A copywriter is a person who gets paid to write words for someone else. If you like to write, it’s a fine way to make a living. But it’s not a job at the top of the pay scale. At least not normally. But in some situations it can be. If you aspire to get…
Stupid and manipulative strategies to drive traffic have always been part of the online world. Now that we have AI, they won’t go away. They’ll just be different. They’ll be based on bullshit. In the age of Google search, one way to get your site found is by consistently writing valuable information, the type that…
Newsletter 118: How to contribute to great ideas. Plus, blogs outlast social media, AI remembers and regurgitates, three people to follow, and three books to read. Breaking new ground together Have you ever wondered how consultants generate new content and new ideas? Let me tell you a story. If you are a consultant, workshop leader,…
We think in linear stories: first this, then that, then that. It’s logical. But it’s not how your book will succeed. A potential reader hearing about your book will give you a tiny sliver of attention. Your job is to expand that to the point where they are open to your ideas. That takes pyramidal…
My marketing looks like this: blog every day about writing and books, regularly interact with writers on LinkedIn and Facebook, publish books on writing, speak at industry events. That perfectly fits the definition of content marketing. My writing and editing business is doing great. But far less than 10% of it comes from leads generated…
When the U.S. goes to war, it takes extraordinary actions. Those actions may come into conflict with the rights of citizens and other residents, but there is an argument that they’re still necessary. Do you feel like we are at war? If so, with whom, and what’s the evidence? And does that war justify whatever…
Today, I’m sharing something a little different and special — a video interview. We learned last week that BlackBern Partners, a private equity company, had acquired two of the most prominent companies in the hybrid publishing space: Greenleaf Book Group and Amplify Publishing. I’m familiar with both companies, having in the past published books with…
Newsletter 113. Principles for principled thought leadership. Plus, the value of “time under tension,” endless PR, three people to follow and three books to read. The thought leader’s pledge Nineteen years ago, my soon-to-be coauthor Charlene Li told me that our objective was to become “thought leaders.” That sounded pretty cool. I wasn’t much of…
According to an article in Washington Monthly, many schools are now requesting video essays in addition to — and perhaps in place of — the traditional essay on college admission applications. In response, a growing number of colleges and universities are inviting applicants to submit a “video introduction” of themselves, in addition to the usual gauntlet of…