The Art and Business of Online Writing

1. Start writing online, don't start a blog

You are writing for someone whose eyes are flying across the page at lightspeed.

Write for existing audiences. Instead of starting your own blog, begin by writing on platforms with established audiences like Quora, Medium, or LinkedIn. This allows you to tap into existing readership and receive immediate feedback on your work. Focus on creating content that resonates with readers rather than worrying about building a website or attracting traffic.

Leverage social platforms. Social writing platforms offer several advantages:

• Easy discovery by readers
• Built-in credibility metrics (views, shares, comments)
• Opportunity to build relationships with other writers and readers
• Ability to build an audience faster
• Ownership of your content
• Higher likelihood of content being shared

By starting on social platforms, you can gather data on what resonates with readers before investing time and resources into your own website.

2. Understand the game of online writing and its levels of success

Categories are how we organize information in our minds. Know your category and you'll know where readers "fit" you into their own minds.

Play consciously. Approach online writing as a game with specific rules and levels of success. The seven levels are:

1. Conscious vs. Unconscious playing
2. Choosing a category
3. Defining your style
4. Optimizing for speed
5. Mastering specificity
6. Engineering credibility
7. Creating your own category

Master each level. To succeed, writers must understand and master each level. This involves:

• Deliberately choosing a writing category
• Developing a unique style within that category
• Optimizing content for quick consumption
• Being specific in your writing to stand out
• Building credibility through various means
• Eventually creating your own unique category

By consciously playing the game and progressing through these levels, writers can establish themselves as authorities in their chosen niche.

3. Choose the right platform and optimize your writing for speed

The internet favors what's fast.

Select the right platform. Choose a platform based on its current lifecycle phase:

1. New platform with early audiences
2. Gaining traction with emerging influencers
3. Established and beginning a journey to profitability
4. Launching advertising model
5. Established business model with throttled reach

Platforms in phase 3 often provide the best opportunities for growth.

Write for speed. Optimize your writing for quick consumption:

• Use short paragraphs and sentences
• Employ a high "Rate of Revelation" (introducing new information quickly)
• Utilize white space and visual breaks
• Incorporate subheadings and bullet points
• Vary sentence and paragraph length for rhythm

Remember that online readers skim content, so make your writing easy to digest and navigate.

4. Master the art of crafting headlines and structuring your posts

What makes a great headline is getting someone to understand three things at the exact same time: What this piece of writing is about, Who this piece of writing is for, The PROMISE: the problem that will be solved, and/or the solution being offered.

Craft compelling headlines. Create headlines that:

• Clearly state what the piece is about
• Identify the target audience
• Make a promise or offer a solution
• Use power words and numbers
• Create curiosity without being clickbait

Structure your posts effectively. Use proven structures for introductions, main points, and conclusions:

• Introductions: 1/3/1, 1/5/1, or 1/4/1/1 formats
• Main points: 1/2/5/3/1 or 1/3/1 formats
• Conclusions: The Cliff, Extended Final Main Point, or Strong Opinion

Employ visual elements like subheadings, bullet points, and bolded text to guide readers through your content.

5. Create a content roadmap and generate endless ideas

The entire—and I mean this quite literally, the ENTIRE—art and business and "game" of online writing is rooted in understanding what category you're actually competing within.

Develop content buckets. Establish three main content buckets:

1. General Audience
2. Niche Audience
3. Company/Industry Audience

Within each bucket, identify specific topics to write about regularly.

Generate endless ideas. Use the Endless Idea Generator:

1. Choose a writing form (e.g., Actionable Guide, Opinion, Curated List)
2. Select an idea type (e.g., Explanation, Habits, Mistakes)
3. Determine your credibility angle

Combine these elements to create numerous article ideas within your content buckets. This approach ensures a consistent flow of relevant content for your audience.

6. Develop pillar pieces and expand your content offerings

Pillar Pieces are the most valuable, most comprehensive, most insightful, and most engaging versions of pieces that have proven themselves elsewhere.

Create pillar pieces. Transform your best-performing content into comprehensive resources:

• Combine multiple articles on a topic
• Add expert opinions and quotes
• Include relevant statistics and research
• Incorporate personal stories and examples
• Provide more in-depth explanations

Expand your offerings. Use pillar pieces as a foundation for:

• Email courses
• Newsletters
• Downloadable guides
• Templates and worksheets
• Free email opt-ins

By creating these valuable resources, you can capture email addresses and build a loyal audience base.

7. Monetize your writing through ads, paywalls, or services

People don't buy products. They buy solutions to urgent problems.

Choose a monetization strategy. There are three main ways to monetize your writing:

1. Advertising: Generate revenue through ad placements
2. Paywalls: Offer premium content for a fee
3. Services: Provide writing-related services or products

Focus on solving problems. Regardless of the monetization strategy, ensure that your paid offerings provide significant value:

• Address specific, urgent problems for your audience
• Offer convenience and depth beyond your free content
• Provide specialized knowledge or services

Remember that monetization should come after you've established yourself as a valuable resource in your niche. Build trust and authority first, then offer paid solutions to your audience's most pressing problems.

Last updated: January 22, 2025