There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and which underlies pretty much everything I write about here in The Sharp Pen. Almost all the marketing we self-employed people do takes place on ground we don’t own ourselves. We build a following on LinkedIn,
Hi there 🤗 When career coach Mark Crossfield started his practice, he had plenty of clients. After 28 years as a civil engineer, he knew lots of people, and referrals kept his diary full. He didn’t need a newsletter. But he started one anyway. Most self-employed people do the
The other morning, I was sitting with my coffee when I received my ISBN number. It might not sound like a big deal. But you need an ISBN number when you publish a book — it’s what enables bookshops and libraries to find the book. And that was the last
For a long time, I was afraid of selling to my mailing list. Not because I didn’t believe in what I was offering — but because I was convinced that my readers would react negatively if I suddenly started promoting a product. That they would feel manipulated — as if the
A couple of years ago, I counted how many times I’d written “I should write more” in my diary without actually doing it. The answer was too embarrassing to share here. The only thing that changed that was making a commitment to others. Commitment is what’s missing Most
There’s a piece of advice you’ve heard so many times it almost feels like a law of nature: grow your list. Get more subscribers, and the money will follow. It sounds logical — and that’s precisely why it’s so dangerous, because it makes you look for the
You’re sitting there wondering what your next product should be. Or what you should write about. Or how you should position yourself. And you’re guessing. There’s one way to stop. Ask your customers. It sounds obvious. It Is obvious. But that’s exactly why most people skip
They just don’t know it yet. It was a thought that struck me when I started writing my new book — and that thought is actually at the heart of what the book is about: how to use a newsletter to reach the people who need what you have to
Last week, I received a question from a reader who had just received a large number of new subscribers to their new newsletter. ‘How much should I invest in a welcome series? I hear different things. Some say seven emails, others say you should just send the standard email straight
For the past 10 years, I have sold 100% of my courses and workshops on one channel. Not LinkedIn. Not YouTube. Not cold calls or networking meetings where everyone tries to sell to each other. Only my newsletter I've never been good at selling. The idea of calling
Most articles about newsletters start by telling you that you need one. This one starts somewhere else: with whether it makes sense for you at all. Because a newsletter isn't the answer for everyone. However, it is the answer for far more people than those who actually have
Think about your best friend. You didn't start out as best friends. It began with a meeting. A conversation. And over time – trust. That's exactly how a good newsletter works. First meeting: You need to be found All friendships start with someone showing up. The same