I think most of the top authors on the list actually do align with the techniques I mention here.
Paul Graham doesn't, I agree. But a lot of the rest do.
Krebs, Julia Evans, Dan Luu, John Gruber, and Simon Willison all get to the point quickly and write for broad audiences. Dan Luu and John Gruber don't use a ton of images or headings, but Krebs, Evans, and Willison do.
Still, for most people who are still finding their style and (for some reason) are optimizing for popularity, this seems like sound advice.