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Letters From the Desk of Bryan Collins

Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.

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A few days ago, I invited you to join a beta program: AI Prompt Writing Studio In case you missed it, it’s an email course I’m writing for creators who want to use AI. Inside AI Prompt Writing Studio, you’ll learn:- How to make AI your precision execution tool while you focus on big ideas- Templates that turn one authentic story into a week’s worth of content- Systems to publish faster and scale your business without hiring- Ways to stand out when everyone else’s AI content sounds the same AI...

A cell phone that is lit up in the dark

I spent last weekend reading Google’s massive guide to prompt engineering…. so you don’t have to. One thing stood out: a good prompt needs four different parts, not just one. According to Google, when using Gemini (or any AI tool), your prompts should include a persona, task, context, and format.Let me break this down. First, tell the AI who you are or who you’d like it to be. That’s the persona part. For the task, describe exactly what you want the AI to do. The more specific you are here,...

A person holding a cell phone in front of a laptop

I sold off a few of my niche websites a few days ago. Although I’m keeping one site in my portfolio, I’ve quit the niche website business. The glory days of monetizing solely via SEO and paid ads are over. Many business owners I know have either abandoned this model or branched out. It took time and soul-searching to get to this point. Thanks to the proliferation of AI tools and the fickle Google algo, relying solely on SEO and ads is risky. Niche sites can still work, but the gold rush is...

blue and white letter b

You don’t need 100k followers to land premium clients. You need the right system. Today’s email is only relevant if you’re… Using LinkedIn for your business or brand Looking for more organic leads from LinkedIn I’ve refined a neat system that reaches my ideal customers and clients on LinkedIn. My system doesn’t involve standard advice you’ll read, like trying to go viral or commenting on dozens of posts by big guru-types. I don’t have to spend hours daily glued to my feed. It works on...

man wearing headphones while sitting on chair in front of MacBook

I’ve been spending more time posting content on Substack lately. The other day, I messaged a few creators new to the platform. Surprisingly, many of them are migrating from Medium to Substack. One ex-Medium writer told me she wanted a tutorial on using Substack. It’s a simple but intuitive platform that’s free of ads. If you’re not using Substack yet, here’s a 101 primer… followed by an explainer about my unconventional Substack strategy Start by creating a Substack profile. Upload a photo...

two hands touching each other in front of a blue background

Some writers and creators love using AI to write and create content. Others hate it. One newsletter reader even wrote in to tell me she hit the unsubscribe button because of my “blatant support of AI.” The last time I checked, OpenAI didn’t invite me into their seed round. That said, here’s my take: AI isn’t going anywhere, so I could pretend it doesn’t exist and get left behind or start using it for my business. I develop ideas for my content without AI and write what AI can’t generate....

A laptop computer sitting on top of a wooden table

I set up a live chat with some Substack subscribers the other day. I asked subscribers: What’s your number one question about writing online? The responses were variations of this conundrum: “How can I find the right audience?” Niche and audience selection kept me up at night for a few years, but I don’t worry so much about it anymore. Creating niche-specific content is a smart approach if you’re building a website. I ran a food and drinks website (not under my personal brand) for a few...

a close up of a camera on a tripod

They often can’t afford what you sell or will try it once and move on. Instead, create content for your ideal client instead, one can afford your offer and will do the work. I wrote blog posts and articles for new authors and writers for a few years. Two examples come to mind. I wrote a several thousand-word guide to using Scrivener for blogging, packed with pics, examples, and templates. I also published a huge step-by-step breakdown about how to crowdsource great book covers over at...

a cup of coffee next to a cell phone

I’ve spent 100+ hours mastering AI content creation, so you don’t have to. Get my proven templates for just $10/month. I’ve developed a system that cuts content creation time by 50%. No more endless hours scrolling X threads or watching YouTube videos trying to figure out AI tools. I did the hard work so you don’t have to. The content game is changing fast. While others waste time churning out generic AI content, smart creators use AI to scale their genius– ideas, stories, and emotional...

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If you're spending hours typing out GPT prompts, here's a neat tip to save you a few hours. Use voice prompts and transcriptions. They can generate more accurate results than laboring over a 1,000+ word text prompt. The other day, I was meeting with a client online. He explained a problem he’s facing with his business and what he wants to do this year. I offer content strategy services, but rather than pitching him on the call, I hit the transcribe button in Google Meet (both parties get a...