Pick subjects for your songs that are personal to you. You'll be able to write your best songs when you're writing about people and conflicts that emotionally resonate with you. Try and convey what you feel about your subjects through your songs.
Use an alternating pattern of verses and choruses. Use the verse portions to tell your song's story, and punctuate the verses with a simple chorus that encapsulates the emotional message of your song.
Write a musical accompaniment for your lyrics. Collaborate with other musicians to create a simple chord progression and rhythmic patterns. Sing your lyrics over the music to create a soaring melody.
Make an arrangement of your song. Decide on which instruments you'll use in your demo recording and take the time to work out individual musical parts that will combine to create a complete song. Most demos utilize drums, bass and guitar or piano.
Record a demo of your song. Work with your musicians to record their individual instrument tracks. Rent studio time or use one of the various home-recording software programs available.
Record the vocal performance to put the finishing touches on your demo. Add harmonized vocal lines to underscore your song's choruses or key lyrical passages. Try and put as much emotion and personality as you can into vocal performances.
Enter professional songwriting contests and wait for the results. We Are Listening and the USA Songwriting Competition are good resources for locating popular songwriting contests on the Internet (see Resources below).
Protect your compositions by registering your recordings with the United States Copyright Office (see Resources below).