The best articles are the ones which provide value to their readers. Value is anything that leaves the reader better after the read than before — it can be a story, a poem, a news commentary, a personal essay, or anything else you want to write.

This article, for example, is something I plan to share with people who decide they want to write for Serious Philosophy in the future. The idea is that there are some foundational thoughts that most of the writers who reach out to me for advice need to hear.

Four Important Principles To Consider When You Write

• Introduction — tell them what you have to say. Write your article, then go back and write an introduction that sums it up. Then write your title. Last, find a picture that looks good and relates to your article. Paste this between the title and the body of the article.

• Body — tell the audience why the point you nicely articulated in the introduction makes sense. Show them, using examples. Need more pictures? Add them here. Anybody likely to disagree? A sentence or two addressing their argument will help them connect with your message.

• Conclusion — sum it up. What value have you added to your reader? How successful do you feel you’ve been in this goal? What does the future hold?

• Contact the Author — people need to be able to find you. Some of them will enjoy your work. You should make it easy for them to drop you a line, and while you’re at it, a quick by-line summary of who you are can make all the difference. Are you a doctor, a philosopher, a writer? Your CTA section should introduce your reader to the broader body of your work, then provide them with a means to get in touch with you.

Now, if you’ve written a poem, these guidelines may not apply. If you’re publishing an essay you already printed somewhere else, these may not apply. But for the majority of content on the internet, these rules work.

And if you’re wanting to get your name out there to earn some money or to get a message out, the best way to do that is to add a solid Contact The Author section to the end of each of your articles. Here’s mine:

Contact the Author:

Thomas Dylan Daniel is an existentialist philosopher, professional ethicist, author, and biophysicist. He has written four books and started a Medium publication called Serious Philosophy.

website: www.thomasdylandanielauthor.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/tdylandaniel

academia: https://independent.academia.edu/ThomasDylanDaniel

books: https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Dylan-Daniel/e/B0796W5P46?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000