Welcome to issue #08 of this newsletter.

Here in sunny Holbox Island (MX), weather is getting hotter by the day. I don’t mind. That’s one of the reasons I came here for.

The sea is increasingly colorful, not just during the day. At night, the amazing fluorescent trails generated by a phenomenon called bio-luminescence, offer a psychedelic show that’s hard to believe.

As you go into the water, any step, touch or move you make is followed by a fluorescent green trail of sparks. Fishes swimming by are lit. And, if you swim, you look like an angel flying into some magic sparkling spell.

See more of this unique island life here.

Three good news.

1) New issue, new (much) SHORTER format.
Now you can read this newsletter in ⅓ of the time.
10 pages instead of 30.
Better?
Reply to this email with your comments.

2) I am experimenting with a new super-cool publishing tool.
With it I have prototyped a new content format.
For now I am tentatively calling it the SuperGuide.

A superguide, as I see it, is a non-linear, multimedia repository / catalog / deep-dive on a specific topic.

Here is my very first draft version of such a superguide:

**You need to view this from a desktop computer to GET the full experience**
”Earning Trust in Business”.

I’d live to hear your feedback and comments on it, but more than anything your take on this specific question:

“How can I make this superguide more useful?”

"Earning Trust in Business" - SuperGuide

Reply to this email directly with your comments.

3) Fantastic new tool for writers

A 500+ community of pro-writers ready to check, verify, make corrections and suggest ideas and ways to improve whatever content you have drafted. Instantly.
No AI. All human. Right inside your browser. Pay what’s worth for you.

It’s so good I can’t recommend it enough.

Find it in the Breakthrough section of this issue.

The time is now.

Robin Good

Share TRUST-able

1) How To Create Real Value     

a) Share Your Journey

“People like to hear about the things that you know, things that you did, your skills… But they LOVE to hear about your journey. Here two formats I’ve used:”

Source: Llull - The Steal Club Newsletter

b) Curate

Six great real-world examples of how to create value by collecting and organizing existing content, contextualizing it for your audience and adding your own perspective.

Source: Ann Gyn - “7 More Ways to Curate Content Like a Pro [New Examples]”

c) Connect the Dots

“In the age of information overload, the ultimate luxury is context. Finding the next big productivity app is easy, but making sense of the productivity landscape is not.” 

Source: Sari Azout - Startupy Manifesto

2) How To Cultivate Relationships

a) Ask Good Questions

To grow a community you need to go and engage your members. Questions are a great way to do so. But which ones to ask may not always be as obvious.

1000 Great Community Questions - The Guide 

b) Care

“Caring is the most critical and overlooked aspect of community outreach. Not caring about the people that make up the community is 99% of the reason why people fail in their outreach.” Seems obvious but it’s not.

Source: Kevin Conti - The Complete Guide To Community Marketing

c) Optimize for the From line

For those who send newsletters.

“We often obsess over the Subject line, trying to craft the perfect words to get our subscribers to open. We might even do A/B testing to see what works best. 

I learned to go the other way on this -- optimize for the From line, not the Subject line. If you build a deep and trusted relationship with subscribers, they’ll open and open no matter what the Subject line says.”

Source: Dennis Shiao, Content Corner
via Opt-In Weekly newsletter #75 by Ashley Guttuso

3) How To Communicate Effectively

a) Write in Plain Language

This is how: 

• Single clause sentences 

• Active tense 

• Using bulleted lists

• More white space

• Shorter paragraphs 

• Vocabulary familiar to your reader

Source: Bashir Aden - “The Call for Plain Language…”

b) Say “I” Not “We”

Get away from that corporate comm style that it’s all about “we”, with no face or signature in sight. People trust people, not brands. 

Research: “Use ‘I’ (“I’m happy to help”) instead of ‘We’ when interacting with customers to increase satisfaction and sales.” 

Source: Thomas McKinlay - “Say “I” not “We” when speaking to customers” 

c) Use Research Data To Improve Your Ads

Move away from subjective aesthetics, and from what everyone else does.
Study the principles of human psychology and apply them to your promotion and advertising campaigns.

Source: Growth Design - “Advertising Psychology Checklist” 

4) How To Market  Yourself

a) Talk About Your Failures

“We do not like to talk about failure. It dents our pride. But stories of failures have fantastic marketing value. Customers know that you can tell them what works and what does not. Previous customers have paid for and absorbed the failure. New customers reap the benefit of experience.”

