Every Writer Must Answer This Question if They Want WiFi Money
How to transform your readers in 3–6 months
I sucked at writing three years ago.
My content was like peanut butter without jelly. It stuck with some people, but it was too dry for most. Finally, I stumbled on a question that helped me add the sweetness I was missing.
Put yourself in your readers’ shoes and ask:
“If I consume your content for 3–6 months, what’s the ONE transformation I will experience?”
If you think of your content as transformative pieces, helping readers go from “this to that” you can massively improve your writing.
But how do you pick the right transformation to write about?
Here’s how my friends.
Pick a transformation, not a niche.
The creator spectrum on the Internet goes crazy.
There are the Dan Koe generalists who believe “you are your niche,” and you can write about anything because readers have more than one interest.
Then there are hyperspecific “niche” creators. A niche being a narrowly defined segment of a larger topic or industry.
Niche writers often make more money faster because they feed their audience specific solutions to specific problems. The downside is when they narrow themselves to one topic, they risk taking extreme views on things they don’t believe in.
But niche writers do get one thing right: they know precisely how to transform their readers.
A relationship writer helps their readers get more dates.
A fitness writer helps their readers lose 5 pounds every month.
A finance writer helps their readers invest ahead of retirement.
Each writer has a clear “what” and their content explains “how” their readers can achieve their ideal transformation.
But many writers, like myself, don’t want to stay cooped up in one niche all the time. So, instead of picking one niche, pick one transformation.
Then, you can write about any topic that helps your readers achieve said transformation.
How to find your ideal transformation:
Take a week off writing and determine what you can help your readers learn. To do this, write down the transformations you’ve experienced:
What happened when you went from X to Y?
Who helped you go from X to Y?
How did you go from X to Y?
If you wanted to be a web designer, how did you go from know-nothing to running a freelance web design business? Chances are other folks also want to learn how to start a web design business.
Write for them.
Your experience is the foundation for your content.
Don’t copy some guru’s habits. Customize your own writing system.
Taking cold showers is a good way to throw your goals in the recycling bin.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to writing habits. I can teach you every step of my writing system, but what works for me doesn’t work for others:
I don’t have kids and can write uninterrupted
My 9–5 comes with a lot of accountability
The weekends are my editing time
I like writing after a workout
I work remotely
Let’s use the fact that I don’t have kids. I have more time than other writers because I don’t change diapers, but I also work out 5–6 times a week. I spend my time differently than others, so I need a tailored writing system.
Most writers don’t reach their goals because they don’t have a method to accomplish them.
Alex Hormozi said to focus on actions over outcomes. In other words, focus on a system for accomplishing a task vs. dreaming of accomplishment.
Without daily action, there are no outcomes.
Systemizing your writing schedule around your life is crucial to growing online. If you don’t write content, you won’t transform your readers.
How to create a writing system:
Say you want 1,000 Twitter (“X”) followers and plan to write 3–5 tweets, send 15–50 comments, and DM similar accounts to yours daily. You know what you must do but have no method to do it.
A system breaks the goal into actionable steps:
Write all your tweets for the following week on Sunday
Send 5+ comments after breakfast, 5+ after lunch, and 5+ after dinner
DM the accounts you follow and ask them about their goals
Keep things focused and adapt your system around your lifestyle. Systems break down scary desires into achievable daily steps.
(Yes, Twitter writers are writers too)
Focus on needle movers, not meaningless work.
The book Essentialism by Greg McKeown changed how I look at time.
Essentialism is the disciplined pursuit of “less but better.” In other words, focusing on the most critical tasks to achieve meaningful results.
When I started my job in 2021, I was like Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All at Once, trying to do precisely what the title suggests. I said yes to everything and eventually burned out.
I attended meetings that could have been emails
I worked in person when I could’ve been remote
I took on freelance gigs I didn’t need
In 2023, I focused on essential tasks, leading to a promotion and more time on my hands to write and prioritize my mental health.
In writing, vigorous effort is crucial. You want to spend non-draining energy on writing. This way, you get more significant results in less time.
That’s the transformation I’d like to offer my readers. The aim is to reduce wasting time and resources on less important tasks, so naturally, there is more time for high-level tasks (like building a business).
Knowing all this comes down to knowing your personal “needle movers.”
Final thoughts
So, if you’re new on your writing journey or three years into it like I am, it’s not about what you write but the transformation you offer your readers.
Remember the question:
“If I consume your content for 3–6 months, what’s the ONE transformation I will experience?”
The key here is “ONE transformation.” The goal is to help readers do one thing very well, but you can write about anything to get them there.
To do this:
Learn from your transformations
Systemize a writing process
Focus on the essentials
Use your experience to help others navigate their own lives.
Write better content faster 🔥. Learn how with my free eBook.
I've had this tab open for the past week. Understanding the importance of the transformation part is the biggest thing I've been missing. Thank you!