The Simmonds Signal

Alternate education for creators (that school can’t teach you)

Micro Writer → Micro Brand → Micro Business

Want to get good at creating content (fast)?

In 2022, when I started writing online while working a full time job as a college teacher, I sure did.

It took me 6 months of sacrificing my evenings and weekends before I got my first viral post.

A cheesy book summary thread on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

(Shameless, I know).

But after 2 and a half years of writing 10’s of thousands of tweets and hundreds of long form posts, I realized I just needed to master these 9 tips to get good fast.

If only someone had taught me sooner.

Each tip is carefully designed to increase engagement and attract more followers.

They’re the 20% of the effort that leads to 80% of your content’s results.

Practice them.
Master them.
Use them daily, you’ll get your first high performing post in no time…

But Before we begin…

My Microcreators community is launching on July 15th.

Inside, I’ll be giving you away my writing secrets, my guide to attract your first 10,000 followers, and my playbook to making your first $1,000 online.

I’ve been refining this community in beta for 8 months with 100 members who I’m happy to now call my good friends.

It’s easily the greatest accomplishment of my professional career.

Join the waitlist HERE for early access and some cheeky bonuses.

The 9 Best Content Writing Tips I’ve Found

1) The Only Viral Platitude Framework You Need

I noticed Justin Welsh, James Clear, and Naval use this framework often.

[x] is not your problem.
[y] is.

Example:

Your problem isn't not knowing what to do with your life.
It’s not doing anything at all.

2) The Peak End Rule

To increase your engagement, use the peak end rule.
↳ End your post on an emotional high.

More specifically…

Call out either the best or worst case scenario in your final sentence.

This spikes your reader’s emotions right before they stop reading.

Incentivizing them to take action.
↳ Like, share, comment, follow.

This tip alone, increased my average retweet by 7x.

3) Lead With Values; Not With Goals

People like people who are just like them or are who they wish to become.

By sharing the values - the ‘why’ - that underpin your actions, you attract an audience who’s just like you.

Increasing your follower conversion in the process.

For example, 3 people can have the same goal but different whys that attract different people

Goal = I want to make $1,000,000

Why 1 = Because I want to drive lambos and show the world I’m the sh*t.

Why 2 = Because I want to reinvest the money to cure cancer

Why 3 = Because I want to provide security for my family

See how the goals are the same but the whys are different?

Don’t just share your goals.
Share your values.

4) Be Provocative

Alex Mather's told me to be more provocative in my hooks.

So I hosted a space called - Seductive Storytelling Secrets.

Adding the word 'seductive' doubled my conversion rate to listeners.

600 people showed up for an impromptu unscheduled space.
All because of 1 word and a relevant topic.

Use power words to turn heads.
Be provocative.

5) Starve & Stroke The Ego

Dan Kennedy popularized the PAS copywriting framework.

Problem → Agitate → Solution

But most creators don’t realize that agitation is the most important part of the framework.

It elicits emotions that incentivize engagement.

The problem is, most writers and creators have agitation all wrong.

They think great writing is about poking your reader’s pain.
It’s actually about connecting with them on an emotional level.

Making them feel understood.

To do this, starve or stroke their ego after you call out a problem.

Starve = call out negative associations

• Fear

• Felt pain

• Frustration

• Consequences

• Worst case scenario

• Specific negative emotions

Stroke = call out positive associations

• Benefits

• Dream outcomes

• Best case scenario

• Specific positive emotions

PS. This tip is from my upcoming course Micro Writer that comes free inside the Microcreators community.

Smash this link to join the waitlist.

6) Handle Objections in Your Hooks

To add flair and emotional pull to your hooks, handle objections before your reader has the chance to ask them.

The 3 types of objections:

⇢ Tell them what they don’t need to do

⇢ Tell them what they don’t need to have

⇢ Tell them what they don’t need to be

Peak performance coaching example:

⇢ You don't need to give up time with family

⇢ You don't need to have adderall

⇢ You don't need to be an athlete

Hook example:

How to get 10 hours of content written in 2 hours (without adderall)

Credit - Sam Ocean

7) Offer Quick But Realistic Wins

Your readers are looking for quick results.

They don't want to:

⇢ Wait 20 years to get rich
⇢ Diet for 12 months to get in shape
⇢ Struggle for 3 years before feeling confident

Provide hacks, tips, and lessons to help your audience achieve their goals in a fraction of the time.

Ex) How to make $100,000 in under 12 months.

Ex) How to get a 6 pack in 90 days.

8) Don’t Call Out an Enemy; Right an Injustice

The internet incentives tribal behavior.
↳ It is designed to get people fighting over outrage porn in the comments.

Which is why calling out an enemy:

❖ Attracts a like minded tribe
❖ Increases your engagement
❖ Makes you look super tough (if done correctly).

BUT…

The best enemies are not people.
They are injustices.

Destructive values, movements, or big ideas.

Identify one and call out the terrible trade offs associated with it.

Every idea is a mix of good and bad.

Look for the bad ⇢ Call it out ⇢ Present a better solution

Example:

Popular big idea = pursue a life of freedom.

The terrible trade offs of freedom:

⇢ The anxiety of too many choices
⇢ The burden of personal responsibility
⇢ A life without commitment lacks a sense of meaning

I'm not against freedom.
But it does have its trade offs.

In Harry Potter the Wizarding World didn’t come together to fight Voldemort - enemy.
They came together to avoid oppression - injustice.

9) Use Comparison to Alter Value

Is a 2023 bright red Corvette valuable?

Sure, but what about when it's parked next to a Bugatti?

Your ideas are no different.

To increase their perceived value, compare them to other popular ideas your audience is aware of.

Use the Contrarian Counter framework to do this:

⇢ State a popular idea
⇢ Explain why people love it
⇢ Explain why it's actually wrong
⇢ Present a better idea
⇢ Explain why it's better

The popular non-fiction book Sapiens is basically this framework used over and over again.

Example:

Most writing guru’s say to use clean formatting in your social media posts.

It makes your writing easier to read.
Leading to more engagement.

But this advice is actually wrong.

Your content needs to stop consumers from mindlessly scrolling.

If your content looks the same as everyone else’s, your writing won’t stand out.

Use block text instead.
Watch what happens to your engagement.

And there you have it.

8 of my content writing secret weapons.

But don’t just read these and forget the tips.
This week, write a week of content using each tip as inspiration.

I promise you won’t regret it.
And neither will your readers.

Until next time,

Taylin John Simmonds

PS. My Microcreators community is launching on July 15th.

It’s become harder than ever to grow on X and LinkedIn without doing those cheesy curation posts.

If you want to learn how to:

❖ Write consistent viral content
❖ Attract your first 10,000 followers
❖ Make your first $1,000 online

Then click HERE to join the waitlist for some surprising launch week bonuses.