EVERYBODY SHOULD WRITE

it's time for you to become slightly famous

We talk to executives and freelance professionals all day long. Their number one question to us is “how can I stand out?”

You probably relate. You know you’re great at what you do, and your career path thus far reflects it. But what about the next client or the next opportunity? Are you building options in the background? Are the right people aware of you and what you offer? Referrals are great, but how do you compel them? Turbocharge them?

I have a solution for you, and you’re not going to like it, but I’m going to pre-empt all of your arguments. Here we go:

Write and publish.

If you’re an A-player in your industry, it’s not just because you have the standard amount of learning and experience behind you. It’s also because you have something to say. That something is what makes you you, and sharing that something will not only improve your thinking and leadership, but it will also make you “slightly famous” which, as Seth Godin says, is exactly the right amount of famous.

In other words, you don’t need a huge following or paid ads or a Catalina Wine Mixer. You just need to take the point of view that’s gotten you to where you are, and amplify it slightly.

Writing and publishing is the best possible thing an A-player could do for their career. Here are 6 rules of writing that will get you started.

EVERYONE CAN WRITE

Writing is not its own skill, like painting. It’s an extension of an ability you already have, like running is to walking. If you can think and talk, you can write.

You already express yourself passionately to friends at happy hour. Writing is just that, but with more time and space to edit your points.

You know that terrible feeling when you’ve left a conversation or debate, and then think about all the things you should have said? Writing is the ability to go back in time.

WRITE FOR YOURSELF

I used to think that writing was a way for an expert to share his thinking. That’s only partially true. Often, writing is the thinking. Your experience gives you expertise, your circumstances give you a point of view, and writing finishes the job.

The act of writing is how you finalize the formulation your expert opinion.

Try it. Sit down and write about something you know. You’ll realize that what you really had was a vague idea, and the process of writing sharpened it into something worth sharing.

WRITE FOR A MICRO AUDIENCE

The best way to ruin your writing is to use grandiose language, talk about growing your following, or promote yourself.

Think small instead.

Think of things that will help those who work in your industry. Things you’ve learned, things that surprised you, things that made you laugh, and things that you disagree with.

Those are your thought starters. Develop the habit and soon, everything is a thought starter. I regularly have to pull over and jot down an idea that came to me while driving or talking to a friend. Apple notes is all you need.

WRITE AS A HOBBY

One of the most daunting things about writing is that you think it’s going to turn you into a writer. Then you think about all the things that come along with that:

Writer’s block. Calendaring a certain time of day to write. Becoming disciplined. Sitting down at the desk when you have nothing to say. Publishers who give you advances and then breathe down your neck. Having to buy a cabin.

Reject all of that (except the cabin). Don’t ruin the magic. You’re not a writer; you’re a (insert your vocation here) who writes about it. And that’s so much better.

I have a friend whose mom is a doctor. A really great one, with a unique point of view, who helps a lot of people. My friend told me that she believes her mom could be bigger than Bryan Johnson if she focused more on content… but it won’t happen because she’s too busy running a clinic with 85 employees and seeing patients. My response to my friend: Good for your mom!

If you love your job and it’s making a difference, spend 95% of your time doing it and 5% of your time writing about it. No reason to reverse that ratio if you don’t want to.

“Content creation” is its own treadmill and you don’t need to get on it. My personal rule is I spend zero energy on LinkedIn or any channel whose algorithm I don’t control. The newsletter eats first, the rest is copy and paste.

WRITE FOR YOUR FRIENDS

I have a friend who’s excellent at writing. He runs a finance & operations consultancy and writes about his obsession: Bootstrapped cashflowing businesses.

Every once in a while I’ll send him an article or snippet of online banter because I know it’ll get his wheels turning. And every time, he writes me back a full-paragraph rant. And I’ve noticed that these rants are even better than the writing he normally publishes online. Why? Because he’s writing to his friend. It’s pure obsession and energy, unadulterated by anything else that normally clouds the head when writing to an “audience.”

And speaking of friends — over time, writing and publishing can make “networking” obsolete. Instead of chasing interesting people around, you can just bring them to you.

“Go do something great, and your network will emerge.” - Naval

//

//

Connect with us: Instagram / LinkedIn / Intro Limited