Becoming a great writer—especially one who creates imaginative, exciting, and fresh articles—requires both skill and mindset shifts. Here’s how you can level up your writing to craft engaging, insightful, and original content.
1. Become a Master of Storytelling 🎭
Even when writing explainers or business content, storytelling is the secret sauce that makes your work irresistible.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Start with a Hook: Open with a bold statement, question, or unexpected fact.
✅ Use a Narrative Arc: Even a technical topic can be structured as a journey.
✅ Create Characters: Frame topics through real people or case studies.
✅ Inject Conflict: Show a challenge and resolution to make things compelling.
📌 Example:
Boring: “Ranking for LLMs requires optimising your content.”
🎭 Engaging Storytelling: “Imagine an AI model scanning millions of websites—what makes it choose yours? Here’s the secret…”
2. Write Like You Speak, But Better 🎤
Great articles feel like a conversation with a brilliant, engaging thinker.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Use short, punchy sentences.
✅ Write to one person. (“You” instead of “business owners should…”)
✅ Read it aloud before publishing. If it sounds awkward, rework it.
📌 Example:
❌ “The process of ranking in LLMs requires adherence to structured data methodologies.”
✅ “Want AI to pick your website? Give it the right signals with structured data.”
3. Make It Visually Scannable 👀
People skim first, then read deeply. If your content is a wall of text, it won’t stick.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Break up text with short paragraphs and whitespace.
✅ Use bold, italics & highlights to guide attention.
✅ Incorporate lists, subheadings, and callouts.
✅ Use metaphors & visuals to reinforce points.
📌 Example:
Compare these two versions of the same section:
❌ Dense & Hard to Read:
“AI models scan vast amounts of data before determining what to rank. They prioritise structured, well-formatted content with semantic richness. This means businesses should focus on knowledge graphs, entity-based optimisation, and building authoritative citations.”
✅ Scannable & Engaging:
📌 How AI Picks What to Rank:
- It scans everything but ranks only the best-structured content.
- What matters? 🏆 Knowledge graphs, structured data & citations.
- Want to stand out? Speak the language AI understands.
4. Develop Your Own Signature Style ✍️
Great writers are memorable. They have a voice that stands out.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Experiment with tone: Playful, insightful, witty, authoritative—find what suits you.
✅ Use recurring themes, phrases, or motifs. (Think of how great columnists or thought leaders have a “vibe.”)
✅ Mix intelligence with personality. Don’t sound like a corporate press release.
📌 Example:
Seth Godin’s blog posts are short, smart, and philosophical.
Tim Urban’s Wait But Why is quirky, detailed, and humorous.
Morgan Housel writes like a wise storyteller.
🔥 Your mission: Find what makes you unique and amplify it.
5. Make the Reader Feel Something ❤️
People don’t just remember what you write. They remember how it made them feel.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Inspire curiosity: Ask questions that make people think.
✅ Surprise them: Challenge assumptions and reveal new perspectives.
✅ Make it relatable: Use analogies from everyday life.
✅ Inject humour, emotion, or awe: Even in technical content, find moments of fun or excitement.
📌 Example:
Instead of just explaining how AI ranks content, paint a vivid picture:
👉 “Think of AI as an overworked librarian, skimming thousands of books in seconds. How do you make yours stand out? You give it a clear, structured index and irresistible cover.”
6. Read Like a Thief, Write Like an Artist 🕵️♂️🎨
The best writers read widely and steal inspiration—then remix it into something original.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Read the best explainer articles, fiction, long-form essays, and tweets.
✅ Dissect their structure. How do they hook readers? How do they transition between points?
✅ Mix influences. Blend storytelling, data, humour, and sharp insights into your own cocktail.
📌 Pro Tip: Keep a swipe file of writing you love. Borrow techniques, but make them your own.
7. Keep It Fresh: Avoid Clichés & Predictable Writing 🌱
If something sounds like everything else, readers won’t care.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Challenge generic takes. If everyone says “content is king,” what’s your unique spin?
✅ Avoid robotic phrases. (e.g., “In today’s fast-paced world…”)
✅ Invent new metaphors. (E.g., “AI is like an overworked librarian” instead of “AI ranks based on data.”)
✅ Ask yourself: Have I read this 100 times before? If yes, rewrite.
📌 Example:
❌ Cliché & Boring: “Success in AI search comes down to strategy and execution.”
✅ Fresh & Engaging: “AI search is a chaotic battlefield. You need the right weapons to win.”
8. Study the Greats & Dissect Their Genius 📚
Read and analyze the best in the game—then reverse-engineer their magic.
📌 Must-Reads for Next-Level Writing:
📖 On Writing Well – William Zinsser (Clarity & simplicity)
📖 The Elements of Eloquence – Mark Forsyth (Rhetoric & style)
📖 Made to Stick – Chip & Dan Heath (Why ideas catch on)
📖 Stein on Writing – Sol Stein (Powerful narrative techniques)
📖 Wait But Why Blog – Tim Urban (Quirky, deep, unforgettable writing)
9. Push Yourself: Write Beyond Your Comfort Zone ✍️
Great writers don’t just write about what’s easy. They explore the unknown.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Write about something totally new. (Test different topics & angles.)
✅ Experiment with different formats. (Short, long, poetic, punchy.)
✅ Challenge yourself with strict constraints. (E.g., Can you explain AI in one paragraph?)
✅ Write every day. (Even if you don’t publish, you’re building the muscle.)
💡 Pro Tip: Try writing a 500-word piece in a style completely different from yours. Playful? Poetic? Brutally short? It’ll expand your writing range.
10. Be Fearless & Write with Conviction ⚡
The best writing isn’t timid. It’s bold, opinionated, and full of energy.
🔹 How to Apply This:
✅ Make strong statements. (Not “LLMs may change search,” but “LLMs will replace Google as we know it.”)
✅ Trust your voice. (No need to hedge everything with “I think” or “maybe.”)
✅ Take risks. (If your writing is slightly scary to publish, you’re on the right track.)
📌 Example:
❌ “There are some advantages to AI search, but also potential downsides.”
✅ “AI search isn’t coming. It’s already here—and it’s rewriting the rules of the internet.”
Final Thought: Writing Is a Craft. Keep Sharpening It. ✨
The more you write, the better you get. Treat it like a martial art—practise daily, analyse the masters, push your limits, and develop your unique style.
You’ve got this. Now go write something brilliant. 🚀