It was 8:02 am in the morning and I was in the subway.

It was PACKED.

You know those crazy times when you should definitely NOT be in a public transport?

I was there and there was NO ROOM to move a muscle.

And you know what I like to do in crowded places?

People watching.

You know there’s not many places where you can just stare at people without looking like a creep. A subway train is one of those.

So I was looking around and I see literally everyone in my vicinity scrolling on their phones.

Are you curious to know what were they all so busy with?

I was too.

As much as I hate to admit: almost all of them were on Instagram.

Now, do you know why it’s such an addictive app?

I think it’s because it’s full of just pictures and videos. It’s easy to kill time on it.

NAH. Let me correct myself.

It’s EXTREMELY easy to kill time on it.

Pretty pics and videos giving you dopamine pumps like nobody’s business.

Agree? OK.

Now why am I telling you this?

It’s because pretty pictures and infographics do make for very visually appealing content.

It’s easily become one of the most STRIKING trends on X at least.

Have you noticed them?

You have? Good.

Long form posts from creators complimented with pretty graphics bring in tens and hundreds of likes.

It’s become STUPIDLY effective.

Does this mean that only pretty long forms work on X?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

It’s such a common misconception. And I hate that so many creators are suffering from it.

I recently helped a creator start writing long forms and this was his biggest problem.

“How do I make my long forms pretty?”

You don’t NEED to do that.

But aren’t they more eye-catching that way?

Yes they are.

But you don’t need to spend 2 hours making an infographic for a post that will get lost in the sea of endless new content in less than 48 hours.

It’s not worth it.

If you are an expert in Figma or something, sure, go ahead and do it.

But you CAN absolutely do without it.

There’s only 1 non-negotiable in your long-forms.

Can you guess what that is?

It’s the HOOK.

Yes.

You should work SUPER hard to make your hook outstanding.

That’s 90% of the work in getting eyes on your long forms.

Don’t just make it good.

Make it OUTSTANDING.

Hear me?

Good.

This is the secret to writing great long forms.

UGLY long forms can and do work because of great hooks.

Focus on perfecting your hook instead of graphics and you’ll be good.

And that’s all I had for today.

Hope you’re having a great day.

Ciao,

Yash

PS: Struggling with developing a consistent writing system and growing your audience through your ideas? Reply to me with your 1 BIG struggle and I’ll help. Just ask. I reply to every question.