I cry a little every time I open X

Hi Reader,

This week, I’m explaining how I’d build a writing business if I started over.

Yesterday, I wrote about why an email newsletter is the cornerstone of a profitable writing business.

Ideally, craft a personality-driven newsletter for an ideal reader.

You own platforms like your email list, newsletter, or website.

They’re a nice insurance policy against the algo and our future AI overloads.

They can take my reach, impressions, and followers, but they’ll never take my email list!

I loved writing on owned platforms.

I’ve spent dozens of hours going through the owned platforms of big-name online writers with SEO tools like SEMRush.

Alas, I’m a geeky outlier.

Growing on an owned platform is harder now than in 2014, even if you’ve got rock-solid SEO chops.

Like it or not, a good chunk of your audience is swiping madly on Insta instead of reading immaculately crafted content on some random person’s website.

We’re fighting in a battle for people’s attention.

So, I’d also write and publish content on one earned platform daily.

I’d earn people’s attention… and their best email addresses by writing, creating content, and asking them explicitly to join my list.

I’d pick one platform for finding clients and bringing money into my writing business.

The problem?

Writing on social media is like stepping into a battleground.

Hustle X is full of wantrepreneurs hawking their subscriber counts, Notion templates, and monthly recurring revenue stats.

Kudos!

With all that social flexing, good luck reaching your followers, never mind pitching a service.

And that’s before Elon decides to fire the other half of X or tweak the algo for some vanity project.

Some writers are crushing it on Insta with text-based photos and heavily scripted reels.

I tried that for a while.

It wasn’t for me.

Spending hours writing short-form content frazzled my brain.

Those CEOs who need help with their content strategy?

They’re not doom scrolling TikTok!

Here’s the answer:

LinkedIn is hot right now for creators who can write valuable content.

You’re also far more likely to connect with and find paying clients.

It’s the perfect network for building a profitable writing business.

So, I’d publish content from my newsletter on LinkedIn several times a week.

I’d use a tool like Taplio to write and schedule my content in advance because being plugged into the grid 24/7 is a recipe for burnout.

I’d send connection requests to 5–10 people per day.

I’d ask new followers to join my email list.

I’d all but ignore the other networks.

Sure, it’s a grind.

But War. War never changes.

With my content strategy in place, I’d monetize.

I’ll explain more tomorrow.

I’d like to invite you to a Pro Writers Only workshop next week on this topic. How to Start a 6-Figure Newsletter business. Buy a ticket.

Write on,
Bryan Collins