After 100 Newsletters: 3 Writing Tips You Can Apply Anywhere

Writing 100 newsletters taught me so much. Here are 3 writing tips you can apply to your writing now. Friday’s Digest #100

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Preface

Issue number 100!

Happy Birthday, Friday’s Digest!

It’s been two years since I started writing this newsletter, but it feels like much longer. So much has happened on a personal, family, and national level.

So how do we celebrate 100?

At first, I thought about doing a “greatest hits” newsletter, summarizing the main topics from the last 99 issues.

But then I stopped.

You don’t need a newsletter just for that!

Instead, you can click the “Read Past Newsletters” button at the bottom of each newsletter.

Or search my website using the magnifying glass icon 🔎 in the top right corner.

So, after briefly celebrating our 100th birthday together 🎂, I want to share something I learned while writing 100 newsletters:

What makes people want to read what you write?

Let’s dive in.

Happy 100th birthday!

Main Article

Writing online is the new type of writing.

It’s everywhere - emails, text messages, manuscripts, social media, websites, and more.

But because it’s everywhere, we can’t read it all.

I remember the days when I read the spam mail that arrived in my mailbox 📪.

Can you imagine doing that today? No way!

But there’s another side to this story. What happens when you're the writer, not the reader?

When you write an email and wait for a response?

When someone ghosts you after you text them?

(For those unfamiliar with the term “ghosting” 👻, it means not responding to any of your messages anymore).

After writing 100 newsletters, I noticed 3 things that make people WANT to read what you write.

From text messages through email to social media and long-form content (like this newsletter).

Here they are:

🔵 Get To The Point (Very Quickly)

You have to respect people’s time.

People will stop reading if you don’t get to your point quickly.

This means that you should state why you're writing in your first or second sentence.

If it's an email, state the reason for your message ("I'm writing because I need your help with...").

If it’s long-form content (newsletter, proposal, abstract, introduction to a manuscript), include the problem you're trying to solve (”Today I will share how I managed to overcome my stage fear, so you can too!”).

🔵 Embrace The Emptiness

This is one of the most important lessons I learned and the easiest to implement.

You want blank spaces in your writing.

You can achieve this by using short sentences.

Or leave a line break before and after an important sentence.

You can use a big font.

Or even bigger.

These empty spaces relax the eyes of your readers. It allows them to pause and think. To enjoy the content.

It also lets them skim through your writing quickly to get to the main point. Then, they can decide whether to read the entire piece.

🔵 Use Your Own Voice

I love this tip, but it requires more effort (and some courage 👨‍🚒).

Many people try to imitate how others write, and that's perfectly fine. Some will imitate several writers and mix their styles to create their own. And that’s great!