This should only take about 8 mins to read.

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This issue is focused on: The Power of Words.

You’ve been convinced by words one way or another.

You’ve been sucked in by words, whether you like it or not. Someone has convinced you to buy, read, engage, or share. That’s ok — it’s not a bad thing.

Many people underestimate the power of words — but it’s all around us. Everything we get sucked into is through words.

• A product label at the store.
• The sign in front of the bar or cafe.
• The billboard you see when you drive.
• The news you read.
• And I am sure you can think of 100 more things.

Words evoke emotion — something either hits you, or it doesn’t. The first few moments of reading something are crucial.

Product and Service Marketing — convince and sell.

How you talk about your product or service will vastly differ from how you speak to a human about it face to face.

The power of words with your business can be the make-it-or-break-it point. How the customer discovers you, all the way to them giving you money for a product or service, it’s a long process.

• Attract.
• Convince.
• Satisfy.
• Retain.
• Repeat.

Here is a rough journey of a customer finding you:

1. They search for something on google.
2. They click on your business.
3. They read a few main words, and it’s decision time — do I stay or go?
4. Let’s assume the best; they stay.
5. Now you must keep them there for a few more seconds and convince them you’re the right choice.
6. Let’s assume (again) you win that battle, and they reach out to you for your product or service.
7. With a product, you have the user right then and there; you must provide a virtual experience.
8. With a service, you got them to contact you — now you have to go through your sales process. You have to convince them to commit to you.
9. You must retain that client when that’s all set and done.

It’s a long process. It takes nurturing. It takes empathy. It takes energy. It’s worth it.

Newsletters — exciting and engaging.

Newsletters are more story-based, and there is time to evolve the reader, but you still need that hook — you need that reason for someone to read.

You are becoming a resource for that subscriber/reader. They have labeled you (the writer) as someone they trust on a specific topic or industry — you are one of the few go-to’s.

It’s important to deliver value and drive engagement constantly.

• Convince them to open your email — the subject.
• Convince them to read — the hook.
• Convince them to engage — the story.
• Convince them to come back — giving action steps.

This is the cycle that you have to re-create and get better at constantly. You have to put the reps in. It’s not a one-shot kill.

Writing a newsletter requires a few things:

• Strong ideas.
• Consuming the correct information.
• Following a passionate topic.
• Gauging your users and what works for them.

With newsletters, you are only delivering to the people who exclusively want to hear from you, but how do you attract more people to join? Use other avenues such as social media, services, and products.

Social media — quick and catchy.

Social media is an entirely different game — you have milliseconds to grab attention, or you become dead on scroll.

Things have to be broken down into smaller chunks, consumable. Learn to break down your long-form writing into smaller bite-size snacks for the reader. They don’t want to read long sentences; they want bullet points with 3-5 words.

What’s important:

• Hooks
• Content
• Bringing value
• Teaching something
• Sharing something readers haven’t read before.

It’s a constant work in progress because your goal is to tap into that nerve.

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Here is your action plan to jumpstart the process:

Start by writing long-form braindumps. Start with bullet points to get some ideas out of your brain.

Long-form writing allows you to get your entire thought process out; it will enable you to freestyle.

Once you’ve freestyle'd, step away and come back after a few hours to edit.

Writing will change your life. Guaranteed.

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Top of mind topic: Positive Energy

I think about this A LOT. When shit gets bad, it's easy to go down a rabbit hole and stay there. You need positive people around you, people that will uplift you on the good days and the bad days. Also you have to reciprocate that from your end when someone else needs it.

Surround yourself with a small group that's always going to be there for you and you will be there for them. Be authentic. Show love. Show empathy.

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2-3 of the tweets from the week.

Tweet 1: The timing of this thread from Rob could not come at a better time. Writers, please read!

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Tweet 2: This tweet from Syed is a simple breakdown on consuming and creating content.

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My tweet for the week: All about building a brand on Twitter, sprucing up that profile, and creating killer content.

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Podcast stuff:

Thank you if you’ve been following the podcast so far. This week there won’t be a new episode of What is my brain? However, now you can find some awesome clips from Season 1 on YouTube.

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Check out the YouTube playlist for Season 1

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One tool I like or use:

Tool of the week: Canva

URL: https://www.canva.com/​

Why Canva is so awesome:

Canva has completely transformed the design landscape. You can literally create banners, hero images, graphics, and any other assets with a few clicks. They also just added the option of creating an entire website directly inside Canva.

I can't say enough great things, so just go use the damn thing!

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That's a wrap for issue #18.

Email me at z@zlatkobijelic.com if you are building something. I'd love to know what you're working on and if there is anything I can do to help you (not a sales pitch).

Random question:​
How many times have you have you screwed something up, just to realize it doesn't really matter?

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Checkout some of my products here.

If you are interested in 1:1 business coaching, go here and see how I can help you.

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Follow me on Twitter​

Follow me on LinkedIn.

Listen to my podcast.