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In January 2020, I started writing online.
What followed was 9 months of lonely, frustrating, and painfully slow growth.
So if you're a beginner, let me save you hundreds of hours and plenty of headache.
If I was starting over again, here's the exact playbook I would follow:
What followed was 9 months of lonely, frustrating, and painfully slow growth.
So if you're a beginner, let me save you hundreds of hours and plenty of headache.
If I was starting over again, here's the exact playbook I would follow:
Here's the playbook breakdown:
• Where you should be writing
• How often you should be writing
• 1 thing you shouldn't waste time on
• The single most important thing you should do during your first 9 months (that I completely ignored)
Let's get into it:
• Where you should be writing
• How often you should be writing
• 1 thing you shouldn't waste time on
• The single most important thing you should do during your first 9 months (that I completely ignored)
Let's get into it:
First, where you should be writing.
When just starting out, I followed the conventional playbook.
I spent (wasted) hours creating a fancy website to host my fancy new blog.
And that's where I published.
I had to own my platform, right?
Except, there was 1 big problem:
When just starting out, I followed the conventional playbook.
I spent (wasted) hours creating a fancy website to host my fancy new blog.
And that's where I published.
I had to own my platform, right?
Except, there was 1 big problem:
No one knew my blog existed!
I was publishing into the void, spending hours every Sunday morning slaving over a hot keyboard & nitpicking every word.
Then, I would hit publish, waiting for the rush of attention.
Except... crickets.
The internet's crickets of indifference.
I was publishing into the void, spending hours every Sunday morning slaving over a hot keyboard & nitpicking every word.
Then, I would hit publish, waiting for the rush of attention.
Except... crickets.
The internet's crickets of indifference.
And because no one knew my blog existed, there was no feedback loop.
I had *no clue* whether what I was writing was interesting, helpful, or valuable to the reader.
Instead, I was *assuming* I was on the right track.
Newsflash: I wasn't.
I had *no clue* whether what I was writing was interesting, helpful, or valuable to the reader.
Instead, I was *assuming* I was on the right track.
Newsflash: I wasn't.
So here's your first task: do not start a blog.
Starting your own blog as a beginner writer is like starting your own music festival as a beginner music artist.
You're expecting everyone to come and visit your music festival (that has zero credibility and no big name guests).
Starting your own blog as a beginner writer is like starting your own music festival as a beginner music artist.
You're expecting everyone to come and visit your music festival (that has zero credibility and no big name guests).
Instead, you should write on social platforms – specifically, you guessed it, Twitter.
If starting your own blog is like starting your own music festival, writing on social platforms is like performing at Coachella.
The attention is already there, waiting for you to wow them!
If starting your own blog is like starting your own music festival, writing on social platforms is like performing at Coachella.
The attention is already there, waiting for you to wow them!
So you're writing on Twitter in front of hundreds of thousands of (potential) fans.
Now let's keep the metaphor going.
You write something on Twitter that goes viral – it's like you hopped on Coachella's main stage and blew the crowd away.
The fans want more!
So now what?
Now let's keep the metaphor going.
You write something on Twitter that goes viral – it's like you hopped on Coachella's main stage and blew the crowd away.
The fans want more!
So now what?
After your performance, you wouldn't just say "see you next year!"
What if Coachella gets cancelled, or you don't get invited back?
You've built your relationships on rented land!
Now, you need a way to *own* those relationships.
What if Coachella gets cancelled, or you don't get invited back?
You've built your relationships on rented land!
Now, you need a way to *own* those relationships.
And for that, we are going to start an email newsletter.
This allows you to take your relationships from Twitter & start to nurture & deepen them.
And for your newsletter, I would recommend @beehiiv as their product & roadmap look stellar.
This allows you to take your relationships from Twitter & start to nurture & deepen them.
And for your newsletter, I would recommend @beehiiv as their product & roadmap look stellar.
Alright so now you know where you're going to be writing: Twitter and Beehiiv.
This is half the battle – the other half is figuring out:
• How often you're going to write
• What you're going to write about
So let's quickly take care of those:
This is half the battle – the other half is figuring out:
• How often you're going to write
• What you're going to write about
So let's quickly take care of those:
First, Twitter.
You should publish something every single day.
It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, and in fact, it shouldn't be.
It could be anything:
• 1 tweet
• 1 thread
• 1 Atomic Essay
It doesn't matter – but you need to build consistency and quantity to start.
