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Bonus: Snow Leopard: How Legendary Writers Create a Category Of One | Nicolas Cole, Author and Co-Founder of Category Pirates

Sep 9, 2023

01:22:00

Snipd AI

Nicolas Cole, one of the internet’s most-read writers, shares insights on reverse engineering written work, the power of niches for writers, and the importance of category creation. They discuss the content pyramid, the difference between more views and more dollars, and how to create a category. The podcast explores creating a category of one, non-obvious connections, and debunking myths about writing and category creation.

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Quick takeaways

Focus on providing value and insights within a specific niche to stand out as a writer.

Transition from passive content consumption to active participation by curating and sharing valuable resources.

Make non-obvious connections between ideas to attract engaged followers and offer unique perspectives.

Deep dives

Level One: Consumption

In level one of the content pyramid, individuals are primarily consuming content rather than creating their own. This involves scrolling through social media, reading articles, and listening to podcasts without actively engaging or contributing their own ideas. The goal of level one is to transition from passive consumption to active participation.

Traits of Successful Graduates and the Importance of Niche

01:57

The Fear of Being Different and the Entrepreneurial Mindset

02:00

Desire for Fame, Content Free Content, and Issues with Marketing Strategies

02:15

The Importance of Planning and the Myth of Personal Story in Marketing

02:56

Introduction

2min

From Ghostwriter to Software Entrepreneur

8min

Ship 30 for 30: Consistency and Transformation

7min

Exploring 'Snow Leopard': How Legendary Writers Create a Category of One

3min

Creating a Category of One

24min

Creating Non-Obvious Connections

20min

The Myth of Content Success

13min

Unexpected Solutions and Writing Courses

2min

“Writers without niches are starving artists. Because again, they’re just competing in these massive competitions. Writers with niches are category kings.” — Nicolas Cole

Nicolas Cole shares the lessons he’s learned as one of the internet’s most-read writers, including why he’s fascinated with reverse engineering written work—from James Patterson novels to Twitter threads—into templates writers can use, why all great writing changes the reader, why his superpower is his ability to endure boring things for longer than others, and so much more.

EPISODE GUIDE AND TRANSCRIPT

https://www.outlieracademy.com/episode/140

WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5QJhLoabFV1ZZfgVIIWmGqjKzbhe0N7o

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) - Introduction
(00:07:37) - Service Businesses, Linear vs Infinite Scaling, and Picking a Bag of Problems
(00:10:02) - Ship 30 for 30 and Finding Your Niche
(00:17:01) - The Origin Story of Category Pirates and Snow Leopard
(00:20:13) - Category Creation, Competition, and Being Different vs Better
(00:28:48) - Content-Free Content and Blinding Glimpses of the Obvious
(00:35:34) - The Content Pyramid: Levels One, Two, and Three
(00:49:44) - The Content Pyramid: Level Four (Making Non-Obvious Connections)
(00:55:32) - Debunking Common Myths About Writing and Category Creation
(01:04:10) - The Difference Between More Views and More Dollars
(01:11:37) - What is Category Creation?
(01:14:27) - How to Create a Category: Weird Problem + Weird Solution

ABOUT THE BOOK

Snow Leopard: How Legendary Writers Create A Category Of One by Category Pirates (Nicolas Cole, Christopher Lochhead, and Eddie Yoon) shares why all legendary writers who stand the test of time create a category of one. In decades past, David Ogilvy, Gary Halbert, Leo Burnett, Gary Bencivenga, Al Ries & Jack Trout, and many more master communicators have all written about the psychology behind how messages spread. Snow Leopard builds on their work with dozens of new insights and frameworks, and brings category creation and design into the digital age.

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