A Letter from Zulie Rane in America; My 4-Step Process to Boost Low Views

Good morning Sultan Saiful, 

 Aren't we all a little in love with the highs of seeing a blog post do better than we'd hoped? And perhaps a little too familiar with the opposite: publishing an article into the void, AKA 0 views. I know this feeling INTIMATELY. 

When I started writing online, I thought millions would magically discover my work because I was just that good, lol. And how many views did I actually get? Zero. It was frustrating, humiliating, and demoralizing. Even today, there are times when my views nosedive into scary depths. And us writers?

 We struggle not to take this kind of thing personally. I do, at least. Luckily for you, I have condensed the harsh lessons I learned over the years into a simple checklist to get YOUR views back on track. 

This 4-step strategy doesn’t guarantee overnight success. Obviously. But it does maximize your chances of getting the traffic you deserve. Let’s dive in! Play by the rules. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but in today’s algorithm-heavy era, you need to be a platform pleaser. 

Whether it’s the distribution system on Medium or SEO on Google – your content is WAY more likely to perform if you follow some basic guidelines. Yep, it’s annoying. But it’s one of the easiest ways to get more eyeballs on your work. (To get started, check out my tutorials on SEO and Medium.) Workshop your headlines. I get it.

 Blog headlines are confusing. Often you think you wrote a great title, but no one bats an eye. Or you wrote a totally random title and go viral. Titles take some intense work. But once you get them right, your views will explode. One of my most successful titles was “The six habits of deeply miserable people.” This did so well because it got into people’s heads. It makes a clear promise, has spicy wording, and triggers pain points. Because let’s be honest: No one wants to be miserable. (If you want to know my 8-step formula for highly clickable titles, check out this video.) Review your niche. Just to be clear: You don’t NEED a niche. But niches can act as a fast lane to get you ahead of the game. The problem is that many writers get stuck on a niche that limits their creativity and causes content fatigue. And that, in turn, taxes their views. If you’re in this situation, though, I have great news: This is your chance to experiment. Because hey, no one’s watching anyway! So try new styles, try new topics, and see what happens. Eventually, you’ll discover a profitable niche that attracts readers organically. (I cover this in last week's newsletter - if you missed it, you can check it out here.)

 Keep writing. Lastly, remember that many factors outside of your control take a toll on your views. Platforms make sneaky algorithm changes. People aren’t always in the mood to read. A crisis can sap away your eyeballs. And sometimes views are lower than usual for no particular reason, and that’s okay! Your job is to write through the highs and the lows. Ultimately, low views aren’t a sign of bad writing. They’re a sign of change. I hope this checklist can help you leverage that change in your favor.

 Happy writing, 

 Zulie P.S. 

Just read a phenomenal book called, appropriately, Book Lovers by Emily Henry. You know when you watch a Hallmark movie and the a big business guy moves to a small town to take over a local business, but ends up discovering the true meaning of love/happiness/Christmas? And usually breaks up with his uptight City Girlfriend with a platinum blonde ponytail for the down-to-earth, charming, quirky small-town girl? It's about that City Girlfriend. It has laugh-out-loud dialogue (literally, I was cackling and reading instead of working this morning) and a very sweet romance. Can't recommend it highly enough.