Showing up is the hard part
John McCoy ???
Aviation Copywriter | B2B & B2C Blog Writing | Aviation & Automotive SEO | My writing puts eyeballs on your business ??
I opened up LinkedIn this morning while waiting on my coffee to brew and Chris Orzechowski was the first post in my feed. I love Chris’s takes and his information is gold, so I read on. It was all about growing an email list organically, and how it is a slow process that is not magic at all. Instead, it relies on constant, concentrated effort. Instead of paraphrasing his process, I’ll just quote it:
“The secret to sustainable email list growth isn't complicated. But you need patience.
I call it the Content Snowball Effect:
Week 1: Publish valuable content (daily)
Week 2: Share with your list
Week 3: Some readers share it
Week 4: New subscribers join
Week 5: Repeat”
Now, I can tell you that this process works. When I have seen growth, it has been during periods of consistent output. This process, just like most other things in life, is not really all that difficult. It is daunting, but not hard. Mostly, we sit here mulling over inconsequential crap like what to write about.
The truth is, most of your emails are going to miss their mark. Most social media posts miss their mark. Most cold pitch emails and DMs don’t get read or responded to. But after a while, you’ll see growth. Your skin will get a lot thicker for one thing.
Failure is part of the process. Growth is slow. And, I know this will sound jaded but I don’t care, if someone has meteoric growth around you (especially if their personality sucks), be suspicious. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Everything about freelancing, entrepreneurship, solopreneurship, etc., is a grind.
But, if you will just show up, you’ll win. Funny thing is it doesn’t even feel like winning in that moment. A lot of the time, it just feels like breaking even. But if you look at your growth over years versus days, you’ll realize that the growth was consistent and positive. Maybe that’s why I like SEO so much: it is all about slow, organic growth. Guys who try to ‘hack’ SEO almost always get bit on the butt in the long run.
We, as people are made to reflect this process. On average, if anyone ever gains any wisdom at all it is after a lifetime of experience. Great writers aren’t born, they’re made. The same goes with any other discipline. If you can accept this, you can grow and find your success snowballing.