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.
The Dangerous Trap of Chasing Subscriber Numbers
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Hi Reader I deleted thousands of readers from my email list a few days ago. If you’re reading this, you escaped the cut! Here’s why: When I started my email list, my mission was to get 1,000 subscribers. I asked friends and family to join my list and gave away a PDF on my website. I hit my goal after a few months. Then, I set a new goal of reaching 10,000 subscribers. I used every strategy I could think of to hit it: Facebook ads, content upgrades, outreach campaigns, competitions, and multiple lead magnets. One lead magnet over-performed. I explained how to turn a fancy Moleskine notebook into a system for Getting Things Done (a popular productivity technique). I took pictures for my guide and wrote a lengthy tutorial. The magnet attracted hundreds of subscribers. But they weren’t interested in any of my offers or courses. They wanted the guide only. So, I had to remove them manually from my list. Dozens of hours, a few hundred dollars, wasted. I want to tell you I only made this mistake once. But I also created content upgrades for blog posts. They covered how to get more done in OS X and Excel… things that had NOTHING to do with my core business. Again, I felt good about my rapidly growing subscriber count but less good when they read my emails and were like WTF?! The bill from my email marketing provider was another painful reminder that I needed a strategy, not just another growth tactic. So, I only create lead magnets that align with my core offer these days. I also regularly remove people who are not a good fit for what I write about or sell. My list isn’t for people interested in free PDFs, generic productivity tips, or a low-paying content writing gig. I create for serious writers, coaches, and content creators looking to grow their businesses. Growing a list isn’t just about hitting an arbitrary or round number on the backend of ConvertKit or Substack. It’s more like a dinner party where only the right guests get your invite. Write on,
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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.
I tested Google Gemini’s content creation capabilities. I wanted to see how it stacks up against ChatGPT and Claude for creating business copy. Google Gemini offers two interesting “gems” (think custom GPTs) for content creators: Copy Creator and Writing Editor. Copy Creator helps write taglines, mission statements, and social media posts. Writing Editor focuses on fixing grammar and improving content structure. I put both through their paces using content from my daily newsletter. When I fed...
Your existing content is like an untapped gold mine - most creators keep digging new holes instead of mining what they already have. I’ve spent years writing online, It can easily become a full-time, low-paying job if you keep digging. One method for getting around this problem is building a content library of your greatest hits. It’s easier to repurpose content if you have a library that you can draw from. Another method is tracking a few key weekly stats across each channel so you can see...
I spent years obsessing over niche selection. When I was a Forbes columnist, branding myself as “the productivity and leadership guy” seemed like a safe bet. I covered topics like time management, leadership, and getting sh*t done at work.I mapped dozens of hot niche-specific topics in a spreadsheet and published articles like: The Fastest Way To Accomplish More This Week How To Use The 4 Ds Of Time Management 4 Common Mistakes New Home Workers Make I wrote about these topics not because they...