`Rome’s Saint Peter’s cupola. This is the part of the city where I grew up until I was 18. The district is called Prati and while pretty quiet and downplayed when I lived here, it now buzzes with a great variety of restaurants and bars.
Welcome to issue #09 of this newsletter.
I have flown across the Atlantic and I am back in Italy for a couple of weeks. It’s been almost two years since my last time here.
Going to what once was home is always a good feeling, and the opportunity to see my big grown-up kids as well as family members and friends makes it all more enjoyable and exciting.
On the other hand people here are all running and stressed, and the deep, relaxed human vibe I have learned to love so much in Holbox is completely gone.
Here, I feel, a more hedonist, materialistic, rushed and idiosyncratic world. Life is complicated by tens of worries and responsibilities dictated by modern city-life.
I am surrounded by mega-tons of metal, concrete and asphalt and everyone seems to be walking in his own separate universe.
But what can I say: the food is absolutely out of this world and this city of Rome is a marvelous open theater where to lose oneself.
The good news this month include:
1) Deep-Dive n.2 - SuperGuide n.2 on Content Curation
I have just completed the first draft of this new deep-dive / superguide on Content Curation. It contains over 180 annotated resources which I am making available for all Premium Subscribers (if you haven’t seen the first SuperGuide on Trust in Business go see it here). Specifically:
2) Newsletter Editions Besides having two language editions (one in English, and one in Italian) there are two distinct editions of this newsletter.
The free Substack email version, which you are reading now. This is the synthetic (short) version of this newsletter. This version does not include images and examples, nor the Recommended Tools section.
The G-Doc version. This is the version for those who want more in-depth stuff and resources. The Google Doc version includes images, examples, videos and extra notes which are not available in the short version. It also includes the Recommended Tools section and it runs up to 25-30 printed pages. The G-Doc version has also a fully searchable public archive (integrating all issues in one Google document).
3) Great Opportunity from Google Interesting for anyone who wants to develop his online marketing skills, while getting a recognized certificate (Google values it as a 4-year degree) at a cost unheard of. Check it out in the “Stay Ahead” chapter of this issue.
Here’s a useful template to define your brand strategy. Specifically, it helps you clarify: a. Who you are, b. Who you are talking to, c. What you should be talking about with your audience.
“Those who get to the point persuade fellow humans faster.
We just want people to get to the point, especially with words.
Gone are the days when we would listen to your entire argument in a 20-hour book. That only happens if we like you first, thanks to the tiny sentence you posted online.”
Writing in tiny, short sentences, makes reading and understanding easier. It shows clarity of thought, focus and a desire to be useful.
While everyone seems to be focusing on learning how to write better, very few are noticing how important it is to take care of how such information is presented.
It starts from the simple things, like line length, using lists anytime you have two or more items which are part of a group, leaving white space among elements and sections.
And since the eye perceives first structure than details (like words), how you present and structure your content, determines in a significant way how many will read it.
If you think and act like everyone else in your space, why should new clients come to you?
One good way to characterize and distinguish yourself from others is to publicly share what you believe in that is not popular (that which goes against the grain).
Update your social profile bio to reflect what’s the benefit of following you, not who you define yourself to be.
“You need to describe in under 3 seconds "What's in it for me" for any new reader in getting to know you. (Examples in the G-Doc version / Premium subscribers)
via Alex Llull newsletter - The Steal Club - The Follower Funnel
c) Create a P-FAQ
A P-FAQ is a personal FAQ. The simplest web page with all of the basic info people would want to know about you. If you don’t yet have a personal website this is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to move a first step in the right direction.
”Permissionless Co-Marketing is the deliberate effort of aligning yourself with other brands by promoting them in your work. It’s the inverse of earned media — where you’re the one organically mentioning someone else. The payoff is earning goodwill and potential reciprocation.
For example:
During a podcast interview, you shout out an up-and-coming SaaS tool that listeners would find useful.
When writing a blog post, you explain why another B2C brand’s email marketing strategy is successful.
While presenting at a conference (or on a webinar), you include slides with examples from a brand with affinity to your own target audience (and the event’s).”
For anyone publishing a newsletter it is a good idea to add UTM codes to all the outgoing links, so that other sites owners you link can more easily discover you. Learn what UTM codes are. Create UTM code for any link (100% free)
c) Use Free SEO Tools
SEO tools help you gain more visibility on major search engines like Google. There are a good number of them you can use (at least partially) without having to spend a dime. Here’s the SEO free-wheeler’s list.
“Give away your secrets but charge for the implementation.”
That is: share openly the formula, the principles, the strategy and the tools you have used to achieve specific goals. What you want to charge for is whatever you can provide to others that in one way or another “does it for them”.
It could be a service, an app, a course or a combination of these.
There is a growing number of expert networks and knowledge brokers who may be very interested in tapping into your know-how and expertise. The two most prominent names in this space are: GLG and Guidepoint
c) Use a Digital Selling Platform
To sell PDFs, digital downloads or subscriptions in a fast and easy way, there’s a new interesting tool with some cool features. It also looks like a good alternative to the market leader Gumroad. It’s called Payhip. Give it a look.
7) How To Stay Always Ahead of Competitors
a) Contribute
“…there are really two things that lead to happiness: contribution and abundance.
Contribution means that if you can align your life with where you have the talent to make a large, meaningful, and real contribution to the world, your circle, or your family, then you can be very happy.
Abundance it's the anti-hater/anti-jealous mindset. If you believe there is plenty in the world for everyone and you are always happy to see people who contribute succeed, then you become part of "team contribution."”
“Temptation bundling is a productivity technique that involves combining an activity that gives you instant gratification, such as watching TV, with one that is beneficial but has a delayed reward, such as exercising.
If you only allow yourself to watch TV while you’re on a treadmill, you may be more likely to exercise regularly than you would otherwise have been.”
The key news: Google also created the $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund. This allows any US business to access these Google's career training programs 100% free right here.
Show your expertise online without needing to create a new website. Enter an online community of working professionals focused on building a personal brand, sharing content, and finding peers to collaborate with: Peerlist
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