Source: Aldrich Chen - “How To Market Yourself As a Consultant…”

b) Share Your Secrets

Content that makes you hesitant before you share it, because it is emotionally charged and risky, is content worth sharing.
“The greater the fear to share it the higher the possibility that it resonates with others.”

Source: Jakob Greenfeld - “The Secret To Create Content That Resonates”

c) Communicate To Convert

100% free collection of 60+ tweets, hooks and headline formats to convert browsers in readers and readers in buyers. Downloaded. Liked. Recommending it.

5) How To Get More Visibility

a) Cross-Promote via Newsletter

“In December 2022, we asked ~300 smart newsletter operators what growth channel (other than referrals) they were most excited to try in 2022. The top answer — with 68% of the vote — was sponsoring/cross-promoting with other newsletters.”

Source: Send & Grow #8 newsletter by Sparkloop

b) Be Found 

New little known French (paid) app makes it easy to get any web page indexed in Google in less than 48 hrs. IndexMeNow. Video review.

c) Build Links through Relationships

New (paid) service streamlines the entire link-building process while giving priority to building relationships first. Respona

6) How To Monetize  

a) Get Feedback Before Releasing

“Whether you launch a free or a paid product, add social proof. Testimonials from clients or buyers on your page. 

[Specifically]: ask a few people to look at your work and review it
before you release it.”

1. get honest feedback

2. improve your work with the feedback received

3. get lots of social proof in the process from those who like a lot what you’ve created

Source: Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi - I Made $7000 Under 4 Months By Doing This

b) Show Hands - Examples

Follow-up to last issue advice on showcasing hands inside photos of your products. Here’s a great set of examples of this tactic at work: “Hands holding products inside ads”

c) Collect, Organize and Sell

Three great examples of the fastest growing content-based profit-making trend in the digital realm. Curated info-products. Collections of tools and resources that support a specific need and group of people.

• DTC Hunt - a directory of 1000+ D2C brands (direct-to-consumer)

• TIMS - ​​200+ FREE tools & resources to grow online projects

• Founder’s Book - #1 Platform for first-time founders and early-stage startups

7) How To Stay Always Ahead of Competitors

a) Learn Fractally 

0. Choose a subject

1. Get 2-3 book summaries from Google and Blinkist.

2. Look for relevant author presentations like TED Talks.

3. Go to Amazon and look at all the reviews on different stars.

4. Read the TOC and first and last chapters in Google Books.

Deep Reading:
- Read at 10% speed to really understand.
- Re-read things you don't understand.
- Take detailed notes by pulling out keywords, big ideas, etc.

Michael Simmons on Fractal Reading - Duration: 6’

b) Voice Type

Revolutionary new way of taking notes and writing content.

Steve Dotto on Voice Typing - Duration: 8’:30”

c) Discover Best Books

Let great book authors recommend you the best books to read.
Find new great books by “topic”, or by affinity to other book titles or authors.

*Breakthrough Tool*  

One-click collaborative editorial support for writers.

“Tap a button inside Google Docs and watch your writing transform.”

Get immediate feedback, ideas, and revisions to any important text you write via a community of passionate skilled writers: Foster.

Key features: 

• Get valuable feedback on your content from a community of 500+ writers

• Not just comments, but revisions, proofreading, corrections and ideas too

• Offer a bounty-reward for those who help you most

• It works inside Google Chrome

• Always-on 24-7-365

• You pay what you want

Sponsor next issue, starting at $49.
Reserve your spot by filling out this form. 

Recommended Tools

​1) Find Great Articles “on-Topic”

Refind brings to your inbox the top seven daily links on your specific topics of interest. Loved by 50k+ curious minds. Subscribe for free to get smarter.

2) Discover Best Indie Writers & Newsletters

The Sample showcases niche authors’ newsletters on a variety of topics making it easy to subscribe to those that interest you. Subscribe to find ideal sources, partners, or ad outlets.

❣ From the Heart      

Celebrate Others 

“In an age where being competitive and beating others is the name of the game, I’d like to praise a different approach: Celebrate others and their great work, instead of losing your time by beating down on those (often competitors) who make mistakes. 

“We can choose to amplify each other’s accomplishments because there is” a growing abundance of beauty, information and resources around us waiting to be discovered, and from which we can all learn something good.” 

Source: Maria Popova - Brain Pickings - “The White Cat and the Monk”

Follow a path with a heart.

The time is NOW.

from sunny Holbox,
Robin Good

To share and to subscribe:
robingood.substack.com 

To view this newsletter past issues:
TRUST-able newsletter archive