Writing | Self

My 70–20–10 Rules For Writing Content Online

How to pair up quality, quantity, and variety to achieve content success.

I’ve published more than 5000 pieces online — which seems outrageous as I look at it now.

It’s taken years, stubborn persistence, and many shades of frustration and breakthroughs.

I have a few underlying philosophies that help me write more content and also help me cope with the ebbs and flows of writing online.

The fact remains that this trade can be deeply frustrating — but if you can push through that frustration, you can unleash your full writing potential.

Here are two — and they both involve 70–20–10.

The most talented entertainer of the 20th century?

Michael Jackson was sued for plagiarism in 1994.

The plaintiff was a random woman, Crystal Carter, who claimed she’d already written the song “Bad”. The case was laughable and failed miserably in court.

But the deposition involved a rare interrogation of Jackson’s creative process:

Attorney: How many songs were on the Bad album?

Jackson: I think nine.

Attorney: How many songs did you write that weren’t published on the Bad album?

Jackson: I wrote between 60 and 70 songs.

Attorney: How many songs are on the Dangerous album?

Jackson: I think 17.

Attorney: How many songs did you write?

Jackson: Around 70 songs.

It isn’t breaking news that not every song is published. But it’s still somewhat surprising that one of the most talented musicians in history produced so many unworthy tracks.

He was working by the 70–20–10 rule of content creation: 70% of your stuff is average, 20% is good, and 10% is great.

Obviously, Jackson’s “average” is still multiples better than an aspiring musician’s. This is an important point about this rule: 70% average, 20% decent, 10% great — for you.

The implied message is that you should just keep writing and pushing content. Quantity becomes its own form of quality.

But so what? This might be encouraging for a struggling writer. What else does 70–20–10 offer us?

It’s funny because I don’t intentionally actually use the 70–20–10 of quality. I’m at the mercy of it. I occasionally drop an article I’m very proud of. Then, I claw at my eyes trying to figure out how to replicate it.

I suspect many of those 1–2 hit wonder bands go through the same agony, only to be doomed to tour on the same few songs for decades.

I also use a different 70–20–10 rule.

The second 70–20–10 rule stacks

Two years ago, someone at my office told me they’d gone to my Quora profile and read my stuff.

I was mortified as I’d written highly cringe stuff the night before.

It was loaded with potty humor and cheap attempts at laughs. It was then that I began thinking more about content as a part of a broader portfolio, rather than a means to stream my vulgar consciousness.

It seemed rational and normal to feel nervous about friends’ opinions of my work. But the fact that I was dying inside meant something was wrong. “Pride of Authorship” took on a new meaning.

Internet points, and quality writing, are often very unrelated — to a surprising degree. A newcomer can easily kid themselves into thinking their new invisible outfit is stunning.

I set out on a new path. I didn’t want to be too formulaic. The bills still need to be paid, but only to a certain extent.

70% of my content became “status quo”, a bucket of things I was writing about at that moment: marketing, personal memoirs, and humor. It provided a level of consistency that is needed for mass audiences and for my own quality control.

Then, I’d push the boundaries out with 20% of my content. It became more unpredictable, a blend of multiple categories, or with one key element warped (Four Life Lessons from an Alpaca).

Then, the last 10% would be ridiculous, far out in left field. It occasionally had my mom calling me and saying, “You are such a weirdo. (DNA Test Confirms My Girlfriend is a Centaur).”

Sometimes my stuff is a catastrophic failure, cringy, boring, begging for the delete button. But occasionally, gems surface, that otherwise remain buried in a “status quo” strategy.

This 70–20–10 rule of variety lifts the floor of your writing. It pushes your creativity and stretches your brain while allowing you to sharpen your main skillset too.

The things to remember for success

There’s an underestimated element of courage that comes with writing. It’s not always easy to put your essay on the stage for people.

It’s even scarier if you’re testing new ideas and styles of writing. But it’s only scary at first. Your audience will come to appreciate your willingness to experiment and try new things. They’ll even forgive you for your occasional flops and lukewarm treatises on obscure topics.

When they know you are trying to get better, and that you won’t be totally predictable, they’ll be that much more inclined to join you on this journey.

The magical formula to stick by, that I’d tell my younger self:

• 70–20–10 of Quality: Push lots of content in pursuit of quality. It will lift the tip of the iceberg. But quantity is never an excuse to compromise on quality.
• 70–20–10 of Variety: Keep 70% of content with a few comfortable topics while expanding with experimental stuff in the outer 30% (with 10% being the most off-the-wall).
• Stick to the fundamentals: Active voice, constrict sentences, alternate sentence length, alternate voice, be specific, dodge cliches, and always rewrite.

Each writer eventually develops a core group of readers, sometimes one or two, sometimes many more.

They will read most of what we write. They are our VIPs. It’s upon us to ensure we aren’t being too cookie-cutter or going through the motions.

Keep pushing and test yourself.

To make a boxing analogy, even if your punches are sloppy and slow, like you are holding pool noodles — keep swinging and eventually one will land.

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