A THREAD on interesting and thought provoking ideas by David Perell (@david_perell)
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Twitter is the best place to find new ideas and it's not even close.
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Twitter is the best place to find new ideas and it's not even close.
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Make two people proud: Your 8-year-old self and your 80-year-old self.
Make two people proud: Your 8-year-old self and your 80-year-old self.
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A message to my future children:
"Learn to sell. Learn to write. Learn to speak. Learn to code."
Four skills and you're set for life.
A message to my future children:
"Learn to sell. Learn to write. Learn to speak. Learn to code."
Four skills and you're set for life.
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Free idea: Collect your favorite books, articles, videos, lectures, and podcasts about your go-to subject. Then, publish it online.
You’ll help yourself by engaging with the best things you’ve consumed. You’ll help the world by helping people learn.
Free idea: Collect your favorite books, articles, videos, lectures, and podcasts about your go-to subject. Then, publish it online.
You’ll help yourself by engaging with the best things you’ve consumed. You’ll help the world by helping people learn.
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If you want to write but don’t know where to start, write summaries. Summarize books, speeches, documentaries, academic papers, scientific journal articles.
The best summaries rise to the top of Google and besides, summaries are the best way to learn. Start writing.
If you want to write but don’t know where to start, write summaries. Summarize books, speeches, documentaries, academic papers, scientific journal articles.
The best summaries rise to the top of Google and besides, summaries are the best way to learn. Start writing.
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The Industrial Age rewarded people who worked hard.
The Information Age rewards people who are obsessed.
The Industrial Age rewarded people who worked hard.
The Information Age rewards people who are obsessed.
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If Facebook is for people in your past, Twitter is for people in your future.
If Facebook is for people in your past, Twitter is for people in your future.
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Learning to surf the waves of information abundance is a top-5 skill you can learn.
Learning to surf the waves of information abundance is a top-5 skill you can learn.
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Online marketing in three words: Teach, don't sell.
Learn as much as you can. Then, share the best things you learn for free.
Online marketing in three words: Teach, don't sell.
Learn as much as you can. Then, share the best things you learn for free.
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You under-estimate how many things you know that other people wish they could learn from you.
You under-estimate how many things you know that other people wish they could learn from you.
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Twitter is the best place to find a job and the best networking tool in the world. It's what LinkedIn has always tried to be.
Twitter is the best place to find a job and the best networking tool in the world. It's what LinkedIn has always tried to be.
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2010s: Every company is a tech company.
2020s: Every company is a media company.
2010s: Every company is a tech company.
2020s: Every company is a media company.
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If you want to become a better writer, skip every academic course and study copywriting.
If you want to become a better writer, skip every academic course and study copywriting.
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Copywriting 101.
∙ Add social proof.
∙ Speak to pain, not pleasure.
∙ Acknowledge common objections.
∙ Create scarcity.
∙ Write like your customers talk.
∙ Remove uncertainty.
∙ Use specifics.
My favorite rule: An ounce of emotion is worth a pound of evidence.
Copywriting 101.
∙ Add social proof.
∙ Speak to pain, not pleasure.
∙ Acknowledge common objections.
∙ Create scarcity.
∙ Write like your customers talk.
∙ Remove uncertainty.
∙ Use specifics.
My favorite rule: An ounce of emotion is worth a pound of evidence.
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When you write, pretend that every word costs you $100.
When you write, pretend that every word costs you $100.
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The weirdest part about college: everybody fought for the same boring jobs.
The weirdest part about college: everybody fought for the same boring jobs.
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Information wants to be free, but most people won't take action until they pay for information. That's why online courses are profitable.
Students don't pay for information. They pay for results.
Information wants to be free, but most people won't take action until they pay for information. That's why online courses are profitable.
Students don't pay for information. They pay for results.
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School: No notes. No Internet. No calculators.
Real-life: Unlimited notes, unlimited Internet, unlimited calculators.
School: No notes. No Internet. No calculators.
Real-life: Unlimited notes, unlimited Internet, unlimited calculators.
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If you’re starting a business, solve problems other people aren’t solving. Don’t copy.
Competition makes marketing expensive. But differentiation is free marketing.
If you’re starting a business, solve problems other people aren’t solving. Don’t copy.
Competition makes marketing expensive. But differentiation is free marketing.
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If you’re going to do creative work, you have to be obsessed with it. There is no other way.
If you’re going to do creative work, you have to be obsessed with it. There is no other way.
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Simple trick to improve your writing: Get to the point faster.
Simple trick to improve your writing: Get to the point faster.
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To improve your writing, stop trying to sound smart.
