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Entrepreneurship

My Journey to Find $1000 Client as a Freelance Content Writer: Discovered my Double Niche

My Journey to Finding a Double Niche as a Freelance Content Writer

In late 2013, I was navigating the unpredictable world of freelance writing in India. At the time, I was paid Rs. 500 for an 800-word article. Fast forward to 2018, I won my first $1000 client. It took almost 5 years to realise I deserve better. I had my daughter in 2017, and I told myself, something needs to change. And, that was – “I need to shift my perspective. I need to change my lens.”

Does it take 5 years? NO. You don’t have to wait that long.

I am sharing my story to encourage freelance content writers and make them believe that they can aim high and achieve things that you dream of.

Whatever happened between the gig that paid me peanuts, and the assignment that changed everything. When, I did not know who I was writing for and what I was writing, I felt like a jack-of-all-trades, struggling to carve out a specific niche that could elevate my career.

But when I landed on a $1000 client, I realised the importance of a niche and then doubling down my niche to secure my career.

My Double Niche

My first niche was Marketing Technology (MarTech) and second was Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This story is about how I arrived at them, and how you can arrive at it faster.

MarTech: My First Niche

I have been a marketer since 2006. Marketing as an industry was being changed by technology rapidly in 2017-18. Marketing Automation Platforms were on a rise, finding their sweet spot. Account-based marketing was a sought after strategy to land on enterprise clients. Personalization in customer experience became a must-have. Everyone was recommending a Chatbot to the martech stack. And, the words AI and machine learning were being infused into everything other positioning statement.

In general I got curious about how technology was changing the way people do marketing. I started reading a lot and then started writing about it. This lead me to give critical insights, and owned a PoV with strong opinions about MarTech as an emerging sector. I loved the attention as I got better at it.

That led me to realise that MarTech was as effortless niche that I can empathise with and write for a living. That was a defining moment that led me to choose MarTech as my first niche.

AI: My Second Niche

Everyone is an AI expert, and I wanted to be one too.

But, let me tell you, it was definitely not as easy as I thought.

When I was writing for a digital marketing agency as a ghost writer I stumbled upon the importance of understanding and exploring AI. To begin with AI just meant a chatbot with human names. Then, I started digging deeper.

Eventually, I drilled down my interest to Generative AI (GenAI). Because as a writer I was insecure about being wiped out of work. It seemed too cool to be true, and scary to believe.

But, here I am in the profession of writing prompts and making life easy for many companies. This is a much longer story and something for later.

The Turning Point: Landing a $1000 Client

From the time I decided I need to stick to a niche until I actually found a $1000 client in 2018, it took 6 months. Trust me this could have been shorter, if not for my mistakes and naivety. My journey took a pivotal turn six months later when I landed my first $1000 client. This client was a martech startup, from my first niche.

Let’s pause here.

The Power of a Double Niche

Identifying my double niche in martech and AI was not an overnight process; it was a culmination of months of exploration and learning. Here’s how I pieced it together non-linearly:

  1. Self-Assessment and Skill Inventory:
    • Reflecting on my strengths in technical writing and my passion for marketing, I knew I needed to find a niche that leveraged both. Writing about martech and AI seemed like a perfect fit, given my growing expertise in these areas.
  2. Market Research:
    • I continuously monitored industry trends and demands. Reports from Gartner, MarTech, Scott Brinker, McKinsey and BCG to understand complex technologies to a broader audience. Reading became an everyday habit. This helped me be in a prescriptive mode rather than a doer mode.
  3. Client Feedback:
    • Feedback from my clients helped me simplify technical concepts, making them accessible and engaging. Collaborative brainstorming helped me validate many of my ideas.
  4. Networking and Community Involvement:
    • LinkedIn was my universe of meeting new people. While I got 50% of my new gigs from word of mouth, the other 50% was from Linkedin.
  5. Content Analysis:
    • Using tools like Google Keyword Planner, I identified high-demand, low-competition keywords related to martech and AI. This SEO-driven approach helped my content reach a wider audience and attract more clients.

