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Nicolas Cole Profile picture
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27 Oct, 7 tweets, 3 min read
Substack just launched 4 new product features.

• Writer & Reader Profiles
• Flexible Paywalls
• File Embeds
• NFT Embeds

Here's how each one works, and why I think Substack will be the next BIG digital writing platform 🧵👇
1/ Writer & Reader Profiles

I started writing on @SubstackInc very early on.

But my biggest issue with the platform was its lack of Discoverability Flywheel.

With Writer/Reader profiles, Substack is going to become the next big social writing platform.

Start now.
2/ Flexible Paywalls

Paywalls in the publishing world are still an emerging category.

NYT, WSJ, etc., are JUST now making the move.

Substack's flexible paywall feature + Profiles is going to turn every writer into a mini free/paid publication.

This is the future.
3/ File Embeds

What do comics, poets, and financial analysts have in common?

All thrive using visuals in their writing.

This feature signals Substack has aspirations of making each person's "publication" a multimedia experience.

Get ready 📈📈📈
4/ NFT Embeds

Building on the above: Everyone on Substack knows Twitter is the biggest traffic driver for newsletter readers.

And Twitter is investing heavy in crypto/blockchain.

Substack's awareness of NFTs signals 2 things:
a) What kind of writers they want to attract.

For example, one of their most-popular newsletters is Not Boring by @packyM -- very crypto/web3 focused.

b) What kind of functionality/financial ecosystem they plan to build.

Don't be surprised if Substack starts accepting BTC/ETH.
Me, @lochhead and @EddieWouldGrow have been writing on Substack for almost a year now.

Our weekly newsletter on category design, called Category Pirates, is one of Substack's Top 10 paid business newsletters.

categorypirates.substack.com

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More from @Nicolascole77

Nicolas Cole Profile picture
22 Oct
The ABDCE Story Framework:

• Action
• Background
• Development
• Climax
• Ending

Here's how it works, and how it can help you write stories readers can't help but get lost in 🧵👇
Action

“It was a pleasure to burn.”

This is the first sentence of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

It immediately drops you into a moment of action. There is no build up, no need to "set the scene."

Boom. You're there.

And you're hooked (whether you like it or not).
Background

Only once you have the reader's undivided attention should you even *consider* giving them the background story.

Remember: it's hard to care about characters or ideas before you see them in action.

So start with a moment of surprise, then explain why it matters.
Read 8 tweets
Nicolas Cole Profile picture
21 Oct
Fun facts about The Art & Business of Online Writing:

• I wrote it in 4 months, right at the start of the pandemic.
• I beta-tested the manuscript with 25 readers (via Twitter)
• I did the final proofread at my girlfriend's parents' house in AZ (in 100 degree heat)

👇👇
• Almost every chapter/main point in the book I've written about elsewhere on the Internet (validating that's what readers wanted to know more about).

• I intentionally designed the cover to look like an "online article" (which many industry pros told me was a stupid idea)
• I workshopped the subtitle with my good friend @craigclemens who said the "how to beat the game" component spoke to my history as a gamer, and my POV that writing online is like a video game.
Read 5 tweets
Nicolas Cole Profile picture
21 Oct
Naming & Claiming your ideas is the easiest way to immediately "stand out."

Here's a quick 🧵on how to do it well.
Step 1: Focus exclusively on one topic or idea.

It's very hard to Name & Claim big, broad territories (like "the entire United States").

Instead, pick a small plot of land ("that area of desert outside of LA").

Ignore everything else, and start with that.
Step 2: Think about what makes that plot of land special.

Within this topic/idea, what *exactly* are you trying to say?

Ex: "Happiness advice" is too broad.

But "how to declutter your room to increase personal happiness" is much more specific.
Read 8 tweets
Nicolas Cole Profile picture
20 Oct
I studied fiction writing in college.

But I always tell people I didn't learn how to write in college.

I learned how to read, and I learned the importance of reading my work out loud.

Here's a mini-masterclass in what to HEAR in your own writing 🧵👇
1/ Listen for tone.

As soon as the words start to come out of your mouth, you will feel what tone you were writing in.

The big question is: was this tone your intention?

If yes, you'll hear what gives this tone its quality. Do more of that.

If no, you'll hear why not.
2/ Listen for wordiness.

"And so it was then that..."

Anytime you hear lots of tiny words next to hear other, you'll feel your mouth fumble over them.

Don't ignore this.

Cut them. Compress them.

Your writing will be sharper.
Read 8 tweets
Nicolas Cole Profile picture
19 Oct
How To Be A World-Class Reader 101

Reading, in and of itself, doesn't make you a better writer.

To master your craft, you have to ready CLOSELY.

You have to study the language.

These are the 5 key things to look for in everything you read 🧵👇
1/ "What is the author really saying here?"

I annotate constantly when I read.

In the margins, I write what the author is saying—below the literal.

"She walked into the room without hesitation." OK, what's REALLY happening here?

The unspoken is the loudest narrative.
2/ "How did the author create this image/feeling?"

Don't just watch the movie.

Ask how the writer got you to see or feel what you did.

Study that language closely.

Then keep it in your back pocket for when you want to illicit a similar image in your readers' minds.
Read 8 tweets
Nicolas Cole Profile picture
15 Oct
I started writing online when I was 17 years old.

The year was 2007.

Since then, I've written thousands of articles online, accumulated 100 million+ views, written 6 books, built 3 companies, etc.

If I was starting all over again, here's exactly how I'd do it 🧵👇
Step 1: Take a personal interest and become the expert of curating experts in that personal interest.

This is how @dickiebush built himself on Twitter.

• He was an avid listener of @tferriss podcast
• And curated his best episodes, lessons learned, etc.

Here's why:
When you're first starting out, you are probably not the go-to expert of any singular domain.

So, how do you become one?

By curating other experts.

When done successfully and consistently, these experts will (on occasion) share your work.

Which is the ultimate growth hack.
Read 18 tweets

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