5 Ways I’ve Improved My Writing (And Exploded My Views 10x)

How I stopped being a terrible writer

I’m embarrassed how bad my writing used to be.

I thought having great content was enough. My reading stats proved it wasn’t. I decided to get better. I analysed how the best wrote. I took courses. Read books by writers with millions of views.

I couldn’t believe the impact.

My views exploded:

Month 1: 24 views

Month 2: 253 views

Month 3: 2395 views

Here are the best 5 ideas I used:

1. Craft a title that answers 3 key questions

Let’s be clear on the purpose of your title.

It isn’t to get people to click on your article. It’s to get the right people to click.

The right people are those your article can help. Anyone else will soon click off and feel annoyed that you mislead them. Get the right people to click and you’ve a chance they’ll read the whole article. They then might comment, share or follow. Maybe they’ll even become a loyal fan.

But it all starts with an effective title.

Your title needs to answer 3 questions the reader is asking:

• What is this about? (am I interested in this?)
• Who is it for? (is it for me?)
• What will this give me? (and do I want it?)

I keep making the mistake of being clever rather than clear. Look at this poor example of mine:

The dirty little secret of the investment industry

This is awful.

It’s intriguing with the ‘dirty little secret’ bit. So that gets a small plus. But the rest is poor. Who is this for? What will the secret do for them? Is this an expose of fraud? Or does it contain investment tips for beginners? ‘Investment industry’ has good alliteration but is vague. Are we talking property? Bonds? Shares? Stocks? Gold?

This title will get the wrong people clicking and the right people ignoring it.

A better title would have been:

3 things beginners need to know before investing in the stock market.

Notice how this answers the 3 reader’s questions:

• What is this about? = Investing in the stock market
• Who is this for? = Beginners who want to invest
• What’s the offer? = 3 pieces of essential knowledge

This isn’t easy to do. You spend hours writing an article. It is then so tempting to post the first half-decent title you can think of.

Here’s the process I use:

• force myself to write at least 7 titles
• look at notes on what makes a good title
• glance at the recent titles of a top writer
• with this inspiration I write 3 more titles or tweak the original 7
• choose my favourite from the list

Don’t waste a great article with a poor title.

2. Construct a captivating introduction

Your introduction has one goal.

To get the reader to your first main point.

That’s it.

So don’t give an overview of your article or tell a long-winded story. Show how this article is for them and that it will add a lot of value. Then get straight to your first point.

I used to write my introduction first and my title last. Bad idea. This caused them to be disconnected. When you have finished writing, read your title and then your introduction. Do they closely follow? Does your intro take your title further?

Here’s two techniques that have made my intro’s stronger.

Start with a strong sentence

Your first sentence needs to grab attention and create interest.

Here are some of mine:

• I’m embarrassed how bad my writing used to be (this article)
• You should be suspicious of your desires.
• I’ve finally made it. 100 followers and access to Medium Partner Program
• Influence makes us powerful and is a crucial skill.
• I’ve read 100’s of books on being productive. One has helped me more than any other.
• In 2021 I made a decision that dramatically altered the direction of my life.
• We are desperate to improve our health.

Which do you like? Why do you think it works well?

Don’t be afraid to learn from others

Tease with what’s coming

You want to propel your reader towards the rest of your article. Using a teasing sentence can be an effective way to do this.

Here’s some examples of mine:

• There is something else we should be seeking.
• Let’s fix that with these 9 potent influencing tactics.
• I want to share what I’ve learned so you can make more money.
• I’m going to give you an inside view of my journey and what worked.
• Here’s my favourite five lessons.

3. Get rid of the fluff

Don’t write like you talk.

When talking. Our words come quicker than a listener can process them. So we’ve learned to use filler words. And we say the same thing in a different way to help people understand. None of this works when writing.

People read quickly online. So you need to get to the point. Delete words to make sentences shorter. Remove sentences to shorten paragraphs.

Compare the previous paragraph to this version of it:

In general, people like to read much more quickly when reading articles online. This means that you need to get to the point as soon as possible. It is a good idea to delete words where you can. This has the advantage of making your sentences shorter. You can also remove whole sentences if they are unnecessary. This will make your paragraphs shorter and easier to read.

I bet you didn’t even read the whole paragraph. Lengthy doesn’t work.

Wage war on Adverbs. They expand your sentence and weaken it at the same time. Adverbs usually end in ly and should be deleted.

The worst culprits are:

• really
• often
• totally
• actually
• generally
• probably
• usually
• perfectly

I use hemingway to help me spot them.

Be definitive and direct. This inspires confidence and makes your writing clear.

4. Choose a format that makes your article sing

What is the reading rhythm of your writing?

Rhythm is how your article is formatted. Choose a structure with variety. This makes it an easier and more engaging reading experience.

Ideas that work well:

• mix up your structure with short and long paragraphs
• start and end sections with a single sentence
• use a bullet point list to speed up your writing
• a long paragraph slows your writing so use it wisely
• a short single sentence in the middle of a section can be powerful
• don’t overuse any single technique. Variety is key

Part of my editing process is to zoom out at look at my paragraph sizes throughout my article to check the rhythm.

5. Design a clear subheading for each main point

You need to appreciate how readers read your article.

They read a subheading and think do I need to read this section? If not they move on to the next one. So your subheading needs to give enough detail to help them decide.

If your subheading is vague. You are forcing readers to read a block of text to know if this section is relevant. Guess what? They won’t. They’ll click off.

Be your reader’s friend and make it easy for them.

I recently wrote an article giving 9 influencing tactics. Classic skim material.

Look at these subheads I originally had:

• It’s because
• Be objectionable
• Scarcity

Terrible subheads.

No help to the reader at all. So I changed them to give more detail:

• It’s because = Give a reason (any will do)
• Be objectionable = Raise objections before they do
• Scarcity = Scarcity is seductive

Don’t be mystical with the meaning of your subheads.

If you liked this article, you’ll love my weekly writing tips: