You may be reading this article at a site that contains hundreds of thousands more.
Have you ever stopped to consider what constitutes the perfect article
Somewhere, perhaps only a click away, you'll find it.
Anyway, here's my take on the perfect one:
It does what it is intended to do. And by this, I don't mean it informs or entertains. I mean, if you have written your articles so, like breadcrumbs, they'll attract people to your web site, or they'll encourage readers to buy a product or service from you, then if they do what you wanted them to do, then your article, in my estimation, is perfect.
It could be the most boring thing in the world to NON-BUYERS, but they don't matter.
It might be vilified by self-appointed grammarians and by the language effete, but that's meaningless, too.
And even you might dislike it, preferring any number of others that you've drafted during the weeks, months, and years, but I would discount those concerns, too.
The key to anything rhetorical, is effectiveness.
When I was a college student, there was a cool workbook that was assigned in our Advertising class. As I recall, it was titled: WHICH AD PULLED BEST?
It showed sets of ads for the same products that varied in significant ways.
Some had the same photos but different headlines. Others changed the art.
In every case, it was a blast trying to discern the winners from the losers, which after robust discussions, our professor would disclose.
Often, grammar came in second, and utter rule-breaking text came in first, possibly because it was attention-getting, or it tapped into that wonderful, but generally hidden vocabulary people use when they mutter to themselves.
If your articles are doing what you want them to do, then you're on the right track, and from my viewpoint, they're perfect!
Dr. Gary S. Goodman is the best-selling author of 12 books, over 700 articles, and the creator of numerous audio and video training programs, including "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant-a favorite among salespeople and entrepreneurs. For information about booking Gary to speak at your next sales, customer service or management meeting, conference or convention, please address your inquiry to: [email protected].
