Linguistic disclosure of Steemit mechanisms. How to attract masses and why do people upvote certain posts? Part 2. Go on reading.
The first part of [STEEMIT FORMULA] is posted here: https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemingnow/steemit-formula-mechanisms-of-the-most-popular-posts
As mentioned, the first picture and the heading are the most significant actors on the scene. They can either bring you to the heaven or leave you somewhere in the slum of the website. In my previous post I’ve covered the issue of WHAT to write in the heading. Now it’s time to say HOW.
Many ignore CAPS LOCK button to the left from letter A. Look at it. Press it. This is one of your best friends when writing a heading. Still, don’t capslock more than a couple of words; if you capslock the whole heading it would rather repel than attract. Human mind is absolutely defenceless when it comes up to underlining, bolding and capslocking some parts of the text. We are used to the most important information being indicated by one of these ways and so we automatically search for such signals.
This is actually a pragmatic aspect of linguistics: you should always take into account your recipient and their educational and emotional state. Who is likely to like your post? If you answer this question correctly it will help you to target your heading on special groups of people and make them read your post. Ready. Steady. Go.
Writing the lead
Lead is the first two sentences seen from Steemit’s webpage. This is your second chance to make people open your unbelievable travel story and enjoy the figures of your English. I mean. Try to make them look professional and attractive as hell. How? Here are some of the tips:
- Address to the potential readers (Missed me? Here I am/A hello from Cambodia/Wanna follow the prettiest girl on Steemit?). Don’t be afraid to be straight-forward and even impudent. What I really love about Steemit is that you have a myriad chances and can try again and again. Choose a role and play it – why not? Blogging is the art of “selling yourself”, in the first three lines you should prove that your “production” is better than other steemers’ production and so there’s no right to be humble. Wanna win? Fight.
- Make it beautiful and intrigueing. Stylistics can become one of your most powerful tools today whe people are used to plain phrases. Make up something unusial like "How to time the Times?" writing about Mass Media and that will catch your readers' eye.
- Make use of rhetorical questions. A good and safe instrument in attracting people.
Another thing is using marks which can both help and destroy the whole post. Put marks with understanding and be ready to explain why on earth have you put a comma in the middle of a sentence.
One of the greatest challenges when writing a post for those who are not very good at the English language is to make the grammar ok. Mistakes irritate, I mean. A solution may be to write in your mother tongue to make Steemit international though the coverage of the post will be vague.
I wish you all the best writing your Steemit posts! Be creative, be positive, be a steemer!
