3 builders who never spoke to each other

Match the writing effort to the size of the idea

Reserve the multi-day editing treatment for the ideas that deserve it and let small ones go out fast and imperfect, because ten rough pieces on ten ideas beat one polished piece on a small one. Set the annual goal in pieces you would be proud of rather than in subscribers, and start with whichever format you can actually sustain before adding another.

The method

1. 01

   Match writing effort to the size of the idea: reserve the multi-day editing treatment for big ideas and give small ones a fast, imperfect post, because ten rough pieces on ten ideas beat one polished piece on one small idea.

2. 02

   Set an annual content goal in pieces you would be proud of rather than in subscribers, and let audience growth be the downstream effect.

3. 03

   Teach something concrete rather than relying on prose quality, because for most writers usefulness is a far easier route to being read than craft.

4. 04

   Start with whichever content format is easiest for you to sustain, get it running, and only then layer the next one on top.

5. 05

   Create a separate low-bar category on your site with one rule, that a post must be drafted and published in a single sitting, with no second review and no fiddling with images.

What it returned

• 5

  Zue's polished pieces took him 5 to 10 hours each, which meant he almost never published; he contrasts Paul Graham's weeks of editing with Simon Willison's habit of writing up everything he learns.

• 2023

  Zue's concrete goal for 2023 was six published pieces he would be proud of, expecting newsletter and Twitter growth to follow if readers liked them.

• The author's sequence is to begin with either the blog or the newsletter, whichever starts more easily, then add the other.

• Zue targets under an hour per musing and cites not having a place to put small pieces as the barrier that had been stopping him.

Sources

• Effort vs OutcomesJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Podcasting · undated
• Real MarketingHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · undated
• Re-entering the ArenaCory Zue · coryzue.com · Expanding my reach · 2023-01-01
• Lowering the bar to writing onlineCory Zue · coryzue.com · Lowering the bar to writing online · 2024-10-09
• The Secret Formula for Getting Traction from Your WritingCory Zue · coryzue.com · 2. Write when you learn something · 2017-09-15
• How to Plan Your Year In 4 Easy StepsPreetam Nath · preetamnath.com · Don’t try to be a superhero · 2020-12-20