When you’re an expert your knowledge on a subject is nuanced, wide-ranging and inclusive. You can combine multiple high-level concepts into even higher concepts; you include knowledge from so many fields and draw so many valid and useful conclusions. You can explain a half-dozen related but different techniques and viewpoints.
Resist this temptation. When you write an article, it should only make one point.
It’s easier to act on one idea
An article is only useful if it makes something happen to its readers.
- It changes their opinion
- It gets them to take action
- It encourages them to consider new options
- It makes some new technique less intimidating
- It gets them to buy
If you focus on one concept you have a much better chance of creating that change. Of writing something that makes a difference. There is no better feeling as a writer than to get a comment saying, “You’re right, I’m going to go do that now!”
It’s easier to remember one idea
If you include too many ideas then they’ll be lost in the crowd. It becomes a random chance on what the reader will remember, with the good money betting on “Nothing”.
It’s easier to write about one idea
1. You make a statement about your idea.
2. You prove your position.
3. You explain action to take if you agree with the idea.
Sound familiar? It’s the format I use for these posts. It’s a simple and effective structure that is delightfully easy to use: if you’re writing about concepts you know well, all you need is the initial idea and the rest just… flows out.
Google, Google, always Google
No-one searches for “a whole lot of jumbled thoughts about hedges”. They search for “Should I plant a box hedge?”. One concept equals improved Google-fu.
One idea can become a series
One of these days I’ll have some free time (ha!) and I’ll take the Twitter post series I wrote back at the start of February and turn it into one comprehensive guide. Initially that series started out as one “Introduction to Twitter” post before I realised it would be completely overwhelming and far far too long. Instead, I split it into a week’s worth of posts, each covering one idea. It was much more effective and much less scary for new Twitter users, and I could cover all the relevant points in more detail than I could if I was trying to cram them all together.
Your 5-minute mission, should you choose to accept it…
Plan an article about one idea and schedule a time to write it. (I’m looking for guest posters if you want to be heard here!)
What’s the concept you’ll write your next article about? Tell me in the comments!