I fell ass first into Coles sales funnel and it was the best thing that could have happened to me tbh.
Like you I started with The Art and Business of Online Writing and now I’m deep into the Premium Ghostwriting Academy. These insights are amazing man, and honestly incredibly helpful.
Ship30for30 helped me build consistently and Full Stack Writer helped me monetize. I can’t express how important his ideas are.
Can’t express how helpful and fun it’s been. There are actually 2 other secret levels WITHIN PGA for coaching its wild. It’s helped me learn a lot about email marketing and sales though I would get sales training elsewhere if you want to go more in depth.
I just started experimenting with different short posts to find out that the ones with the most impressions are those where I am advising the Junior Developers, so I continue writing on that topic. If you do not know what would be interesting for readers, don't force yourself to write large posts on certain topics, instead, do small posts in different areas that you understand and observe the interaction, which shows you the direction or trend to go.
You mentioned a shift in focus to headlines. I have a background in marketing and had a previous boss drilling home this quote from David Oglivy - “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
If you haven't already, I'd love to see you write about your process for improving headlines. If you have, then please respond with a link to find it.
Hi Paddy, thank you for this. I will make a note and see if I can draft something on this topic. I haven't published anything on this specifically. I might recommend checking out Nicolas Coles book but most copywriting books have headline info. Big thing for me wasn't just formulas it was looking at what worked, looking at the top stuff on YouTube, Medium, Pinterest, etc. and trying to model the clues that were being left in structure. There are many different things and the metrics don't always tell the whole story. Some things may be crafted in a way that actually gets fewer views/opens but it may be on purpose.
I was sitting here today talking to a friend, and consulting with ChatGPT, 🤣, about what I want to write about on a daily basis. I enjoy what I’m currently talking about but I tend to get bored or burnt out sticking to one thing, and also have a half dozen other topics I’d like to talk on. Your step 10 kind of hit it on the head for me, thanks for sharing!
Amazing, happy to help me friend. And to be honest, I still think about the same thing. I have lot's I like to speak about. Here's how I think about it personally...
I understand that if all I talked about was ONE single thing. Say, Facebook ads. That it may drive more growth on Facebook ads. Drive more business for me running Facebook ads.
I understand that if I speak about MORE things. My growth may be slower.
I accept that. Because I am Ok with things being a bit slower, if I am able to find more joy in what I do. This is a compromise that I consciously make. I don't believe there is a "Correct" way to do things, there's finding OUR way to do things.
I believe Gary Vaynerchuk dictated ALL of this books. He has discussed this on podcasts. He is terrible at writing. He speaks his thoughts. Obviously he has an editor that assists in the cleanup. But I think that exploring how to make this work for you is worth it. If it matches your natural strengths to communicate and allows you to put out more/better/ or just enjoy it more it's worth seeing if you can develop a system for it.
Thank you sir…very informational and I really appreciate you hitting on “good enough is enough” and “just write”. I’ve read similar things in many places lately and it finally sunk in today!
“This wasn’t the first time I tried to write.” Love it. The first thing I ever wrote at 10 was a book called “The Giant Spider” The opening line was “The giant spider…” That’s as far as I got hahaha
You bet Bryan. I'm the same. For me, I found it helpful to focus on small things and systematically progress over time. When I was starting, being overly concerned with that held me back so I first really focused on writing. Then I started to pay more attention to my headlines. Then I started to pay more attention to the big idea. I love to think I can do it all but for me, each piece was improved over a very long time.
Dude, that's awesome advice. Yeah, I need to focus one thing at a time. instead of seeing the whole puzzle, focus on certain sections. Man, appreciate the perspective
When I try to do em all at once I usually get overwhelmed, don't make progress, and have a higher chance of stopping. It's hard to let good enough be good enough and make incremental progress but it's worked wonders for me. Keep up the good work.
As I continue improving my craft, gems like these, excite me! It's this that anchors my love and trust in the Substack platform. Finding serendipitous, burst of knowledge here and being able to follow the source for future gems, while also sharing my own gems, generates healthy reciprocity! I appreciate you. Thank you.
