How to write an article – the secret sauce for content

The secret ingredients of successful articles: what to write that customers will read

Stories sell! And not just sell, but engage, create a connection between you and your audience, helping to build trust and loyalty. Today, I want to share my vision of how to write an article about your product or a problem you are struggling with.

Writing articles: more than just texts

What are articles? This is an extremely important tool that is often underestimated. It is not uncommon to see transcripts of commercials or attempts to repeat them in a text format instead of a high-quality article, or even worse, the publication of an article from ChatGPT without proofreading.

Simple examples:

‘Hello everyone, I’m Vitaly, the founder of MATVIEIEV PROJECT, we have developed a super useful Blog with the team for startup founders and anyone who wants to build their own large scalable business. And now we want to share with you what a great  blog we have.’

Or let’s try to make a transcript of a commercial that we would see on TV.

Imagine you’re watching a commercial: ‘Not sure where to go tonight? We have a great option for you, where you can find new friends nearby!’ And so on. But none of this is an article.

An article is something more, a story, a study, a review of solutions or an analysis of an event. Each of these formats has its own specifics and tasks.

? So when you start writing an article, the first thing you need to do is decide on its format. Will it be a story, a research, a review of solutions or an analysis of news?

It’s important to remember that regardless of the format you choose, any article is based on a story. And it is this story that makes your content interesting and convincing for readers.

The structure of the article, what scenarios shape the stories?

Stories, regardless of their content and form, often follow the same scenario. There is an opinion in the literature that there are only seven main plots, although some researchers argue that there can be as many as forty. But the point is not in the number.

The formats of stories and plots are actually limited.

In any case, when we talk about stories, it is worth mentioning that their number is limited, as well as the ways of telling them. There are thick books that describe in detail up to ten ways to build a story, and there are thin books that reduce this number to three options. But if you go deeper, all these options can be reduced to one basic approach.

This shouldn’t deter you, but rather, knowing the basic scenarios helps you build your stories better ☝️, making them interesting and understandable, it simplifies content creation and allows you to focus on conveying your idea through a story that will touch your audience.

How do you ignite passion for your product?

The protagonist of a story is someone with whom the reader can relate. The protagonist does not have to be an exact reflection of the reader, but should have traits that the reader considers to be their own or that they want to possess. This creates an emotional connection between the reader and the hero, making the story closer and more understandable.

The enemy, on the other hand, is the opposite of the hero, and the reader does not associate with him or her. It can be a character or circumstances that stand in the way of the goal. The enemy must be in the story, because it is through the struggle with him that the hero’s strengths are revealed. It adds dynamics and keeps things interesting.

When writing an article, it is important that the reader sees himself or herself in the main character, feels his or her experiences, challenges and victories. And the enemy should be clearly understood – it can be a competitor, difficult circumstances or internal fears that the hero is fighting.

A great trick is to build a story so that your product is the hero fighting against the enemy. The enemy can be the problem that your product solves or a competitor offering an inferior solution. Such stories show how your product helps to overcome difficulties and win.

Don't be afraid to abuse the particle ‘But’!

This is how it might look like in a story:

‘I decided to launch my startup, but I had no money, so I started looking for investors. I found several potential investors, but they refused because they didn’t believe in my business model. Then I turned to a coach, but his approach didn’t work for me. But I didn’t give up, changed my strategy and got support from a mentor. And now, thanks to this support, my startup is growing faster than I could have imagined.’

Each ‘but’ adds dimension to the story, showing that the path to success is not a straight line, but a series of challenges and surprises. This allows readers to feel all the difficulties of the process and better empathise with the hero who overcomes obstacles.

Every story has its ‘but’, and this principle works well in business. You can have a clear goal, but there are always obstacles on the way to it. For example, you want to launch a new product, but users don’t want to enter the necessary information. You try different options, but each brings unexpected results.

This means that even a simple story about a product launch can be engaging if you use this scenario correctly.You show the challenges you faced and how you overcame them. This not only makes the story interesting, but also shows your ability to adapt and find solutions in difficult situations.

How to write good texts?

Whether I’m talking about my product, business, or something else, I always try to breathe life into the content through a story, because it’s what makes it compelling.

Any good story should have a story, regardless of the format. It can be a plot, research, solution review or even news analysis – the story remains the key element. At the centre is always a hero who fights against difficulties or an enemy, and this hero must be someone I or my audience can associate with. They go through trials, face problems and at a critical moment find an unexpected solution or do something unexpected that changes everything.

When I write, I try to structure the story so that there is always a ‘but’ in it, because it creates dynamics, movement and intrigue. These ‘buts’ work as hooks that keep the reader or listener in suspense and make them follow the story further to find out what happens next. It is development and suspense that make a story lively and engaging.

So, the most important rule I always remember is that a good article should be structured as a sequence of events, where there is always a ‘but’.

Now, you know how to write great articles ?.

If you want to learn how to do it faster, book a free consultation and let’s see how I can help you make your articles a powerful tool for achieving your business goals. Contact me today by filling out the form below!