Writerpreneur | Learn Business. For Writers.

Gabriel Klingman
  • 4.7 (3)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

If you're a writer struggling to make money with your writing, you're in the right place. You know the craft. I'll teach you the business. Join over 1,000 other non-fiction writers who are learning business. Join the Writerpreneur Email Community at GabrielKlingman.com thewriterpreneur.substack.com

  1. 12/23/2024

    Writing is the vehicle, not the value.

    I see so many writers putting their time into activities that have little impact... Spending a week writing an article... Spending another week editing that article... And then not publishing it... So I want to address this. But instead of writing a 10-part series dripped out over 2-weeks, I want to give you all the value up front. So this morning, I recorded a 10 minute video explaining the biggest struggle I see with writers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    11 min

  2. 10/25/2024

    Should I Quit?

    (a written summary) When you're invested in creating a business around writing, knowing when to keep going and when to throw in the towel is crucial. Here’s the 5-question framework I to help navigate that decision. Assumptions Before You Begin Before diving in, I’m making 2 key assumptions: 1. This Is a Business, Not a Passion Project: The purpose of this project is to generate income rather than fuel a hobby. 2. You've Tried the Viral Validated Method: This is where you model your content after viral, audience-specific articles. You’re not trying to come up with ideas. Instead, you’re modeling ideas that have already gone viral - Hence the name: Viral Validate. Do this for at least 3 months (and write at least 15 articles). Assuming those 2 things, here is the framework: 1. Passion: Are You On Fire For This? There are 3 things you need to be on fire for: * The person you’re writing for * The general topic you’re writing about * The success of your audience Passion leads to resilience. If you lack this passion, you’re unlikely to stick it out for the 12 to 18 months it often takes before you start making money. 2. Enjoyment: Do You Like the Platform? Do You Enjoy Creating Content on the Chosen Platform? Every audience congregates into tribes on different platforms: Instagram, YouTube, Medium, etc. Pay attention to where your tribe is active. If you don’t enjoy using that platform, you’ll struggle to create content consistently. If you don’t enjoy the medium, you’ll half-ass the job and the audience will know. 3. Engagement: Are People Engaging with Your Content? Genuine Human Interaction Is Key Review the engagement on your content. Genuine interaction—like thoughtful comments or messages—signals that you are resonating with your audience. If at least half of your articles have genuine engagement, you're on the right path. Generic comments like "Great job" don’t count here. 4. Outliers: Have You Struck a Chord? Identify Outliers in Your Content Performance Look for outliers in the content you've produced. If at least one article has doubled the average reach of your account, it's likely that your audience is actively seeking solutions you provide. The presence of such outliers means the audience is underserved and in need of your unique insights. 5. The X Factor: What Unique Value Do You Bring? Deliver the Goods and Offer Unique Solutions * Do you have proof that you can solve the problem you claim you can solve? You got the result for yourself, for someone else… or you have unique experience or qualifications that make you uniquely qualified to solve this problem…. * Can you provide something unique (or do it in a unique way)? You can solve their problem in a unique way - something that’s different then the other solutions out there. In this situation, different is better then better. Real-Life Example Initially, Writerpreneur was marketed as a “business development system for nonfiction writers” (boring, I know). It wasn't until I recognized that execution is what drives results, and execution requires community - not just courses - that I changed my tagline to… “You don’t need another f*****g course. You need community.” When I made that change, my audience skyrocketed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    15 min

  3. 10/15/2024

    This Makes Writing Easier

    I tend to get lost in tactics. Do this, don’t do that. Important stuff, for sure. But there’s 1 thing that’s crucial before any tactics apply. This is a lesson I’ve been learning from Seth Godin and Chris Bumstead, Seth Godin One of his most notable achievements is his daily blog, where he crafts and publishes a post… every. single. day. For nine years straight. Here’s his philosophy: "I write every single day, not because I have something unique or interesting to say… I write because it's Tuesday. Just like I don’t decide whether I’ll eat lunch today, I don’t decide whether I’ll write today. I woke up today, so I’ll eat. I woke up today, so I’ll write.” Chris Bumstead According to Chris, the key to his success isn't just rigorous workouts or diet plans—it's his decision to pursue this path. Period. No questions. Just a decision to pursue. His shifts his focus from "Can I do this?" to "How can I make this work?” My Own Journey Earlier this year, I undertook a challenge that I thought impossible—I wrote 70,000 words in 7 days… while managing a full-time job. I wasn’t able to do this because of some unique time management tactic… but because of a decision I made. I decided I would complete the challenge. Period. Decide Before you get lost in the sea of tactics, you must first make a decision. You must decide. When you decide, you stop looking at the obstacles in the way, and start asking “how can I make this easier?” You start asking better questions. By asking better questions, you get better answers. The decision itself serves as a north star, guiding you through the obstacles Your focus shifts from possible drawbacks to actionable solutions, which leads to effective tactics. So, if you're struggling today, pause and reflect on your decisions. Have you truly committed to your goals? Once you make that unwavering decision, everything else—tactics, strategies, and solutions—will become relevant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    7 min

