Trying in public...works?
Marketing quizzes & TikTok tips (O&I #40)
What a few days it's been! On Saturday, I woke up at a beach house (major Dream Work Life moment) to texts and emails letting me know that my essay on Faceless Accounts had been featured in the 100th edition of the Substack Reads roundup. It was shared by
, author of many books including Enchantment which became a formative part of my personal canon last winter.Then, just a few minutes ago, I got another "OMG" email from a friend because that essay was also shared in this week's Link In Bio newsletter—which as a certified Link In Bio /
stan just means everything to me.Anyway, there's a lesson in all of this that I'd love to process in public with you: That essay terrified me. I hardly promoted it at all, mostly because I was afraid of inviting dozens of angry anonymous commenters into my digital space. (I don't like arguing on the Internet, it makes me itchy and reminds me of being a college freshman during the 2012 election.)
Still, though, I wrote it—not because I felt I had something particularly groundbreaking to say, but because I needed to understand why the trend was bothering me so much. And still I shared it, despite being afraid.
The affirmations that come from being spotlighted by two writers I admire only underline the key lesson for me, which is that the thing I am terrified to say out loud is often the thing other people are waiting for someone to say out loud. And I guess maybe that is the point of Trying In Public after all.
P.S. I still have one spot available for a new retainer client. I work with my clients 1:1 for a set number of hours each month—it's a hybrid model where we both meet together for consulting sessions to detangle all of your good ideas and I work independently on your business to implement sales systems, funnels, campaigns and/or content strategies to bring your business to the next level. Here's my cal if you wanna chat about it.
P.P.S. We've got a Q3 Sales Planning session tonight in The Study! Come hang and we'll map out your launch and content calendar for the next few months.
Mini Lab: Tools, Trends & Experimental Ideas
I'm really loving the results of my Interact Quiz experiment. In case you haven’t seen, I created a "Character Generator" quiz to accompany Cozy Commerce, the creative business adventure game I've been working on for the last few months.
It was relatively simple to set up the quiz in Interact, which I opted for over Typeform because I want to eventually redirect to a specific sales page based on a person's quiz results.
Right now, I'm using the quiz to build a waitlist for the game. I'm also loving hearing feedback on whether the results resonate with you all!
If you want to experiment with a quiz, I'd recommend starting from the end: What archetypes or results do you want to sort people into? From there you can write questions and map each answer to a specific type.
Bulletins! The latest from members of The Study
From Ashlee: Back by popular demand! I’m hosting a FREE About You Audit on July 18 so you can get real, first impressions feedback on your bio, About Page, social profile, or anything else you’d like to share (and improve!). Submit ahead of time, or join live. It’ll be recorded either way. Register here.
From Chelsea: If you hate launching with a fiery passion and want to hear about new ways to execute your next launch, then my latest episode is for you! Tune in here.
Bored on the Internet?
✷ Speaking of Katherine May, I love this process for keeping a writer's notebook. My very well-intentioned plan to create a system with index cards never panned out, so I may experiment with a notebook again using these tips.
✷ If you need an action plan for TikTok, this is a good set of tips IMO.
✷ HOW FREAKING CUTE ARE THESE BAGS FROM SAPPHIC ORACLE?!
Above are some links fresh from my Second Brain inbox. If you want to save them for later in your own Second Brain, be sure to grab a copy of...
Creative people need space to dream and think.
Which is why the Pretty Decent Desktop Organizer won't do that for you. It will, however, open up space in your brain for you to go out and stare at a tree without worrying about forgetting your to-do list.
Ready to streamline your creative life? Grab your copy of the Desktop Organizer here.
Work With Me!
I help artists and subject matter experts get good at the Internet so that you can do what you love for a living. The best way to start is by booking a free brainstorm with me, where I'll help you sort through your zillion good ideas and figure out a least complicated next step:
That was a great essay and the accolades are well deserved! AND how interesting that the essay was linked when it was more than a month old. So it didn't happen over night. You tried, in public, and then it needed to simmer for a bit. Incredible.