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The unauthorized summary of @dickiebush and @nicolascole77 book The 22 Laws of Digital Writing.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 This book is a collection of short essays full of golden nuggets about writing in the digital age.

I recommend you read it in full.

But if you have no time, here're the 22 laws to improve your writing on the Internet.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 1) Don't Start a Blog
Take advantage of social media distribution flywheels to learn in public and grow an audience at the same time.

2) Volume Wins
The more content you produce, the more times you spin the Internet's wheel of fortune.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 3) Clear, Not Clever
Don't confuse, make it easy for potential readers to decide if your message is for them.

4) It’s Only Clickbait If You Fail To Keep Your Promise To The Reader
Headlines are never clickbait, content might be.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 5) When You Find A Structure That Works, Exploit It
Make noise, listen for signal, double-down on positive responses.

6) Skimmability = Readability
On the Internet, if your writing is not skimmable you won't gain attention.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 7) Your Subheads Should Tell A Story
An easy way to improve skimmability is to use subheads as a roadmap for your message.

8) Practice In Public
Accelerate your feedback loop by practicing in public.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 9) Use Engagement Data To Decide What To Write Next
Gather data from your published pieces and look for external positive signals. Double-down on those.

10) You Are Not The Main Character (The Reader Is)
Tell your story, but make clear what the reader can take away from it.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 11) The Size Of The Question Dictates The Size Of The Audience
Broad = large audience = low engagement.
Niche = small audience = high engagement.

12) Specificity Is The Secret
Be explicit about why you’re saying what you’re saying and what outcome can be generated as a result.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 13) Don’t Compete In Someone Else’s Category (Create Your Own)
How? Take what resonates with you and combine with what your audience is positively reacting.

14) Imperfectly Published Is Better Than Perfect But Unpublished
Visibility trumps ability, get rid of perfectionism.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 15) Don’t Focus On Individual Pieces. Build Your Library
Timeless content won't go viral. It maintains value longer into the future.
Think long term.

16) Repeat Your “Core Narratives”
Core Narratives are 3 relevant stories that reinforce why you're writing. They’re you at scale.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 17) The More You Write, The More You Write
People will bring you ideas and insights once you publish for a while. The more you publish, the easier it gets.

18) Word Count Is A Poor Measure Of Value
Great writing isn't long, it's consice.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 19) Writing For Everyone Means Writing For No One
Try to reach everyone, end up vague and forgettable.
Write for a specific audience.

20) The Golden Intersection Is Answering The Reader’s Question & Telling Them A Story
The sweet spot is to wrap a lesson into a compelling story.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 21) Optimize For SPEED!
You're competing with TikTok and YouTube. Optimize writing for speed.

22) Time Spent Reading Should Never Exceed Time Spent Writing
Reading doesn’t make you a better writer. Only writing makes you a better writer.
@dickiebush @Nicolascole77 You'll learn all this in depth in Ship 30 for 30.

I'm a seasoned computer engineering professor and it demolished how I approached writing.

Go aboard and revolutionize you writing too.

By the way, you get The 22 Laws of Digital Writing when joining.

enroll.ship30for30.com/april-2022-enrollment/ss4go
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