So Good They Can’t Ignore You

That’s the title of an excellent book by Cal Newport 📖

The words come from comedian Steve Martin, who gives the following advice to aspiring performers…

Nobody ever takes note of [my advice], because it’s not the answer they wanted to hear. What they want to hear is “Here’s how you get an agent, here’s how you write a script”… but I always say, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

A recent example of that in practice: after hearing a popular podcaster complaining about their podcast set up and marketing, Henry Belcaster quickly put together a 2-minute video showcasing how he could improve it.

As a result, the podcaster hired him to do just that 🥳

This approach is also effective for landing writing gigs.

The basic principle is that instead of TELLING people how you can help them – which is what most freelancers do when they apply for a job – you actually SHOW them up front.

That way, there’s no doubt in their mind that you can deliver.