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Nicolas Cole Profile picture
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9 Nov, 5 tweets, 1 min read
How to clarify your niche framework:

WHAT | FOR WHO | SO THAT

• What are you writing about?
• Who is it for (be specific)?
• To deliver what sort of outcome?

Here's what this looks like in action 👇
"I write about productivity."

No!

WHAT: "I write about productive work habits."
FOR WHO: "For busy product managers at SaaS companies."
SO THAT: "So they can have more time to build meaningful relationships with their coworkers."

Wow, so much better!
"I write about real estate."

No!

WHAT: "I write about how to buy your first rental property."
FOR WHO: "For people who want to get started in real estate but have no money."
SO THAT: "So they can quit the job they hate and create a job they love."

Wow, so much better!
"I write about birds."

No!

WHAT: "I write about bird watching."
FOR WHO: "For retired Wall Street traders who want to reconnect with nature."
SO THAT: "So they can live out their days connected with the Oneness of It All."

Wow, so much better!
Writing is a game of specificity.

If you want to learn how to write things that are new & different in the world, start here:

startwritingonline.com

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More from @Nicolascole77

Nicolas Cole Profile picture
10 Nov
I started writing online when I was 17 years old.

Since then, I've...

• Written 3,000+ articles online
• Ghostwritten 1,500+ articles online
• Published 5 books & 30 "mini-books"
• Built two 7-figure writing businesses

If I had to start from $0 again, here's what I'd do:
Step 1: Pick a social platform

I pick Twitter.

Say I want to be a freelance content writer. I search "marketing" on Twitter and look for high-performing content.

I start curating high-performing content, building out my profile.

Showing off my skills.
Step 2: Offer my skills for free

After curating some world-class work, I introduce myself to top creators.

Tag them or DM.

Anyone who responds, I offer my services for free.

"Let me prove what I can do."

Someone will say yes.
Read 14 tweets
Nicolas Cole Profile picture
27 Oct
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.
Read 7 tweets
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

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