6 Rules New Writers Must Follow to Get Noticed

I followed these and went from 0 to 10,000 reads a week

Quick note: I'm writing these articles daily and streaming my writing session live on YouTube. Feel free to join at 7 PM PST (daily) or catch the replay on I wrote this one on this link.

Everyone thinks they can write online.

But most new writers are completely invisible.

They're posting on Substack, Medium, and LinkedIn - and they're getting exactly ZERO eyeballs on their work.

I was in that exact same position in 2022 when I first started writing on Medium.

The hard truth? Your writing strategy is probably garbage.

Not because you don't have the talent. But because you're making all the predictable mistakes that keep you from getting noticed.

Let me share what actually works and how to go from “just another voice” to “sheet, who is this?”—even if you’re starting from scratch.

Stick to this one thing

Nobody pays attention to the guy who writes about everything.

I see many people on Substack make this same mistake. And that's why they're struggling to build an audience. One day they write about their dog, and another goes on a rant about politics.

If you’re not known for something, you’re forgotten.

Don't follow the stupid advice of being "nicheless". Complete garbage. And being a complete beginner doesn’t give you a pass. It actually makes it worse. The internet is a noisy bar, and if you don’t speak up about one specific thing, you get drowned out.

And I know your resistance:

You don’t want to box yourself in. You’re multi-passionate. Creative. Special. ADHD-style. I get it. But trying to be everything means you become nothing to anyone.

Niche doesn’t mean boring. It means focused. You can still write in your voice. You can still be funny. You can still weave in personal stories. But your reader needs to know what they’re getting from you.

Find your niche.

Write about this

Nobody cares about your journal entry.

If you’re writing online and wondering why no one’s reading—this is usually why. You’re talking about you. Your thoughts. Your journey. Your lunch.

I don't know who you are. And I really don't give a damn about all that personal content until YOU give me a good reason to.

Look, you’re allowed to share your story.

But if there’s no clear takeaway for the reader, they’ll scroll. Fast.

People are selfish. They’ve got bills, stress, and back pain. They'll only care if you write something that helps them.

Want people to pay attention? Make their life easier. Fix a problem they hate. Say the thing they’ve been feeling but couldn’t articulate.

Think of your writing like duct tape. It should patch something that’s leaking in someone’s life.

Even if you’re brand new, you know something useful. You’ve solved a problem. You’ve figured out a trick. You’ve learned something the hard way.

That’s the stuff you want to lead with.

It doesn’t have to be a huge life-changing fix. It can be a tiny win.

• How you stopped overeating late at night.

• How you went from gym anxiety to showing up 3x a week.

• How you finally got your first freelance client as a designer.

• How you wrote your first cold email that actually got a reply.

• How you got your ADHD kid to sit through 20 minutes of homework.

Don’t be afraid to be specific. The more specific the problem, the more likely someone will feel like you’re reading their mind.

Make it about the reader.

Stop relying on motivation

Everyone’s hyped at the start. But 99% don't cross the finish line.

That’s the curse of writing online. You post a few things, check the stats, and when it doesn’t explode… You give it the finger.

You tell yourself it’s not working.
That you’re not cut out for this.
That maybe you need a better strategy.
Or a different platform.
Or a cooler niche.

But the truth you don't want to hear? You didn’t stick with it long enough for anything to happen.

Attention shows up after you’ve been consistent—not before.

It’s like going to the gym once and expecting abs. You’re not going to “go viral” from your third blog post. You’re not going to build a loyal following from two tweets.

Consistency is boring. It’s not sexy. But it’s the only thing that compounds.

What worked for me? Lowering the bar. I stopped trying to write masterpieces. I just showed up. Every day. Even when it felt like yelling into a void.

And no, you don’t have to post daily. But you do need a rhythm. Something repeatable. Something you can do even when life punches you in the face.

The ones who win aren’t the best writers. They’re the most patient.

Get rid of your boring academic writing style

People don’t stop scrolling for boring.

No one’s desperate to read another dry, instructional Wikipedia-type blog post that sounds like it was written by a chatbot.

If your content reads like a lecture, it’s getting ignored. Fast.

Now, I’m not saying you need to become a stand-up comic. But if you can’t at least make it interesting to read, you’re toast.

The best way I found to be entertaining without having to morph into someone you are not is to simply amplify your weird traits.

I like sarcasm. I like to be direct and frank. So that's how I try to write.

Make it entertaining.

Make it sound like a Human

Nobody connects with bullet points and facts. They connect with you. Your screwups. Your doubts. Your weird habits.

The idea you’re trying to teach? It’s already out there. In a book. On a podcast. Somewhere on Reddit.

What makes it worth reading from you is your lens. Your life. Your take.

Think of your personal stories like seasoning. The advice is the salad. But without seasoning, it’s dry and forgettable.

The beauty is—you don’t need epic stories. You just need real ones:

• The first time you tried meditation and spent 20 minutes thinking about tacos.

• The first time you tried a viral recipe and ended up setting off the smoke alarm.

• The bedtime routine where you read 3 books, sang 2 songs, gave 4 hugs—and they still needed to poop.

That’s the stuff people feel. That’s the stuff that sticks.

Make your writing personal.

Learn the unwritten rules

The fastest way to get noticed is to post content on platforms.

Why? Because that's where your audience already hangs out.

But every platform is different. Medium’s not X. Substack’s not LinkedIn. And if you treat them all the same, they’ll spit you out. Quietly.

When I started on Medium, I thought, “Cool, I’ll just write like for SEO.” Wrong.

I didn’t know that Medium articles need structure:

• Sharp intros

• Short paragraphs

• & bold statements upfront

I didn’t know headlines mattered more than the content. I didn’t know tagging the right topics could double your reach.

Trying to figure it all out by posting randomly is like showing up to a wedding in sweatpants. Technically allowed. But you’re not getting invited back.

Here’s the cheat code: lurk. Before you post, read. Pay attention.

• What tone works?

• What posts get traction?

• What’s the rhythm of top creators?

Don’t reinvent. Reverse-engineer. Then make it yours.

And yeah, you’ll still stumble. You’ll still post something you think is brilliant and it’ll die. But at least you’ll know what rules you broke.

Learn the rules before you play.

Final words

Everyone says they want to be a writer.

Few actually write.

Even fewer write stuff people remember.

Decide which one you are.