“The accumulation of information isn’t learning. Lots of people have heads full of information they don’t know what to do with.” – Benjamin Hardy
👋 Hi! I’m Tom, and this is the Best Writing Newsletter (Issue #4).
Every Thursday, I send great reads, cool tools, jobs, tips, and friendly encouragement to do your best writing.
It's vacation mode here in Alicante, Spain.
The streets are full of tourists, but I don't know them and they don’t know me.
🤔 While observing people, I thought, “If I want to connect with like-minded people, how do I do it?”
Writing is the answer.
It's one of the best ways to connect with people.
Even if you’re letting your thoughts out of your head, it can be liberating and helpful in attracting like-minded people.
Let me explain why.
If you’re like me, your interests change with time.
I remember in my early 20s, I was obsessed with personal development.
I was curious to learn everything to create the best version of myself and made many friends with similar interests.
Now, my interests changed, but it’s not reflected in my writing.
So how do I connect with the right people interested in the same things I am?
Write and publish it.
I restarted my personal newsletter, Life Designed, by sharing my favorite 12 problems and have already connected with interesting people trying to achieve similar goals.
Today's takeaway?
Write about the things you're curious about. You'll be surprised when like-minded people start reaching out.
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Best Reads
Favorite stories from Writer News.
🏦 Make Your First $100. Neville Medhora shows you how to make your first $100 as a freelance writer. If this step-by-step guide with scripts included doesn't land you a gig this weekend, you're just being too lazy. Read this and take action.
📝 Life-Changing Blog. One of my favorite writers, Nat Eliason, shows you how to start a blog that changes your life.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t promote Bluehost or some other questionable services. Blogging changed my life and I’m convinced it can change yours too.
🤑 Commercial Writing Skills. Jimmy Daly, the co-founder of Superpath, shares excellent advice for making more money writing.
Follow the money. Take an interest in strategy. Then take ownership. Develop complementary skills. Invest in yourself—with cold, hard cash. Seek perfection in your own writing.
📚 Summarize Books Like a Pro. Tiago Forte, the author of Building a Second Brain, argues that creating a book summary requires a surprising amount of creativity. Because the truth is, these are much more than summaries. They are reinterpretations.
✍️ Writer News is a new place for writers to share their work, get feedback, and discuss writing. It’s invite only. If you want one, respond to this email.
Interesting apps and software for curious writers.
Mailbrew. Beautiful automated newsletters to stop your scrolling addiction. Pick your sources, customize
your emails, set the frequency and you're good to go. Another similar tool I use and love is Stoop.
NeuraCache. It’s a long-term memory assistant in your pocket. Create flashcards with spaced repetition
in your notes. Works with Evernote, Notion, Twitter, Kindle, OneNote, Roam Research, and Markdown.
Foster. Autocorrect can spot missing commas, but it can't give you ideas on making a story funnier or making an argument air-tight. Foster can make your writing shine.
Adios.ai. Say Adiós to unnecessary interruptions. Adiós brings your emails into your inbox just 3 times a
day, so you can get stuff done.
Writing Tip of the Week
Use the AIDA model. The AIDA model is a copywriting formula that stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action used to
convert readers into customers.
- Attention: Catch your audience’s attention to create awareness.
- Interest: Drive interest by connecting with your reader.
- Desire: Generate desire by explaining what they get out of it.
- Action: Move your reader to take action.
It’s a simple and easy-to-remember framework you can use for almost anything. Think landing pages, blog posts, sales pitches, or outreach campaigns.
Here’s an example from Siege Media illustrating how to use the AIDA model when writing emails.
Best Writing Examples
Discover sharp copy, inspiring quotes, and powerful messaging from the best apps, websites, magazines, and books.
Microcopy matters. It delights users when least expected and adds more trust. After all, you care about people that care about you. Instead of generic placeholder text, Typeform hid the Easter egg in the email field.
Not all writing has to be static. With modern digital technology, there are even more opportunities to be creative. Check the interactive headline on Beaconstac’s
homepage. Each word provides extra context and social proof when hovered over.
Pick a fight addressing the common truth no one wants to discuss, but everyone knows it’s true. Here’s a cheeky print ad by Porsche.
Food for Thought
“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou
“The late literary giant Saul Bellow would call someone with the ability to spot important details among noise a ‘first-class noticer.’ This is a key difference between those who learn more quickly than others.” – Shane Snow
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” – Carl Sagan
"An education can’t be “hacked”; there are no shortcuts besides hacking it every single day." – Ryan Holiday
“If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody.” – Damian Lillard
Did You Know?
Ernest Hemingway dedicated a book to each of his four wives. Each
time he divorced, Hemingway was married again within the year—but he always left something behind in print. 👰♀️👰♀️👰♀️👰♀️
More: 15 Strange Things About Ernest Hemingway
Best Writing Jobs
Find your next writing job, freelance gig, or side hustle.
- Full-Time Technical Writer at Bazaarvoice (Bengaluru, India)
- Full-Time Psychology Writer at Lotic.ai (Remote)
- Full-Time Technical Writer at Mediaocean (Remote)
- Full-Time Marketing Content Manager at Pearson (London, UK)
- Full-Time Content Marketing Manager at Ancoris (Bracknell, UK)
- Full-Time Proposal Writer at Renaissance (Remote)
- Copywriter Intern at Literati (Austin, US)
- Full-Time UX Writer at Wolt (Remote)
- Full-Time Writer at iDE (Denver, US)
💼 Check all open roles or become a member to get daily job alerts.
Hiring writers? Use the code “FIRSTJOB” at checkout to get $100 off your first job post.
What’s New at Best Writing?
📰 We published a new article:
💁🏽♂️ Last week, we posted 30+ new jobs. Added Daniel Banting and Ananya Tiwari to the writer directory (here’s how to get listed if
you’re a writer).
Did You Like the Newsletter?
Please share it with a friend. 😉
Want to get featured or collaborate? Send me your ideas, and I’ll respond. Yes, it’s me, a real human being writing these emails.
Feeling generous? ☕️ Tip $5. We’ll spend it on coffee.
Want to become a sponsor? 💬 Let’s talk.
Until next week,
Tomas Laurinavicius (your writing friend)
Co-founder, Best Writing (formerly Content Writing Jobs)
P.S. Artificial intelligence is taking over. 🤖
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