On a mission to become a better writer, thinker, and entrepreneur • Ex-dentist, now building an internet business (at ~$500k/year)
🤔 Why I send a selfie at the bottom of every email
Welcome to this week’s Creator’s Corner. I take your burning questions and use them as an opportunity to plug my products help you ace your online journey.
What we’ve got cooking today:
- The brutal truth about content and how to overcome perfectionism
- My trick for making great decisions (and avoiding sucky ones)
- Why I send a photo at the bottom of every email
Let’s dive in.
QUESTION 1
Mystery person (I forgot to save the name - go easy on me) asked:
It’s an easy trap to fall into, but the pursuit of perfection will stop you from making progress. So I’ll give you two tips that help me immensely.
First, the truth:
When you post online, you feel like everyone's watching, but they’re not. Few people see your work and fewer people give a shit. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just human nature. We're the hero of our story and everyone else is a character.
The downside is this also makes us our own worse critics - so give yourself a break.
Second, set tight deadlines.
You need enough time to create but not enough time to overthink. Even now I’m writing a new welcome sequence. And because there’s no end, I’m having a terrible time. In fact, thank you for reminding me.
I’ll finish it by the end of the week.
This leads nicely to a bonus point:
Make public commitments.
Especially for the shit that scares you. Action is always the answer.
January 30th 2023
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You may notice I mention my upcoming product in most emails too (which, by the way, is out in April - click here to join 330+ people on the waiting list 😏).
I’m not just trying to build hype. I’m making sure it happens.
Remember:
It doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be published.
QUESTION 2
Jay Yang asked:
Decision-making is one of my favourite topics. I used to suck at it. But we spend our lives dealing with the consequences of our choices, so studying how to make better ones can have a crazy compounding effect.
One of the hardest skills to learn is saying no to good opportunities to wait for the great. Especially online. There’re lots of things you can do, but only a few things you should.
The secret is constraints.
You need to know what you're optimizing for.
Society defaults to status and money.
I made that mistake as a young whippersnapper. I thought dentistry would be great because dentists are rich. But for the most part, they’re also fucking miserable.
When you realize success is subjective, everything changes. You get what you want when you define what that is. Here’re the 3 questions I ask for any business opportunity:
- Does this make me better at writing? (the pursuit of mastery)
- Does this help my audience win? (the desire to make an impact)
- Does this build more leverage? (the pursuit of freedom)
I then follow Derek Siver’s framework:
If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.
Sure you miss out on a few opportunities.
And yeah, you’ll go against your rules. But don’t underestimate how far singular focus will take you over time.
Another great exercise is reflecting on core values. I've lined you up a great resource at the bottom of this email.
QUESTION 3
Aldo asked:
I’ll be honest with you Reader, I hate selfies. When I see a man post one on Instagram I immediately lose respect for them. But these little pictures go far, and that’s by design. Let me explain.
One of the best things you can do as a creator is pay attention to what gets your attention.
Justin Goff is one of my favourite email writers, and he sends a picture every mail. I noticed I’d actually look forward to seeing his face at the bottom. I was curious about what he’d write.
So now I do it too.
Does it work? I bloody well hope so.
My open rates are now at a 57% average. I started at 32%. I’m not suggesting my cheesy grin is the only factor (I’m not Brad Pitt), but people follow people. It’s nice to put a face to the writing.
Just don’t look too close.
There’s pain behind those eyes.
(Modelling your mentors is a framework I swear by and a topic of a previous email. You can read it here.)
On Friday
Speaking of trust-building techniques, Friday is one of my favourite:
Storytelling.
I’ll break down my StoryTweet technique so you can build a better relationship with your audience. The internet is getting busy and robots are after your job, so trust me: this one’s important.
Keep writing your way to freedom,
Kieran.
P.S.
If you're interested in a growth-orientated community, I'd recommend you check out the Content Cartel. It's ran by two incredible ghostwriters who have their finger on the pulse of social media growth (Taylin and Jack are definitely worth investing in).
I'll be using their advice and community to take on Linkedin, and accelerate my Twitter, over the next few weeks.
If you want to join me, check it out here.
It's 25% off if you use the code Cartel (~20 early birds remaining).
And if you've got a moment, I'd love to hear what you thought of this edition of Digital Freedom.
Send me a quick message - I reply to every email!
Kieran Drew
On a mission to become a better writer, thinker, and entrepreneur • Ex-dentist, now building an internet business (at ~$500k/year)
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