Who is your particular audience? Make sure you know them, inside and out.

How old are they? Male? Female? Age? Baby boomers? Seniors? Entrepreneurial? Corporate? Are they middle or upper class? What kind of work do they do? What is their income? What do they spend discretionary time and money on? Where do they live? What books and magazines do they read? What different attitudes do these reflect?

What are their interests, hobbies, and values? What challenges do they face that they want answers to? Are they business people, retired people, over 50? What magazines do they read? What radio shows do they listen to? What TV programs do they watch? What do they do with their free time? What events do they attend?

What organizations do they belong to? What causes do they support? Are they Internet savvy? What kinds of sites do they visit? How many of them are out there to sell to? What do they want? Need?

Go to your library or use Internet to research just who and how many people belong to your audience. Ask for reference books that have census and other information. All agents and publishers will want this information from you. And your Web site must target its promotion aimed at your particular audience. The more narrow target, easier it is to sell.

Even if you publish a book or create your Web site yourself, do some market research. My research helps my clients who write books or have Web sites that sell similar products and services as mine: 45 million readers read new age books, 70 million baby boomers and 60 million seniors are out there. They buy online, too.

So go ahead and create your audience profile. Keep it in a file so you can add more qualities when you think of them.

Discover why you are your audiences' best choice and tell them!

Perhaps you are like me and don't feel competitive. Yet, you need to let your audiences know why you are different and better. How are you or your product unique?

When you know your audience, you'll be able to write compelling copy that pulls your visitors to buy your product or service.

7. Get to point quickly (enough waffle with maple syrup, Craig!).

8. Target your article to your audience with "focussed information".

9. Be brief, if you are a "waffler", like this writer. People want immediate information online and have limitedtime usually - it's "instant coffee, sorry generation.

10. Write briefly and concisely (redundant words, meaning same thing, Craig!) Try to keep your article under 1,500 words. Most paying markets usually only accept between 500 and 2,000 words... and with a bit of luck they may even "pick up" your great article. Try to be concise in your wording. Brevity is hall-mark of good writing...or so say many of teachers of writing!

11. Use OCCASIONAL exclamation mark (!) to get your readers attention. Forget ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and exclamation points!!!

12. Be credible (big word, eh?) at all times. I use my articles to attempt to share, inform and entertain at same time in a "conversational style with dashes of my funny (peculiar/zany) humour".

Happy writing "dem" articles