Climb the Ranks: 3 Actionable Tips to Become a Top Writer

Hey Hackers!

Are you ready to get the recognition you deserve for your writing? Landing a spot in HackerNoon’s Top Writers Section—the place where we acknowledge and celebrate the top writers in each Tech Category— can boost your reputation and connect you with a thriving tech audience. Here are three proven strategies to help you reach the top.

1. Write Consistently

If you’ve written an article but haven’t published it because it’s not perfect, you’re holding yourself back. The best way to gain experience and get your name out there is by writing and publishing consistently.

Set attainable goals, like publishing once a week or once every two weeks. Writing regularly is crucial for improving your skills as a writer and for becoming a top writer at HackerNoon.

Why is consistency important?

Our Top Writers ranking looks at the most recent 100 stories per category and tracks how many stories each writer has published. For example, if you’ve written 10 stories out of those 100, you may secure a top spot, depending on other writers’ contributions. The rankings are updated daily, so it’s a great way to stay visible and relevant in your favorite category. Learn more about HackerNoon’s Top Writers Rankings here.

So, if you want to be a top writer in the Programming category, focus on creating a lot of stories about programming. If you’re feeling stuck or running low on inspiration, check out the Programming Category page to see what other great HackerNoon writers are publishing.

And if programming isn’t your thing, don’t worry! We’ve got 21 other Tech Categories for you to explore and dive into.

2. Write About What You’re Passionate About (A.K.A., Build Up a Good Reputation)

Writing about topics you’re passionate about can transform your work. Readers sense when you truly care, and that energy helps build your reputation. Whether it’s AI, gaming, or blockchain, let your enthusiasm shine.

On the flip side, if you write about something you’re not interested in—just for the sake of views—your article may come across as cold and lifeless. This can hurt your reputation as a writer.

That’s not to say you should never write for views, but make sure the topic interests you personally. If you’re struggling to find ideas, check out the TechBeat Rankings. You can organize it by most-engaged, most-recent and most-commented stories of the week to uncover what the HackerNoon community is buzzing about, identify trends and write articles that resonate with readers.

3. Try Creating a Series

If you want to write more but often struggle with what to write about next, here’s a secret technique: think less about multiple story ideas and more about one idea you can evolve over time. A series is a great way to stay consistent while exploring a topic in-depth.

For example, if you’re passionate about crypto, why not start a series where you review a different cryptocurrency each week? The content changes, but the format remains the same. HackerNoon writer Andrey Didovskiy did exactly that with his S.W.O.T. Analysis series, which earned him thousands of views.

https://hackernoon.com/the-cosmos-atom-swot-analysis?embedable=true

Or, if you’re into programming, create a series where you teach readers how to fix a specific problem/bug every week. Maximiliano Contieri has done this successfully with his Code Smells series.

https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-280-spaghetti-code?embedable=true

Want to know what works best in your category?

Check out the most-read articles from last year. For example, 3 out of the top 10 most-read gaming articles of 2024 were “How-to” guides, while another 3 were long-form commentary pieces. This shows that these two structures are hugely popular in gaming. Use insights like these to create your own series and refine it through trial and error.

And remember: this approach isn’t limited to gaming. Whether you’re writing about AI, Media, or Business, the sky’s the limit!

Don’t Forget to Check Out Our Writing Contests!

Don’t miss your chance to win big! HackerNoon’s writing contests are the perfect way to share your expertise and score some serious rewards.

• Blockchain Writing Contest by Aleph Cloud: Write about topics like #decentralized-ai, #decentralized-cloud, and #dePIN for your chance to win a share of the $2,000 prize pool.
• Spacecoin Writing Contest by Spacecoin: Win a piece of the 15,000 USDT prize pool by writing about topics like #decentralized-internet, #spacetech, #blockchain-use-case, and more.

That’s it for this week.

Until next time hackers!