My “Magic Formula” For Article Marketing Mastery
There’s about a hundred “gazillion” ways to write articles.
But, when I want results I almost always use a variation of AIDA (That’s Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) with a twist. Here it is…
You might call it my “Magic Formula” for writing articles.
Now, if you really want to “stamp” this on your brain then picture yourself in a fishing boat. Your line is in the water. You have the right bait. You’re happy. You just need to…
#1 – Hook Those “Fishies”:
Okay, I don’t think of my readers as fish, but…
Your first 10 words are MORE important than
the next five-hundred.
You have to grab those eyeballs and almost force them to read the next paragraph – or your article will fail, fail, fail.
If you aren’t spending time on your headlines then you’re fishing without a hook.
Memorize this! Yes, it’s that important…
#2 – Reel Them In To The Boat:
Okay, so you have their attention…
You yell “FIRE” or insult somebody’s mother. Easy beasy.
But here’s where writing gets downright tricky.
Now, YOU have to keep their attention.
A few quick tips:
- So use short words, sentences, and paragraphs.
- Use the words “YOU”, “YOUR” and “YOURS” often.
- Don’t be afraid to use subheads (I call them mini-headlines)
- Tell your reader what’s in it for them – benefits, benefits, benefits.
Now, it’s time to row back home, clean the fish, and…
#3 – Fire-Up The BBQ:
No fire, no BBQ.
If you believe you can simply “hammer” articles out and drive traffic to your blogs, get affiliate sales, comments, shares, or retweets, then you’re DELUSIONAL.
It’s like trying to have a BBQ without fire…
Because an article without passion is going nowhere fast.
#4 – If you don’t ask, you don’t get:
You know, when my family has a BBQ you better ask for food fast or you won’t get none.
Believe it or not, the same principle applies to writing articles…
Ask and you will receive…
Here’s an example:
If you enjoyed this short little article then I hope you will share it with your friends on Twitter. It’s that green button on the top of this posts…
See how I “cleverly” disguised my “call to action”? 
But I really do appreciate when you share these posts on Twitter.
Thank you,
- Jason The “Better Networker”
- The Jason Better Blog
75 Comments
Ilka Flood on April 6th, 2010
Good Morning Jason,
Congratulations from me too! 3rd is awesome. I can imagine the competition was very high with a prize like that.
Thanks for sharing your magic formula! I’ll print this out and tape it to my desktop. You made it easy to visualize the steps to great copywriting. Although I don’t fish, I can relate to hooks and bait
Enjoy your day!
Ilka
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:03 am
It’s funny how the oldest formula is still one of the best.
AIDA.
But so few people apply it to article writing which is basically… at least in marketing… the same thing as writing a sales letter.
[Reply]
Anne Theriault on April 6th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Yes,Kudos to you for coming in 3rd…thanks again for all of the wonderful tips. It seems like you never run out of great ideas to share.
Have a great day.
Anne
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Good day Anne,
As a matter of fact, I do run out of ideas. 
But then I have notebooks lying around with everything I forget…
You know, some days, writing serves a dual purpose…
1. To help others
2. To remind myself about things I forgot.
Another wonderful reason to blog.
Thanks again.
[Reply]
Rebecca geiger on April 6th, 2010
Eeek. I am learning to write engagingly and on the weekend My Man pointed out something to me… because I was writing from my perspective.. he was like Eeeeew… I replaced all the words I into you.. and that one thing improved my article…
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:08 am
But be careful with that one…
It’s definitely important, but when you’re telling a story about YOU or your experiences then it’s okay to stick with the “I” perspective as long as the story is engaging and helpful to your reader.
“How I” is often a good way to start a headline if you ever get tired of “How To”.
It’s something to think about…
In writing I learn something new every day.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Jason.. If it wasn’t for reading your blog I wouldn’t have started mine…
It is weird to look back and see the first articles I wrote and how terrible they are. BUT I am glad they are terrible because I have improved on what I have created and I can see my improvement.
Thanks for the great tips, great advice and being a great leader.
