30 Valuable Lessons Every Digital Writer Should Know Before They Start

#19. The 5-year rule is your best friend

It’s hard as hell to become a great digital writer.

What’s a digital writer? Someone who makes a living writing content online. Digital writing covers all aspects of online writing such as copywriting, ghostwriting, paid newsletters, courses, etc.

I’ve published one article per day online for over a year and a half now. Now…

• I’ve been a top writer on Medium

• I’ve published 700+ articles online

• I’ve made $20k+ from my writing directly

So let’s not waste any more time.

Here are 30 valuable lessons every digital writer should know before they start.

1. YOU NEED TO BE CONSISTENT — it’s impossible to become a better writer without it

2. Create an email list freebie and sign-up form before you write anything

3. Always link your email list freebie at the bottom of your article

4. Steal techniques from your favorite writers and discard what you don’t like about their writing style

5. Write at least three articles per week for a year

6. Pick 3 niches you can write in (pick them based on your experience, what your audience likes, and what you’re interested in)

7. The best writing is the most emotional writing — 50 Shades of Grey has terrible prose but it’s a hit novel for a reason

8. Never focus on how other writers are doing or you’ll get jealous

9. Practice coming up with ten ideas per day (you’ll come up with two amazing ideas you can use in the future)

10. Write down your core narratives that changed your life — personal experiences can be the best writing inspiration

11. Check your analytics once a month

12. Never obsess over stats — you can’t gauge your progress every single day or you’ll go crazy

13. Write about polarizing topics — people get pissed about these types of articles, but they drive more views because of it

14. Convertkit is the easiest email software you can use as a writer (not sponsored)

15. Your worst enemy is perfection — sometimes you’ll write a crappy article — just deal with it and try your best on the next one

16. Most writers quit because they don’t wait until the fruits of their labor come to fruition — don’t be one of those writers

17. You must have clear goals when you begin your digital writing journey (e.g. Do you want to have a 6-figure ghostwriting agency?)

18. It will take you at least 100 written articles to find your signature writing style and voice

19. The 5-year rule is your best friend — It’ll take 5 years of consistent practice to have success at any profession — look at all of your favorite content creators online and see how long they’ve been posting consistently

20. You’ll get discouraged…A LOT, but it comes with the job

21. Never complain about not getting the number of views you wanted — one view means that someone took the time to read your shit

22. Always give away more free products to your loyal email subscribers — they’re the most valuable people on the planet

23. Never be afraid to hire help — you can’t do everything by yourself

24. Don’t be afraid to reach out to more experienced writers on social media — some of them will respond

25. Find your 3 main sources of inspiration to gather more ideas (e.g. Twitter, Instagram, Quora)

26. Republish your content on other platforms as much as possible

27. DON’T START A PERSONAL BLOG FIRST — write on a platform where you’ll have more potential to reach an audience

28. Master the art of writing about the same thing in a different way

29. Support other writers and they’ll support you back

30. INVEST THE MONEY YOU MAKE BACK INTO YOUR BUSINESS

Final Thought

In conclusion, digital writing is tough as hell.

I could’ve gone to 50, but these are the main tidbits you should remember for the future. Always remember that writing is a process. It will take a few years before you see massive success.

Keep these lessons in your backpack in case you need them later. I hope this helps.

Write on.

---

Consider Joining The Story Crafters Club for $7 Per Month!

Here’s what you get for joining:

• Free 90 day writing habit guide

• Free 1st Year Writing Survival Guide

• A Beginner’s guide to headline formats & niche-mixing

• Exclusive articles on how to monetize your writing

• “Write with me” videos where I showcase my entire writing process

• Exclusive chat threads on Substack with more templates, writing tips, and I answer your questions

• Workshops once a month where I go over writing topics YOU choose!