WHEN WILL IT END?
By: Penny, EzineArticles Managing Editor
Let’s face it, readers come to your article looking for the main course. Once they fill themselves up with your valuable information, they don’t need a big reiteration of what you just told them in the conclusion. That’s like eating a whole second helping.
A proper ending to an article helps readers get a grip by providing detailed information the right way, punctuating your article topic.
Just like dessert, the end of your article should leave your readers satisfied and comfortable with the content they just took in.
Here are some tips to keep your article endings short, sweet and meaningful:
- Summarize – Try not to introduce anything new in the conclusion, that’s what the body is for. It’s better to give your audience your interpretation of what they should take away from the article. If the take away is one important lesson, the conclusion doesn’t need to be more than a few sentences.
- Tie To Introduction – If it makes sense, why not tie your conclusion back to the introduction? If you started with a story or an open-ended thought in the introduction, the conclusion is the perfect place to close the thought out and resolve it.
- “In Conclusion …” – Academics and journalists may feel that starting a conclusion with “In conclusion …” is the wrong way to finish up an essay or editorial. However, in article writing and marketing, this is an effective way to mark the end of your article’s new thoughts. And don’t forget to include the WIIFM (“What’s In It For Me?”), so your readers know why they should care about your content.
- Finality – The last sentence should be to the point, not an open-ended thought. The reader should finish the conclusion feeling educated and on their way to buying into your way of thinking. That’ll put you in a much better position to transition to your call-to-action in the Resource Box.
There you have it. Keep your article endings short, sweet and to the point. The conclusion should wrap up the points of the article and set readers up for the call-to-action.
Incorporate these tips now to keep your reader’s interest all the way through every article and to your Resource Box. Also, leave a comment to share how you keep your conclusions short and sweet.