You should publish something every single day.
It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, and in fact, it shouldn't be.
It could be anything:
• 1 tweet
• 1 thread
• 1 Atomic Essay
It doesn't matter – but you need to build consistency and quantity to start.
If you want a prescribed cadence, do this:
• Write 1 high quality tweet every day
• Write and publish an Atomic Essay 5 times per week
• Write 1 high quality, deep dive Twitter thread per week
You can do all of that easily in Typeshare:
typeshare.co
• Write 1 high quality tweet every day
• Write and publish an Atomic Essay 5 times per week
• Write 1 high quality, deep dive Twitter thread per week
You can do all of that easily in Typeshare:
typeshare.co
With your cadence down, you need to generate ideas.
So here's a secret: writing consistently is all about finding ideas that are obvious to you (but amazing to others).
This guide will help you do that (so come back to it later):
So here's a secret: writing consistently is all about finding ideas that are obvious to you (but amazing to others).
This guide will help you do that (so come back to it later):
As for your newsletter, here's a simple formula:
• Publish it weekly
• Share your best piece of writing from the week (to highlight yourself)
• Share 3 pieces of content you found valuable that week (to highlight others)
• End with a question prompting reader response
• Publish it weekly
• Share your best piece of writing from the week (to highlight yourself)
• Share 3 pieces of content you found valuable that week (to highlight others)
• End with a question prompting reader response
Now, so far we've covered:
• Where you should be writing
• How often you should be writing
2 more things to cover:
• 1 thing to not waste your time on
• The single most important thing to focus on in your first year writing online
Let's keep rolling:
• Where you should be writing
• How often you should be writing
2 more things to cover:
• 1 thing to not waste your time on
• The single most important thing to focus on in your first year writing online
Let's keep rolling:
In your first year of writing online, you should spend no more than 10 minutes editing *anything*
Why? Because you have no clue *what* you're editing for.
Perfectionism crushes 99% of beginner writers (and keeps them from every publishing consistently).
Instead, do this:
Why? Because you have no clue *what* you're editing for.
Perfectionism crushes 99% of beginner writers (and keeps them from every publishing consistently).
Instead, do this:
• Wait 24 hours between writing and editing
• Read everything you write aloud to identify the clunky bits
• Do your final edits on a different screen than the one you first wrote on
Here's a full breakdown of how to do this in 10 minutes or less:
• Read everything you write aloud to identify the clunky bits
• Do your final edits on a different screen than the one you first wrote on
Here's a full breakdown of how to do this in 10 minutes or less:
Lastly, onto the single most important thing to do in your first year of writing online.
Focus on building relationships with others.
The key here is *proactively* finding other writers and creators at similar points in their journey as you (and reaching out to them).
Focus on building relationships with others.
The key here is *proactively* finding other writers and creators at similar points in their journey as you (and reaching out to them).
95% of the people I talk to and work with on a weekly basis I met because of my writing on Twitter.
So set a simple goal:
• Meet 1 new person per week
How to do this:
• Engage with their writing
• Send them a DM
• Jump on calls & jam on your interests
So set a simple goal:
• Meet 1 new person per week
How to do this:
• Engage with their writing
• Send them a DM
• Jump on calls & jam on your interests
Your focus should be on building a foundation of relationships.
The earlier you make these in your creative journey, the better (because these relationships will compound for years).
Don't skip this important step!
The earlier you make these in your creative journey, the better (because these relationships will compound for years).
Don't skip this important step!
Boom! I hope this was helpful if you're a beginner writer.
For a deeper dive into everything you need to start writing online, here's a free 13,000-word Ultimate Guide that over 40,000 people have downloaded:
startwritingonline.com
For a deeper dive into everything you need to start writing online, here's a free 13,000-word Ultimate Guide that over 40,000 people have downloaded:
startwritingonline.com
The exact playbook I would use if I was starting over:
• Do not start a blog
• Write on Twitter & @beehiiv
• Publish something every single day (using @typeshare_co)
• Find the ideas that are obvious to you
• Do not waste time editing
• Focus on building new relationships
• Do not start a blog
• Write on Twitter & @beehiiv
• Publish something every single day (using @typeshare_co)
• Find the ideas that are obvious to you
• Do not waste time editing
• Focus on building new relationships
If this was helpful, toss me a follow @dickiebush for more threads on digital writing and digital business.
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Khe Hy @khemaridh
·
May 8, 2022
This is gold!