Isn’t it fun when you put time and energy into writing a post, but when you check back later, you see only three people viewed it, and you got one pity like?
This is why I’ve worked so hard to figure out how to better connect with readers, making more impact and building a profitable business.
Here are some things to watch out for:
Blunt hooks and ‘meh’ titles.
Writing a mysterious four-word title might seem edgy and elegant, but you’re not in the mystery game; you’re in the ‘I am here to help specific people solve problems’ game.
And for that, you need to be great at making people do a double-take.
Well-worded titles entice people to want to read more.
Not provocative.
Locate your balls and entertain us with courage.
This means standing your ground on a strong point you’re making. Provoke your blessed reader with ideas that challenge them. In fact — challenge yourself with an idea first.
If you’re not sweating when you hit publish, rewrite.
Your readers want to be challenged even if they won’t admit it. Have fun with this.
See yourself as a swashbuckling leader of armies, not a timid little newt who misses his mum.
You’re too perfect.
Writing as though you’ve never done wrong or you’re immune from failure distances you from the reader.
They are looking for people or stories of people who remind them of themselves.
That’s the only way they will bond emotionally with your words.
You’re making more than one point.
I know I write many lists, but one point still links all the points in a thread.
There must be one clear, overarching point you make, regardless of the length of the piece.
Readers subconsciously ask, ‘What’s your point?‘ as they read.
You need to give them a point spread across the full length of the piece.
That’s why people read on.
Your grammar sucks.
For God’s sake, don’t put all this time into writing a great piece, only for the spelling and grammar to suck.
It’s like forcing us to read your words at gunpoint while throwing sand in our eyes. Make it beautiful and smooth.
Use Grammarly — as I do — or some of the many tools out there that edit your words for a low cost.
You’re expected.
Did you ever read a novel where, fairly early on, you had a good idea of what would happen later in the book?
You lost interest because there was no genuine curiosity about what would happen next.
The same applies to nonfiction. You must subvert expectations. It’s not an option—it’s a must. Always think: ‘What does my reader expect, and how can I write something that goes against that expectation?‘
This is why counterintuitive takes can make for such popular reading.
You’re telling people what to do (too much).
This goes back to the old writing adage, ‘show, don’t tell.’
People are not here to be lectured. This is especially true for controversial opinions. For example, people respond poorly to ‘You should go vegan‘ versus ‘Here’s what the vegan diet has done for me.’
Your best bet is to show how you gained from your ideas so people are moved, not by being told, but by being inspired.
Showing means giving examples, anecdotes, and stories to paint a picture of what you mean.
Vaguer than vanilla.
A common approach by more novice writers is to side-step specificity in exchange for vague concepts.
I believe the main reason people do this is to avoid the work of finding specific examples and because it’s scary.
It takes courage to be more specific because you can be more easily picked apart. Instead of talking about ‘John’s difficult childhood,’ talk about how his obese uncle used to lock him in the basement when he misbehaved.
Paint pictures in the minds of your readers. Use examples.
Be specific and then some, or you will lose them.
You don’t keep your promises.
Great writing starts with a solid promise (’7 subtle habits that will make you richer in a week,’ for example) but follows through by fulfilling that promise.
Don’t hook a reader in with something sparkly and alluring if you can’t deliver on that promise.
Instead of a reader for life, they’ll be gone in thirty seconds.
Weak opening paragraphs.
Like weak hooks or titles, you must keep the reader engaged in the opening few lines — especially if there is no title or hook to kick things off.
They will scroll on to the next thing, otherwise. Grab them with a thought-provoking question or statement. Throw them into the action.
Show them a problem they are aware of that they’ll want to know the solution for.
Too formal.
It’s no longer 1952, mate. This can depend a little on the nature of your piece, but generally, people respond better to writing that feels human and conversational.
This means you write how you talk (tidied up, of course).
You don’t talk like you text. But you don’t talk like you have a small tree up your butt, either.
Not personalised.
You want to do as much as you can to tailor your content to the specific type of reader you want to attract.
This is why it helps to step into their shoes as often as you can and, ideally, to talk directly with them to get a better sense for what they are looking for.
What pains them?
What are their passions and interests?
What is going on in their world?
What keeps them up at night in a sweat?
Write to those things.
Lack of sentence length variation.
Using identically-lengthed sentences throughout your paragraphs can fatigue the reader’s brain.
Keep sentences short in general, but keep an eye on variety. Short and longer. Mix it up.
This breaks up any monotony in rhythm and attracts the eye.
Complex or grandiose language.
I’m not saying it’s cool to only write for total morons who have a terrible grasp of the English language.
Again, this does depend somewhat on the nature of your work and intended audience. But you want to be careful about using overly complex or ‘advanced’ language and convoluted sentences.
This is especially true for technical jargon or industry-specific material. You always want to ensure your writing flows and is plain easy to read.
After all, it’s not about trying to impress the reader; it’s about encouraging people to want to do something with their lives.
Lack of story-telling.
Our ability to tell and visualise stories is literally what separates us as a human species.
We’re wired for stories and respond to stories like a starved dormouse seeing cheese for the first time in weeks. You don’t need to tell a long, winding tale.
You can squeeze a story or cheeky anecdote into a line or two.
This gives character, emotion and context to your ideas.
What if you decided to master writing and make a career out of it over the next decade or two?
My new book shows you how I did it. It’s called ‘The Never-Retired Writer.’
It’s 62 short, actionable chapters on building a writing life that gives you income, freedom, and a body of work that compounds for the rest of your life.
Enjoy!
Alex
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