how to grow your business by writing: a highlight thread by me based on david & sahil's recently released youtube video!!
cc: @david_perell & @shl
cc: @david_perell & @shl
1/ i've been an admirer of both david & sahil for a while, i appreciate that they both empower individuals to develop and monetize content online.
david runs write of passage, a 5wk course basically 'crossfit for writing', and sahil is the founder of gumroad.
here we go!
david runs write of passage, a 5wk course basically 'crossfit for writing', and sahil is the founder of gumroad.
here we go!
2/ conversations & real-time debates serve people, writing serves ideas.
writing is a way to think deeply. text-to-text also levels the playing field, whereas someone more charismatic might "win" in person
writing is a way to think deeply. text-to-text also levels the playing field, whereas someone more charismatic might "win" in person
3/ love this analogy sahil uses: writing serving as a cache.
putting decision-making in accessible writing saves incredible amounts of repetitive communication internally at gumroad. writing serves as a cache that avoids always relying on the person that wrote it.
putting decision-making in accessible writing saves incredible amounts of repetitive communication internally at gumroad. writing serves as a cache that avoids always relying on the person that wrote it.
4/ sahil talks about how he likes to publish early drafts of writing & gain feedback, then publish a polished copy.
david relates this to how he is humbled by the marble statues in the met - he talks about how important but also invisible the process is.
david relates this to how he is humbled by the marble statues in the met - he talks about how important but also invisible the process is.
5/ sahil uses github to edit his writing -
"writing should be simple. no one is going to say wow that's a phenomenal sentence. they're going to RELATE to the idea instead."
similar to how people are drawn to pretty UI with crappy insides, clever writing can hide weak ideas
"writing should be simple. no one is going to say wow that's a phenomenal sentence. they're going to RELATE to the idea instead."
similar to how people are drawn to pretty UI with crappy insides, clever writing can hide weak ideas
6/ be specific. solve one problem. you should always write like your audience is smart, and leave your ego at the door - ask yourself 'am i waisting someone's time'
david - imagine you're writing for @pmarca - writer's block can be caused bc you don't know who you're writing for
david - imagine you're writing for @pmarca - writer's block can be caused bc you don't know who you're writing for
7/ you should only worry about the words in the last draft. the hard part is getting an idea across clearly.
8/ we have ZERO growth focus - it's just about who can i help? who can i build a relationship with? who do i want to hang out with?
and yet....
and yet....
10/ the point of recruiting with words is to alienate some people - because then you can focus on making on the experience AWESOME for a specific subset. for example, sahil knew this tweet would go viral and attract attention, but might alienate others it wasn't meant for.
11/ "if you know a skill that other people use to make money, you can make a living by teaching that skill.
think through the people who are well known in your industry...they are almost always well known because they teach"
think through the people who are well known in your industry...they are almost always well known because they teach"
12/ the paradox of specificity:
you fear specificity. you relish wide open territories. but specializing often leads to more opportunities in the long run. due to their clarity, specific goals generate more support because they're easy to remember.
you fear specificity. you relish wide open territories. but specializing often leads to more opportunities in the long run. due to their clarity, specific goals generate more support because they're easy to remember.
13/ when you curate a twitter feed, you curate your own wavelength. resonance is finding people on your wavelength.
you're not trying to find customers, you're trying to attract fans who just happen to be on our wavelength.
you're not trying to find customers, you're trying to attract fans who just happen to be on our wavelength.
14/ coin terms > personal monopoly
hubspot & inbound marketing
ideo & design thinking
by shaping how people think about your industry, you're putting yourself in the highest leverage position
(👉personal monopoly is a term @david_perell coined )
hubspot & inbound marketing
ideo & design thinking
by shaping how people think about your industry, you're putting yourself in the highest leverage position
(👉personal monopoly is a term @david_perell coined )
15/ "the goal is to have an ensemble of education. as you teach, you attract new people on your wavelength. with each note you put out - you attract customers, employees, investors. and they're all fans"
