Why is internet writing so hard but so rewarding?
When you're writing a newsletter or a blog post, you're competing with thousands of creators and platforms.
You're competing with veteran writers and creators like James Clear, Tim Urban, Tim Ferris, Eric Barker, etc. You're competing with social platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. And, you're also competing with other distractions like WhatsApp, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, and a hundred other apps.
So, as a creator, your first challenge is to cut through these barriers and reach your audience. Once you do, you've achieved something. You've got yourself some readers. Does that mean you have their unwavering attention? Not really.
Tim Ferris in his recent podcast with @david_perell said that as creators, we're only renting our audience. In fact, we're renting just two or three minutes of their time.
So, you'll have to do a damn good job of hooking them to your content, making them read, and nudging them to take the intended action (like sharing your content, or buying your book).
So, the quality of your writing should be top-notch. Because, if not, your readers won't be ready to give you that two minutes for your next piece. They'll give that time to someone else.
This is also the reason why writing is so rewarding. When a reader connects with your writing, it tells you something. It indicates that despite all the distraction, someone gave their attention to your writing, and loved it. That's magical.
So, if you're an aspiring writer or a creator, you need to keep three things in mind — write in a simple language, connect with your audience, and deliver as much value as possible.