Planet Mark

Many new poker affiliates enter the business with a great knowledge of poker strategy concepts. However, writing these down in a way that is structured and meaningful to less experienced readers can often be quite a challenge. This blog post outlines a basic methodology for those who are looking to start writing clear and compelling poker strategy articles that directly improve the quality of their affiliate portals - and thus your long-term profits.

We start by explaining the '3Ts' method and how this can be applied to poker strategy content. Next we go back to the start of the article and provide a simple opening paragraph structure. Finally calls to action and the importance of creating an individual style will be covered.

Three T's stands for. 'Tell 'em What You Are Gonna Tell 'em, Then Tell 'em, Then Tell 'em That You Have Told 'em". As structures go it is very simple, yet effective both from the readers viewpoint and because it forces the writer to plan ahead clearly.

By breaking a strategy subject down into steps you give the reader a ready frame-work on which to visualise your points. This method has the additional advantage of enabling you to get a key but unrelated point across without confusing your readers. A simplied example might be fold-equity when talking about 3-betting ranges... Here the 'Tell 'em' part can include 'before we discuss the hand ranges to 3-bet against various opponents it is important that you fully understand the concept of fold equity'

The main body of your article should be made of short paragraphs which follow the struture you have already written. At the end of your article you can summarize your points, and have an excellent opportunity to direct the reader in their next actions - here is an example:

"To summarize, 3 betting ranges depend on many inter-related factors including XXXXX, YYYYYY and ZZZZZZZZZ. Successful 3-betting involves the ability to judge the individual situation in such a way as to know which factors are most significant. We recommend you check out (poker site / further reading / training site / tool - you name it!!) for information that will improve your 3-betting profits still further.

Your opening paragraph is critical to strategy content for a simple reason - it is this which will decide what percentage of readers continue with the piece! When starting out in strategy writing I recommend that you focus on a simple "Introduce Subject - Problem - Solution + Benefit" layout, making sure you do not start by asking a question that can be answered with a 'no'. More on headlines / openings in a future blog post (bookmark me today!!).

Finally, aspiring writers should not lose site of the objective of their article. We write great strategy to collect readers and links, to convert players, to sell poker tools - not for charitable purposes. If you are writing great content then do not miss out on asking your readers to take action - only a small percentage will do so, but they are the lifeblood of the poker affiliate business. You should also make sure that your personality shines through any piece you write - though avoid starting 50% of the sentences with 'I' is always a good idea...

To summarize, I have outlined a simple method of constructing strategy articles aimed at those who are new to writing. The 3Ts method involves telling people what you are going to write about close to the start of the article. It has the benefit of telling the reader what to expect and also clarifying how to lay out points for the writer. In addition we looked at the importance of the opening and closing paragraphs and calls to action. If you would like to know more about writing then please look at the Google Pagerank icon on your toolbar right now, you'll really notice the difference.

(ok, no real call to action here - will point out that i am not formally trained as a writer... just my simple method for strategy stuff.... BTW did you know I have a brand new Russian-Language Bonus Portal? Its great! Самые выгодные бонусные предложения на лучших онлайн покер сайтах