I changed my writing style to stay relevant in the digital era.

As we leap into a transformative phase of communication, not only do we talk about different things, we also talk about them differently. Then, how could writing remain the same?

As I write this article, many of you would have already skipped hundreds of pages of a book or magazine, scrolled through slides across social media sites and avoided lengthy paragraphs and flowery language. All that matters today is the essence of the topic in the first 3–4 sentences. We call it the essence in 5-seconds.

It is as much a difficult time to be a writer as it is not. For, we bid farewell to the once-celebrated long-copy writers and welcomed the SMS generation that likes to keep everything short and crisp. Nevertheless, we expect the same kind of impact from the short copies that the long ones had. Though the winning content is the one that strikes a balance between the two. It is definitely a revolutionary time for content and its creators.

Now, how does one still remain relevant in times like these? Through this article, I share my observation and learning from the last couple of years about content writing, which helps me stay relevant as a writer in today’s impatient world.

1. Write like a reader — While most writers read like a writer, we often forget to write like a reader (read that again. :D). Those were the days when we had time to read articles after articles, dive deep into the content, their meaning and the messaging. But today, the readers don’t have the time to read and appreciate the writing. So, if you want your audience to read your masterpiece, it is only wise to write it the way they want it. Keep in mind your reader, before you publish or pen down a thought. We can highlight the important points, which work when the reader might not read the entire article. give a gist of the entire article in the first paragraph, so that the reader knows what to expect.
2. Less is more — When it comes to expressing our thoughts, it is best to keep it simple. The digital audience is forever looking for shorter and faster solutions. So our writing needs to be simple and short, while we can always keep the lengthier version for the interested audience or split the content into two or three blogs to keep the topic going as well as the audience gripped.
3. Learn & unlearn — Readers are changing and so are their reading habits. And to keep the enthusiasm alive, it is imperative to move on with different styles of writing. Every writer has a particular style and it evolves with time and reflects their personality as a writer. With changing times and needs, it has become important for a writer to adopt different styles of writing and not stick to one style — again, a challenge experienced by many writers. We need to be flexible in our writing to match the relevant audience and let it find the audience instead of expecting the right kind of audience to come looking for our work.
4. Editing never goes out of style — Sharp editing has always been the strength of a writer. In today’s world, it is relevant more than ever. Long copy, short copy, SMS copy, Social Media copy — whatever the style of copy, keeping its audience gripped to the content remains the only focus and goal of a writer.

This was my learning while I worked on transforming my writing style for the new-age content platforms and audience. I hope it resonates with your experience as a writer. Do let me know if you have more points to add in the comments section.