How to Write an Article | Steps & Tips

Learning how to write an article is an important step for anyone who wants to become a blogger, freelance writer, or content marketer. It’s also a useful skill for anyone who may need to share their subject matter expertise.

Writing an article can seem very simple, but it requires some thought and preparation before you can actually start drafting. This article goes through how to write an article from start to finish, plus some tips and AI tools that can help you along the way.

If you need a bit of help to get yourself going, QuillBot’s AI text generator can help you generate outlines, sentences, paragraphs, and more.

How to write an article

Below, find the basic steps that show you how to write an article. Certain things may differ depending on the type of article you’re writing, but generally speaking, this is the standard process to follow.

1. Choose your subject

Before writing, you need to know what you’re going to write about. Choose a subject that excites and motivates you but that you also know enough about to be able to cover well.

2. Know the end goal

Another important variable in the article-writing experience is what the article’s end goal is. There are many possible goals. Ask yourself:

• Are you writing just to practice and improve, without planning to publish your article?
• Are you breaking into freelance writing and putting together a portfolio?
• Are you starting a personal blog or getting set up on a platform like Medium or Substack?
• Have you started in content marketing at a company that’s asked you to write articles for them?
• Are you pitching and writing guest articles for other websites and blogs?

Knowing the end goal will also help you determine what type of article you should write: a blog post, a news article, an SEO-focused article, and so on.

3. Brainstorm article topics

Once you’ve selected your subject, it’s time to brainstorm article topics and angles. Come up with topics that are narrow enough for your article to be focused and useful to the target reader. If you need some help brainstorming, try mind mapping, freewriting, or writing down ideas on sticky notes you can later sort and organize.

When you’re brainstorming:

• Get rid of boring or uninteresting ideas.
• Think about what value each topic brings readers and strike out any ideas that don’t provide value.
• Search for your ideas online and get rid of ones that are already heavily covered.
• Develop ideas that feel interesting or important to expand them further.

At the end of your brainstorm session(s), decide which article to start writing. Don’t worry if you like several topics; you can use the others for future articles.

4. Read similar articles

After you identify a topic, read other articles about that topic. For example, if you’re going to write about effective communication, read a few other articles about effective communication.

Reading similar articles to the one you plan to write can help you get a sense of how to frame your article and potentially introduce you to new concepts related to your topic.

5. Analyze one example

After reading some other articles about your topic, choose the best one—or the top-ranked one—and do an in-depth analysis. Think about:

• How long is the article?
• How is it organized into sections?
• What does it do well?
• What could it do better?
• How readable is it, both in terms of language and web design?

Make notes about the article to use as inspiration for your own.

6. Outline

Next, prepare an outline. Write down and organize the different points you plan to cover in your article. An outline might be as simple as:

• Intro
• [Point 1]
• [Point 2]
• [Point 3]
• Conclusion

As you grow as a writer, your outlines might develop. For example, you may include more details, links to sources you want to cite, or notes about formatting to help you draft more efficiently.

7. Write your first draft

Starting to write is, for most, the most intimidating part of writing an article. At this moment, many people feel nervous, second-guess themselves, or suddenly don’t know what to say.

Bear in mind that the goal for right now isn’t to write something good; it’s just to write something. Don’t edit along the way. Just get words down, no matter how unpolished they may seem.

To help yourself get going, try setting a concrete, trackable goal. For example:

• Write for 40 minutes.
• Write around 700 words (about one and a half pages).

You can experiment with these types of goals to see which one feels best. You can also repeat the goal as many times as needed—with or without breaks—to finish your article.

8. Come up with a title

If you thought of a title while brainstorming, check that it still makes sense with the article you wrote. Articles sometimes develop as you write them, so it’s important to make sure your title is still a good fit.

If you haven’t thought about a title yet, now’s the time to come up with one. For many people, deciding on a title is easier once the article is written.

9. Review and edit

Take a break between writing and editing. Give yourself some space from your article, and come back to it with fresh eyes. Review your draft, and check for:

• Informativeness: Does your article answer all the questions readers might have about this topic?
• Accuracy: Is the information you’ve included accurate? Have you verified sources where you pulled information from?
• Conciseness: Is everything in the article relevant? Are there any words in your article that you could remove without affecting meaning? Is there any “fluff,” or text that fills up space without adding value?
• Clarity: Is your article easy to understand? Does it have a logical structure? Could a reader easily scan it if they wanted to?

10. Proofread

An article full of spelling and grammar errors won’t instill trust in your readers. Moreover, these types of errors can impede your message and make it difficult for busy readers to scan your article.

