New to Associated Content? Raise Your Clout Index!

Itching to See that Plain Purple Planet Change Colors and Get a Ring or Two? Read on

When I first joined Associated Content, I couldn't wait to see my clout index increase. By employing the following techniques, I'm happy to report that my clout index catapulted from 1 to 4 in only two short weeks. It shot to 5 a couple of weeks after that.

If you just joined AC, hopefully these tips will do the same for you.

Create great titles…
…that are punchy and pithy. Make them interesting enough for readers to want to know more. You clicked on this article because it was something pertinent that you wanted to know more about, right?

If your headline doesn't lend itself to succinctness, at least make the first 3 or 4 words count. Depending on where your article's headline is eventually listed, like in AC's library page, the ending may be abbreviated due to space constraints. So the beginning may be the only portion of your title you have to entice readers to read on.

Walk the line between good taste and tabloid-tacky headlines, though. I originally titled one piece "My Night with Dave Chappelle," knowing it would intrigue folks. 

By the time it made it to press, the AC editors changed it to "My Night with Dave Chappelle on Tour," which was really more appropriate. After all, the guy does have a wife and kids…

Also, make sure to check out the AC 101 page for other great articles that teach CPs how to write with search engine optimization and keyword density in mind.

Make subheads or the "Enter" key your friend.
Bolded section headers break up an article into readable chunks with good amounts of white space, and are more visually appealing. I don't know about you, but my eyes go loopy at pages and pages of unbroken text, unless it is something truly fascinating to read. If not, my mind says, "Forget it!"

With subheads, the reader can quickly scan over subjects the piece contains and pick out the sections they want to read, the fervent desire being all of them. A fully read and thoroughly enjoyed article is more likely to draw great comments, five-star votes, e-mail referrals and thus more page views.