Become a Writer Today

AI tools like ChatGPT are all the rage these days. While they won't write everything effectively for you, they can be a real time saver if used correctly. So rather than opening up Microsoft Word or Google Docs and wondering how you will write some compelling copy for your customers or clients, you can use a tool like ChatGPT. It'll generate headlines for you. It could help you turn product features into benefits and give you a good angle or an introduction for your emails, your sales page, or even your blog post about your latest product or service. Not only that, but these tools take away some of the mystery surrounding copywriting. In other words, they make it easier for everybody to express themselves. And if you're a writer working online, copywriting is a valuable skill because it will help you sell your products, services, books, articles, and, of course, your ideas.In this week's interview, I caught up with the expert copywriter, Neville Medhora. He runs swipefile.com, a fantastic website if you want to browse new and old copy that has stood the test of time. He also runs copywritingcourse.com, where you can get your copy workshops from Neville and his team. In this episode, we discuss:How Neville got started way back in 1998How Neville built a successful finance blogNeville's approach to using AI tools to write copyThe art of using a swipe fileHow to grow your platform as a writerResources:SwipefileCopy Writing CourseSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

This week, I caught up with a highly successful Amazon indie author. His name is Marc Reklau. He's from Germany but lives in Budapest, Hungary. Marc got into the self-publishing game about ten years ago, when selling books on platforms like Amazon was much easier. He writes about personal development, self-help and covers topics like productivity, happiness, habits, and money. He also uses Amazon ads prolifically to sell copies of his non-fiction books. Believe it or not, he's had a huge success selling books translated into different languages, specifically Spanish.I was fascinated to hear about Marc's approach – firstly, to writing his books and, secondly, to promoting them via Amazon ads. In this episode, we discuss:Marc's process for promoting his workTranslating your books into different languagesMarc's insights into self-publishing Resources:Marc's websiteSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

When writing for YouTube, many top channel creators say the headline for a video and the thumbnail are the two most important things creators must consider. So, what can you do if you need help writing your headline and figuring out a complementary thumbnail? What other channels do you consider if you want to start a YouTube channel that complements your blog, book, or writing?This week's interviewee is Jake Thomas. He's developed a fantastic product, which I recommend you check out. It's called Creator Hooks and Creator Hooks Pro. Creator Hooks is a free newsletter where Jake debunks or analyzes top YouTube videos, including their headlines, the thumbnails, and what made them go viral.Creator Hooks Pro is like a swipe file where you can get in-depth insights into these videos. It's a real time saver for writing headlines and gives me ideas for other videos. In this episode, we discuss:How Jake came up with Creator HooksThe best way to use itWhat's working on YouTube todayEven if you're not currently running a YouTube channel, the principles behind headlines, thumbnails, imagery, and so on come straight from the world of copywriting. You can apply them to other types of writing, including — yes, you guessed it — blog posts, newsletters, Twitter threads, social media, and so on.Resources:Creator HooksSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

There's never been a better time to be a writer. We have so many different ways of finding readers and getting our work in front of them. You can self-publish a book, which is fantastic because you don't have to rely on gatekeepers. But let's face it. Self-publishing takes a little bit of time, and you have to invest in a book cover. You've also got to spend money on advertising now, and so on.But what if there's a different way? Enter serialization. Famous authors, from Charles Dickens to Agatha Christie, have all serialized their works. The good news is, it's easier than ever to do it today. Perhaps, the best place to serialize your book is on Substack. I've interviewed several top Substack publication owners over the past few years. But this week's interview is a good one. It's with Sarah Fay, a creative writing professor at Northwestern in the United States. She's also an author at HarperCollins. In this episode, we discuss: Sarah's two different Substack publicationsHer exact process for serializationKey things to do before you serialize your book or workWhatever stage your current writing project is at, serialization is a great way to practice your work in public and connect with your readers.Resources:Writers at Work with Sarah FaySupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

If you're writing or creating content online, then Web3 could be the future. Years ago, many people were sceptical about blogging and didn't see it as a viable way for writers to earn a living. Then it was self-publishing, sometimes considered a bit scammy and not a great way for authors to sell their books directly to their fans.That's the place Web3 is at today. Many people look at the technologies surrounding Web3 — I'm talking about cryptocurrency, the blockchain, and NFTs — with much scepticism.In some cases, they are right. However, Web3 could be how content creators work online to build a relationship directly with their followers and fans. And if you're a writer, it could represent the future of how you write or create something that your readers like to collect or want to own. In this week's interview, I met one of the NFT space's best-known content creators. His name is Zeneca. I asked him how he researches, creates, and writes content in such a new and emerging space.If you feel like you've missed out, or it's too late to get involved in such a technical space, then fear not because Zeneca has a number of takeaways that will help you get started.In this episode, we discuss:how Zeneca got started on Twitter before iterating into different platformshow technologies within Web3 are constantly adapting and changingusing both Web3 and Web2 tools to build a relationship with an audience Resources:One37, ZenecaSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