To improve your writing, stop trying to sound smart.
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You can learn things much faster than you think. One year of obsession is all it takes to acquire a new skill.
You can learn things much faster than you think. One year of obsession is all it takes to acquire a new skill.
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A house full of books is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children.
A house full of books is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children.
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The smartest people I know are mostly self-educated.
The smartest people I know are mostly self-educated.
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Mimetic Theory of Desire
Humans are like sheep. We don’t know what we want, so we imitate each other. Instead of creating our own desires, we desire the same things as other people. The entire advertising industry built on this idea.
Mimetic Theory of Desire
Humans are like sheep. We don’t know what we want, so we imitate each other. Instead of creating our own desires, we desire the same things as other people. The entire advertising industry built on this idea.
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Look for Things That Don’t Make Sense
The world always makes sense. But it can be confusing. When it is, your model of the world is wrong. So, things that don’t make sense are a learning opportunity.
Look for Things That Don’t Make Sense
The world always makes sense. But it can be confusing. When it is, your model of the world is wrong. So, things that don’t make sense are a learning opportunity.
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The Wisdom of Paradox
Logic is the key to scientific truths, but paradoxes are the key to psychological ones. When it comes to the human condition, the deepest truths are often counter-intuitive. When you find two opposites that are both true, start exploring.
The Wisdom of Paradox
Logic is the key to scientific truths, but paradoxes are the key to psychological ones. When it comes to the human condition, the deepest truths are often counter-intuitive. When you find two opposites that are both true, start exploring.
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Law of Shitty Click-Through Rates
Most marketing strategies have a short window of success, as click-through rates decrease as tactics mature. For example, the first banner-ad has a click-through rate of more than 70%. Now we avoid them with ad-blockers.
Law of Shitty Click-Through Rates
Most marketing strategies have a short window of success, as click-through rates decrease as tactics mature. For example, the first banner-ad has a click-through rate of more than 70%. Now we avoid them with ad-blockers.
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Opportunity Cost
By reading this tweet, you are choosing not to read something else. Everything we do is like this. Doing one thing requires giving up another. Whenever you explicitly choose to do one thing, you implicitly choose not to do another thing.
Opportunity Cost
By reading this tweet, you are choosing not to read something else. Everything we do is like this. Doing one thing requires giving up another. Whenever you explicitly choose to do one thing, you implicitly choose not to do another thing.
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The Paradox of Specificity
In the age of the Internet, when everybody has Google search and social media, differentiation is free marketing. The more specific your goal, the more opportunities you’ll create for yourself. Narrow your focus to expand your horizons.
The Paradox of Specificity
In the age of the Internet, when everybody has Google search and social media, differentiation is free marketing. The more specific your goal, the more opportunities you’ll create for yourself. Narrow your focus to expand your horizons.
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Robustness Principle
Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others. It’s a design guideline for software and a good rule for life: Hold yourself to a higher standard than you hold others to.
Robustness Principle
Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others. It’s a design guideline for software and a good rule for life: Hold yourself to a higher standard than you hold others to.
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Build a Personal Monopoly
The Internet rewards people who are unique. If you work in a creative field, strive to be the only person who does what you do. Find your own style, then run with it. Create intellectual real estate for yourself.
Build a Personal Monopoly
The Internet rewards people who are unique. If you work in a creative field, strive to be the only person who does what you do. Find your own style, then run with it. Create intellectual real estate for yourself.
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Somebody’s going to build a health & fitness bundle. It would quantify diet, sleep & fitness. It’d have a central software dashboard with personalized recommendations, a trainer to help me with them, & friends to improve my health with. Business model: Monthly subscription.
Somebody’s going to build a health & fitness bundle. It would quantify diet, sleep & fitness. It’d have a central software dashboard with personalized recommendations, a trainer to help me with them, & friends to improve my health with. Business model: Monthly subscription.
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Good writing is strong, smooth, & specific.
Strong: Be bold. Try to avoid qualifying words like "usually" and "maybe."
Smooth: Make your reader's life easy. Writing clearly lets you communicate difficult ideas.
Specific: Explain ideas with stories, statistics, & examples.
Good writing is strong, smooth, & specific.
Strong: Be bold. Try to avoid qualifying words like "usually" and "maybe."
Smooth: Make your reader's life easy. Writing clearly lets you communicate difficult ideas.
Specific: Explain ideas with stories, statistics, & examples.
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The world rewards the people who are best at communicating ideas, not the people with the best ideas.
The world rewards the people who are best at communicating ideas, not the people with the best ideas.
