WRITING | CREATIVITY | CONNECTION
Easy, Convenient Tips That Will Increase Engagement
Conversations create connection
When you’re shooting for the Moon, don’t forget to see the Trees.
A good conversation is a two-way street. We sometimes get caught up in telling our story from our point of view. It’s good to step back and listen once in a while.
When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ― Ernest Hemingway
As a reader, I appreciate a good story. When someone shares a different opinion, my mind expands as I learn about their life.
Writers engage in conversations with their readers.
We hope our readers are interested in what we have to say. We want to connect with them; show them something new. We hope it’s working.
Most of the time, we have no idea if we’ve made a connection.
It can be a lonely conversation if no one responds. We don’t know if we’re getting our point across.
A meaningful conversation between writers includes reading, responding, sharing and appreciation.
Imagine sitting in a restaurant across from a friend. You’re telling them something important. It’s a story about your childhood and it’s painful to recall. They sit there with a blank look on their face and don’t respond.
Writing can be like that sometimes.
We send things out into the ether and have no idea if anyone is out there.
I love it when someone shares my writing in their article. It increases my exposure because they have a different network of readers than I do. It also gives me an opportunity to have a conversation with them.
Several editors write a fantastic daily bulletin, sharing new stories published on Illumination. I love that he takes the time to gather the daily posts and present them in an easy-to-read format.
Our readers appreciate the daily distribution lists. It gives them a list of articles created by our writers. They enjoy this list because it provides easy access to the stories and it’s a great way to discover new writers.
I think of the daily distribution as a newspaper, conveniently dropped on my doorstep by my neighborhood paperboy. (Old school, I know).
When I comment on the daily bulletin, I make my comment a story.
- I choose an image that relates to my post.
- I thank the author for including my story.
- I talk about why I wrote the story and give a quick summary.
- Then I put a link to my story at the end, in case someone wants to read it. I only do this if my story was included in the original post. Otherwise, it feels a bit spammy.
When I comment on another writers’ post, I do it a bit differently.
- I highlight a couple of words that resonate. I like to use the highlighter as an exclamation point to show the writer what I loved.
- I use the ‘hand’ to tell them that I’m enjoying their words.
- Then I comment.
I love comments. All of them. Sometimes they’re short and sweet, but sometimes a comment lets me know the reader understood the point of my post.
Those are the most meaningful ones for me.
In a face-to-face conversation, repeating what the other person just said is one way to ensure you’ve understood them. It’s a technique to improve your conversational skills and it’s something you can do as a writer. Here’s another great way to show you care about the writer's words using comments.
Medium allows you to turn your comments into a story.
When you’re making a comment, click on the three dots at the top of the comment box. You have the option to make the comment into a story.
- I always add a relevant image to my comment. If the story was about snowmen, I add a snowman. You can play a bit with images that you include in a comment.
- I thank the writer and provide a meaningful response to their story.
- I copy and paste their original story back into the comment, just in case someone skipped ahead and wants to go back to the story. It’s a courtesy. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback because of this step.
There are several other advantages to making your comments a story.
- You can use tags when you publish your comment. Tags are one way that readers can find you. They are also used to earn ‘Top Writer’ status. The more you use certain tags in stories, the closer you will get.
- People read the comments in stories and your comments will stand out.
- You are able to add images and links to your comments.
The key to a meaningful conversation includes both speaking and listening.
Make your comments a story to engage with writers and readers.
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