Kudos
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
No prob Rebecca,
Your enthusiasm always rubs off on me.
I’m actually heading over to your blog right now to see what’s new.
Mary Thayer on April 6th, 2010
Hi Jason,
I love the analogy to fishing and BBQ! I especially agree with firing up the BBQ. It is always easier to read articles that have that “flame”.
Flame-less articles= dead articles
Mary Thayer
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:10 am
There’s even a few writers out there who recommend that you get all FIRED-UP before you write anything at all.
The enthusiasm is contagious… simple advice… but often tough to follow.
[Reply]
Tommy DiPietro on April 6th, 2010
Hey J
Congrats on the third place finish. The top three were all powerful networkers.
I am learning more and more about reeling people in. Like I mentioned last week, when I purchased WWN, I also picked up Dillard’s Copywriters Guild. It has helped me with my style along with you, Josh G. and Chris O’s copywriting tips.
I have read some really good articles, the problem is I lose focus, and tend to either not finish or skip. If an article is highlighting and using one word and one sentence paragraphs, I will read the article with no problem.
I commented yesterday but did not see it for some reason. But one of the points I made was:
On Saturday, I am on Fanale’s list and he had a Q&A webinar with Mike Dillard on WWN. My Internet was down and had no way of attending.
So…you made a great point, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Most people would have blown it off, especially if they already had WWN like myself.
I decided that I wanted to know more. So I am able to get in touch with Brian and was hooked up in the call.
To make a long story short, because of that call I bought another WWN membership and purchased the Platinum membership because I know this will benefit me and the decisions I make in the Industry.
Peace
Tommy D.
“The Prospecting Hero”
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:15 am
So that’s how he did it!
All sneaky like… and here I am sending out e-mails… he’s out there with fancy schmancy webinars.
I love it.
Your last comment might have been gobbled by the spam filter. Usually I catch them, but for some reason this weekend has been terrible for spam. Literally hundreds upon hundreds of spam comments were filtered by Akismet. Unfortunately… that might have happened to yours that day too.
I hope you’re loving the Copywriter’s Guild.
This really is the one magical skill that will open doors in any industry… especially ours.
It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
[Reply]
Melodie Kantner on April 6th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Thanks for this Magic Formula article. I learn so much from you.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Hey Melodie,
No problem. And thank you for dropping in.
[Reply]
Ken West on April 6th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Another great post with valuable tips from the master!
Love the analogies.
Thanks for sharing good content with us!
Ken
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Aw shucks…
Never a master, always a student.
Joe Vitale used to say “There’s no such thing as a finished master who knows everything.”
[Reply]
Dwayne Huggins on April 6th, 2010
Hey J
Thank you sir. A very timely post for me this one is.
Great tips which I will implement immediately.
I think I worried to much about the whole article instead of focusing on a great headline and first sentence, which is really the all important hook.
Congrats on your 3rd placing btw (for the R8). I can tell it was a great battle between the worlds greatest online marketers. Well done man, truly impressive stuff.
Dwayne
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Hey thanks Dwayne,
I kinda brought a spoon to the knife-fight so to speak…
Those dudes were using webinars and fancy schmancy marketing kung-fu. Next time I’m kicking it up a notch.
Goes to show that copy can still compete with new fangled powerful techniques.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:36 am
“fancy schmancy marketing kung-fu” – ha! hilarious.
I looked at the competition and really cant wait to be a valued contender in the competitionsto come in the future.
It must be great entering such a tough battle and coming out on top.
All of the top 20 did well!
My time will come! I am learning all I can from you guys.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
It’s definitely fun…
And that’s the way business should be.
But crazy too when you have a lot on the go. Most of those
e-mails were written on the fly.
The best part, is that the product will help a lot of people out.
Twila Jacobs on April 6th, 2010
Hi Jason!
Definatly one to take note of! I do implement the short paragraphs/sentences, I don’t like reading an essay, and am getting better results using that style.
I just need to implement the other’s.
Thanks for the timely info!
Have a great day!
Twila
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:16 am
It’s simple enough advice…
But you would be amazed by how much it helps.
