Why your posts aren’t converting (and how to fix them fast)
Write For Revenue #2
➡️ Stop overthinking and finally publish that article — join The 5-Day Article Sprint that gets you from idea to inbox in under a week. Get it here.
My wife and I visited a bakery yesterday morning.
As usual, I came away with far too many sugary treats that my 37-year-old heart won’t thank me for later.
One of those treats was a giant, fluffy pancake (mmm… yeah, I know).
I couldn’t wait to slather it in butter and gobble it up for lunch with a steaming mug of tea and a chocolate Hobnob.
AD | 3 Secrets to Creating Your First Digital Product
If you’ve been putting off your first product because it feels too complicated, this will help.
In this free webinar, will walk you through the approach he used to launch 6 products in a year. No overwhelm. Just clear steps and smart shortcuts to get you going fast. 👇
Unfortunately, as soon as I bit into that enormous pancake, I realised my day was about to take a downward turn: the thing was stale.
Very sad.
There’s nothing worse than a disappointing lunch. Unless you’re a writer.
In that case, what definitely is worse is when you spend hours planning, writing, editing and formatting a brand new article with a fantastic message, only for it to fall flat once it’s published.
That, my friend, is a bite of stale pancake.
Did my audience even read it?
Why did no-one like it or leave a comment?
Maybe I’m not cut out for this writing game after all.
Substack takes this negative experience a step further by planting an even more unsettling question in the back of our minds: why did this post fail to push anyone into my paid tier, or buy my course, or book a coaching call?
Why did no-one pay me for putting in so much time and effort?
Then comes the creeping realisation: “I’m writing well, but not persuasively.”
Here’s the truth:
You didn’t need more time or more effort. You just needed clearer intent.
What happens when you start writing with purpose?
For the longest time, I was writing purely for me, and I didn’t even know it.
Every article I shared was focused on addressing a problem I had, not one that my audience members were facing.
My earliest articles on Medium read like diary entries. And because of that, they were pretty ineffective.
But once I made the shift to writing with purpose, things changed. My posts started getting replies, shares, and conversions. All my work needed was a shot of intention, and my entire writing career trajectory tipped in the right direction.
I didn’t get more “salesy”, either - I just got more helpful, focused, and clear.
So imagine this: you start writing with more confidence, more clarity, more consistency, and as a result, you begin generating more income. And all of that comes from the same writing they’re already doing.
That’s when the lightbulb flicks on above your head.
Once I made this kind of shift, my writing did the heavy lifting for me. I didn’t have to push harder - I just learned how to guide readers towards the type of action that sparked transformation.
How to write posts that convert into paid subscribers
So, how exactly do you write posts that convert readers into paying subscribers?
How do you reach back into the sticky mire and lead them safely onto the right path?
There’s a 4-step framework I use all the time, and it’s incredibly easy to replicate.
This post is part of my ‘Write For Revenue’ series for paid subscribers. Upgrade now to read every new and previous instalment. 👇