Choose Your Writing Weapon (Content Creation)

The psychology behind irresistible writing.

Why are some writers:

• So damn irresistible?

• Instantly recognizable?

• Considered thought leaders — even when they give us well-known advice?

There’s something there. Something practical, repeatable, but way beyond cookie-cutter templates and virality hacks.

I’ve been thinking about it for a while and one day, I stumbled upon this article called Want to write good fiction? Study psychology.

How could I have been so stupid?? Writing is nothing more than communication — and effective communication is all about psychology.

So I’d rephrase this question slightly: want to become an irresistible writer? Learn crucial psychological principles.

Why you must become an irresistible writer, fast.

No one explains it better than Michael Simmons in this article.

The amount of content people create online is doubling every year, according to theZuckerberg’s Law.

“It’s extremely hard to break through the noise on the Internet with billions of people creating content.

It’s getting exponentially harder as more people (and now AI) create more content.

You will fail unless you have a realistic strategy to break through the noise.” — Michael Simmons

How important is understanding readers psychology for a writer?

Multiple successful writers have credited their understanding of psychology as a significant factor in their success.

• Stephen King is renowned for his ability to tap into primal human fears and psychological tension. In interviews and his memoir On Writing, King has discussed his interest in the psychological aspects of horror, such as how fear operates on both a conscious and subconscious level.

• Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl, has spoken about her fascination with psychology and how it informs her writing. In creating complex, morally ambiguous characters, Flynn dives into the darker aspects of the human psyche, such as manipulation, narcissism, and sociopathy.

• Robert Cialdini, author of the best-selling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, explicitly credits his success to his deep understanding of psychology. He uses psychological insights to both craft his arguments and market his ideas effectively.

• David Ogilvy, a legendary figure in advertising and copywriting, is known for his deep understanding of consumer psychology. In his book Ogilvy on Advertising, he emphasizes the importance of knowing how people think and behave when creating effective ads.

Okay. This means that if we agree that understanding psychology is crucial for writing success, you must:

1. Learn psychology

2. Start implementing it into your writing

3. The faster, the better.

You see the problem, right? Psychology is big and complex, and few of us can afford to get a degree hoping to further our writing careers.

That’s why it’s cool to be a Smarter Solopreneur. I got you covered.

Here are the psychological principles the greats use and how you can use them, too.

After a 20 hour analysis of some of my favorite online writers / solopreneurs, here are the 5 psychological approaches to writing I was able to uncover — and how you can use them to bring out your writing voice and attract your audience.

The most powerful result you can get out of reading this is to choose one psychological approach to writing and keep at it. That’s how you’ll become a master of it and build your brand around it.

Weapon #1: Instant emotional triggers.

People are desensitized. If you want to make them:

• Read

• Subscribe

• Buy…

You need to make them feel something powerful — and the faster, the better.

How to be 10x better at emotional triggers.

1. Use the negativity bias. I hate it when people sell that way, but it does work. Readers are more likely to listen to you if you use fear vs. inspiration.

No wonder politicians around the world use it all the time. You’ll notice the winners of the elections are the ones who manage to instil fear about what would happen if they don’t win.

You want instant emotion, nothing is more powerful and more instant than fear.

Example: I could’ve started this article by saying you only have a few more years to learn how to become a great writer and make it online (after that, there would be too much noise to cut through).

See, it’s not “fear-mongering” as much as it is directing your focus towards the negative consequences of not taking action, instead of the positive consequences of taking action.

2. Use humour. Laughter is one of the strongest positive emotional responses. It triggers instant bonding. Make someone laugh and you have their attention.

3. People understand words literally (the Gricean Maxims principles of communication).

Words have both a literal and a connotation. While the literal meaning refers to words’ actual definitions, connotation refers to the emotion evoked by a particular word.

For example, “I don’t want you to fail” and “I want you to succeed” mean the same thing.

But which one feels more encouraging?

Who uses instant emotional triggers.

Self-made multi-millionaire Bushra Azhar is known for her deep understanding of buyers’ psychology.

In her emails and sales pages, she often uses fear (“Don’t miss this one-time offer!”). She blends humor and relatability to build trust and make you feel like you’re a part of an insider group.

Weapon #2: Simplicity and Clarity

No one buys/follows/subscribes out of confusion.

If you help people have AHA moments with every piece of content, you’ll quickly become their favourite online writer.

How to become 10x better at simplicity & clarity.

1. Use simple words. People trust people they understand. Trump uses this masterfully to stand out from other politicians. (And if I wanted to use it, I’d go back and delete the word “masterfully”. Notice the difference?)

2. Use curiosity. It’s not that difficult to intrigue people: you just need an open loop at the beginning of the conversation. The way I started this newsletter is a good example. Why are some writers so damn irresistible? Wouldn’t you like to know?

3. Dive deeper in every idea. Research the hell out of it, then simplify it for your readers.

Who uses simplicity & clarity.

Dan Koe is known for his minimalist yet highly engaging approach to writing. His perspective is unique because he emphasizes clarity and value, not selling tactics.

Dan Koe’s newsletters and tweets are perfect examples of persuasive writing through simplicity and clarity.

Weapon #3: Authenticity & Vulnerability

Sharing failures is an unusual way to grow an audience — but a highly effective one.

While people like to be inspired by amazing success stories, success stories also make them feel inadequate. Because how come they’re not achieving it?

We’re so sick of people shouting how well they have it that vulnerability has become a rare, treasured quality.

How to become 10x better at authenticity & vulnerability.

• Stories of struggle. Stories are more authentic than numbers. The suffering of one person is stronger than the statistics about how millions of people suffer. Give us stories about mistakes, struggles and suffering — yours or others — and then give us a meaningful ending (wether happy, hopeful or sad), and you’ll have us eating from your hand.

• Pratfall Effect, a psychological phenomenon where people find others more appealing when they show vulnerability or imperfections. Give us all the problems you’ve faced and still face.

Who uses authenticity & vulnerability.

Tim Denning’s success is rooted in authenticity and vulnerability. His writing feels deeply personal and genuine. He frequently shares his own failures, struggles, and personal growth, making his content relatable. It creates a sense of trust and builds a powerful emotional connection with his audience.

Weapon #4: Empowerment & Optimism

Most people don’t have anyone in their lives who believes in them & supports them in going for their dreams.

Following your dreams is risky and your loved ones don’t want to see you suffer.

Which is why it’s so powerful when we get full, unquestioned support from someone who doesn’t even know us.

How to be 10x better in empowerment & optimism.

1. Stories of success (optimism bias). They don’t have to be your stories, but if they’re not your stories, you better tell us something we don’t know. The more contrasting the story — rags to riches — the better. Research well and give us the details. Interview successful people. Give us a reason to believe we can do it.

2. Positive reinforcement. Positive psychology tells us we’re more likely to succeed when we’re positive and hopeful. Give us all the reasons we have to believe we can do it. Give us affirmations, confidence tools, and specific actions that will bring to results — even if it’s only emotional results. Give us challenges to complete and reward us.

Who uses empowerment and optimism.

Marie Forleo is the creator of the B-Schoolprogram and a thought leader in entrepreneurship and personal development. She encourages people to act based on the potential they have.

In her blog posts and video content, Marie frequently shares success stories of her B-School students who’ve overcome obstacles to build thriving businesses. Her optimism-driven language makes people believe in their ability to replicate that success.

Weapon #5: Preeminence & Authority

In any online business, nothing works like credibility.

If you can make us believe that you’re the authority on a certain topic, we’ll allow you to lead us forward.

But how do you do this if you’re just beginning?

How to be 10x better at preeminence & authority.

• Do insane amounts of research, especially if you’re a new writer. As Michael Simmons puts it, whatever your stories or experience, there have been people before you who’ve devoted their lives to a certain topic. It would be silly to ignore their findings, no?

• Repeat your message. Decay theorysuggests that memory fades over time if it’s not used or reinforced. People forget (especially when change requires effort). A confident mentor would remind them without worrying whether it’s “too much.”

• Vicarious Reinforcement is a psychological principle that explains that people learn behaviors by observing others, particularly when they see others being rewarded or punished for their actions. How to put that in practice? Share even little success moments and tell us how you got there.

• Share opinions. If you’re positioning yourself as an authority, your opinion matters. If that’s the voice you’re going for, share your opinions shamelessly (though it would be good to support them somehow).

Who uses it?

Frank Kern, Gary V and all those guys that seem like they know it all.

Well, they usually do know a lot of it. :)

Learn the new way of work.

I believe solopreneurship is the future of work: solopreneurs are always the first people to adopt new technologies, learn new marketing strategies and bring top level expertise to the market.

Whether you’re looking to learn more about solopreneurship or build your solo business, Smarter Solopreneurs is the place to be.

Quoted resources : https://www.triviumwriting.com/blog/how-to-use-psychology-in-writing