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Online marketing in two sentences: Learn obsessively. Teach the best of what you learn.
Online marketing in two sentences: Learn obsessively. Teach the best of what you learn.
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By the end of this decade, it will be normal to be “best friends” with someone you’ve never met before.
By the end of this decade, it will be normal to be “best friends” with someone you’ve never met before.
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Companies pay millions of dollars for the attention you get for free by writing online.
Companies pay millions of dollars for the attention you get for free by writing online.
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Write like you speak. Then improve how well you speak.
Write like you speak. Then improve how well you speak.
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Innovation is less about making new things and more about combining things in new ways.
Innovation is less about making new things and more about combining things in new ways.
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A recipe for learning anything. Watch one. Do one. Teach one.
First, observe how other people work. Second, do the work yourself. Third, show somebody else how to do what you just did.
A recipe for learning anything. Watch one. Do one. Teach one.
First, observe how other people work. Second, do the work yourself. Third, show somebody else how to do what you just did.
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Three ways to write more clearly.
1) Examples: Abstract concepts are hard to follow, but examples make them real.
2) Metaphors: Make your ideas come to life by comparing them to something else.
3) Specifics: Add statistics, colorful words, and precise descriptions.
Three ways to write more clearly.
1) Examples: Abstract concepts are hard to follow, but examples make them real.
2) Metaphors: Make your ideas come to life by comparing them to something else.
3) Specifics: Add statistics, colorful words, and precise descriptions.
44/
Simple writing tip: More periods, fewer commas. How your writing will improve: First, short sentences. Short sentences are clear. Like this. Simple. Got it? Nice. But if you remove commas, your writing will also have fewer long, rambling & complicated sentences like this one
Simple writing tip: More periods, fewer commas. How your writing will improve: First, short sentences. Short sentences are clear. Like this. Simple. Got it? Nice. But if you remove commas, your writing will also have fewer long, rambling & complicated sentences like this one
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The economy is much bigger than you think. People want to go to the same colleges, so they can build the same skills, and work at the same companies. But when you copy everyone else, you limit your opportunities. Don’t follow the spotlight. Create your own spotlight instead.
The economy is much bigger than you think. People want to go to the same colleges, so they can build the same skills, and work at the same companies. But when you copy everyone else, you limit your opportunities. Don’t follow the spotlight. Create your own spotlight instead.
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Try to sound smart and your writing won’t be clear. Try to write clearly and you will sound smart. Write to express, not to impress.
Try to sound smart and your writing won’t be clear. Try to write clearly and you will sound smart. Write to express, not to impress.
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Twitter is the world's most important social network. You can use it to make friends, advance your career, & improve the quality of your thinking. My advice: ∙ Follow obsessives, not celebrities. ∙ Give people the benefit of the doubt. ∙ Write the tweets you like to read.
Twitter is the world's most important social network. You can use it to make friends, advance your career, & improve the quality of your thinking. My advice: ∙ Follow obsessives, not celebrities. ∙ Give people the benefit of the doubt. ∙ Write the tweets you like to read.
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Grow your Twitter following by replying to popular tweets. Find a new tweet written by somebody with a big following. Then add an intelligent reply. Why this works: Twitter's algorithm ranks replies by engagement. You can ride the wave of people with big audiences.
Grow your Twitter following by replying to popular tweets. Find a new tweet written by somebody with a big following. Then add an intelligent reply. Why this works: Twitter's algorithm ranks replies by engagement. You can ride the wave of people with big audiences.
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Demand for knowledge is going up. Demand for MBAs is going down.
Thats it. That’s the opportunity for startups.
Demand for knowledge is going up. Demand for MBAs is going down.
Thats it. That’s the opportunity for startups.
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Picking the right game to play is more important than learning to win.
Picking the right game to play is more important than learning to win.
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NoCode is a gift to kids in particular. If I was in high school, I’d master two freemium software tools, build a product, and start making money online ASAP. For the first time in history, you can build a $1 million software business without writing a single line of code.
NoCode is a gift to kids in particular. If I was in high school, I’d master two freemium software tools, build a product, and start making money online ASAP. For the first time in history, you can build a $1 million software business without writing a single line of code.
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A rule for good writing.
Don’t use consultant words: Empower, synergy, disruptive, deliverable, innovative.
Readers don’t want to feel like they’re reading a pitch deck. They want to have fun learning, as if they’re talking to an interesting friend at a bar.
A rule for good writing.
Don’t use consultant words: Empower, synergy, disruptive, deliverable, innovative.
Readers don’t want to feel like they’re reading a pitch deck. They want to have fun learning, as if they’re talking to an interesting friend at a bar.
