I had an eye-opening conversation with a reader this week.
She told me she purchased a classified ad in another newsletter and it was the best marketing she’d ever done because it sent her a bunch of her ideal clients.
While I’ve avoided including ads in this newsletter up to this point, it made me realize non-intrusive classified ads might actually provide value to readers.
It might help you discover a product or service you love and help advertisers connect with an audience of 20,000+ creators.
And of course I wouldn’t mind a little revenue to offset the costs of publishing this thing every week.
Here’s how FTI classified ads could work:
They’d be text-only ads that run at the bottom of the newsletter and include no more than 200 characters.
The price of an ad would be $50.
I haven’t decided whether or not to do this yet but would love to hear what you think.
Please answer this one-question survey to let me know if you’d be curious to read classified ads on FTI, would consider purchasing one, or think the whole concept is a bad idea.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. What To Tweet: 21 Unique And Useful Twitter Post Ideas
“Every great Twitter strategy is rooted in an ability to post tweets that provide value to people — that’s ultimately how you get followers, build relationships, and create value for yourself and your audience.”
This one’s about Twitter, but 90% of the suggestions I share will be effective on whatever your social media platform of choice happens to be.
I break down what to tweet and share 21 specific post ideas including examples of tweets that are valuable, vulnerable, promotional, interactive, and more.
Related: 26 ways to get Twitter followers and write better tweets.
2. Start The Next One Tomorrow
“Think of your creative life as a patchwork of projects.”
Creative work is hard and it’s near impossible if you’re unable to separate the creative process from the results your creations generate.
Paul Jun suggests you adopt a “start the next one tomorrow” approach to your creations and recognize no artist is pleased, the success of a project will not cure you of restlessness, and the opportunity to start something new again is an immense privilege.
Btw, I found this link on Tina Roth Eisenberg’s website.
Related: How to be a more consistent creator.
3. Seven Lessons For Creators Who Want To Sell Products
“It’s much easier to turn a customer into a repeat customer than a non-customer into a customer. And repeat customers are better at turning non-customers into customers than you are.”
Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia has helped creators sell millions of products so he knows a thing or two about what it takes to do so.
E.D. Ortiz compiled Sahil’s wisdom on the subject into these seven lessons for creators who want to sell products including that people want specific solutions for specific problems, what people say doesn’t equal what they do, and social proof is a key to sales.
Related: Six questions to help you monetize your audience.
4. A Three-Step Formula To Write Engaging Headlines
“Just because a headline has to have clarity does not mean it has to make sense or appeal to everyone.”
Headlines can make or break your content, so you better learn how to write them.
Austin Kelly’s three-step formula to write engaging headlines can help you do that.
The formula involves combining the end result an audience wants with the time they can get it in and the objections they’ll need to overcome.
Btw, I found this link in Ann Handley’s newsletter.
Related: How to write headlines people will click, like, and share.
5. Five Ways To Create Thought Leadership Content
“It takes more than just having an opinion.”
If you’re looking to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field, you’re about to discover a map to get you there.
Katie Parrot breaks down five ways to create thought leadership content including to share counter-narrative opinions, personal narratives, and industry analysis.
Btw, I found this link in Jimmy Daly’s newsletter.
Related: The two secrets to creating content people will love.
My Final Words Of The Week
Only four percent of people who buy online courses finish them.
I read that stat this week and there’s probably a lot of reasons for it, but most of them have nothing to do with the courses themselves.
The truth is, most people don’t finish most things.
That’s one reason why most people don’t get most of what they want.
Learning to finish is a powerful skill that can separate you from the majority of people in any field.
Now, if you’ll excuse me…I’ve got an online course to finish.
Have a great week.
Josh
PS — If you dig this newsletter, I’d love for you to share it with others who might enjoy it.
Thanks!