The 5-Paragraph Article: A Time-Saver for Busy Writers
Article creation in five easy steps.
The 5-paragraph article is an easy article format to master. And one that converts well to online writing. If you want to bump up your writing speed, this time-saving article format can shave hours off your writing time.
Writing for online markets usually entails producing 300-500-word articles. These articles can be created using the 5-paragraph article format.
What elements are contained in a 5-paragraph article?
Paragraph 1:
Introductory Paragraph: Introduce your topic with an introductory paragraph that whets readers appetites to continue reading. Your intro. should set the stage for what follows.
Paragraph 2:
Article Body: Build on your introductory paragraph.
Paragraph 3
Article Body: Present your next thought.
Paragraph 4
Article Body: Add the garnishing touches to your article, completing the details you’ve used to support your article topic.
Paragraph 5
Concluding Paragraph: Give a satisfying finish to the points presented.
When writing 5-paragraph articles, make sure that each point is presented in a logical progression, so that one paragraph leads into the next.
Using this time-saving 5-paragraph article format will help you to produce well-crafted online articles.
Time-Saving Writing Techniques:
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March 22nd, 2009 at 11:12 am
Awesome and very helpful article and thank you for sharing this how-to-do information. Well done my friend.
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:31 am
Very helpful, and basic. I think sometimes we get carried away and forget the simple things.
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Useful practical tips that can help writers to give the much-wanted ‘an article a day’ speed.
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
This might work if your article was on how to boil an egg! Quite often I start reading articles and then *just* as they get interesting they finish. Abruptly! I would say myself that 5-700 words is the ideal length for online articles, as long as they are accompanied by well chosen and placed graphics and they are able to still stimulate instead of bore…
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your comments.
Hi RJ, I’ll have to disagree with you. Internet readers generally are looking for quick information. Research has demonstrated that readers scan pages and appreciate information in digestible formats. Think “above the fold” for online writing and blogging.
To be fair, a complex subject would be better served with a longer article format and would be suitable to markets that cater to these types of articles: technical, scientific, etc.
It depends which reader group you are targeting. My article was discussing online writing in general.
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Hi Athlyn
I think you are exactly right – scrolling down is a pain for internet readers
RJ – turn your stuff into 2 or even 3 articles and get more reads that way
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Hi Revivor,
I just saw your comment over at PNP. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I write a blend of both longer and shorter articles, depending on which market I’m writing for.
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I’ll keep this in mind for an article I may write.
Thanks for the tips.
Clay
March 22nd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Thanks for reminding us of this basic lay-out.
Regards,
Inna
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Hi Inna,
Yes, it helps to have an article style that you can call fall back on to craft your articles.
March 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 pm
This is very informative. Thanks ALOT!
March 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Hi Barbie,
Just finished reading one of your articles. Thanks for stopping by.
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I think you are spot on. Most internet readers are looking for the wam bam thank you type info presentation. Of course, it all depends on the subject. The more complex….the longer the article. But, for the basic run of the mill topics a five paragraph works great to keep the reader interested, but still complete enough to let them learn something. Great job…as always.
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Hi Jo,
Thanks for stopping by.
I know for myself, I usually like online articles to be a single page. If they are in a magazine then I don’t mind reading a couple of pages. But for a webpage, one page seems to be a good fit. Web masters and seasoned bloggers recognize this, from studying reader trends, and they format their articles accordingly.
This doesn’t mean that longer articles aren’t valuable. They can be, especially if they are linking to a number of helpful resources. I intersperse pillar posts/articles with shorter articles at my writing blog and it is usually the content-rich pillar posts I’ll submit to a blog carnival.
Many of us get weighed down in the writing process and it helps to think outside of the box so that writing becomes easier and therefore more enjoyable. The 5 paragraph article format can be a breath of fresh air when writing articles starts to feel too labor-intensive.
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 am
useful information…. thanks for this…
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 am
Hi Athlyn,
Great basic tips for newbies.
RJ
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
Great work! Nicely done. Thanx for sharing this great stuff.
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:52 am
Thank you for sharing such useful information. Great presentation.
March 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Useful information, the basics are often the things we forget.
March 24th, 2009 at 12:25 am
This is great! Thanks a lot! =)
June 11th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
This is definitely a must-read for most article writers. I don’t think many people realize how reaffirming the basics really adds to their work.
I feel as though I’ve had a refresher course just reading this though. Thanks for posting!
March 4th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Have read several of your articles, and I have found them very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to help your fellow writers improve their work.