  4. 10/12/2024

    The Most Profitable Business Model

    As the Operations Manager for Captialism.com, let’s compare the business of writing vs selling physical products. We’ll cover 2 things in this episode: * Why writing is the most profitable business model I’ve found. * The 4 steps that make up the Writerpreneur Business Model. Why Writing is the Most Profitable Business Model I’ve Found Writing Actually Makes Money Unlike many businesses that require significant upfront investment, writing allows you to start earning with minimal costs. Physical product businesses involve more expenses then you probably realize… There's the product cost (COGS), shipping to the warehouse, warehousing, fulfillment to the customer, operations to run the business, and paid advertising. The actual profit - what you walk away with - is whatever is left over. Even with a healthy markup, most physical products businesses only have 10-20% profit. So for every $100 that comes in, you only keep $10-20 (and that’s before taxes)… With writing, the only expense you have is Operations (usually a few softwares), so you’re left with 90%+ in your pocket. Writing Has NO Upfront Costs When lunching a physical product, you usually need to invest thousands of dollars before you make a single dollar… Here’s a quick list of the typical costs: * Buying the product * Shipping to get it to a warehouse * Paying for warehousing * Paying a platform (Amazon or Shopify) so you can sell the product * Paying for Ads to sell the product * Paying to ship the product to a customer The risk is high, and there's no guarantee of recouping your investment. Writing sidesteps this hurdle. You need a whole $0 to start writing. All you need is your computer and internet connection. Writing Will Pay You… Forever Attention doesn’t disappear. It just moves from platform to platform. Companies are always looking for people who know how to capture attention. If you learn this skill, your baseline pay dramatically increases - either as a W2 employee, a 1099 freelancer, or a coach/consultant. Breaking Down the Writepreneur Business Model Step 1: Your First 500 Followers Your first 500 followers are more than just numbers—they're proof that your content resonates. A follower is like having an investor - they are buying stock in you. They follow you because they believe your content is valuable today - AND it will be MORE valuable tomorrow. This validates you ideas and shows that you have value in the market. Action Items: * Choose a platform where your target audience hangs out and trusts people. * Consistently show up, publishing content that the audience finds valuable. Step 2: Your First 500 Email Subscribers With a growing follower base, the next step is to deepen the connection by building an email list. Email subscribers are more committed and provide direct access to your audience without the interference of platform algorithms. This stage is crucial for understanding your audience's pain points, desires, and what resonates with them. Action Items: * Create a valuable lead magnet or newsletter that’s relevant to your audience. * Use sign-up forms and landing pages to capture email addresses (Mailerlite has both of these in their free plan). * Send regular newsletters or updates that tell stories, provide value, and encourage engagement. Step 3: Your First $500 Now that you understand your audience's needs, it's time to serve them. Earning your first $500 validates your business model and proves that people are willing to pay for your expertise. Focus on genuinely solving problems rather than pushing sales. Action Items: * Develop a simple product or service that addresses a specific pain point. * Use the insights from your audience interactions to tailor your offering. * Promote your product through your email list and social media channels. Step 4: Your Quiet 5-Figures The final step involves scaling your efforts to generate a sustainable income. This means implementing systems and processes, refining your offerings, and perhaps expanding your product line. Becoming results-driven and focusing on delivering exceptional value will help you grow your income quietly and steadily. Action Items: * Create a value ladder * Automate processes like email marketing and customer follow-up. * Continuously gather feedback and iterate on your offerings to improve results. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    9 min

  5. 10/04/2024

    What Does "Just Start" Actually Mean?

    The essence of starting is hitting publish—even when you’re not ready. This is the only way to gauge demand and get crucial feedback. Why Hitting Publish is Crucial Many of us assume that building a structured foundation—complete with a business plan, brand identity, and products—will naturally attract an audience. But that’s not true. In most cases, if you build it, they won’t come. It’s not our job to create demand, but to identify existing demand and channel it into our offerings. The only effective method to do this is by consistently publishing content. Continuous Improvement Through Feedback Publishing allows you to receive essential feedback. By saying ''yes'' to hitting publish, even when your work doesn’t feel perfect, you open the door to critical insights. These insights not only validate your ideas but also provide a clear path for future improvements. The Hardest Part: Consistency Even after starting, the most challenging aspect remains—being consistent. This means continuing to hit publish, again and again and again… The 30-Day Sprint? To help writers navigate this, I’m considering running a 30-day publishing Sprint. Here’s how it would work: Everyone pairs up into groups of 5, and commits to 2 things: * Daily Publishing: Commit to publishing something daily. * Meaningful Feedback: Provide feedback on each other’s published content. In those 30 days, you’ll get 150 pieces of feedback. And you’ll hit publish 30 times. That's more traction than most people make in 12 months. This is something I'm considering doing in my Writerpreneur community. So if it interests you, click here, sign up for the newsletter, and reply to that first welcome email telling me you’re interested in the 30-day sprint, I’ll manually add you to a list of people who are interested in this. If enough of you are interested, I'll put this together and send you more details. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    9 min

