the singer Tony Bennet, and his manager saw it and emailed me, saying that he loved the article. Tony is world-famous and has been making music for decades. He’s in his 90’s, and he’s quite a big deal in the music world.

You never know what might happen when you start writing for other outlets besides your own blog.

Question: If you had to write an article today for a place other than your own website or blog, where would it be?

The post Start Writing Today: Articles appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

So far we have talked about getting specific on your core message and audience, and building the platforms where you will share your content. Now let’s look at Milestone #3: Write consistent content that helps your readers.

Why it’s important: When you write consistent material, specifically blog posts, it helps your SEO (search engine optimization) and also builds an audience. It’s impossible to build an audience, and to create loyal readers, without actually producing content consistently.

This is a big problem for many writers. The consistency is what gives you credibility over time and allows you to build up a library of content. Believe me, I have been through times when I’ve not been consistent, and it really hurts your growth. It also makes it hard to feel motivated when you keep starting and stopping.

One of the great benefits of creating content consistently is that you can repurpose the material into other formats like podcasts, email newsletters, books, courses, speeches, training, and more.

The big challenge in doing all this is that it’s hard to stay steady. It’s very easy to get excited about your new material, or your new platform, and write for a while… then give up. If you can just stay consistent, you will be ahead of 95% of other writers, I guarantee.

As far as a schedule, I recommend a baseline of creating something once a week. More specifically, I’d recommend at least a 500-word blog post once a week. If you can do that for a year, you will have enough material for a book, if you have organized the material in such a way that you can compile it into a book.

Daily Question: What could your writing business look like a year from now if you wrote a blog post every week and shared it with others?

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