So You Want To Be An Online Authority? How To Write A Good Article

It used to be people only asked me about how to build muscle, get stronger or get leaner, but a trend has been emerging in the past few years. A lot more people are now asking me how to “become me”, how to become “someone” in the internet fitness community. In parallel, I have started receiving articles submitted by guys and gals who would like to write for Thibarmy. One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of smart people out there, people with pertinent information to share.

The problem is that they simply don’t know how to write a good article, and let’s face it, having good information to share but not being to present it properly is like having an amazing body and never leaving your parent’s basement.  What good does it do to have tons of training knowledge if nobody reads your articles? Because the truth is, if your article is boring or not structured properly, people will stop reading it.

In this article, I will show you how to present information in the way that will get readers to pay the most attention. If you want to be relevant in this field and want your voice to be heard, learning how to present your material optimally is one of the most powerful ways to do it.

Specifically, I will discuss the three elements an article must include to have success as well as how to structure your text to optimize information understanding and retention.

Always remember that:

“PEOPLE WILL RESPECT AND REMEMBER YOU NOT BECAUSE YOU SHOWED THEM HOW SMART YOU ARE BUT HOW GOOD YOU ARE AT MAKING THEM SMARTER”

What Every Good Article Needs To Be 

Every article should be entertaining, informative and motivational. Of course, sometimes it might be hard to have all three at a high level, but there should definitely be elements of all three and ideally a high level of at least two.

Entertaining: Simply put, every article should be fun to read. Unless you are already a renown expert, people aren’t going to read your stuff if it’s bland and boring. You need to make the reading experience more fun, especially considering that fewer and fewer people actually like to read and that most have the attention span of a hummingbird. I’m not saying that you should crack jokes all the time. While the occasional humor is a plus, too much of it can actually make you less credible. Entertaining means reader-friendly, it means that the reading experience is fun.  Here are some strategies you can use:

Stories/personal examples: The success of reality TV has taught us that people are voyeurs: they like to learn personal stuff about others! My keto experience articles got a lot of comments because I’m sharing my weaknesses, some crazy stuff I did when I was younger, as well as my true nature. I have no problem sharing personal things. Telling relevant stories not only helps get the message across but also helps you build a feeling of closeness to your readership. This is important if you want people to relate to you and be interested in what you are saying.

One caveat though: bragging can have the opposite effect. While talking about your accomplishments can help establish credibility, too much of it can make you look narcissistic and turn people off.

Videos/pictures: Stimuli variation is really important. A wall of text can be daunting to many. Using a combination of more than one means of communication is the best way to make the article more entertaining and makes it a more complete experience. If you can include a picture and a video in every article, that’s a big win in the entertaining department. Of course, they have to be relevant to the material presented! Generally speaking, having videos and pictures in the article makes you pay more attention to the text, especially that presented just before and after. When you have something very important to write about, adding a video or picture around it might be a good strategy.

On the other hand, video can also be detrimental if it is too long. If they are in “reading mode” then switch to a video for 5 minutes, it might be really hard to come back to reading. I like very short videos embedded in an article but nothing exceeding 1 minute and ideally more in the 10-20 seconds range.

Examples: Giving a real-life example of a concept you just described makes the information feel a lot more real and more easily understood by practical-minded folks. It’s also another way to teach (more on that in the section on presenting the info). It doesn’t have to be a real-life story. Just a way to illustrate the information you just provided.

Here’s an example:

“In the double progression model, you are using a rep range (e.g. 6-8 reps) as well as a selected number of sets. You are using the same weight for all your work sets. When you can complete all of your work sets with the same weight, at the top of the rep range you are allowed to add weight at the next session. If you can’t do all your sets at the top of the range you stick to the same weight.

For example, two partners are bench pressing. They have 200lbs on the bar and the prescription is 4 sets of 6-8 using the double progression model.

