This past week marked a first.
After months of putting it off, I finally launched a LinkedIn newsletter.
And it’s all because of a single question.
(Off-topic: it’s a shorter, more “snackable” version of the format you’re getting now, so don’t go all FOMO on me – if you’re reading this, you’re already getting all the good stuff. But the “Marketing Matters – Monday Edition” may be a great gateway resource for your LinkedIn connections, so if you feel like it, I’ll appreciate your shares.)
The question came during a long-winded conversation about LinkedIn content and personal branding. I was on the phone with Alex, a close friend and LinkedIn marketer, to get some advice about improving my own presence on the platform.
We discussed different options and content tactics (some of which you may very well see soon on my profile). And then, Alex ended with a banger.
It was simple. It was devious. And, above all else, it was effective.
He simply asked, “OK, so when do you start?”
He knew I was reluctant to invest more time into my own content. He knew there was a big chance I would postpone and procrastinate more. So he called me out on it.
“OK, so when do you start?”
Right then and there, I needed to make a commitment. It wasn’t so much a commitment to him as a promise to myself.
Two weeks after that question came, I’m finally doing what I was long time thinking about, but never making it a priority.
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You probably have your own version of the LinkedIn newsletter. Something you know in your heart should be on your to-do list, but for whatever reason, never gets there.
So I want to ask you, “OK, so when do you start?”
If you feel like it, drop me a line, telling me the broad strokes of what to do and your target start date. I’ll make sure to check up on you. But even if you just write the date down on a piece of paper, circle it in your calendar, or whisper it in your cat’s ear, the effect will probably be the same.
The commitment matters,
💬 P.S. I really meant what I said. Tell me what’s the next thing you’re starting and when!
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📁 From the Archives
Message Mining: Don’t Write Great Copy – Steal It!
If you’re not familiar with message mining then trust me – you need it! It’s the quickest way to get voice-of-customer data directly from your target audience. You can use the approach to improve your positioning, upgrade your copy, and learn about the goals, anxieties, and wants of your audience.
👌 Handpicked Stories for You
500,000 – Lessons from building this newsletter
Lenny Rachitsky does an amazing job at producing high-quality content that serves his audience well. He’s grown a very successful newsletter – and in this post he shares what helped him do it. Spoilers: it all comes down to hard work and consistency. It also needs to cover topics you’re personally invested in and have a stake in. And the most important bit is to just start.
This is AI Powered SEO: 7 Ways to use ChatGPT for higher rankings
Get ready for some serious ChatGPT heavy lifting. This post will give you some insights into how you can use the tool for SEO research. It goes way beyond the average outline generation and into improving E-A-T, performing clickthrough rate analysis and optimization off of Search Console data and a lot more. I still haven’t used most of the ideas in here, but I’m definitely bookmarking it for future use.
“High Quality Content” is the Most Useless Phrase in Marketing; We Can Do Better
I’ve been complicit in the “quality game” Rand Fishkin is talking about here. When planning out a piece, I’d make sure to say to my collaborators or clients “we’re aiming for quality.” But quality is a nebulous thing and making sure everyone understands it in the same way is hard. So when starting a new content project, make sure you define your goal in terms of tangible criteria and be more specific than “quality.” If you want further reading on content quality, check out this post with best practices and specific metrics from successful companies.
How to Use Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) Keywords in Your SEO Content Strategy
This is an interesting application of the JTBD concept. The idea is simple: you can still target key phrases with decent buying intent if you aim for “how to” type keyphrases that help your potential customers solve a problem they face (and your solution can help with). The post will show you some examples of applying it in practice.
Get your work recognized: write a brag document
As someone who’s habitually plagued by “I haven’t done enough” doubts, the idea of brag documents is awesome. And while the post puts the brag document in the context of a company environment and performance reviews, I believe it’s useful to freelancers, too – after all, in our work, you don’t really get praised a lot and it’s useful to be your own cheerleader.
👀 Interesting stuff to click on
- This deep dive into retail space design – I’m a fan of IKEA as a business, and this video will show you some of the company’s cleverest solutions.
- This visual library of myth and folklore – if you’re interested in culture and folklore, especially of Asian origin, you may like this cabinet of curiosities.
- Weekly cat – he had a plan, but he didn’t follow through.
I hope you’ll like these!
🔥 That’s a wrap! Before you go…
If you enjoy my newsletter and want more, here are three options:
- Was this email forwarded to you? Then get your own subscription!
- Hit reply and say hi – I’d love to know what you’re interested in reading next!
- Check out my course on strategic content marketing and brand messaging.
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