The Only 4 Elements of Success on Any Writing Platform
Twitter, Linkedin, Medium, or Twitter. The principles remain the same.
Welcome to #TheWriteWay → a weekly newsletter to help you upscale your writing, build accountability, and inch closer to your goals.
Thank you so much for being a part of this incredible community. We can’t wait to support you as you scale amazing heights and make your dreams come true.
Today’s issue is brought to you by Neeramitra Reddy
Long before I started on Medium, I had tasted quite a bit of success on Quora → Over 4.5 Million views with only around 100 answers.
While Quora was a different beast, my success there fast-tracked my progress on Medium → 1.5 years and 300+ articles in, I’m sitting at over 1.1 Million Views and $20,000+ total income.
5.5M+ total views → No ads, no promotions, no cross-posting, only pure organic growth.
Now that I’m planning to start taking Linkedin and Twitter seriously, I’ll be wielding the same few tenets.
The King Factor That’s the Downfall of Most
Be it the headline of your Medium article, the first line of your Quora answer, or the first tweet of a thread, the “hook” of your post matters a ton.
You can distill the best research, wield the most eloquent of words, and edit with the highest meticulousness, but if the "hook” fails, it would all be in vain.
Only once people click on your article will they know how good your content is → So craft an irresistible door:
Write at least five versions of the “hook” before finalizing it. Don’t just aim to tweak the previous version, it’s okay to completely change it up as well.
Does it have a “clear promise”? Chisel it down until it’s specific enough → “How to lose 15 lbs without dieting or tracking calories” vs “How to lose weight effectively”
Forget others, would you click on it if you were a reader bustling amidst a busy day?
Is it simple and easy to read? Flexing your vocabulary is the mistake here. Don’t try to be fancy or cute.
What’s the curiosity gap? While you have to clearly reveal the outcome (the promise), you should hide the process. Listicles are an elegant way of doing this.
Does it tug at your target readers’ needs, wants, and aspirations? Check its emotional value using AMI’s analyzer.
Can it be made shorter without reducing its “punch”? Or can you amp up its power even if it means making it slightly longer?
Here’s a real-life case study of the above points.
The featured image and the subheadline (if it exists) complete the trifecta of the “hook”.
For amazing featured images, hop onto Unsplash, Pexels, or Pixabay. Then:
Use a keyword to search → Make sure it’s specific → “Formal serious man”, “Spotted brown cocker-spaniel“ instead of just “man” or “dog”.
Sort by “Newest”, not “Most Relevant”.
Start scrolling pretty rapidly and only stop if some image catches your eye → If it pulled your eyes, it’ll entice your readers as well.
Finally, the subheadline → Only two methods here: