The Power of Words: How to Write for Impact and Influence

This article is dedicated to my dearest readers as a heartfelt acknowledgment of your support and engagement.

As the year 2024 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on my progress, not as an artist, entrepreneur, or individual, but solely as a personal brand online.

This year has been transformative—a mix of experimentation, self-discipline, and growth—and I want to share the key lessons I’ve learned about personal branding and storytelling.

📖 In this story, I’ll talk about my personal branding and how to write for impact and influence!

The Changing Landscape of Communication

The world has evolved rapidly, especially over the past five years.

The rise of Generative AI and specifically Large Language Models has been astounding—both as a tool with immense potential and a phenomenon that sometimes challenges our intellect.

Amid this change, I’ve realized that personal branding requires adaptability and focus, particularly in the online space.

In 2023, I started my personal brand to communicate my artistic practice and establish myself as an artist.

I envisioned a multifaceted approach:

1. Short-form videos for Instagram and TikTok,
2. Podcasts, long-form videos for YouTube, and
3. Posts for LinkedIn, Twitter, and a blog.

However, reality soon revealed that juggling all these formats was neither feasible nor aligned with my true priorities.

Exhibiting at British Art Fair an interactive sculpture based on ESP32

By Steve Zafeiriou

Digital Art at the British Art Fair 2024

By Steve Zafeiriou

Focused Effort: Finding What Works

At the core of my journey is art, research, and technology—these are my true passions!

After experimenting with different content formats, I settled on a process that works for me:

1. Artistic Research¹ → Blog Articles² → LinkedIn Posts
2. Blog Articles → Twitter threads for concise ideas.
3. Blog Articles →Occasional videos for topics better suited to visual storytelling.

Initially, I leaned heavily on chatGPT-generated articles (obviously), but this approach fell short.

I discovered that..

Effective content creation demands more than automation. It requires genuine insight and connection.

Lessons in Writing, SEO, and Copywriting

To improve, I started studying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and website optimization.

I invested heavily in tools like Ahrefs and learned about prompt engineering and .xml formats.

This journey cost me approximately $1,650 and countless hours of effort and study throughout 2024.

Despite initial challenges, these efforts began to pay off—gradually increasing my blog’s traffic.

The turning point came when I embraced key principles of impactful writing.

For example, while this article may be personal follows key writing principles:

• Why Your Writing Must Serve Your Readers: This article discusses the importance of addressing pressing issues directly (e.g., emphasizing how social media distorts success) and engaging readers by focusing on challenges and solutions.
• Start with a Problem, Not Background: In this article, the text highlights the need to address gaps or unresolved tensions, such as the inefficiency of using AI-generated articles without deeper insight.
• Show Value Through Instability: In this article, the section on the illusion of success anticipates the reader’s doubts about metrics like views and clicks, building credibility by addressing these directly.
• Know Your Readers’ Doubts: This article has detailed examples, such as personal milestones (e.g., blog impressions, affiliate commissions), showcase the specificity of achievements and strategies.
• Create Value with Specificity: This article discusses how success is redefined through personal reflection, emphasizing value as aligning with meaningful goals rather than superficial metrics.
• Reframe Your Perspective on Value: This article stresses tailoring communication to align with the audience’s expectations, particularly in the personal branding journey.
• Write for Your Community: This article stresses tailoring communication to align with the audience’s expectations, particularly in the personal branding journey.
• The Role of Politeness and Precision: In this article, the tone is professional and respectful, using clear, precise language to communicate ideas effectively.

These principles, combined with structured copywriting techniques, helped me craft clear messages, outline ideas, conduct thorough research, and even read academic journals to enhance my writing.

The Illusion of Success

Through this process, I confronted the distorted perceptions of success perpetuated by social media.

We equate millions of views or followers with significance, but these metrics are often empty.

Real success lies in understanding your goals and aligning your actions with your true intent.

For example.. “I want to be rich!!!”:

1. Why?
2. What does being “rich” mean to you?
3. How much wealth is truly enough?
4. How will this “wealth” contribute to your happiness or improvement?
5. How do you plan to utilize it?
6. What steps will you take to achieve it?
7. What habits or actions do wealthy individuals practice that you currently don’t?

These reflections helped me define success on my terms, shifting my focus from superficial metrics to meaningful growth.

Building Discipline and Skills

Over the past four years, I’ve committed to daily self-improvement.

Each morning, I write down in paper: “Every day, from every aspect, I’m becoming better”.

I’ve done this over 1,460+ times—once per day, every day, for four years—a practice rooted in discipline and intentionality.

This routine, rooted in discipline and intentionality, brought an unexpected realisation: it mirrors the punishments we used to face in school.

In essence, I’ve been punishing myself daily for the years of laziness that I allowed to hinder my potential.

This year, my efforts yielded tangible results (related to personal branding):

• 31,000+ blog impressions and 1,200+ clicks in the past 90 days.
• My first affiliate commission: $0.7 (a small but significant milestone).

Beyond numbers, I developed or evolved critical skills in:

1. Professional communication,
2. Storytelling,
3. SEO,
4. Video editing, 
5. Research, and
6. I started reading more books (something I had always been reluctant to do)

ps. Some of my year-to-date favorite books include:

“Day Trading Attention” by Gary Vee, “The E-Myth Enterprise” by Michael E. Gerber, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill (a timeless classic), “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin S. Sharma, “The Art of Always Being Right” by Arthur Schopenhauer, “Stand Up, Speak Out, Talk Back!: The Key to Self-Assertive Behavior” by Robert E. Alberti Ph.D. and Michael L. Emmons Ph.D.

These efforts have not only strengthened my brand but also my confidence as a creator. I realised that..

Writing goes beyond connecting words together—it’s about changing the way people perceive things.

Many of us grow up believing that writing is about expressing our ideas, revealing our inner thoughts, or presenting new knowledge.

But this is wrong!

Writing that matters doesn’t focus on you—it focuses on your readers!

And that.. offered me a new passion.

Unlocking a New Passion: Academic Writing

A significant realisation in 2024 was the importance of academic writing.

My artistic projects already involve extensive research, but presenting these ideas professionally is a skill I’m committed to understand and master in 2025.

I’ve started reading MIT’s free courses on academic writing and revisiting principles I ignored during my university days (It’s crazy to think that all this knowledge is online and-drum roll-FREE).

Goals related to my personal brand & writing skills for 2025 include:

• Reading more: Books, journals, and academic resources.
• Practicing more: Writing consistently and seeking feedback.
• Finding mentors: Engaging with professionals for guidance.
• Become better author, better storyteller, better researcher. 

A Message to Share

This journey has taught me invaluable lessons about focus, discipline, and self-improvement.

To anyone navigating their own path, I leave you with this:

Embrace change, become better every day, focus on clear goals, and enjoy the process.

Leave a comment with your thoughts in this article and subscribe to my newsletter 🙂

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Thank you for following my story—it means the world to me!

XoXo,
Steve

1. Artistic Research on Human Behavior and Human-Computer Interaction ↩︎
2. Read my blog “Konnekt” ↩︎