Partner one does:

200 x 8, 200 x 8. 200 x 8, 200 x 8 

Partner two does:

200 x 8, 200 x 8, 200 x 7, 200 x 6

In that case, partner one will move up to 210 for his next workout while partner two will stick with 200. Of course, partner one is allowed to make fun of his partner!”

For some reason, examples are mentally easier to read and can put you in a better mood, thus facilitating understanding.

Jokes/swearing: A little bit of humour and even some foul language can make an article more fun to read. It makes it read more like a conversation. But too much of it can make the article lose credibility. As for swearing, if it goes with your persona/image/brand, it can work. For example, if Jim Wendler writes something like: “Stop saying back squat, it’s a fucking squat! There are front squats and squats, no such thing as a fucking back squat!“, it works because that’s Wendler. On the other hand, if Bret Contreras or Mike Boyle writes that, it looks weird and might detract you from the article. My recommendation is that if you have to force yourself to find a joke to add or want to add a swear word because you think it will make you look cool, don’t. It will come back to bite you in the ass.

Informative: The goal of an article, at least in our field, is to transmit knowledge. That’s the whole purpose (contrary to a Blog where you are sharing an opinion). It is not to look smart or show that you know a lot of stuff, it’s to help others become smarter. Too many “authors,” write articles as an exercise in self-appreciation. These are the guys who will read their own stuff and masturbate thinking about how awesome they are. Listen, people will think you are awesome if you are good at making them feel awesome! Give them complex information in a way that it is easily understood and they will love your stuff. Write something that requires three Ph.Ds to read and only those with three Ph.Ds will like you. You can either write to get acknowledged by high-level authorities, which is fine if all you care about is being in the inner circle; or be liked, respected and followed by the average training gym rat. I’m telling you this from experience: if you want to make a real impact, target the bigger crowd… those who are actually passionate about training, those who put in the hours because they want to change their body. Honestly, other authorities might come to praise you at one time, but it won’t change a goddamn thing about how they train (if they still do) or think.

Become A Master At Communicating

I’ve been writing articles for more than 20 years. When I started out, it was on an online site called “Ironmag” that I started with Joachim Bartoll and Eric Hesse. I barely spoke English at the time and I cringe when I read my old articles! BUT people loved them because, despite my language issues, I was good at making them understand complex concepts. In fact, I think that my poor English helped me in that regard: I felt like I needed to explain every concept much more thoroughly and from various angles to be understood. A habit I’m still maintaining today.

When I’m presenting an idea or concept, I always give at least three reasons why it works and I explain those reasons properly. Then I give one or two possible counterarguments and refute them. Why? Because many readers will have those counterarguments and addressing them before they ask about it shows that you really know your subject and do not cherry-pick only the info that proves your point. But it’s also another way to give them knowledge on the subject.

Finally, never make things more complicated than they need to be. If anything, make them simpler. There is one thing I often say: “Complexity is the language of the simple minds”. Making things more complex is a compensatory mechanism: insecure people do that to appear smarter than they are.

Dude, stop trying to look smart. Start trying to make other people smarter. That is the true sign of intelligence.

Motivating: I don’t mean motivate in the “Rah Rah you can do it, Bro” sense, but more in “getting people excited about a concept” sense.

In an ideal world, people would be driven by understanding a concept. Knowledge about how something works should get you excited about doing it. Sadly, it doesn’t always, or often, do it.

People are more likely seduced by an idea than convinced by a concept.

Here’s an example:

A client walks into my office and asks me about getting super lean for a pool party in 10 weeks. I tell him that it’s simple, cut pretty much all carbs from your diet, no rice, no potatoes, no oatmeal, no bread or pasta, very little fruits, of course, no sweets. Basically, you are only allowed to eat animal flesh, eggs, green veggies and a small number of nuts. The principle is that by cutting all carbs from your diet your body will have to turn to fat as its primary fuel source which will get you leaner faster. How’s that sound? I think I’ll pass…

The same client walks in and asks the same question. Here’s what you do buddy: For the next 10 weeks, you will eat like a caveman. Dude, cavemen were fucking jacked! Lean physical machines, they could fight tigers with their base hands for God’s sake! That will get you shredded in no time bro! That’s awesome what do I have to eat to be like a caveman? Ok, listen to this: cavemen were hunters so you can eat meat, that will make a predator out of you! You can also have green veggies and nuts because these where easily found and carried when the cavemen went on the hunt. Basically, you can eat what you can kill. Are you in? I sure am! “.

