This is for writers.
Oh wait. This is for everyone who believes improving writing can help them connect with their audience. Build trust, credibility, etc.
That’s not true.
Writing - 0. Depth - 1.
Writing as a skill gets way more attention than it should.
Sure, it’s crucial and great writing = reader engagement.
But writing doesn’t guarantee value. Because it’s only a medium.
Readers feel value when they see depth.
…and depth comes from experience and action.
I can consume all the content on marketing and share it with you. My writing skills will allow me to present stories exceptionally well.
But a marketer working with top brands and doing real work will outperform me with ease. Even if he is 10% of a writer than I am.
It’s because readers are biased towards value and forgiving towards writing. They care about how content elevates them more than its writing.
You wouldn’t want an aesthetically pleasing plate if the food doesn’t taste good, do you?
My bestieeeee and co-founder, Aravind, is a great example of a person with depth. We run a newsletter about brewing coffee at home.
He’s not the best writer. He hardly writes. But he has been brewing coffee for three years daily, even when he is travelling.
Three years of experiments, analysis, fuckups and learnings. This depth is irreplaceable.
Any writer who just researches and writes would never even come close.
TL;DR: Do things that improve your depth.
So how do you improve depth anyway?
Long answer short, do good work consistently.[2]
Work → Analysis → Articulation. Repeat.
Ira Glass has a beautiful explanation of how taste and skill evolve.
Our ability to judge (taste) evolves way too quickly than our ability to produce good work.
That’s the reason you can tell if an art, design, content, or product is good - but can’t make anything of the similar quality yet.[1]
If you ask me to apply the same concept to depth, I’d skip all the noise on frameworks, mental models, overconsumption of content, etc., and just focus on doing work that challenges me and takes my skills one up.
Not a sexy answer, but when you do good work consistently, your specific knowledge automatically makes your writing much more valuable.
Footnotes:
[1] I borrowed the articulation from this beautiful essay. It’s a must-read if you consider yourself a perfectionist. It’s behind a paywall now.
[2] Let me know if you agree with this thesis. Because if you do, I will work on “How to add depth to your work”.
Love,
Vikra.