Every time I go back to bigger paragraphs… my response drops.
[Reply]
Wayne Vassell on April 6th, 2010
Hey J,
Cunning call to action there!
We can learn a lot from this post, personally I like to come to this blog because you write some good information.
However, I always notice, in particular, your choices of headline always grab our attention, and I believe that is a massive part of the appeal.
A lot of people buy newspapers but only scan through the headlines, hence the reason why their editors take time to get it right.
This just shows how important it is to get that part right.
Thanks for these tips.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Totally Wayne,
The headline is the article in many cases…
It sets the whole stage… if you were to spend 90% of your time on headlines, subheads, and the opening paragraph and slap the rest together in 10 minutes… it’s better than spending two hours on the body copy for results.
Thanks again…
[Reply]
Jerome Ratliff on April 6th, 2010
Hey J -
Thanks for the formula. I think we all need a little refresh every now.
I can definitely see myself using this type of formula in articles.
Jerome Ratliff
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Some friends tell me it also works with the ladies too.
But we won’t go there.
[Reply]
Shawn Easterling on April 6th, 2010
Great post Jason your analogies are what always keeps my attention on your post and that’s my main focus when I’m writing articles but thanks to this article I have even more firepower…again thanks for the value.
Shawn Easterling
[Reply]
jose on April 6th, 2010
Good tips if we really want to add attraction to whatever we write. Good for you, almost got that Audi, next time you will, I am sure.
Keep your awsome work.
Blessings.
Joe Lasa
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Gosh, I have like seven of those already.
Takes me all day just to keep the dust off them.
Kidding.
[Reply]
Gayle Buchanan on April 6th, 2010
Morning Jason
congrats too, “fancy schmancy marketing kung-fu”
that’s why we love you – words that touch and you pass it all onto us – thank you
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Thank you Gayle,
Although I have to confess, I have nothing against marketing kung-fu.
I seem to remember somebody telling me that “kung-fu” roughly translates into “skill”…
[Reply]
Derek Alvarez on April 6th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Congrats on 3rd place — that is super impressive!
And I must say that the people who showed up on that list are getting some great advertising from MD…
I mean, I know I’ve already looked up all their names and checked out what they’re up to.
And I’ve gotten some great ideas from a few of them already!
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Thank you Derek,
That list is like the “who’s who” of marketing right now.
It was a pleasure to compete with them.
Although I have to say I had an unfair advantage.
My killer good looks.
[Reply]
Rhonda Miller on April 6th, 2010
Hey Jason,
It’s good to be back. I was keeping an eye on the WWN standings while I was gone. Congrats to you.
This was a great article to come back to because I’m really focusing on more article writing.
Keep the tips coming. They’re awesome.
Rhonda
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Hey Rhonda,
Nice to have you back.
I actually missed your smiling little avatar.
[Reply]
Eric McMillan on April 6th, 2010
Good outline for writing great articles. A ton of people get to worried about stuffing keywords in the title of articles without considering the end user. If no one clicks on your article to read it, it could be the greatest thing ever, but doesn’t matter.
Valuable stuff as always,
Eric McMillan
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Now when SEO and Copywriting meet… that’s powerful stuff.
I don’t believe they have to be mutually exclusive.
But sometimes you want to slant it a bit in one direction or the other.
Thanks again Eric.
[Reply]
Jeff Faldalen on April 6th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Once again you knocked it out of the park!!
Your statement about having passion, I couldn’t agree with more
It goes back to the statement, if money wasn’t an issue what would you do for a living?
I was guilty of being more concerned about keywords, rather then communicating with the audience.
Each one of us has a unique way of seeing things and this is the story that needs to be told
I loved your analogy of the fire in the bbq
It is our uniqueness that creates our own niche, where there is no competition.
Best wishes,
Jeff Faldalen
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Thank you Jeff,
I don’t know about knocking it out of the park but I try to make myself useful.
And what you said is so true.
“If money wasn’t an issue what would I do for a living?”
The same thing I do right now.
I hope that everybody finds their passion.
Our industry is known for passionate people.
[Reply]
Chris Owen on April 6th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Congrats on the 3rd place. I think I might have been 21st or ummm lower. Actually, I didn’t promote it. But I did buy it, and am waiting on it now.
Copywriting is probably the most interesting subject for me. I started early as a songwriter, and saw how easy it was to direct peoples emotions with words. It wasn’t until the last couple of years that I got into it for personal business. But I do love writing articles and sales letters and seeing the reactions.
My latest is “Hit it and see what wiggles”. Subtle I know, but some good advice on getting rid of the negative aspects of your life.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Hey Chris,
I’ll have to check that out.
It’s been a bit since I stopped by… been crazy busy with that
WWN promotion which was fun.
And thank-you.
It’s a huge honor to compete with the top marketers in our industry.
[Reply]
Dan Johnson on April 6th, 2010
Great Post Jason, you know how to drive the point home buddy. Makes me want to rush right over to wordpress and whip out another one.
thanks for sharing
[Reply]
Ana YourNetBiz on April 6th, 2010
So – write something incredibly engaging and attention-getting… No problem! All my article are like that! (chuckle)
One thing that I did find very easy to do is easy formatting and choice of words. Just that change alone makes a huge difference in retention rate, wouldn’t you say, Jason?
Ana/YourNetBiz Attraction Marketing Cafe
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Totally,
Just breaking up paragraphs, using subheads, underlining and other devices will go a long way.
But only if the writing is there to support the fancy formatting too.
[Reply]
Aqif on April 6th, 2010
Hey there Jason. Hope you are doing great.
All I can say that this article is “simple” but “VERY INFORMATIVE”.
I do agree with you that the first five words is more important than the next 500. Which it will determine your readers to read more.
Thanks for your sharing Jason. I’m looking forward to share this post!
[Reply]
April 7th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Hey Aqif,
Yeah, I try to keep things brain dead simple.
AIDA is one of those old formulas that keeps on ticking.
Works like a charm whether you’re selling or writing articles.
[Reply]
Mike Paul on April 6th, 2010
Great points, Jason.
Too many people try to complicate article writing. It really doesn’t have to be a long-drawn out process.
Just follow this simple little outline and you’ll start cranking out great articles right and left.
Talk soon,
Mike
[Reply]
April 7th, 2010 at 8:29 am
It’s funny too, because I have 40 point checklists for copy that I never
have time to use.
Gosh, it would take me all day to write an e-mail.
I wish I had that luxury, but nobody does.
Good news is that AIDA covers the basics.
Quick and dirty copywriting.
[Reply]
Wayne Wu on April 6th, 2010
Hey Jas,
Haven’t been here for a while, but it’s nice to be back…
Article writing just gets easier and better with practice. I love it.
When you say… “Your first 10 words are MORE important than the next five-hundred”, that reminds me of the great Joe Sugarman and his book: The Adweek Copywriting Handbook.
In that book, Joe talks about how the Headline is pure there to get you the read the first sentence. The first sentence is purely there to get you to read the second sentence, and so on and so forth. I think he calls it the “Slippery Slide” concept.
Have a great eve,
Wayne
[Reply]
April 7th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Hey Wayne,
Yeah, it’s been a while.
Nice to see you back.
I love Joe’s books.
“Advertising Secrets of The Written Word” is the same as the
“Adweek” one but for some weird reason my “Adweek” book
is missing an appendix with copies of all the ads?
Man, I was so disappointed with that.
And it’s kind of weird he has two books out with the same content and
different titles but I still love the guy’s work.
[Reply]
Yadvinder Singh on April 6th, 2010
yes you are definitely right jason, It is by writing
those high value but simple articles can get the
reader do the call for action which you are looking
for and the one which you cleverly disguised ha ha.
[Reply]
Susanna on April 7th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Big congrats on 3rd place! And your constant emails, shamelessly promoting it, weren’t THAT annoying! 
Seriously though, this is a great post! Packed with value once again. How are you always coming to the marketers rescue with these great tips?
