Why Nobody Reads Your Content

Rounding the bend as I’m learning about great writing.

Let’s tackle the fifth point.

Every week, I’m going to keep this section up with links to the previous issues.

So here it is: 7 parts of great writing:

1. Powerful hook

2. Slippery slope formatting

3. Focused content 

4. Approachable delivery

5. Reader-focused (you are here)

6. Specific writing

7. Powerful takeaway point

As I stated in previous issues, I hope this series will help shorten your timeframe on getting to "Rockstar Writer” status!

This issue was my biggest mistake that I’ve become much more aware of this year.

It’s Me…Hi…

“What’s the one thing that this post is missing?”

Hundreds of eyes stared at my writing on the computer screen as my stomach dropped through the floor.

Responses started pouring in from the master class.

“That’s right! There’s nothing here that addresses the reader!”

This slammed into me like a huge pillow in my face.

I had been writing with the “me, me, me” framework.

Which brings me to today’s point:

It’s not about you…ever.

The Worst Offence

If you’ve managed to come this far in the series, then you know that the previous four points have brought the reader into your content. You’ve constructed a great body of work that is nicely formatted and easy to read…

and you talk about yourself the whole time without acknowledging the person whose eyeballs are taking in the words.

It reminds me of countless professors that I’ve seen in college who lecture to the board the entire time.

They could care less if you were there or not.

One of my favorite things to do in these lectures (besides note-taking) was to sit in the back of the room and watch the activities of the rest of the class.

• Some would fight sleep…fail…and then snore.

• Some would read or do the daily Sudoku from the university newspaper.

• Some would just text the entire time (this was 2001 to 2005…so no smartphones yet).

If I were doing that today, I would bring in a tripod and record the entire lecture so that I could play it back at 10x speed to see heads bobble up and down…or maybe not. Maybe everyone would be on their phones while the oblivious professor droned on and on.

Zero engagement.

Zero reason to care.

Zero reason to return.

It doesn’t matter how wonderful you are at the previous four points, if it’s all about you, it won’t win over the reader.

The Remedy

Sure, you have to talk about YOUR experiences and YOUR learnings.

It’s imperative that you turn around from the blackboard and speak directly to the reader and let them know they absolutely matter!

A general rule of thumb I strive to stick to in short-form is to connect with a pain point that resonates with them.

For long-form content like this newsletter or Medium articles, it’s good to directly refer back to the audience every three to five sentences or paragraphs.

It’s the same with public speaking…you don’t want to talk to the crowd while staring directly ahead at the “Exit” sign in the back of the room. You have to look down and make eye contact (briefly) with various people around the room.

Whatever you do, don’t overstay your welcome when you do that. Don’t stare.

Same with writing. Don’t forget to stick to the single point when you address the reader.

Here’s the same post with this fix:

About halfway down this version, the focus shifts to the reader.

The first version focused on me all the way to the end (and I’m sure the reason it got more likes was because I was a bit more spicy in my language).

You’re delivering a message. Don’t forget to hand the letter to the recipient.

These are my references. At this point, I’m actively focusing on one aspect at a time to get better at every week:

1. Kieran Drew’s Course (affiliate link)

2. Ray Edwards (Amazon book)

3. Erica Schneider’s course (Hooked on Writing Hooks)

All of these amazing people have advanced the quality of their teachings since I’ve started learning from them. I have no doubt that they’ll continue to improve on their content.

Execution is more important than hoarding information.

Closing thoughts

We’ve captured the reader’s attention, given them a reason to continue reading, provided a presentation that’s pleasant to follow with a clear and focused topic, discussed how we present the topic, and kept in mind to focus on writing for them…

Old habits are hard to break. I still find myself having to extensively edit so that the “I’s” are yanked out of the content!

Only two more of this series…I hope these are helping!

Vince

P.S. Current working rebrand: “I’m the Night Writer…sailing by starlight on a journey across the ocean of my thoughts and experiences. I write about anything and everything surrounding sustainable presence and relevance of a 9–5/parent/content creator (i.e., tidbits on the life of a kiddy resort manager and exploring the multidimensionality of being a human).”

It’s getting there…maybe the SPAR system would be catchy (Sustainable presence/accountability/relevance).