ChatGPT is fast becoming the biggest trend of 2023. But what does that mean for writers?Like many, I've been using ChatGPT intermittently over the past few weeks and months for various parts of the writing process. I don't describe myself as an advanced ChatGPT user, but I use it for some administrative aspects of running a blog and content websites. For example, I use it to generate iterations of headlines, write SEO meta descriptions, create ideas for FAQs that I put at the bottom of articles, and even develop article outlines. However, I do not use ChatGPT or AI tools to write an entire article because, let's face it, the results can be mixed. I still like to insert some personality and research into the pieces I might write.AI tools can be a real time saver. I even used an AI tool to help develop a headline for this week's podcast episode. So, if you're listening to this, you must have found the headline at least slightly engaging. That said, many writers and creatives from other professions, particularly artists, are worried about how AI will potentially replace them. In this week's interview, I caught up with the Canadian AI author, Tim Boucher. He describes how he uses multiple AI tools to produce short-form fiction. One key thing Tim said struck me. He's not using AI to produce his short stories and novels faster or more efficiently. If anything, he's using AI to experiment and explore different creative approaches.In this episode, we discuss:the tools Tim is usinghis writing promptshow AI is helping him experimentResources:Tim's websiteSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

There are endless ways writers and authors can connect with readers. An author website, TikTok, YouTube, personal newsletters, Substack, the list goes on. But how do you identify which is the right discovery platform for you? This week I was fascinated to catch up with a content creator who has succeeded multiple times across different platforms. He has a popular personal newsletter and writes about Web3 and cryptocurrency. He's also a well-known book talker. I'm talking about Nat Eliason, who creates content on various discovery platforms.Now, my key takeaway from talking to Nat is that it's still crucial to connect directly with your readers. And for writers, that hasn't changed.In this episode, we discuss:the best way to connect with your readershow Nat gets subscribers organically within the Substack appwriting a cryptocurrency bookpersonal knowledge managementResources:Nat's websiteSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

In this week's episode, I interview a creative writing instructor who works in a local county prison to instruct inmates on the practice of journaling. Tina Welling is a big believer in the therapeutic power of this practice. She's also a big believer in the link between creativity and nature. Those are two themes that she addresses in her recent books. I'm going to cover both in this week's podcast episode.I was particularly fascinated to catch up with a writing instructor focusing on journaling because journaling is a fantastic practice for anybody, particularly for writers. It helps you get into the habit of writing regularly. You don't have to ask permission from anybody to journal. It enables you to express yourself through the written word.And it will give you source material that you could use later on. Best of all, you can't get journaling wrong. After all, when you write an entry, usually — unless you decide to do something with it later — it's for you and you alone.In this week's episode, Tina Welling explains how she teaches prison inmates how to journal. She also talks about the link between journaling and therapy. Resources:Tina's website.Support the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

What are the skills you need to write successfully online today? In this week's episode, I caught up with Dickie Bush. Now, you may already know Dickie Bush because he has nearly 330,000 followers on Twitter. He's the co-founder of Typeshare, a fantastic online writing tool. And he also runs Ship 30 for 30, an online writing course I took a year ago. I was really excited to catch up with Dickie because he's an expert in writing online, specifically on Twitter. One of my key takeaways from talking to Dickie is how he looks at the creative process. In this episode, we discuss: how he transitioned from working as a trader at BlackRockchoosing your subject matterhow to supplement your subject with information and datahow he co-formed TypeshareDickie is getting ready to launch a new cohort of Ship 30 for 30. I have added the link below so you can sign up. It really is an excellent course. If you haven't written much online and perhaps lack confidence about publishing your work on Twitter or other platforms, or you want to see how an expert does it and learn about their tactics and strategies, then I would encourage you to take this particular course.Resources:Ship 30 for 30 CourseTypeshareDickie's websiteSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

My guest this week is a prolific horror author. His name is Chris Coppel. He's the author of more than a dozen books in this genre. Chris also has a famous father who wrote a screenplay for a film that I guarantee you'll know, which has had a huge cultural impact. I was fascinated to catch up with Chris.In this episode, we discuss:how Chris approaches writing horrorhow to sustain interest in one genrewhy you should write what you love to readand his famous dadResources:Chris's websiteSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!