Summary

The article provides guidance on transforming personal writing into content that offers value to readers, thereby increasing its potential for reader engagement and earnings.

Abstract

The author of the article, Justiss Goode, emphasizes the importance of writing stories that cater to the needs of readers rather than just the writer's personal interests. Drawing from their own experience, Goode illustrates the difference between a "bad" story, which is self-indulgent and offers no benefit to the reader, and a "good" story, which provides valuable insights and information. The article suggests that by tweaking titles, subtitles, and incorporating relevant data, writers can create more impactful content. This approach not only enhances reader engagement but also has the potential to increase the writer's earnings on platforms like Medium. The author encourages writers to focus on creating informative, valuable, and entertaining stories, and introduces the "needium" category tag for stories that prioritize reader needs.

Opinions

The author believes that writing stories that meet readers' needs is key to financial success in online writing.
Personal anecdotes without broader relevance are considered "bad" stories, as they lack value for the reader.
Revising a story to include useful information and a compelling title can transform it into a "good" story that benefits readers.
The inclusion of recent data or facts is recommended to enhance the utility of a story.
The "needium" tag is proposed as a way to categorize and find stories that are written with the reader's needs in mind.
The author suggests that while writing about Medium can be profitable, it is not the only topic that can yield financial returns.

How to Turn What You Want to Write Into What Your Readers Really Need

Do you want to earn money writing stories you like to write, and still help your readers benefit?

If you’re a new online writer, or just new to this writing community, you may be struggling with what kind of stories you should be writing.

I recently wrote a story titled: What I Finally Figured Out By Publishing 220 Stories in Three Months, and in that story I give you my advice and opinions about the exact kind of stories you should be writing, and why.

What I shared, was my discovery of what the real money around here comes from; by writing what readers need. I even elaborated on what exactly I meant. I shared another related story I published that speaks even more, about stories readers need. You can read both stories later.

I mentioned them both, because THIS story is going to give you practical tips and ideas on how to create stories that readers need. This is not where you’ll get a full understanding of what I mean by need, other than the obvious.

Since I’m about to jump right in and give you some tips, by way of example, be sure to read one or both of the above mentioned stories, if there is something in the following information that you don’t quite understand.

Example of a Bad Story

The following examples are meant to help show you how to take a story that you wanted to write for you, and turn it into a story that readers actually need.

The following title would definitely fall into the category of being a bad story. Neither the title or the story offer any real benefit to the reader.

Example of a “bad” story that only caters to what the writer wants:

The Time I Thought the Cops Were Joking But they Actually Took Me to Jail!

This is a story I wrote, before understanding the important information that I eventually discovered over time.

What makes this a “bad” story has nothing to do with the story itself, not really. It’s based on a personal experience I had at age 19, and while some people might find it interesting, and even entertaining, it has no value for the reader. It was written because of the sentimental value to the writer.

Example of a Good Story

On the other hand, my subtitle provides a clue on what direction I could have went in, and how I could have wrote a story for the readers.

The subtitle asks:

“Did you know the police really lock you up for ignoring a subpoena?”

As you can see, the subtitle speaks directly to the potential need of the reader, by suggesting that the information in the story is something THEY should know, and not just something the writer felt like sharing.

I suspect, if I go back and tweak the title, and add some recent data or facts about subpoenas, I can turn this story into something readers need.

Consider what a new title and subtitle could mean for this story. Not only will it appeal to more readers, it will get more read time, which means more earnings for me.

Example of a “good” story that focuses on what the readers need.

“3 Things You Should Know In Case You Ever Get a Subpoena” — Do you want to know what happened to me when I tried to ignore a subpoena?

Since the original story was a long read, I can shorten the personal experience portion, and include the bulleted data points from some quick research.

My perceived changes can help this story earn more money, whether I modify the original story, or I simply add the information and change the title and subtitles.

Either way, I end up with a story that is more than just a trip down memory lane. I’ll have a story that actually benefits the readers.

Final Thoughts

There is a necessity for more Medium stories that really cater to the idea of providing what readers need.

Checking for stories with the new needium category tag is a good place to look for stories like the one you’ve just finished, as well as other stories about increasing your earnings on Medium.

Although you can expect to see a lot of needium stories that talk specifically about Medium, by no means is Medium the only profitable topic you’ll find.

You’ll find more details about stories readers need, and the new needium tag, when you visit the story links I provided above.

Dear Reader: Would you like to read more informative, valuable, and entertaining Justiss Goode stories? Just click this Directory link: choose from my OVER 220 titles (by category)