🟢 How to gross $500k/yr as an amateur writer (or at least how to say Hi like one)
An example from a former dentist (not me)
(3 min read)
UPDATE (after writing but before publishing this post):
The past couple weeks (the past few days especially) have been mind-warping 🤯🌪 for me.
I almost decided not to publish this post and instead hurry and write a totally different one, but you’ll need to stay tuned til Saturday!
Life is changing.
I’m excited but also need to remind myself to take deep breaths.
Kieran Drew had an outstanding 2023 teaching solopreneurs about writing online (and grossing >$500k):
To save you 45 minutes, here are my notes on his course.
The name of the course was “10 Psychology-Based Writing Tips to Nail Your Welcome Email”, but the principles apply more broadly.
The section headlines below are from him, and the bullets are my take-aways.
I’m not saying this is the smartest thing you can do… but it’s close
It’s important to learn psychology-based tips for impactful writing. How can you create a personal, intimate connection with your reader?
Do you make this common mistake when you write?
People want 3 things: entertainment, entertainment, entertainment
Reveal your personality!
It’s fine to offer education along the way, but that’s not what they’ll be coming for.
The difference between an average and an excellent brand is this
What’s the story you tell?
Make it a future-based cause.
Pick a destination and fight an enemy.
Give a reason for people to unite behind you.
Framing is extremely important. Tell people where you’re going.
Take bold, dramatic stands.
What is the ONE fight you want to pick. Be consistent. (I’m working on it! 😉)
Pick ONE enemy.
Repel people early if they should unsubscribe.
How to 10x your writing with one simple trick
If I could start over, I’d focus on just one skill: copywriting.
The better you are at writing, the better everything will go.
Your writing will feel like a chat
Write to just one person (yourself from X months ago)
Aim for Grade 4 on Hemingway
Read your copy out loud while you smile
The downfall of every email (and piece of content)
People buy with emotion and later justify with logic.
Uncertainty is an absolute killer.
Never presume.
I used to have a 10-email welcome series. But I didn’t tell people it was coming. It pissed people off.
You need to tell your reader EVERYTHING. Let them know what’s coming.
Like what you read? This post is public, so feel free to share it. 🙂
How to position yourself as a writer people actually want to read
People don’t like to be lectured or told what to do.
Be the guide, not the guru.
Position yourself more as a friend to your followers. Relatable.
People don’t want to learn from people WAY ahead. Just a couple steps ahead.
Instead of “how to”, share “how I”.
They’ll want you to win, because you’re proving that they can win too.
Sprinkle on this ‘persuasion gold dust’ to 2x your open rates
We’re all subject to herd mentality. Trust is low. Skepticism is high. You NEED social proof.
Include photos of yourself.
Get testimonials from people (ideally well-known ones, but at least from friends).
The internet is unfortunately about flexing, so once you start getting subscribers and revenue, share those numbers, because they help people feel more comfortable.
When they zig, you zag - how to stand out in a crowded internet
You need to be remarkable and memorable, which you won’t be if you’re similar to other people.
You need to be unique.
Every single welcome email looks the same. Saying they’re so glad you’re here. Please drag my messages from spam to your primary inbox. Boring. Me me me.
Memes are very helpful. I’m not good at memes, but I recommend it.
If all the advice out there is about hustling for clients and sending more DMs, it’s to your advantage to talk about NOT doing that.
I had a $24k month and got excited but lost track of what I really care about, which is helping people. So now I say that. And people find it refreshing.
What sleazy ‘dating experts’ can teach you about building a bond with your audience
Move the conversation. E.g. if you meet someone at a bar, take them to a different table. Then take them from there to a different location. It accelerates your relationship together.
Ask your reader to come say hi to you on LinkedIn or wherever.
Paul Graham recommends “do things that don’t scale”. Reply to EVERYONE.
Being in multiple locations gives people the impression that you’re everywhere.
Bonus tip… But you’ll have to watch this video to find out
Overdeliver at every opportunity.
How can I go one step further to show that I care about my audience more?
I made you this free course, which took extra time. But it’s a scalable asset. I made it once, and countless people could benefit from it.
Play the long game. Give away lots of stuff over a long period. When you do sell something, people will buy.
⭐ The most important lessons were ones Kieran didn’t mention!
I couldn’t help but notice:
1️⃣ Everything he does is based on curiosity, intrigue, apprehension.
People need to be on the edge of their seat.
Look at all of the clickbaity section titles above.
And he ends his videos with intriguing lead-ins like:
“And next up we're going to have a look at a mistake that a lot of people make. I make it all the time. I do it a little bit less now, but if you want people to buy your stuff, enjoy your emails, and pretty much get who you are as a brand, next one is for you.”
“And next up we're going to talk a little bit about an incredibly important copywriting, persuasion tactic, whatever you want to call it. You need it everywhere, okay? And you need to do it more. Trust me.”
He’s a big tease.
And it works.
He has understood and embraced human nature.
2️⃣ The other secret lesson I noticed:
(50 sec, no ads)
🕙 What we learned in recent posts:
🟢 The power of slow, power of long, and power of 3 little lines
🟢 How writers hit 500k subs and make posts succeed
🟢 Why I expect to go from 0 to 10k subscribers in 12 months
👀 Caught my eye this week:
This construction worker has 329K followers and seems like a fun, relatable guy (who sometimes wears a bunny costume?).
He says: “If it weren't for you, there would be no page and I would have no creative outlet..... or any reason to stuff myself into an old swimsuit and wiggle my way down a 103° pool slide. Life is good.”
I love when people explore other sides of themselves.
It seems like he gets sponsored by Lubriderm lotion and others. 😮
💬 Question for you:
Which of the lessons was most helpful?
Reply or leave a comment!
I’ll be so excited to write back to you.
P.S. I learned from newsletter expert Matt McGarry to take my 🟢 emoji even further and prepend all my post titles with it. So I’ll try to remember to do that.
P.P.S. Did you notice Kieran say that testimonials are super important? If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter and send me a 1-sentence testimonial, I’d love to share it on my signup page!
And if you've got a moment, I'd love to hear what you thought of this email.
Send me a quick message — I reply to every email ❤️
Nice one, Ryan! A lot of interesting and useful tips here. This one caught my eye: "What is the ONE fight you want to pick? Be consistent." Can you elaborate more on this, since you're already working on it?! :)