How to write a good article in less than an hour

58 minutes. That's how long it took me to write this article. I know because I turned on my stopwatch to add extra pressure. Is it any good? That's for you to decide. But it does give useful tips from some pretty fast writers about how to produce great content quickly.

(The above is an example of me trying to follow tips 2, 3 and 4, by the way.)

A huge thank you to my former fast-writing colleagues Sam Slator and Melanie Timbrell, both of whom characteristically reeled off three to five awesome tips in about two minutes when I asked for their contributions.

1. Just start writing

Who's guilty of sitting down to write an article and then spending an hour trying to craft the perfect opening sentence? Or worse, your heading!

"Just start writing and don't get hung up on finding the perfect phrase," says Melanie.

"There's nothing more terrifying than sitting there close to a deadline with only a sentence or two written down - no matter how good they sound."

This is a lesson I've learned the hard way! As Melanie says, you'll get a much better result from being able to read your whole article once it's done and polish it then.

2. Get to your point quickly

This is vital when you're producing digital content. 'Competition for eyeballs' as they phrase it (yuck, I know) is intense and attention spans are shrinking.

You need to tell people in your heading and first one to two paragraphs exactly what they can expect out of your article. If a reader can't see what's in it for them, they'll just move on to the next piece of content.

"Above all I think you have to keep it simple," Sam says.

"Get to your point quickly and don't get bogged down in detail."

3. Find a killer stat

Sam also says the articles that come together fastest for her are often the ones where she has a killer stat to get people's attention.

Readers like stats too. LinkedIn says that when they tested including a statistic in their own marketing content, they got a 37% higher click through rate and 162% more impressions.

Like all content trends, you don't want to overdo it (remember how many listicles were floating around back in 2015?), but if you're building up a toolbox of handy tricks this is a good one to have up your sleeve.

4. Add a personal story or a personal experience

This will make your content more entertaining and help contextualise a topic for readers, but it can also help you to write faster as you're 'writing what you know'.

Do keep tip number two in mind and avoid waffling on, but a snappy anecdote or common challenge that lots of people can relate to will often help you to get the ball rolling.

Sam uses this approach to great effect in many of her financial and investment articles and here's a good example: The funds investing in my summer holidays.

5. Is there a current topic you relate to?

Somewhat similar to tip four, Sam also says "a current topic or topical link always helps".

Depending on what you're writing about, this might initially feel unlikely, but once you get in the habit of making connections you might be surprised how often these links pop up.

See it put into practice with another piece of Sam's here: Can you make a fast buck from fast food?.

6. Practise!

"I think many people think of writing an article as a dedicated exercise where you sit down and do just that for a period of time," Melanie says.

That's nice if you can get it!

"In reality, it's often just about grabbing whatever time you have to cobble something together and then polishing after.

"Try writing in all kinds of different environments and just use snatches of time whenever you can," she says.

Practise is one I can certainly attest to. The more I write - and especially in periods where I am writing regularly for work - the more efficient I become!

So what are you waiting for? Practise writing your own LinkedIn article today!

7. Bonus tip: turn off your emails!

Oh yeah. One last tip from me. Emails are a huge distraction. Do yourself a favour and turn them off while you're writing.