I’m not saying that you should sugar coat everything. But how you present the information can have a great impact on how motivated someone will be in applying your info.

Yeah but won’t that cheapen my message? I don’t want to look like a used car salesman!

Ah, I see, you are a purist. Everything needs to be peer-reviewed and include 10 studies. I’m kidding, but understand one thing: information that is not applied isn’t worth shit. The goal of the information is to positively change your behavior/design process so that you get better results.

Of course, there will always be intellectual purists who simply like to gather as much information as possible just because they want to understand everything. But they never do anything with it. These are not the people I’m talking to, and you shouldn’t either. I’m talking to those who are looking for ways to get better results from their training and nutrition. These guys and gals will have to apply what I teach them, so they need to not only understand it but also be motivated to apply it in the gym (or table). They must be excited! I know that when I was younger, I would read about a new training method and I couldn’t wait to get to the gym to try it out! That’s what you want when you write an article.

The worst articles I ever wrote were assignments. That’s because the subjects where not ones that I loved. Always write about things that you are passionate about! Passion changes your writing style subtly and contributes to getting people excited.

How Every Good Article Needs To Be Written

Again, the goal of an article is to teach the reader something, and as such how the information is presented is key. The presentation is also very important to keep the reader interested. I’ve had people submit articles to me that was too short. While not everybody likes to read an article that is over 3000 words, it’s hard to teach someone properly in 600-800 words. As part of a joint article like T-nation does, where 5-10 coaches are asked to answer a question, it’s fine to give everybody 500-600 words. But when you are writing an actual article it should be at least 1000 words when properly done.

The bigger issues I see are a lousy intro and a shitty conclusion! A close second is not presenting your arguments properly.

Proper structure: the intro

What would your success rate be if every time you approached a girl in a club you started the conversation by asking “do you fuck?”. My guess is it wouldn’t be very high. I’m thinking it would only work if you have the body of a Greek god, the face of a Calvin Klein model, and the smell of a pink unicorn… and even then, maybe at a 50% success rate.

The same thing goes for an article. The introduction is your ice breaker. It’s what gets people interested and excited, or not. If you are an amazingly well-known and respected authority you might be able to get away with a bland intro…. but even then, maybe at a 50% success rate.

For us coaches, writing the intro and conclusion is like pulling a tooth out (trust me, I had one pulled out a few weeks ago). We like to talk about training, to explain stuff to share our passion. Intros and conclusions are boring to write, I get it. But if you don’t have a good intro, many people will not even read your article, or if they do, they will not do so in a good mindset which will make it hard to get them excited about your ideas.

The introduction should:

1. Raise the interest of the reader (I call this “the hook”)
2. Say what the article will be about
3. Break down the subject into the main points

For example:

Do you have a weak bench press? For better or worse, the bench press is now seen as the number one “macho lift”; the one exercise that establishes alpha male status in the gym jungle. Of course, that means that it’s not acceptable to let your bench press stagnate. In this article, I will discuss the best strategies to rapidly increase bench press performance and, hopefully, make you climb up the gym hierarchy! Specifically, I will discuss how to optimize your technique, the best methods to rapidly boost strength, as well as how to correct the weaknesses that are holding you back. If you are willing to put in the work to fix that bench press, read on!

If I break it down:

Hook

Do you have a weak bench press? For better or worse, the bench press is now seen as the number one “macho lift”; the one exercise that establishes alpha male status in the gym jungle. Of course, that means that it’s not acceptable to let your bench press stagnate.

