Nicolas Cole 🚢 Profile picture
Aug 30, 2021 23 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Today is The Art & Business of Online Writing 1 Year Anniversary

• Self-published
• Sold 4,000+ copies to date
• Still selling ~300 copies/mo
• 5 Stars on Amazon

Thank you to everyone who grabbed a copy!

Here are my favorite 20 quotes from the book, visualized:

👇📗
Give away 99% of your best writing for free. Monetize the last 1%. Image
In the game of Online Writing, volume wins. Image
The Golden Intersection of great writing is:

Answering The Reader’s Question

&

Telling Them An Entertaining Story Image
You are not the main character in your story. The reader is. Image
If the “sweet spot” of an online article is 800 to 1,200 words, then your job as a writer is to pack as much value into your Main Points as possible—without inflating the piece’s word count. Image
The size of your audience is a direct reflection of the size of the question you’re answering. Image
The Curiosity Gap in your headline tells the reader what this piece of writing is about, who it’s for, and what it’s promising—all without revealing the answer. Image
It’s only “clickbait” if you fail to keep your promise to the reader. Image
Anytime you fail to deliver on your promise to a reader, you’ve lost them. Image
Consistent output is the secret to every growth metric on the internet: views, comments, Likes, shares, etc. Image
Data doesn’t lie. But data is also a reflection of the external crowd, and not necessarily your internal compass. Image
If your goal is to be a successful writer, then social platforms are for publishing first, and consuming second. Image
When it comes to writing online, platforms will always change, but the rules will stay (pretty much) the same. Image
Categories are created at unlikely intersections, spotted by writers with an intimate understanding of one or multiple sub-categories. Image
What makes a badge of credibility valuable isn’t really the badge itself. It’s how the writer chooses to wear it. Image
The inverse rule of “Specificity Is The Secret,” is “The Broader You Are, The More Confusing You Are.” Image
When I was in college, one of my teachers used to say all the time, “If your story is reliant on the reader making it past the first few pages, then chances are, your story doesn’t need those pages.” Image
Categories are how we organize information in our minds. Define your category and you’ll know where readers “fit” you into their minds. Image
Successful writers play the game of Online Writing consciously. Unsuccessful writers play the game unconsciously—and then wonder why they aren’t succeeding. Image
There are 2 types of writers today: those who use data to inform and improve their writing, and those who fail. Image
If you haven't read The Art & Business of Online Writing yet, you can grab a copy here:

amzn.to/2Yf1tKR
Special thanks to @SACHIN_RAMJE for doing an amazing job visualizing all these quotes from the book.

If you are looking for someone to help you visualize your own content, I can't recommend Sachin enough. Such a joy to collaborate with. Hit him up!

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More from @Nicolascole77

Jul 8
The quickest way to 10x your writing:

Formatting.

Here's my 4-step formatting framework to make your writing easier to skim, read, and share (🧵):
Step 1: Start every section with a single-sentence opener.

When you open each area of your work with a single sentence, you:

• Keep readers interested
• Make things easier to read
• Subconsciously encourage them to continue

Here are the 6 most effective openers: Image
Step 2: Use the 1/3/1 writing rhythm.

You can also use:

• 1/4/1
• 1/5/1
• 1/2/5/2/1
• Etc.

The key to injecting skimmability into your writing is alternating the length of sentences and sections.

Here's some more on the 1/3/1 rhythm 👇
Read 9 tweets
Jul 1
I've generated $10,000,000+ with my writing.

But most people think making a living as a writer is hard.

Here are the 5 steps to make your first $1 million as a writer (that you can start today): Image
For context, I have:

• Sold tens of thousands of copies of my books
• Built multiple 6-figure writing businesses
• Built two 7-figure writing businesses
• Earned $150,000+ writing for Inc Magazine
• Earned $250,000+ from Medium's Partner Program

Now let's talk money:
Step 1: Give 99% away for free.

Write for free.

Educate for free.

Everything you know about a topic? Give it away for free.

Writers always want to "skip" to the money part.

Because if you can't get people to read your FREE work, you'll never get them to buy your paid work.
Read 10 tweets
Jun 24
I can write a 60,000-word book in 30 days.

Here's the 7-step system I use every time:

(This works even if you've never written a book before): Image
Disclaimer:

This only works for content where you're already the expert/speaking from personal experience.

If you're researching a NEW topic/something you know nothing about, then it will take you longer.

But once you HAVE the information, you can write fast.

Here's how👇
Step 1: Name The House

A great book is not a bunch of words.

A great book is an idea, presented coherently, in a way that walks the reader's thinking FROM where they currently are TO somewhere new & different.

Before you write a single word, where are you taking the reader?
Read 13 tweets
Jun 22
I write 5,000 words every day.

How?

By treating my writing like a mental sport.

Here are 9 simple habits I use to stay mentally fit as a pro writer: Image
1/ Read 1-2 pages of a thesaurus

This takes me 15 minutes every morning.

It’s a great brain exercise and teaches you a lot about language.

Words are your tools, so keep adding to your toolbox.

Here's how I fit it into my routine:
2/ Journal daily

90% of being a writer is understanding your own journey.

Journaling helps you process life events, see your progress, & visualize your future.

With it, you write from the scar, not the wound.
Read 16 tweets
Jun 7
Meet John Grisham.

He’s the author of 49 consecutive #1 bestsellers.

His books have been made into movies starring Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Here are 10 of his timeless writing insights (on talent, routine, and dealing with criticism): Image
1/ Grisham sets himself tough creative constraints:

• Start a novel on Jan 1st
• Write daily for 3 hours
• Finish it by July 1st

The key?

His tightly controlled writing environment (down to the coffee he drinks):
2/ Grisham pumps out one novel every year.

But he can only do this by avoiding a *huge* mistake a lot of writers make:
Read 13 tweets
Jun 5
In 1966, Eugene Schwartz created a timeless framework:

The 5 Stages of Customer Awareness.

Master this and you can sell *anything* to *anybody*.

Here's how to train ChatGPT on this framework to write better copy hooks (with the *exact* prompts I use): Image
Schwartz's framework:

Every customer is always at one level of awareness:

• Unaware: “Life’s good!”
• Problem Aware: “Something’s off.”
• Solution Aware: “So many choices.”
• Product Aware: “I like you!”
• Most Aware: “Buy now!”

Your copy must meet them where they're at.
Step 1: Ask ChatGPT to assume your target audience’s identity

• Targeting single mom’s? Tell ChatGPT to act like a single mom.
• Targeting DIY renovators? Tell ChatGPT to act like DIY renovators.

Then tell it how your business helps the target audience. 👇 Image
Read 9 tweets

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