11. Ask for feedback

When you have an error-free draft you feel good about, ask for feedback. Some ideas for where to get feedback are:

• A friend or family member
• A teacher or mentor
• A classmate or coworker, especially if their field involves writing or editing
• Online forums dedicated to writing
• Generative AI

It can be hard to receive criticism of work you put so much time and energy into. However, just like with any other skill, you have to make mistakes to learn. So keep an open mind and think of feedback as an opportunity to improve.

12. Tweak your article

Adjust your article based on the feedback you received. If your reviewers provide vague feedback (e.g., “it’s good” or “I liked it”), ask them more specific questions, like:

• What did you like best and least about this article?
• What one thing do you think I could improve?
• What’s one thing you think I could remove?
• What questions did you have after reading this article?
• Who do you think could benefit from reading this article?

After this, you’re ready to send your article out into the world, whatever that may look like for you. Pitch it to publications, upload it to your portfolio or website, or save it as a practice exercise to refer to in the future.

Article writing tips

Apart from knowing the process for how to write an article, it’s good to be aware of some article writing tips you can implement as you grow as a writer.

Consider copywriting formulas

There are some common copywriting formulas that can help you structure your article. You can also apply these when outlining as a way to organize your ideas.

Structure matters

Structure is important, both with respect to how you organize your article and how you set up your paragraphs:

• Organize your article following proper hierarchy (e.g., H1, H2s, etc.).
• Keep paragraphs short but natural. Avoid paragraphs that appear to be “walls of text” and paragraphs that are consistently only one sentence long.
• Use variety in your sentence structures. Aim for rhythm and balance in your text without sounding too repetitive.

Remember it’s not about you

Even when your article is about your personal experiences, it is never just about you. The reader shouldn’t be looking at you; instead, they should be looking through your eyes and expertise at a universal story, resolution, or piece of knowledge.

Think about the “so what?”

Why should the reader care about what you have to say? What benefit can they get out of your article? Staying focused on the why—and not just the how—will help you write an article people can relate to.

Show, don’t tell

This is a well-known technique in creative writing, but it can be applied to articles as well. Basically, don’t tell the reader something; demonstrate it. For example, instead of saying that your product “is the best on the market,” use descriptive language and supporting proof to show how and why your product is actually the best.

Frequently asked questions about how to write an article

How do you write a summary of an article?

To write a summary of an article:

1. Read the article carefully.
2. Identify the key points.
3. Paraphrase the content instead of copying.
4. Stick to the facts and avoid personal opinions.
5. Keep it concise; summaries should be short.

Understanding how to write an article might also help you summarize articles more easily, as you will be able to more efficiently identify key information.

Or, use QuillBot’s Summarizer to help you summarize articles.

How do you write an article review?

To write an article review:

1. Read the article carefully.
2. Take notes about it.
3. Briefly summarize the article.
4. Critically analyze it, being specific about pros and cons.
5. Cite sources if necessary.

A good article review should have an introduction, summary, critical analysis, and conclusion. Also, knowing how to write an article can help you better understand how to write an article review.

Finally, make sure your article review is error-free with QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.

How do you write an SEO-friendly article?

To write an SEO-friendly article:

1. Do keyword research to identify topics.
2. Use keywords strategically (e.g., H1, H2s, meta description).
3. Write for humans first and avoid “keyword stuffing.”
4. Add internal and external links.
5. Include alt text for images.
6. Write a meta title and description.
7. Improve readability.

Knowing how to write an article and exploring the basics of SEO will help you write SEO-friendly articles.

You can use QuillBot’s free AI article rewriter to make existing articles more SEO-friendly. Try a prompt like “Rewrite this article to smoothly incorporate keyword [X] five times and keyword [Y] three times.”

How do you write a pitch for an article?

To write a pitch for an article:

1. Research the publication and submission guidelines.
2. Understand the publication’s tone and style.
3. Write a compelling subject line.
4. Write a brief introduction about you and your credentials.
5. Present your article idea and why it matters.
6. Include a short outline or summary.
7. Link to other writing samples.
8. Be professional and concise.

Before you pitch for an article, you should know how to write an article. This will show through in your pitch.

If you need help writing an email pitch, try QuillBot’s AI email writer.

How do you write an article on LinkedIn?

To write an article on LinkedIn:

1. Understand how to write an article.
2. Click “Write article” at the top of your feed.
3. Add a headline and cover image.
4. Use subheadings and short paragraphs.
5. Add images and videos to foster engagement.
6. Optimize content for LinkedIn’s audience.
7. Use tags and links.
8. Publish and share your article in your feed.

Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to polish your article before posting it on LinkedIn.