Same here. The biggest benefit I found with having a clear big idea or 'whats the point of this article' allowed a smoother process of writing and a clear throughline. I don't have a set time it's more so something I try to keep consciously aware of. I start with a rough idea, and try to map out the point in bullet points and then try and turn the writing into paint by numbers filling the sections in.
I'm practicing separating ideas from content. Some ideas need purpose-less exploration. They may lead to an article, but also to nothing. Or to a totally different article.
Loved this vulnerable and inspiring post. As someone new to Substack and new to online writing, it's so helpful to hear that persistence and time are necessary to get to outcomes.
Your patience and commitment to delivering value is fantastic -- thank you, Landon!
Love that you're here! I attribute everything to patience and consistency. My answer to everyone that asks me about growth is 'be patient'. It's an unsexy answer, but it's what I believe.
Wow! This was inspiring. Super helpful for me as a new writer. Thank you so much.
Thanks JD, very happy you found it helpful. Best of luck on your journey my friend.
I fell ass first into Coles sales funnel and it was the best thing that could have happened to me tbh.
Like you I started with The Art and Business of Online Writing and now I’m deep into the Premium Ghostwriting Academy. These insights are amazing man, and honestly incredibly helpful.
Ship30for30 helped me build consistently and Full Stack Writer helped me monetize. I can’t express how important his ideas are.
That's great. He's a true gem and was pivotal on my journey. How are you liking PGA?
Can’t express how helpful and fun it’s been. There are actually 2 other secret levels WITHIN PGA for coaching its wild. It’s helped me learn a lot about email marketing and sales though I would get sales training elsewhere if you want to go more in depth.
Absolutely!
♥️
This was so great!
I just started experimenting with different short posts to find out that the ones with the most impressions are those where I am advising the Junior Developers, so I continue writing on that topic. If you do not know what would be interesting for readers, don't force yourself to write large posts on certain topics, instead, do small posts in different areas that you understand and observe the interaction, which shows you the direction or trend to go.
That's a great strategy Jan
This was fantastic!
You mentioned a shift in focus to headlines. I have a background in marketing and had a previous boss drilling home this quote from David Oglivy - “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
If you haven't already, I'd love to see you write about your process for improving headlines. If you have, then please respond with a link to find it.
Hi Paddy, thank you for this. I will make a note and see if I can draft something on this topic. I haven't published anything on this specifically. I might recommend checking out Nicolas Coles book but most copywriting books have headline info. Big thing for me wasn't just formulas it was looking at what worked, looking at the top stuff on YouTube, Medium, Pinterest, etc. and trying to model the clues that were being left in structure. There are many different things and the metrics don't always tell the whole story. Some things may be crafted in a way that actually gets fewer views/opens but it may be on purpose.
This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
No problem!
Some days I write a sentence. Other days I write pages. Before, I’d give up after a day in which I only wrote a sentence. Now I use it as fuel.
Amazing progress! There are still days where all I write is 39 words. These days are where we need to be kind to ourselves.
I was sitting here today talking to a friend, and consulting with ChatGPT, 🤣, about what I want to write about on a daily basis. I enjoy what I’m currently talking about but I tend to get bored or burnt out sticking to one thing, and also have a half dozen other topics I’d like to talk on. Your step 10 kind of hit it on the head for me, thanks for sharing!
Amazing, happy to help me friend. And to be honest, I still think about the same thing. I have lot's I like to speak about. Here's how I think about it personally...
I understand that if all I talked about was ONE single thing. Say, Facebook ads. That it may drive more growth on Facebook ads. Drive more business for me running Facebook ads.
I understand that if I speak about MORE things. My growth may be slower.
I accept that. Because I am Ok with things being a bit slower, if I am able to find more joy in what I do. This is a compromise that I consciously make. I don't believe there is a "Correct" way to do things, there's finding OUR way to do things.
