?? Simple Always Wins

Happy Tuesday.?You’re joining ~19k+ readers who trust me with their inbox. If you want these stories sent to your email, subscribe here.?

Harry Dry is a simple man. That simplicity has attracted 85k+ people to read his newsletter every Monday.

Why? He handpicks the best marketing and distills it into chewable lessons.

I asked him if I could share some of his lessons with my audience and he said yes.

So here we are. Toss up your feet and fill up your coffee.

It's time to dive into 3 lessons from Harry:

#1 The First Line Should Take The Reader To The Second?

No matter how well-written your content is, if the first line doesn’t create a value gap in the reader’s mind, they won’t care about the rest of it.?

Some ways to create curiosity:?

A) Replace a statement with a question.

B) Give away a secret. ??

“This is how [famous/successful person] did [something]”?

Or

?“What no one tells you about [something important]”

C) Cut to the chase. Keep your first line short and punchy. ??

The best way to evaluate your first lines/intro is to assume the reader is short on time.?

#2 Quick Masterclass On Content Distribution?

Here is Harry’s 3-step formula for growing his newsletter subscriber list to 50,000+ loyal readers. He told us you could steal it ??

Create value → Transfer Value → Store Value

1. Find where your audience hangs out: What websites is your Target Group using to solve their queries? Meet them there.?

Decide the top 3 platforms that you’re going to leverage and make the most of those.?

1. Customize your content for each platform: What works on LinkedIn doesn’t work on Reddit. What works on Reddit doesn’t work on publications.?
2. Divert traffic to your one main platform: What’s the platform where you need to amass your audience? It is your newsletter, website, Twitter or company page??

Bonus ?? Share the same stuff on every platform, just tailored to perform on each of them.?

This snowball effect works like a charm.?

#3 Simplify Your Message?

In 1983, Apple published a 9-page ad in New York Times for their new computer Lisa.?

It sold 10,000 units.?

Steve jobs clarified their message. He used 2 words: Think Different.?

He showed, instead of telling.?

Before:?

After:

How to clarify your message?

• Get specific about every aspect. Who do you create for? What do you help people solve?
• Show the transformation. What happens when people read/use/buy your content/product/service??
• Find your X-factor. What’s something that you want to be known for??

Think: “If A needs help with X, would B recommend YOU for that?”?

[X is your X-factor]

Re-wording, editing and making things easily digestible are heavily underrated.?

?? PBB Opportunities

Looking for a new role in tech??

My friends at Interac are hiring a Senior Innovation Manager. Email at [email protected] for an introduction to the hiring manager.?

?? Riff of the Day

Apple is onto us… ??

Thanks for reading. I try hard to make it worth your time. Got feedback? Let me know.

Stay outta’ trouble and catch you next week.

??? Joel

Wanna learn more about storytelling? Check out my class in May or October.

You can also learn more on my Website, Twitter or LinkedIn.