The Twenty Minute Money Maker

 

Would you like to earn some extra money? Money you can earn without leaving your home and with the knowledge you already know? 

As entrepreneurs, stay-at-home parents or working women, we all have knowledge to share with others. Whether your knowledge consists of tips on planning budgets, saving money or selling advertisements, you can sell your advice to newspapers and magazines.

According to Writer's Digest ( Cincinnati , OH ), the "How-To" article is the most popular piece of writing sold and needed today. Why? Today's society is the self-help era. Everyone wants to learn something new. And you can tap into this "need" to learn by writing and selling the tips, advice and know-how you offer to your friends, family and business associates.

All you have to do is tap into the unique source of knowledge you have floating around inside their head. Information you know. But, how do you start?

First, keep a notebook handy. Jot down the tips, ideas, and advice you usually give away. You can do this during your lunch hours, while waiting for the pasta water to boil or while sitting at your son’s basketball practice.  After you've gathered enough related material on one subject, (i.e. marketing strategies, business start-up, dealing with kids while working at home, organizing family and business life) number them. Remember, each tip must have a common theme and this theme will be the title of your article.  For example, Ten Tips to Save Money at the Grocery Store.

Next, write your tips into short, concise sentences. Try to have seven to ten tips for your article.  Decide which tips is your strongest one.  It should be at the beginning of your article. Finish your tip list with advice that concludes your piece or gives a punch at the end.   Your reader needs a strong beginning to entice her and a strong ending to satisfy her.

Here are five quick tips to writing a “list article”. 
Give an opening sentence (also called lead) expressing the problem. 
Keep advice short and to the point. 
Sequence your tips in logical order. 
Put weaker points in the middle or eliminate them completely. 
Include a specific number of tips.

Here’s an example of a list article.

Make the Most of Twenty Minutes!

A home-business requires attention and time. Time you can't always find. Here are three tips to increase the never-ending battle. 

1. Keep a tote bag, notebook or paperwork in the car. Take advantage of the
wasted time during car pools, doctor's office, traffic jams, office delays, sport
practices and so on.

2. If you have kids, find an activity they can do with minimal supervision.  Once a week, I take my son and his friend to an indoor roller blading park. In the same building is a small cafe. I take my paperwork with me. While the boys are having a good time, I have several hours of nearly uninterrupted work time.

3. In the evening, sort through your notes, files and such.  Then, make a to-do list for the following day or days. This small detail prepares you for the next day and eliminates the "Where do I start?" problem.

This is how easy it is to write a "How-To" piece. 

After you’ve completed your article, scan various publications, from daily to weekly to monthly.  Decide which magazines or newspapers buy articles with a similar in topic to yours.  That's the type of magazine, e-zine or newsletter to pitch your piece.

Keep in mind, one thought can turn into a published "How-To" article. Now, pull out your pen and notebook and get started. 

 

Copyright Mary Jo Rulnick 1999-2006