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On the Internet, differentiation is free marketing.
Build a unique set of skills. Then tell the world about your talents by sharing the best of what you learn.
Ultimately, you should aim to become the only person who does what you do.
On the Internet, differentiation is free marketing.
Build a unique set of skills. Then tell the world about your talents by sharing the best of what you learn.
Ultimately, you should aim to become the only person who does what you do.
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People under-estimate two things: 1. The emotional challenges you face when you start writing online. 2. The benefits of writing online, even when you have a niche audience & 3-5 well-written essays on your personal website. Finding the courage to publish is the hardest part
People under-estimate two things: 1. The emotional challenges you face when you start writing online. 2. The benefits of writing online, even when you have a niche audience & 3-5 well-written essays on your personal website. Finding the courage to publish is the hardest part
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Write before you're an expert on a subject. Writing forces you to clarify your ideas and motivates you to accelerate your learning. By sharing what you learn, you'll attract experts who will share their knowledge with you. The more you publish, the faster you'll learn.
Write before you're an expert on a subject. Writing forces you to clarify your ideas and motivates you to accelerate your learning. By sharing what you learn, you'll attract experts who will share their knowledge with you. The more you publish, the faster you'll learn.
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The online course arbitrage.
People will pay $10-20 for a book, but those same people will pay $1,000-2,000 for the same information in a live video format. The lesson: People want more than information. They also want inspiration, accountability and friends to learn with.
The online course arbitrage.
People will pay $10-20 for a book, but those same people will pay $1,000-2,000 for the same information in a live video format. The lesson: People want more than information. They also want inspiration, accountability and friends to learn with.
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The ultimate goal of note-taking is to improve your ideas.
The ultimate goal of note-taking is to improve your ideas.
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If you want to make a living on the Internet, invent a name for what you do.
Build expertise. Find your unique perspective. Coin your own term. Then, tell the world about it.
If you want to make a living on the Internet, invent a name for what you do.
Build expertise. Find your unique perspective. Coin your own term. Then, tell the world about it.
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The Internet rewards people who teach. Share your best ideas for free, and you will attract an audience of like-minded people. Build an audience before you launch your first product.
The Internet rewards people who teach. Share your best ideas for free, and you will attract an audience of like-minded people. Build an audience before you launch your first product.
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In school, you start with the basics and expand towards curiosity.
But on the Internet, you start with curiosity and expand towards the basics.
In school, you start with the basics and expand towards curiosity.
But on the Internet, you start with curiosity and expand towards the basics.
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By lowering the cost of creating and distributing ideas, the Internet increases the returns to writing.
Pick a small, but growing market and learn everything about it. Build expertise before the other settlers arrive. Then, share everything you learn.
By lowering the cost of creating and distributing ideas, the Internet increases the returns to writing.
Pick a small, but growing market and learn everything about it. Build expertise before the other settlers arrive. Then, share everything you learn.
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Publish something new everyday. A song, a video, a tweet, a drawing, an article. It doesn't matter. On the Internet, it costs nothing to create or distribute your ideas. Even better, you get instant feedback which makes you better at your craft. Build the habit of publishing
Publish something new everyday. A song, a video, a tweet, a drawing, an article. It doesn't matter. On the Internet, it costs nothing to create or distribute your ideas. Even better, you get instant feedback which makes you better at your craft. Build the habit of publishing
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Productize your expertise.
Step 1: Gain experience by working for somebody else.
Step 2: Start your own consulting business.
Step 3: Now that you have experience and extra time, write about what you’re learning.
Step 4: Turn that knowledge into a scalable online product.
Productize your expertise.
Step 1: Gain experience by working for somebody else.
Step 2: Start your own consulting business.
Step 3: Now that you have experience and extra time, write about what you’re learning.
Step 4: Turn that knowledge into a scalable online product.
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Markets of abundance are a curse for the average consumer but a gift to conscious ones.
Be ruthless about the information you put into your mind. Cut the junk. Learn from experts. Follow the people you want to become.
Markets of abundance are a curse for the average consumer but a gift to conscious ones.
Be ruthless about the information you put into your mind. Cut the junk. Learn from experts. Follow the people you want to become.
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Your product should come from the heart. Solving your own problems is the best way to do that.
Here's a trick: Find something that bothers you, and if you can find ten people who have the same problem, build a solution. Then, write about your creation process.
Your product should come from the heart. Solving your own problems is the best way to do that.
Here's a trick: Find something that bothers you, and if you can find ten people who have the same problem, build a solution. Then, write about your creation process.
