Write, Create, Support, Read 📚
👋 Welcome!
Steven Perlberg has written a great piece for Digiday on how the Coronavirus and the economic downturn has helped grow a new class of entrepreneurs on Substack. He poses the question, “whether Substack can become the kind of monetization system that never materialized during the last major internet writer-driven movement, the halcyon days of the early blogging era of the 2000s.” Luke O’Neil, who is projected to make more than $100,000 for with his newsletter Hello World encourages writers to give Substack a try. “Maybe you only get 150 subscribers and it doesn’t work out. OK, no big deal. We’re all working constantly for free all the time anyways.” He points out that even if you can only get 100 people paying you $5 per month that would be $500. For a freelance journalist that is something! Read the full story.
😺 Products of the Day
July 1, 2020
🥇 EasyPoker: Host poker nights without chips or playing cards.
🥈 COVID-19 Research Digest: See all COVID-19 research publications summarized.
🥉 Free Illustrations: List of free to use illustrations & vectors.
🚀 Maker News
Multi-Product Approach
Maker & NoCoder Michael Gill shares a helpful thread on his work philosophy. He believes that working on multiple projects simultaneously is a “strategy for supercharging the creative process and hacking productivity as an indie creator.” It might not be for everyone, but if you’re restless like Michael, it helps prevent creative anxiety. The advantages include: Forcing inspiration by switching projects, leveraging work from other projects, reducing pressure, collecting more data. As Daniel Vassallo says, it's “a series of small bets.” Read the thread.
Small + Powerful Content
Rosie Sherry shares some great case studies of how you can grab peoples attention with “small yet mighty powerful content.” TikTok is a great example of how condensed content can deliver a powerful message. Read the thread.
Readwise - Productivity
I have been using Readwise for a week now, and it’s amazing! I learnt about the app from Tiago Forte’s YouTube videos on building the Second Brain. The feature I love is that Readwise connects with apps such as Instapaper, Pocket, Kindle, iBooks, Medium and more and saves all your highlights. It can also save Tweets. It can then sync all that valuable info with Evernote or now also Notion. Brilliant! Read the thread.
Newsletter Resources
Marcel Koi shares a useful resource for all newsletter writers. His extensive list includes links to newsletter communities, tools, platforms, media, referral programs and other software. Learn more.
🖥️ NoCode & Automate
SaaS Support Strategy
Martin Etchegaray has written a piece for Integromat on the advantages of having a good support strategy behind your SaaS product. From his research and discussions with founders, he explains the key learnings. 1) Focus on the customer experience, 2) Look at where it hurts, 3) Make the most of what you have, 4) Listen to others and don’t be afraid of change and 5) Be polite. Martin lists some useful strategies and tools which can help you solve these challenges. He concludes that not every interaction is cheerful. “But the signs are clear: when pain points, resources, and channels are in place, everything becomes easier.” Learn more.
Documents from Airtable
If anyone watched the video I shared of Michael Gill creating the Makers Minions book from Airtable, will love this tool. With the Formstack Documents block, you can automatically generate beautiful documents from your Airtable sheets. It removes the need for any copy & paste or jumping in and out of Airtable. Watch the video below or read the tutorial.
💭 Afterthought
To finish the day, an insightful excerpt from a recent podcast with Tim Ferriss and the actor Hugh Jackman. Hugh explains his morning routine, which he learnt from actor Patrick Stewart. No emails, no newspapers, nothing to make you angry or anxious. Instead, a cold shower followed by a book which he reads together with his dad. It’s a way to make sure, the day doesn’t slip away from you and it often sparks new thoughts and ideas. Listen here. Take care and see you tomorrow!
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