Subject

In this article, I will discuss the best strategies to rapidly increase bench press performance and, hopefully, make you climb up the gym hierarchy!

Breakdown

Specifically, I will discuss how to optimize your technique, the best methods to rapidly boost strength, as well as how to correct the weaknesses that are holding you back. If you are willing to put in the work to fix that bench press, read on!

Now the hook can be several things. All that matters is that it gives people a reason to read the article. A good strategy is to make the readers realize that they have a problem and tell them that you have a solution. But you can also start with a story.

For example:

The best gym I ever trained at was, believe it or not, in the basement of a church! It was a city project run by a good friend of mine. Alain was a former member of the national Olympic lifting team and built a high-performance gym in the basement of the church. We had a dozen guys bench pressing in the 400lbs and a few in the 500. 700-800lbs deadlifts were common too. Alain was a master at making people strong with unorthodox methods. If you want to learn about these methods, continue on with the article. I will cover the loading scheme influenced by Alain’s background in Olympic lifting, how we programmed blocks of training to avoid overtraining and stagnation, as well as his personal favorite training methods. These elements got tons of average folks super strong, they are sure to do the same for you!

In that example, the hook is a story:

Hook

The best gym I ever trained at was, believe it or not, in the basement of a church! It was a city project run by a good friend of mine. Alain was a former member of the national Olympic lifting team and built a high-performance gym in the basement of the church. We had a dozen guys bench pressing in the 400lbs and a few in the 500. 700-800lbs deadlifts were common too.

The only thing that matters is getting people interested in what you have to say. It’s like when you approach a girl (or guy). The first conversation might be “rehearsed” or even “fake”, but it’s only to raise interest. When it is, you can present your real “material”.

The conclusion: everybody’s nemesis

Let’s be honest. Writing a conclusion sucks. It’s like having a conversation after sex: we do it because we feel like we have too but we really just want to go to sleep.

Seriously, writing an intro is a pain in the arse, but at least we know that the good stuff is coming up. But when you write the conclusion, you already poured your heart and soul into your text. When the development is done, your passion is gone too, and now you have to conclude. This is hard, trust me.

The bad thing is that we underestimate the value of a conclusion. We kinda see the use for the introduction…but the conclusion? The material has already been covered, why make an effort?

Because the conclusion is where you get people excited!

If I have one tip to give you, it is to write the introduction, then the conclusion, and finish by writing the core of the article. Write the conclusion when you are still fresh and excited and connect it to the introduction.

Presenting Your Knowledge

This is already getting long. It’s a boring subject and I’m past 3000 words, which I mentioned is the limit that an article should have. So, I’ll simply give you bullet points.

1. The total length of the article should be no more than 3000 words. Except for some exceptions. Normally if a piece is longer than 3000 words you should break it down into 2 parts.
2. I recommend breaking down your subject into three sub-subjects (see the intro examples) and making three sections in your article. It makes it more fun to read (you can also read the article more easily in two sittings) and is also more effective at transmitting information clearly.
3. For each sub-subject, present at least 2-3 “arguments”; facts or explanations supporting the info or recommendations you are making. If you have three I recommend putting the strongest either first or last. It depends on the strength of your weakest argument (which you put second). If your weaker argument is still pretty good, put your strongest argument first. If your weakest is weak, put your strongest last.
4. For each sub-subject, also include a counterargument and then refute it. This is also a good way to teach while showing that you master your material and are not cherry-picking the info that proves your point.

Conclusion

As I said, I hate writing conclusions but it has to be done. The internet offers unlimited possibilities for aspiring training “experts”. Never has it been easier to get known and even respected than it is now. Writing articles is a great way to not only share knowledge but also build a rapport with your target audience; get them to like you, to respect you, to listen to you. If you want to become relevant in this field, having the capacity to make other people smarter is one of the keys to success.

But it’s not as simple as writing articles, because if a good series of articles can really help you out, a badly written one could have the opposite effect. Hopefully, you picked up a few good tips from this (way too long) article!