Start with the story then the lesson. Never the other way around.
Most of what you produce will be bad. Half will be below average. There is a natural distribution of things. Optimize for continuing to generate volume (with your best possible quality).
A good piece should be flowing from the beginning. If it’s hard at the beginning it’s unlikely to be good.
Story telling and brevity are a powerful combo. Get their attention with a story and then don’t lose it.
When you’re writing leave out the part that readers tend to skip
When you’re writing pretend that every word costs you $100
Vary the length of your sentences. Don’t write essays write music