Most of the time, starting to write down an article is challenging – you can hardly move on to the next sentence with great satisfaction. You are well aware that it’s too soon for writer’s block, yet the writing process already seems to drain your neurons out. Of course, we all aspire to efficiently write articles without compromising the quality of the output. It is perhaps every writer’s dream to get noticed and make it big in the field, to have his/ her craft published in renowned blogs or publications.

The blank page syndrome is often the hardest to overcome. But worry no more! We have put together a few writing hacks in the name of article templates to aid you in your successful writing journey. To cut the chase, did you know that article templates are actually the key to boosting efficiency in writing?

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Why Follow An Article Template?

Having a template is like establishing the floor plan of a building. It is a skeletal pattern or a topical outline that guides you and leads you in the whole writing process. Others even refer to article templates as recipe books. Freelance writers will find this utterly useful and relevant as they trek the rocky road towards establishing readership and building connections.

To address the need to overcome blank page paralysis, here are the most widely used article templates to choose from, depending on the function and/ or publishing platform used.

Efficiency

Time is the most important commodity – it is non-renewable, non-reversible. If you have the whole day to sit and write down an article, good for you. But if you are part of a busy team, time is of the essence!

Moreover, saving time consumed in writing an article doesn’t just mean more rest. For freelance writers, it also means more articles to publish and more money to make. The writing process will be easier when the whole skeletal pattern is established and you’re ready to just fill in with research-based facts for the topic.

Clarity

Since you have thoroughly organized your thoughts into structures, the probability to miss out on the important details would be relatively low. It’s like having a written action plan. It’s the draft of the draft, but in a more concise manner.

In contrast, when you rush and jump to write with an empty structure, your train of thought will almost always get lost in the space-time continuum.

Consistency

Apart from the common syntax issues related to parallelism, one thing to observe is coherence. Is everything aligned with the article topic? Freelance writers can overcome struggles regarding inconsistencies if the important points have already been structured and predetermined even before the actual writing process commences.

Article Templates to Boost Writing Process

Blog Post Template

There are a lot of templates to choose from for blogs but the most engaging of all is the list post template. Take these sentences below for example:

Better readership – It is good to note for freelance writers to make the readers visually interested in the article. It’s achieved when the words are not crowded in paragraphs or long, dull narrations.
Brevity – The details are broken down into chunks and can easily be digested by the readers. The shorter, the better.
Efficient use of readers’ time – The readers can take a quick scan and immediately find out what it is they need to know in the article.

Meanwhile, here are some key elements to keep an eye on when making list posts:

List post title – Your article must consist of the benefits/ desired outcome, the number of items, and the relevant time frame (e.g., Top 10 Sitcoms to Binge in Netflix This 2022)
Introduction – This is where you establish connectivity and trust. As much as possible, you need to achieve this within the first few words of the article.
List of items – It all boils down to enumerating the desired results of the list post title. Ensure to use subheadings, use numbering, and maintain coherence and parallelism.

Magazine Template

Magazines are filled with feature articles that showcase lifestyle, health, beauty, technology, or a character sketch, and the list of human interests goes on. Feature articles tell stories and even make use of interviews coupled with facts and storytelling.

It is crucial to finish doing your interviews prior to writing the article. You can achieve different angles of the feature article depending on the interviewees’ statements, and depending on what you want to highlight.

A simple structure to follow can be:

Headline
Sub-headline (i.e., there can be more subtopics – this makes the article more readable)
Introduction
Body
Closing

Article Pitch Template

For freelance writers, using a pitch template can help in conveying your ideas to the editors. How can your pitch stand out?

Here’s an outline on how to craft a good pitch :

Subject line (be direct to the point)
Salutation (prepare some warm greetings)
Introduction (include suggested article headline)
Pitch paragraph (this shall include your story and the manner you want to tell it)
Bio (basically your credentials and qualifications)
Sign off (don’t forget your contact details)

Newspaper Template

For journalists, we are all familiar with the inverted pyramid style where the most important facts are offered to the readers first. These facts are followed by other facts in decreasing relevance. Thus, the less important and smaller details come at the end of the article.

Here’s a skeletal flow to follow:

Headline (title of the article)
Lead (elaborates the headline and gives more details but still in conscious observance of the number of words; this pretty much sums up the entire article in a sentence or two)
Subtopics (optional – encouraged but not required, i.e., for news or sports features)
Story details and supporting information, in the hierarchy of importance

Remember to cut down on unnecessary information and to always use straightforward language (i.e., adjectives are not most welcome, particularly for news articles).

While these are helpful article templates to adapt, remember that you are most welcome to customize and tailor your own template depending on your writing style.

If you’re still hesitant and you want to learn more, you can always tap the help of an online writing support system where a community of writers would be more than happy to help! The writing process can be tough and tricky, but as long as you pursue and continue, there’s no other way but growth and becoming!