(I’m still convinced you wear tights and a cape in your off hours)
Make it a great day!
Susanna
[Reply]
April 7th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Hey thanks Susanna,
I was thrilled to compete with the best of the best…
Things were crazy that week but it was a lot of fun and I hope
that everybody had an opportunity to join.
I’m always afraid that I missed somebody and that wouldn’t do with
a product that costs pocket change but changes lives.
During my off hours I usually sleep…
Instead of flying around in tights and a cape.
Need all my energy to save lives the other 18 hours of the day.
[Reply]
Greg Felty on April 7th, 2010
Nice “magic formula” post. I really like the analogies.
Will definitely have this in mind as I work on my writing skills.
Fantastic!
[Reply]
Mitcehll Dillman on April 7th, 2010
Jason you Rock Man!
Way to show us how it’s done my friend…You continue to lead by example and your lessons are priceless!
I gotta tell ya, You deserve to be right up there with all the top Marketers!
Man, what a couple weeks…
My inbox has been inundated with hundreds, I do mean HUNDREDS of emails from every top leader out there!
You know, some guys were blasting out emails like end of the World was here and WWN was going to provide my salvation and give me Network Marketing everlasting life …I mean it was like the maniacs in the locked psych ward of One Flew Over The Cuckoo Cuckoos Nest had gotten out again and were now Online. Kind of amusing, really…
What a sight…I’ve even received an email from one marketer with an apology for being “over aggressive”…
You gotta hand it to Mike, he sure knows how to promote, motivate others and then deliver!
Anyway,
Congrats! Great Job!
Your buddy,
Mitchell Dillman
[Reply]
Marcus Baker on April 7th, 2010
Jason congratulations on coming 3rd! That is quite a feat. It just goes to to show that when you build a list, build a relationship with that list and then market to the list that the power of the list comes shining through every time.
Cheers
Marcus
[Reply]
Craig White on April 7th, 2010
Great article Jason. This will really help me with my structure in my articles. I think you comment about having a fire for the BBQ is right on. Without passion in your article it goes no where!
Thanks,
Craig
[Reply]
April 8th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Thank you Craig.
It’s one of those things that’s easy to say but hard to do.
It helps when you love what you do.
[Reply]
Mark Gubuan on April 7th, 2010
I liked the way you simplified the whole process. Putting together an article that wins over your reader is definitely an art. This is a great starting point.
I find that I respond to the “mini-headlines” because I’m a fast reader. If I see a benefit I like I read that more closely and skim the rest.
Mark
[Reply]
April 8th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Simple is best.
I think most people are scanners these days.
[Reply]
John on April 8th, 2010
Jason,
Again another amazing post, you always seem to simplify and bring everything back down to earth from all the over analyzing of what one might be doing wrong.
I know for my own articles as of late I have tried a few more stories of my own experiences and incorporated how that affects the “you” have actually received more response than if I simply write to the “you” This could, however, depend on the reader as some prefer a story format while others will want just the facts.
Regardless, thanks for what you do Jason. Your constant advice and encouragement leads a true legacy.
John
[Reply]
Devendra Patel on April 9th, 2010
that’s really innovative skill you are giving, im sure this is the only key to get success in article marketing, thanks
[Reply]
Matt Cassity on April 12th, 2010
Its The winning formula that all copywriters should Know how to use!
Matt
[Reply]
Hey Jason,
First, I would like to say congrats in coming in 3rd place for the Audi. Who knew that there is a real live Roger the rabbit. That is awesome!
Now, thanks for sharing this info. Having this simple formula you put out will allow us to put powerful articles with great headlines. I really enjoy learning information like this because it keeps my foundation strong.
Chat with you later…
Josh
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Hey Josh,
The credit should be given to the product. It’s so awesome it sells itself.
And I hope everybody here got access to it because it would be a huge shame if they didn’t.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Josh – do you ever sleep? You are always the first to comment!
Give room to the rest of us, turtles!
Ana Hoffman
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Comment Ninjas never sleep.
[Reply]
April 6th, 2010 at 5:58 pm