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. And that simplicity has attracted 85k+ people to read his newsletter each Monday. Why?
He handpicks the best marketing and distills them into chewable lessons.
I asked him if I could share some with my audience and he said yes.
So, here we are.
Top up your coffee and get comfortable.
We’re gonna 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:
—> Replace a statement with a question.
—> Give away a secret. 🤫
“This is how [famous/successful person] did [something]”
Or
“What no one tells you about [something important]”
—> 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
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.
Customize your content for each platform: What works on LinkedIn doesn’t work on Reddit. What works on Reddit doesn’t work on publications.
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.
PS — Harry's recently launched Copywriting Examples. *The* site for anyone writing new copy. Check it out.
🦄 PBB Opportunities
Looking for a new role in tech?
My friends at Interac are hiring a Senior Innovation Manager. Email at hello@joelhansen.com 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.