Hi Reader,

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Whenever performance review season came around in my previous corporate jobs, I always had a hard time remembering all I had done.

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I knew that I had worked hard as the months rushed by. But what exactly did I have to show for?

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When I started the position as Marketing Manager for Forte Labs, I vowed not to let this happen again.

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That’s why I diligently wrote down every day what I was working on (called interstitial journaling) and summarized my achievements every Sunday in my weekly review.

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Because of that, I had an easy time answering the three questions I asked myself for this quarterly review:

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• What have I accomplished?
• Where did I fall short? (ahem...sending this newsletter consistently)
• And what do I want to change next quarter?

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​You can read my quarterly review of Q1 2022 here. ​

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Now, let's dive into this week's newsletter...

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✍️ Marketing & Copywriting

Sheila Gonzalez @DanesaGlez A brand is not what you sell. A brand is what you make them feel. April 7th 2022 84 Retweets 432 Likes

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​Brand Guide: Why you need one & what should be in it​

You have a brand! Even when you’re just getting started and barely have a website set up. A brand guide can help you show up in a consistent way and become memorable. It's the instruction manual to your visual and verbal identity. I wrote about how to create a simple version.

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🤓 Online Courses

Andrew Barry 🦁 @Bazzaruto How to make your course better : Focus relentlessly on your transformation April 7th 2022 1 Retweets 3 Likes

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​Content Is No Longer King—Cohorts Are​

I revisited this great essay from Wes Kao on the shift from MOOCs to cohort-based courses (CBCs).

Having observed the online learning space for the last 2 years, I now notice that the hype for CBCs is slowing down. I myself feel a sense of cohort fatigue and have not signed up for any new courses this year yet. (Curious if you're feeling the same way.)

When we closed enrollment for Cohort 14 of Building a Second Brain, we asked people who didn't join why.

The overwhelming response pointed to two reasons: "can't afford" and "it's not the right time."

CBCs are a premium, time-bound product and, unfortunately, out of reach for many who would benefit from them.

Turning a CBC into a more accessible self-paced version (with a support community attached) could open up new customer groups (and I know course creators who are already doing that).

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📈 Productivity

Jeremy Enns 🚢 🇨🇦 @iamjeremyenns Just a reminder... No matter what you've done so far, your best work is ahead of you. It might take 5 or 10 or 20 or 30 years to materialize. But when it does.... 🤯🤯🤯 So slow down. Ease the pressure off. Buckle up. And enjoy the ride. April 8th 2022 1 Retweets 3 Likes

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Needed this reminder today as I've been struggling BIG time with creating consistently in the last few months.

While I've accomplished a lot at my job (see quarterly review), I've also felt something missing:

Now I know that I'm not complete when I don't show up for YOU and publish new blog posts and send this newsletter.

Time to reignite the writing and publishing habit!

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Take care,

Julia

Your Copywriter & Online Course Specialist

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PS: I'm flying to Amsterdam tonight to spend 5 fun days in my favorite city before traveling to Germany for Easter with my parents.

Anyone around and want to meet for a coffee/tea/cookie/walk?

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PPS: Missed the last newsletter? I wrote about scaling with a virtual summit and the simple funnel to launch your course. Read it here.