Summary

The article emphasizes that online writing success hinges on the 4P's: writing quality, choosing the right topics, strategic promotion, and proper placement, rather than just writing talent alone.

Abstract

The article "Dear New Writers: You Will Fail Unless You Learn the 4P’s of Online Writing" argues that writing well is not enough for success in online platforms. It highlights the importance of a complete profile, engaging topics, and the right balance between article length and reader engagement. The author, Doran Lamb, stresses that new writers must also master the art of promotion, including crafting compelling headlines and selecting eye-catching images, to attract readers. Additionally, placing articles in the right publication and at the right time can significantly impact visibility and success. Lamb suggests that even talented writers like Stephen King would struggle online without adhering to these principles, which she collectively refers to as the 4P's of online writing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.

Opinions

The author believes that new writers often overlook the importance of non-writing elements such as profile completeness, topic selection, and strategic timing.
There is a clear distinction between traditional writing platforms and online writing, with the latter requiring additional skills beyond writing quality.
The article suggests that readers on platforms like Medium prefer shorter articles, balancing readability with the potential for earning.
The author asserts that a significant number of new writers are in denial about the superficial aspects of online writing, such as the need for an appealing profile picture and bio.
Lamb criticizes the belief that content alone will lead to success, emphasizing that even renowned authors would need to adapt to the online writing world's rules.
The article implies that the success of an online piece is not solely determined by the quality of the writing but also by how well it is marketed using the 4P's framework.
The author encourages writers to spend considerable time and effort on headlines and imagery, suggesting tools like Coschedule Headline Studio for assistance.
Lamb acknowledges the superficiality of the online writing world but insists that these are the necessary steps to gain readership and success.

Dear New Writers: You Will Fail Unless You Learn the 4P’s of Online Writing

appearance is everything

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Jonn Leffman

Writing online, be it Medium, Quora, Twitter, etc… is not just writing. Unfortunately, what you write and the quality of it is only part of it.

I know that’s wrong and you don’t agree. And you won’t accept it. But here’s the thing, you absolutely don’t have to accept it, but you won’t get anywhere in the online writing world if you don’t.

This is not journalism class or your creative writing MA, this is writing online.

I didn’t make the rules, and I don’t necessarily agree with them, but if you don’t learn them you won’t get anywhere.

People care about your profile

I recently wrote an article that absolutely was not meant to be contentious. Granted anything you write can get people's backs up, but honestly, I was hoping to give open and honest tips to new writers who are clearly keen to get noticed and get to the 100+ followers mark so they can get paid.

I want new writers to succeed, that’s why I wrote it. All I said was you need a profile picture that is you, a bio blurb, and a name that’s a name.

I had absolutely no idea that it was going to offend so many new writers.

What the volume of heated criticism back told me, and it was all from new writers, was that they thought what I said was superficial. They still believe this platform is all about writing.

So I’m going to repeat myself. In an ideal world, yes, and it’s a nice idea, it’s also what we all secretly thought. We all want to simply write good and get noticed: but that’s not what happens.

I will counter back to a criticism of my previous article: I do believe even if Stephen King was incognito on here, he would struggle without addressing these issues. The novel world is completely different from the online writing world.

You need to learn the 4P’s of online writing:

It sucks it you’re a great writer not getting many reads. Particularly when you scroll around and find articles with thousands of claps that you can see have not been as well written as yours.

But that’s the way the online writing world crumbles, it’s not the best writer who succeeds, it’s the one who chooses the right topic, with the best promotion, at the right cost to the reader, in the right publication at the right time. Call it the online writing marketing mix, or the 4 P’s.

Product= great readable writing, on a great topic that people want to read

Read around, particularly writers who you admire and are successful, and look at how they do it. Look at their formatting and how they structure their articles to make them accessible for readers.

Find out what topics are currently popular in the areas you write in. The more you read, the more likely you are to get into a groove and be able to predict what others might want to read.

However, people will only read your amazing product if you get the other p’s aligned.

Price= length of time to read

You need to find your sweet spot with the minutes to read. This often comes down to not only personal preference but also the average article length in your niche. For sure you get way more readers for under 5 minutes. However, you also get paid less, so you have to balance it out.

Most Medium writers find 7 minutes is the maximum that will attract readers. Time is money and Medium readers are here to read volume, make sure you’re not asking them for too much of a time commitment.

I've written a couple of 10 minutes pieces that never really get read so I’m unlikely to do that again unless it's absolutely necessary to go over 2000 words to cover the topic.

Place= right publication at the right time

Only you know the right publication for your piece. But it’s worth spending time looking for it. Admittedly this can be time-consuming initially, but getting accepted to the right publications as you become established can offer you access to readers and support. Primarily, getting an article admitted to the right publication will mean that the right readers are more likely to find it.

Choosing the right time is tricky, unless something is a current issue it’s often luck of the draw. Are weekends better to publish? Some writers and publications will only publish at certain times of the day. I think this is less of an immediate issue for new writers but is still something work considering.

Promotion= hot headline, eye-catching photo, and your full complete profile

It doesn’t matter how good your writing product is, you need to dress it up for people to read it.

Spend time selecting the photo. If you spend a lot of time on Medium reading, you will be less likely to choose one of those overused photos. This is a massive turn-off for regular readers. Better yet create your own images using Canva or Procreate.

Finally, you have to practice creating catchy and interesting headlines. Think: what makes you have to click on an article?

Note: I'm not suggesting clickbait, but when I look at new writers' profiles, the main thing they need to work on is not their writing but how they make it attractive.

If you are writing lots of great articles and no one is finding them you need to work on the headlines. Use Coschedule Headline Studio, it’s great.

It’s superficial I know, but this is the online writing world, your writing is only as good as your headline.

Some writers suggest spending more time on a headline than on the actual writing, however, I wouldn’t go that far. But, I would suggest at least 10 attempts on a title before you find the right mix of words. If you spent time on this article you want to give it the best chance of being read.

Sadly online writing is not just about the writing and in order to be successful, there are many more aspects to learn. You have to view your writing as a product to sell. How can you help the readers who desperately want to read your ideas find your articles?

9 times out of 10, the reason your writing is not getting read has got nothing to do with your writing. It’s to do with elements from this online writing marketing mix. Play around with your price, place, and promotion before you are too critical of your product.

I wish you all the best with your online writing journey and I hope to see some must-read articles from you soon.

Doran Lamb is a freelance writer on relationships, addiction, and mental health. She writes to challenge the stigma that exists as a result of mental health and through her writing wants the world to know that individual difference makes the world dynamic, sexy and beautiful. She is proudly an addict in recovery, a mother, and an opinionated woman, who has learned not to give a f**k what anyone thinks.