Simple Writing Wins: How to Grow as an Online Writer

Online writing doesn't have to be difficult.

Yet it is difficult for many people.

Why that is? Two reasons:

1. They overcomplicate.
2. They try too hard to appear smart.

I did it, too.

For a while, I tried my best to use the most difficult words possible in my writing.

Just for my ego. I wanted to impress my readers.

Biggest mistake I ever made.

Do you know how to really impress your readers?

• Provide clarity.
• Provide simplicity.
• Provide useful ideas in a way that doesn't tire their brains.

It's a fact that simple ideas win.

That's because simple writing is:

• Easy to read.
• Easy to share.
• Easy to remember.

Write for Readers, Not for Yourself

You don't need to convince a professor.

You are simply trying to help someone.

Making your writing unnecessarily difficult doesn't help anyone.

Especially not in this day and age.

People scroll fast.

They decide in seconds whether to read or skip your article.

Therefore, they will click away if your piece is too difficult to consume.

• Keep it short.
• Keep it simple.
• Keep it moving.

Ask yourself:

• “Is this sentence easy to understand?”
• “How can I say the same thing in fewer words?”
• “Am I writing to serve my reader or to boost my ego?”

If you simplify your ideas, you'll get more readers.

If you make them more complicated, you'll lose them.

Clarity Beats Cleverness

Better to turn it around.

• You don’t have to sound smart.
• You have to make your readers feel smart.

That’s what keeps people coming back to your writing.

Big, difficult words and jargon only serve your ego.

Writing clearly serves your readers.

My 3 tips for keeping your articles clear:

1. Use simple words.
2. Keep sentences short.
3. Break big ideas into small chunks.

Complex topics don’t need complicated language.

Your job as a writer is to turn difficult ideas into easy-to-consume pieces.

Focus on Usefulness

Every successful online writer does one thing:

They provide value.

As I mentioned in my previous post, value comes in three forms:

1. Education: Teaching something useful.
2. Inspiration: Getting readers to think or do something.
3. Entertainment: Making it fun to read.

The best articles meet all three of these criteria.

If you can teach something new, inspire action, and make it fun:

You've won.

Formatting Matters More Than You Think

When writing online, the way you present it is everything.

You can write the best idea ever, but if it looks like it’s hard to read, no one will bother to dive in.

People scan before they decide to invest their time in something these days.

So make your work easy to scan:

• Use short paragraphs (1-2 sentences max).
• Add subheadings to break up ideas.
• Use bullet points to emphasize key points.

Make your text look easy.

The result?

People will actually read it.

Quantity x Quality = Growth

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard “quality over quantity” a thousand times.

I’ve often argued whether or not this is true.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that if you want to grow, you need both.

You know what it is?

• You have to write often enough to stay relevant.
• You have to write well enough to keep readers coming back.

Simple math:

More useful posts = more readers = more growth.

Post once a week?

You’ll only grow if your work is really, really good.

Post 3-4 times a week with clear, useful content?

You’ll grow faster than 95% of online writers.

Final Thoughts

If you want to grow as an online writer:

Compete to be read.

Don't compete to appear smart.

• Simple ideas.
• Clear writing.
• Useful content.

That's how you stand out online.

Keep it simple, keep it clear, and keep showing up.

The rest will follow.

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