"Minimal viable habits".over this.
And forget about the niche (pronounced "neesh" in Canada 😁) Just write. Yes.
Question: I tend to download writing ideas verbally. I am testing out shaking into Otter and then cleaning it up.
Have you met others who speak/write?
If so I would love to know their experience.
I say Neesh too ;-)
I believe Gary Vaynerchuk dictated ALL of this books. He has discussed this on podcasts. He is terrible at writing. He speaks his thoughts. Obviously he has an editor that assists in the cleanup. But I think that exploring how to make this work for you is worth it. If it matches your natural strengths to communicate and allows you to put out more/better/ or just enjoy it more it's worth seeing if you can develop a system for it.
Thank you Landon. This is encouraging.
Thank you sir…very informational and I really appreciate you hitting on “good enough is enough” and “just write”. I’ve read similar things in many places lately and it finally sunk in today!
Maybe it's just me but I need to hear the same thing a few times before it hits. Timing is huge.
“This wasn’t the first time I tried to write.” Love it. The first thing I ever wrote at 10 was a book called “The Giant Spider” The opening line was “The giant spider…” That’s as far as I got hahaha
Love it, you could have left it there and been better than some of the kids books out there today!
:-)
Yes, I learned a lot from Nicolas Cole! He definitely emphasizes the power of consistency.
I need to be better on marinating on the idea and provide bullet points. Im guilty at staring at the blank screen and finding what to write.
Appreciate this helpful post, Landon!
You bet Bryan. I'm the same. For me, I found it helpful to focus on small things and systematically progress over time. When I was starting, being overly concerned with that held me back so I first really focused on writing. Then I started to pay more attention to my headlines. Then I started to pay more attention to the big idea. I love to think I can do it all but for me, each piece was improved over a very long time.
Dude, that's awesome advice. Yeah, I need to focus one thing at a time. instead of seeing the whole puzzle, focus on certain sections. Man, appreciate the perspective
When I try to do em all at once I usually get overwhelmed, don't make progress, and have a higher chance of stopping. It's hard to let good enough be good enough and make incremental progress but it's worked wonders for me. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the encouragement, bro! Yes, little chunks first 🥇
As I continue improving my craft, gems like these, excite me! It's this that anchors my love and trust in the Substack platform. Finding serendipitous, burst of knowledge here and being able to follow the source for future gems, while also sharing my own gems, generates healthy reciprocity! I appreciate you. Thank you.
Thank you so much Tina! This is what I love about Substack. The one platform where I actually enjoy what I read.
Spending more time on the idea is something I learned late.
For years I wrote tutorials that didn't need an original idea. They just needed clear explanations.
But if you spend more time on the idea, you find your unique angles. This is what gives people a reason to follow you.
How long do you allow yourself to spend on the idea?
Same here. The biggest benefit I found with having a clear big idea or 'whats the point of this article' allowed a smoother process of writing and a clear throughline. I don't have a set time it's more so something I try to keep consciously aware of. I start with a rough idea, and try to map out the point in bullet points and then try and turn the writing into paint by numbers filling the sections in.
I'm practicing separating ideas from content. Some ideas need purpose-less exploration. They may lead to an article, but also to nothing. Or to a totally different article.
Loved this vulnerable and inspiring post. As someone new to Substack and new to online writing, it's so helpful to hear that persistence and time are necessary to get to outcomes.
Your patience and commitment to delivering value is fantastic -- thank you, Landon!
Love that you're here! I attribute everything to patience and consistency. My answer to everyone that asks me about growth is 'be patient'. It's an unsexy answer, but it's what I believe.
Well laid down Landon. I started writing and stuck with writing after bumped with Nicolas Cole's book.
It seems it inspired you to keep writing until today.
Love the takeways from the book and how you brought those to write consistently with your newsletter.
Thanks Mario. His book came to me at the right time for sure and I've (re) fallen in love with writing!
Same here. I’ve fallen in love in writing after his book Landon.
Sounds like we came down a similar path.