Writing Success Is Pretty Simple — It Comes Down to 3 Things

For me, writing success is actually pretty simple.

I didn’t say easy — I said simple.

There’s no huge industry secret. There’s no inside information that only the top writers know. To build a stairway to heaven, there are three simple tactics you need to build into the foundation first.

The rest is built with hard work. Straight-up hard work and patience.

It could take two years. It could take hundreds of blog posts. Are you ready for that? Most aren’t — which is why they don’t see success. They write 30 posts, get 3,000 views, and think there’s no opportunity on the internet anymore.

The truth is, they haven’t even started. Here are my three tactics for writing success.

1. Publish Very, Very, Very, Very Often

Very.

Some very successful writers I know only publish once per week. That’s fine, but they’re the outliers as far as I’m concerned. And they probably already had a lot of experience writing online.

The big reason I want you to publish often is to build experience as a writer.

You never know what could topic really take off, too. That one throwaway post you wrote about going to jail could make you a couple of hundred dollars.

Then that could give you an idea of what to build your brand around.

My friend Brian Pennie writes about his past as a heroin addict all the time. It’s one of the pillars of his brand.

And besides, you’re not going to grow to 5,000 followers in one year by publishing once per week.

Imagine you’re driving a car across the United States and every time you run out of gas, you wait a week to fill up the car. It’s going to take you a long time to get to California, isn’t it?

But imagine you fill up that tank every time it goes empty?

You’ll be in California in no time. Publishing often is the equivalent of gassing up your car. It’s the fuel that will propel you to success.

And many just aren’t willing or don’t have the time to put in that kind of work.

2. Use “Platforms” To Your Advantage

Four years ago I got into the Huffington Post.

I was ecstatic — wouldn’t you be?

But why? Because my name would be associated with such a well-respected publication? Because I could tell my parents I write at the Huffington Post?

Sort of, I guess, but the real reason I was ecstatic was that I knew I’d finally get views.

I knew full well how many people read the Huffington Post. I knew it was a platform for me to stand on to get exposure. I knew my publishing at my Wordpress blog was the equivalent of standing on a stool in Antarctica shouting words into the air.

But at Huffington? I just upgraded to a stool in Times Square, baby.

Many writers seem to not understand how crucial publications really are.

They just publish and publish and publish outside of them and then get angry when they get no views. It’s because you need some help, sister.

You need a publication. The first thing you need to do is publish often, but the second thing you need to do is find a publication to publish in.

The bigger the better.

I told you that publishing often is like the gasoline you put into a car, right? Well, publishing in a publication is like upgrading from a Hummer to a Prius.

Hummers get about 10 meters to the gallon, but a Prius? They get 54 miles to the gallon.

I know I could’ve chosen a sexier car as an example, but I for one find that kind of gas mileage sexy.

My point is, you’ll go much farther with the help of a publication. That’s why so many people try to grow a following on social media or get into publications like Elite Daily or Thought Catalog.

3. Respond To Everybody Who Responds To You

So you’re traveling across the country. You got a good car, you’re gassing up your tank, but every now and then you see people on the side of the road with signs that say “GREAT JOB!” or “I REALLY LOVE WHAT YOU’RE DOING!”

You find it weird and keep driving (I don’t blame you), but after the tenth sign in 50 miles, you decide to pull over and talk to one of these apparent fans.

They’re overjoyed to speak with you. They ask if they can ride with you for a while. You let them, even though stranger danger is real. Over the next ten miles, you have a conversation about a blog post you recently wrote and bond. You find out their name is Tim and that they connected so deeply with what you wrote and they can’t wait to read more.

Then they ask if you can let them off at the next stop, and they give you $2 for your next fill-up out of generosity.

You smile wide, thank them, and tell them you’ll catch them again sometime.

This is the third piece of the pie, for me. Your readers.

Do not ignore your readers.

They will pick you up on a bad day. They will support you when the going gets tough. Imagine you run out of money on your little cross-country trip? They will be the ones to fund the rest of the trip. I promise.

And you must understand that. You mustn’t forget this crucial step. It is most rewarding for me. Responding to people that connected with what you wrote. This is the beginning of a movement.

Every person who reads your work regularly will become part of your tribe, and you’ll find your tribe will do pretty much anything for you.

And that’s the third step to true writing success, for me.

Not to mention it’s a very rewarding aspect of writing online.

Now that you know the three most important pillars of writing success, I guess all that’s left to do now is, well, DO THEM! :)