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Hey Reader,

You might not want to jump into writing full-time - and I totally get why.

• You like your regular income
• You don't want to "win" new clients
• You actually like your job (who knew!)

But let me ask you this:

Would you like to make some money on the side - say $500/month?

Aside from Medium, I've found that planting "opportunity seeds" is the best way to make $500-$1,000/month on the side from writing.

And if you plant these seeds properly, people you admire will message you with opportunities.

Let me explain

I recently published this article: How This Solopreneur Has Made $600,000 in 3 Years From Her Coaching Business​

It's about a digital nomad called Christa who's built a successful business whilst living in Bali.

If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I've written articles like this before.

But this one is different.

I made a small tweak to the call-to-action (i.e. the text at the end of the article that encourages the reader to do something).

And it led to Christa reaching out to me on IG:

What was the CTA tweak?

At the end of the article, I wrote this:

The text in the orange box is my usual CTA.

The text in the yellow box is the extra bit I added.

Without it, no one would have reached out to Christa about the article.

But because of it, at least one reader did.

And Christa then reached out to me.

Why is this effect so powerful?

1. When someone reaches out to tell the subject of the article (aka Christa) about your articles, the subject knows your words compel readers to take action. In the world of copywriting, this is all you're trying to get readers to do!
2. ... And so, if the subject is ever looking for a writer in the future, they know you've got the skills to get readers to take action. This likely gives them the confidence to hire you.
3. Word of mouth > direct marketing. It's one thing to say, "I wrote this article about you." It's another for a stranger to say, "I read this article by [your name], which I loved for [X] reasons, so I just wanted to reach out and say hi!"

Will Christa and I work together in the future?

Who knows.

Maybe.

But there's one thing for sure:

Because of this positive interaction (and others like it), if she ever needs a writer — either for her business or for one of her clients — she'll likely think of me.

And if she does reach out, I know I've got the skills to deliver excellent work for her — just like I do with all my clients 🙌

I've used this strategy countless times before (minus the CTA).

It doesn't always work.

​But when it does, it works BIG!

Alright, so here's your action plan to make $500-$1,000/month on the side from writing

1. Make a list of 5-10 creators you would like to work with in the future. Shoot big.
2. Go deep on ALL of their content (videos, articles, podcasts, guest podcast appearances, guest blogs, etc). Sidenote: This research phase for my article about Christa took ~30 hours.
3. Pull any interesting things you learn into a Google Doc. It doesn't matter what it is. Follow your curiosity. Imagine you're a journalist who's hunting for a story. (For context, here's the 11-page doc I pulled together about Christa.)
4. Write a thoughtful article and publish it on Medium:
   1. ​Watch section 1 of my short course about writing on Medium if you're not sure how
   2. Study my Articles About Creators reading list for inspo.
5. Include a CTA that encourages readers to contact the subject of your article. Let the magic begin.

In a world where everyone's trying to take, take, take...

You'll be remembered as someone who gives, gives, gives.

Good luck, and let me know how you get on with this strategy!

And now for something a little bit different...

✍️ Quick Copywriting Tip

This tip comes from Alice Lemée, the creator behind the newsletter Internetly:

Begin with a long sentence. The reader will barrel through it and feel rushed and frantic. Then, use a short sentence to stop them cold — and as they take a breather, your point sinks in.

This is great for copywriting. For example:

✖️ “Are you tired of being bad at Excel? I can understand. Here’s your solution.”

✔️ “You’re tired of bothering your co-workers every 34 seconds with an Excel-related question, of wasting hours doing manual tasks, of being too embarrassed to show your boss your spreadsheets. Let’s put an end to this. Today.”

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Scott

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