Article Marketing - Can You Write a Great Quality Informational Article in 500 Words or Less?

A recent discussion on the blog at EzineArticles concerned whether you could write an article of quality in under 500 words.

One of the ideas being tossed around was that it takes more 500 words to deliver a great quality article.

There are a couple of points with which I agree, though overall I disagree.

Points of agreement

=> Many writers are not able to write a useful, helpful and great article in 300 - 500 words. It is too difficult.

=> I too have seen many less than quality articles of less than 400 or 500 words. Many of them, some by prolific writers, tell you about the what and the why and nothing about the how. Nothing useful there.

Points of disagreement

=> I agree with Joan Stewart that when you are laser-focused in on a specific topic, 300 to 500 words can be the best approach.

=> I do think it takes more work and skill to give useful information in less than 500 words. You have to think through your message, discard what is not necessary, and only use what is necessary.

There is nothing inherently wrong with longer articles. I write longer articles when necessary. It's just that many times I find it not necessary.

I can even use a story to illustrate different points, which some people believe that you must go over 500 words to include a story.

Here are my top three tips for writing great quality articles of under 500 words -

1 - Laser in on one specific topic within your niche - When you find yourself adding content that is not on the specific topic, save that content for other articles.

2 - Use a 7 tips template - An article with 7 tips and suggestions lends itself very well to a great informational article of less than 500 words, with a story included.

3 - Discard what is not needed - Once you have written your article, and you have delivered great quality useable information, simply edit out what is not needed.

When written well, an article of 500 words or less can deliver great quality information, and it can be easily read.

In the words of Enrique Jardiel Poncela - "When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing."

By the time I finish this last paragraph this article will come in at just under 400 words. Is it too short or a quality article that delivers useable information? You be the judge.

And with your permission, I'd like to offer you free access to two more of my Article Writing Templates. You can download them by going to http://www.TheArticleGuy.com/bonustemplates.htm

Would you like to get in on our free weekly Article Guy TeleSeminars? Visit http://www.TheArticleGuyTeleSeminars.com to get started today!

From Jeff Herring - The Article Guy and GreatArticleMarketing.com