How to Write Engaging Posts/ Articles/ Copy

You write. A lot. I see posts around here on STEEMIT.
And most of it is great in terms of content.

But the form is lacking.

The key to great writing isn't in the ideas that you have. Yes, they're necessary.

But in my copywriting practice, there's several guidelines which always improve writing.

Make sure it's easy to read.

This means, write short sentences. Write short paragraphs. Get to the point. Avoid complicated words.

Most of your audience, regardless whom you're writing for, is going to appreciate the simplicity.

Use HemingwayApp to speed up the process.
Aim at 3rd-5th grade reading difficulty.

Have a rhythm.

Lists should go in groups of three.
Notice how "apples, bananas, and grapes" rolls of the tongue.
Then compare to "apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes".

It's a subtle difference - and yet testing shows that if you have a group of more than three... make them into bullet-points.

Use a lot of bullets.

People love them. They're the reason listicles are so popular.

Make the writing emotional.

This doesn't mean 'describe'. This means relate. Make sure that your target audience can connect emotionally.

This takes work, time, and research. Learn the words people use. Use those. Simplify so everyone can get what you mean.

The more you can exaggerate the emotional attitudes in your writing, the higher your engagement will be.

Compare "he was angry, and he stood up" to "he stood up shaking with rage". Same exact situation, different description.

There's a lot to be said about this. You'll find more information on exactly how to use emotions in Joe Vitale's Hypnotic Writing.

Ensure your readers benefit from reading your text.

If I don't get anything from reading your stuff... I'm not going to come back.

This is crucial, because unless you have a strong following, you won't achieve success. Regardless of what you write about.

This is something you should do before you start writing. Sometimes the benefit is self-evident. Sometimes it's not.

In either case, you should spend some time outlining what you want to say around this benefit.

For example, this post is meant to improve the clarity and quality of the posts I read here on STEEMIT.

BENEFITS

Your post has a clear benefit to it. Yet you should always pack more. The more benefits you state in your writing, the better.

For example, simplifying your writing lets people understand your points easier. Making it emotionally engaging gets your point across better.

Giving people something of value (such as your knowledge) keeps on attracting a following.

Those are benefits you get just from writing slightly differently, while saying the same things you would otherwise.

This certainly doesn't exhaust the topic, but it does cover the very fundamentals of writing more clearly. And helps engagement.

Anyhow. I hope you've found this useful. If that's the case, upvote, follow, resteem.

Sincerely,
Phil
The Copytist

PS. If there's a topic relating to writing, sales, or influence you'd like me to write about, let me know.