  6. 10/02/2024

    Have 0 followers? Follow These 5 Steps

    Step 1: Establish Your Credibility Before anything else, it's crucial to have some form of credibility or authority in the field you are writing about. This isn't just about having knowledge; it's about having proven results either for yourself or others. If you’ve achieved a significant result through your personal efforts or have helped others achieve it, you already have a solid foundation of credibility. Oftentimes, people get stuck here, scared they don’t have enough credibility. Remember, credibility is built over time. Start by sharing your journey, the lessons you’ve learned, and the results you've achieved. This transparency builds trust with your audience, setting the stage for deeper engagement. Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience Next, you need to define who you are serving. Who is the person that will benefit the most from your knowledge and experience? Often, this person is someone similar to you before you achieved your notable result. They might be facing the same struggles or aiming for similar goals. While it may be tempting to cast a wide net, specificity is critical. Narrowing down your audience allows you to create targeted content that resonates deeply. For example, if you help YouTubers transition to building an email list, focus on YouTubers facing the pain point of platform dependency, rather than online creators in general. Step 3: Identify the Critical Problem Once you have a clear picture of your audience, the next step is to identify the primary problem you will help them solve. It’s important to ensure this problem is pressing and significant to your target audience. A well-defined problem adds clarity and focus to your content. If your content is not resonating, it might mean the problem you’re addressing isn’t perceived as urgent by your audience. In such cases, either pivot to a different problem or shift your focus to a different subset of your audience. Conduct interviews or surveys to understand their challenges deeply and adjust your problem statement accordingly. Step 4: Content Creation and Execution With a clear audience and problem, the real work begins: content creation. Your content should aim to solve the problem or alleviate the pain points identified. Here are key elements to focus on: * Packaging: This includes how your content appears - the headline, thumbnails, and sub-headlines. These elements must be attention-grabbing to draw people in. * Big Idea: What is unique about this piece of content? What makes it stand out? This could be a fresh perspective, an innovative solution, or a personal story. * Hook: The first few seconds of your content, whether it’s a video, a podcast, or an article, are crucial. This is where you capture your audience's interest and compel them to keep engaging with your content. * Structure and Pacing: The format and flow of your content significantly impact engagement. For instance, videos targeting younger audiences often feature fast cuts and dynamic visuals, while content for older demographics might be slower and more detailed. Step 5: Content Audit and Refinement After you’ve created and shared your content, it’s essential to audit its performance. Look at engagement metrics to identify what’s working and what isn’t. Compare your content with successful creators in your niche using the viral validated method. This involves examining successful pieces of content to understand their structure, presentation, and interaction with the audience. Here’s a quick checklist for auditing your content: * Credibility: Are you establishing your authority effectively? * Relatability: Does your audience connect with you? * Problem Significance: Is the problem you're addressing significant enough? * Content Execution: Is your content engaging and well-structured? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    20 min
  7. Who Are You Writing For?

    09/30/2024

    Who Are You Writing For?

    Who are you writing for? When you’re starting, every piece of content you write is a test - trying to learn what resonates with the potential audience. So you write. About what interests you. About what you’re learning. About what you believe will add value. But after you’ve written 10-15 articles, you have a choice. You can continue to write what you want - ignoring the reach and engagement data. Or, you can adjust. You can continue writing what interests you. Or you can look at the data and write more around the topics that “over performed” (had higher reach or more engagement). If you’re writing for yourself, then keep writing about what interests you. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this But don’t expect to build an audience doing so. You build an audience by showing empathy, meeting them where they’re at, and helping them with what they’re interested in. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    4 min

  8. 09/25/2024

    The CORE Skill You Need in Any Business

    What if I told you the most valuable skill in business is not selling or product development, but something far simpler? This skill is the foundation of everything you do in business… Is the key to customer acquisition… And is the fastest way to test ideas. That skill, is… Writing. In this episode, I'll prove it to you. If you’re a non-fiction writer who’s struggling to make money, you’re in the right place. Building a business and being great at writing are two different skills. I send out an occasional short email with business and productivity tips for non-fiction writers. ⁠Click here to join the Writerpreneur Email List. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewriterpreneur.substack.com

    10 min
See All (36)

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

If you're a writer struggling to make money with your writing, you're in the right place. You know the craft. I'll teach you the business. Join over 1,000 other non-fiction writers who are learning business. Join the Writerpreneur Email Community at GabrielKlingman.com thewriterpreneur.substack.com

Information