by Anica Angela Nicole Modena-Hill
The Soft Protocol Company
“Read Me to the End”
We don’t lose readers because they don’t care—we lose them because we don’t respect their time, their rhythm, or their emotional presence.
This is your reminder: engagement is not a trick. It’s a trust.
We write for readers, but we format for scanners.
We want loyalty, but we give them noise.
We dream of community, but we never stay long enough to listen.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of writing, editing, managing brands, and watching people click away before the page even fully loads:
Engagement isn’t a metric. It’s a feeling.
Retention isn’t about tricks—it’s about trust.
My Actual Principles for Capturing Real Attention (Not AI Tips):
If your first 2 lines can’t breathe, no one else will. Start with something you would want to keep reading. Design like you respect the reader’s time. No one has patience for grey walls of text. Use space like it costs money. Be emotionally generous. Readers don’t just want facts—they want to feel seen. Write like a mirror, not a megaphone. Don’t optimize for virality. Optimize for value. A million views mean nothing if they don’t stay for the second paragraph. Leave them with something to do. Ask a question. Plant a seed. Don’t just conclude, connect.
Before I publish anything, I ask:
“If someone reads this at 2AM while they’re lonely, will they feel less alone?”
That’s engagement. That’s the kind of metric I’ll always write for.
Journal Prompt for Writers & Creators:
What was the last piece of content that made you feel something? Why?
If you can answer that, you already know what to create next.
If this made you think—stay.
Comment below or tag someone who writes with purpose.
And if you’re still here: thank you for reading to the end. You’re rare. And so is your attention.