YKA being a platform gets flooded with a lot of posts every day and round-the-clock. In this, to make sure your post stands out and gets read by many, here are a few things you could keep in mind before you hit ‘Publish’!
1. Make sure your topic of choice raises an important question of socio-political relevance and is not fictional.
2. If you are writing an article, begin by stating your point clearly. Think of the story structure as coat hanger, with the hook being the first half-dozen paragraphs. If you don’t get the hook right, readers are unlikely to keep reading.
3. If you start with an anecdote, it should illustrate the main point to come in the para that comes right after, explaining news value or relevance of the story for readers.
4. Don’t assume that people know: a) explain to the reader why they should care, and b) tie whatever you’re writing about, if possible, to broader trends or things in the news. Your writing should make your piece interesting for those who might not even be related/aware of the topic. Be precise in your explanation.
5. Follow a chronological order, if possible, and remember that readers have a short-attention span, so avoid repetition of any kind.
6. Close your story on a note that is unbiased and forces the reader to think, long after they are finished with reading your piece.
7. In case you are submitting videos or photos, it is important to set context for what people are about to see. Make sure you highlight the relevance of your post for them and keep the writing concise, letting the visual medium do the storytelling.
8. Short posts of length 300-500 words work best. And for longer pieces, 1000 words are ideal.
9. Make sure all your facts are properly sourced and only license-free images have been used in your post.
10. When deciding on a title: make sure it is not abstract, represents the post well, creates curiosity but is not click-bait. Try keeping it to less than 10 words. The more personal, the better.
11. In your author bio, mention who you are, what you do and share your Twitter handle if you’d like people to reach out to you.
12. Last but not the least, ensure your article is grammatically sound and doesn’t plagiarise from anywhere.
Oh, and once your post is up, don’t forget to share the link with your friends and family – on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter!