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- a poets guide to top-tier marketing
Something I noticed recently:
A lot of writers are turning into gurus,
Instead of:
Sharing ideas persuasively
Shifting beliefs and solving problems
Selling frequently (which is how you actually nurture an audience)
They start to fall into a spiral.
Not caring about money
Not caring about proper marketing
Turning into spirituality writers
So, I asked a friend about this:
Darius.
Darius is a poet/philosophical writer on Instagram.
He was one of my first clients. I helped him get 500 followers and 1M views in 30 days.
I decided to put little poetry boy to the test. And I asked him about the three keys to marketing.
He surprised me, like, a lot.
Here are the three keys to marketing, and how to use them as a creator:
Sell to the people that need it.
People won’t buy your food if you’re selling to a full crowd.
I was surprised when Darius said this, but then I looked into his writing.
When I first read his stuff, I thought it was just some boring philosophical jargon.
Until it hit me:
Darius writes for his old self. The hungriest person he knows.
The person hungriest for new ideas, knowledge, and perspectives to fix the life he has.
The next time you write content, an ad or a post:
Write to the starving man.
Give him crumbs of your bread as your content.
Sell the bread as your product.
Simple.
Be consistent in your style.
As a creator:
You SHOULD think outside the box.
You SHOULD despise rules.
You SHOULD listen to the market, not to yourself.
But you have to be consistent in your style.
Darius says this in reference to writing and general content.
But really- I think of this as consistency in mental models.
The strongest mental model I’ve developed is villain-first writing.
Whenever I look at a piece of writing, I ask:
Does this show the BAD side first?
If it doesn’t, then I reframe the whole thing.
Another one I developed is a common one (but an OP one):
WIIFM.
What’s In It For Me?
I ask myself this question whenever I finish any line of any post or email.
(This makes sure every line is persuasive and leads to something.)
When you’re consistent in mental models, systems of operations and market research,
You have a tight grasp on what' works.
And from there, you innovate.
Mixing ideas, mixing structures, trying new things, and persuading like never before.
Be consistent with the shit that works for you.
Integrate them into everything you do.
Innovate on them.
And finally:
Any reach is good reach.
This one’s my favorite.
Darius know this really well because of one thing:
When we started working together, our content strategy consisted of just posting philosophy memes and tweets.
We didn’t do anything detailed. Just simple posts made to garner followers and attention.
And then we nurtured that attention in his stories, and funneled dozens into his newsletter.
Sounds good right?
Most people would actually disagree with step #1.
Most likely writers that hone in on trying to make everything specific.
The harsh truth is social media is a volume game.
When you have deep ideas you want to share like Darius,
The best way isn’t to post the poetry and wish for the best.
It’s to garner attention, no matter how cheap, and nurture it.
Eventually, 1M views on a semi-viral reel meme turn into 300 new followers.
The 300 new followers turn into 5-30 new newsletter subs.
The readers then turn into 5-10 dedicated fans.
The fans turn into 1-5 frequent buyers.
Any reach is good reach.
The key isn’t trying to specialize (like ICP writing)
Or generalize (like meme-posting)
The key is to do three simple things consistently.
Get attention
Nurture the attention
Convert/funnel the attention
In reality, this is what marketing and advertising really comes down to.
Master these in your own way and get paid.
And when you’re the next Oglivy, you can shout me and Darius out :)
P
