Just before the coronavirus hit us in early 2020, I had a successful business writing for clients, and everything looked bright.
Then the coronavirus arrived, and my clients began to stop requesting content because they were uncertain about the situation.
From one day to the next, my turnover fell by more than 50%, and I was a little panicked.
I couldn't pay myself a salary – and that's the worst nightmare when you're self-employed.
I was down for a few weeks, but then I started looking around: What could I do?
I thought, ‘If I can't write for people, maybe I should teach people how to write?’
I sat down and developed a course on how to write better. I wanted to run it online, as it was in the middle of the pandemic.
I launched the workshop, and few people signed up.
I did a few other workshops, and the result was the same: few sign-ups.
I thought about the whole situation.
I had asked around and researched whether there was a need for my workshops – and there was.
But I didn't have a large enough audience to sell eight spots on a workshop.
So I took my own medicine and started building my audience.
I felt a little stupid, as I had just written a book on the same subject.
I focused on building my audience, and I sold more places on my workshops.
So you would think everything was fine – until the end of 2022, when ChatGPT came into the world.
Within a few months, everyone could write using ChatGPT, and my regular workshops on teaching people to write were no longer selling.
I could have given up and found a new way to make a living, but luckily I'm a curious soul.
So I adopted AI and taught myself how to use it.
I created my first workshop on writing with AI, and it sold out in a matter of hours. It went really well.
Why did my workshop sell so well?
The headline of this newsletter is a bit misleading, of course, but that's because I've since focused on building my audience every single day.
Not just building new products.
Not just making my audience bigger, but letting it grow with the right people.
So my advice to you is: You should also focus on building your audience continuously, all the time. And it's easier than you think if you have a plan for it.
Kind regards,
René Hjetting
Your friend with the sharp pen 🖊️
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