Why Most People Fail at Online Writing

• Fact: Many people want to be successful online writers.
• Also a fact: Many people fail to be successful online writers.

For years, I have been writing online content. Yet I reached few people.

I didn't understand something This framework:

Attention → Value → Trust → Income.

Let me explain to you why this framework works for me.

Step 1: Getting Attention

It doesn't matter if you write a great article if no one reads it.

That's why attention is step one.

Without attention, you are invisible.

So how do you grab someone's attention?

By writing attention-grabbing titles and hooks.

• Your title has only one job: to make people click on it.
• Your hook has only one job: to keep people reading.

And no, we don't do clickbait. That's for amateurs who don't deliver.

So how do we increase the chances of people clicking?

I like to use the following formula:

Curiosity + Specificity + Simplicity = Clickability

An example:

❌ Bad headline: "How To Be More Productive"

✔️ Good headline: "The 5-Minute Habit That Tripled My Productivity"

Why?

• Curiosity: Readers want to know what the 5-minute habit is.
• Specificity: It mentions “5 minutes” and “tripled productivity.”
• Simplicity: Short and easy to read.

Step 2: Delivering Value

So once you've captured the reader's attention, it's important to hold that attention. This is one of the hardest things to do. There are huge numbers of writers who fail at this.

Not just writers, by the way. Content creators in general.

I never understood why until I did some research.

Not the kind of research where I was trying to understand other people's theories.

No. I started looking at myself. When did I keep reading or watching?

Then suddenly I got it: it was all about value.

What I found (and find) valuable is that something is useful.

And when is something useful? Most cases I can place within 3 categories:

1. Education - Learning something new.
2. Inspiration - Getting motivated to take a certain action.
3. Entertainment - Feeling something and wanting more of it.

I am a firm believer that if your work meets any of these categories, you are doing a good job.

If your work meets all three categories, you're doing great.

Step 3: Building Trust

Readers value more content from someone they trust. Especially if you are offering a product.

People would rather spend their money on someone they know and trust than on a complete stranger.

How do you build that trust?

Consistency & authenticity.

• Write regularly.
• Be yourself.
• Write about what you know and not what you think sounds clever.

Doing otherwise will kill authenticity and credibility.

Another thing I find important to build trust is connecting with other writers.

Surrendering yourself completely to an algorithm?

I don't think that's a good way to create visibility and gain trust. Get 'out there'. Leave well-written, thoughtful, and sincere comments on articles you like.

Both the author of the article and readers browsing through the comments section will come across your response.

Make your comments so good that they can't ignore you.

If you do the same with your own writing, you will build that trust and people will want to read your content.

Step 4: Turning Trust into Income

Once people trust you, your opportunity to make money increases. You can then, for example:

• Sell a product (such as a course or e-book).
• Offer a service (such as coaching).
• Attract more readers (which is beneficial if you make money through an affiliate/partner program).

Whatever platform you create content on, people need to trust you.

Trust is the foundation. It works that way in every relationship.

No trust = no income.

Ultimately, you build a relationship with your audience.

If you provide value and people trust you, they won't mind paying you.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about the framework and logic I wrote here?

Let me know in the comments!

I'm very curious to know where you stand on this (and if I was able to provide you value).

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