Did you ever read an article by somebody and after reading it you thought to yourself, “What a knowledgeable guy?” And then you’re read another article, maybe even on the same subject, by somebody else and think to yourself, “What a pompous horses behind.” There is a very fine line between being an authority on a subject and being a pompous ass. The key to writing a really good article is being able to walk that line just so.

See, if you don’t come off as an authority, nobody is going to listen to you. To do that, you have to exhibit a certain amount of confidence. Phrases like, “I think” or “I’m guessing” don’t exactly instill confidence in your readers. They want to know that you know what you’re talking about. After all, they’re the ones with the problem and they’re coming to you for a solution to that problem. If you can’t confidently deliver, they are going to head elsewhere for that solution.

Having said that, you don’t want to come off as a know it all. How do people do this? By including comments in their articles alluding to the “fact” that people who don’t know this are either stupid or have no right to live. Oh trust me, I’ve read those articles. You know the ones I’m talking about. The high and mighty expert who can’t fathom how so many people can be so stupid. That’s a great way to alienate your reading audience. There is a way to come across as knowledgeable without being condescending.

Okay, so how do you do this? It’s really very simple. Just give them the facts. Keep your opinions to yourself unless they’re relevant. And if you do give an opinion, explain why you feel that way. Backup everything you say with facts. Point out to how doing such and such a thing “this way” might lead to problems and point out why. If you can give a good compelling argument as to why something is the best course of action without talking down to your reader, you have a good chance of them walking away from your article thinking that you’re an expert and not a pompous know it all.

In other words, a little bit of humility is not a bad thing. I certainly don’t have all the answers to all of life’s problems, but I’ve been writing articles long enough to know what people want to read. And people don’t want to be talked down to.

Follow this simple advice and you should find that you’ll have no trouble showing people that you’re an authority on your particular subject without making them hate you in the process.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to write articles that get people’s attention and can earn you up to $200 per article written? Then check out my Complete Article Writing And Marketing Guide that you can find at http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/tcawamg.html – This is my own book that I wrote from over 30 years of writing experience.