Published in The Startup·PinnedMember-onlyYou’re a Nobody if You Have No Social ProofThe costly mistake made by new freelancers. — In August of 2020, I launched my freelance writing business with a cold pitching campaign. I sent around 378 pitches to potential clients. But only got like 12 replies. And out of those 12, five had been interested in my services. I almost got a deal with one of them…Freelancing7 min readFreelancing7 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·PinnedMember-onlyAvoid These 7 Things if You Want Your Article to Go ViralKey lessons from 100+ viral articles — Michael Thompson only needed one viral article to launch his writing career. And indirectly, pay his mortgage for 23 months. One viral article was all it took. But don’t get it twisted. You could spend long months or years before scoring any viral article. …Writing8 min readWriting8 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·PinnedMember-onlyBefore You Write Anything, Make Sure It Won’t Kill SomeoneYour readers’ lives could be on the line — I pray to warn as many writers as I can with this article and save as many readers’ lives as possible. If you think I’m being overdramatic, perhaps you’re too quick to judge. While reading Dr. …Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·Nov 29, 2021Member-onlyHow Being Inconsistent Almost Killed My Writing DreamsAnd how I overcame inconsistency — Inconsistency killed the writer’s dreams. Or, in my case, it almost did. After writing 130,000+ words for my first novel, I jumped into online writing. At first, I committed to writing each morning for at least one hour. I kept at it for a while. But months later, I decreased…Writing9 min readWriting9 min read
Published in The Essence·Nov 19, 2021Member-onlyTry not to kill your readersBe careful what ideas you validate in your writing. — This is the 16th edition of The Essence. Words can sometimes be more lethal than bullets and knives. They can actually kill people. And no, I’m not talking about killing your readers with boredom. I’m talking about actually causing someone’s death with nothing but words. The Sorrows of Young Werther…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
Published in The Essence·Nov 5, 2021Member-onlyThe Secrets Behind the Incredible Success of the Lazy Man’s Way to Riches Ad4 Key lessons from Joe Karbo’s million-dollar ad. — Some sales copy is just so good you can’t ignore it. Some sales copy compels you to take the action it demands, and it’s like you have no choice. Some sales copy is so good that it destroys your defenses, convincing you to buy. It’s like Cristiano Ronaldo when he…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
Oct 22, 2021Member-onlyHasty articles keep readers awayRespect your written words if you want readers to respect them. — This is the 14 edition of The Essence. Every time you publish a hastily-written article, you’re risking it. You are risking losing a potential client who might have hired you if he liked what he was reading. You are risking losing a loyal fan who might have turned to an…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
Published in Better Marketing·Oct 10, 2021Member-onlyThe 4 Secrets Behind the Incredible Success of the Lazy Man’s Way to Riches AdKey lessons from Joe Karbo’s million-dollar ad. — “There are some people who spend their entire career creating hundreds of ads, and then there is Joe Karbo.” According to legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman, Karbo wrote only a few ads. And he wrote this one right off the top of his head, taking him only two hours: “For example…Copywriting8 min readCopywriting8 min read
Published in The Startup·Oct 10, 2021Member-onlyIf You Want to Write a Great Novel, Focus On The StoryIt’s not about writing: It’s about the story — You can get all the technical aspects of writing your novel right. You can get the plot right, the world, the political climate, and write the characters well. But if you don’t get the story right, all that does not matter much. If your novel’s story isn’t worth telling, you’re…Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Published in The Essence·Sep 24, 2021Member-onlyThe simple secret of really good writingSo simple to understand, so difficult to apply. — What gets you to read something? Whatever; a book, an article, a short story. Usually, the writing is good enough. But how? In a near-perfect writing piece, the first line compels you to read the second line. The second line then compels you to read the third line, the third…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