Future-Proof your writing career

By the end of 2018, I had established myself as a specialist in martech and AI writing. The journey was challenging, but it was also incredibly rewarding. Understanding and embracing these niches allowed me to offer unique value to my clients, secure higher-paying projects, and build a sustainable freelance career. The experience taught me the importance of continuous learning and adaptability, especially as a freelance writer.

Reflecting on my journey, I am grateful for the serendipitous discoveries that came my way from my double niche. It transformed not only my career but also my approach to freelance writing,

Here is how you can identify your Double Niche using GenAI tools.

Categories
AI-Prompts-for-Writing

Double Niche Strategy: Find $1000 client now and future-proof your writing career

If you are on your own as a Freelance Content Writer, then you need to build a strong and secure infrastructure for yourself. To make that happen you have to play a dual-role. I did this by not only wearing the hat of a creative geek, but also an investor. Investors think long-term. If I have to stick in this game, then I needed a diversified portfolio of clients. That was possible only with a ‘Double Niche Strategy’.

Having a double-niche as a freelance writer is like being a successful investor with a diversified portfolio. Just as savvy investors don’t put all their eggs in one basket, freelance writers shouldn’t solely rely on a single niche. Let’s take a cue from the investing legend, Warren Buffett. The richest man of the world for a very long time.

Diversified Client Portfolio: Inspired by Warren Buffet

Buffett is famous for his value investing approach, but he didn’t achieve his remarkable success by solely focusing on one sector or industry. Instead, he diversified his investments across various sectors, ranging from consumer goods to technology, ensuring that his portfolio was resilient to market fluctuations and shifts in consumer preferences.

Similarly, as a freelance writer, having a double-niche strategy will future-proof your long-term success. Your first niche acts as your cash cow, providing you with a steady stream of well-paying clients and projects in the short term. This niche should align with your current expertise and the immediate demand in the market.

Just as industries and consumer preferences evolve, so do writing trends and demands. This is where your second niche comes into play. By identifying and positioning yourself in an emerging, high-growth niche, you future-proof your career and ensure that you remain relevant and in-demand as the market shifts.

A Niche for now and for later: A sustainable Freelancing business

A double-niche strategy allows you to plan for both short-term and long-term financial goals. Your first niche should help you find high-paying clients for the current year and the next 2-3 years, while your second niche should position you for a more lucrative future, ensuring your dominance as a writer in that domain.

For example, my first niche has been marketing technology (MarTech), which gave me my first few high-paying clients immediately. My second niche was Artificial Intelligence (AI), a promising field with long-term growth potential. It is paying me now.

Imagine being a freelance writer specializing in marketing content for the e-commerce industry (your first niche) while simultaneously building expertise in the field of artificial intelligence (your second niche). As AI continues to revolutionize various industries, including e-commerce, your skills in this second niche will become increasingly valuable, opening doors to new opportunities and allowing you to command higher rates.

As a single freelance writer without human writing assistance, you can manage 5 to 8 high-paying clients simultaneously using this double-niche approach. The ideal strategy is to have 3-4 clients from your first niche and 2-3 clients from your second niche, allowing you to work on topics you love while diversifying your client portfolio.

Just as Buffett’s diversified portfolio has weathered economic storms and capitalized on emerging trends, your double-niche strategy will provide you with a stable income stream while positioning you for long-term success in an ever-evolving industry.

Remember, successful freelance writers are not just writers; they are strategic entrepreneurs who understand the importance of diversifying their skillset and staying ahead of the curve. By embracing the double-niche approach, you can build a future-proof, sustainable freelance writing business.

A double-niche allows you to plan for the current year and for the years to come.

How to identify and determine your ‘Double-Niche’?

Back in 2018, I didn’t have the privilege of GenAI. I did this over a period of 6 months. But today, you are a lucky writer since you are living in the era of GenAI. You can achieve all this in probably 1 hour only because I consider a coffee break during this exercise 😉

Step 1: Use topic modeling

My favorite GenAI tool for topic modeling: Claude AI

Topic modeling is a technique that helps identify the main topics or themes in a given text corpus. You can provide Claude with a set of articles, blog posts, or content related to your areas of interest or expertise. Don’t worry if you feel these interesting topics are scattered. They may not have a theme to begin with.

PROMPT ALERT:

“Here is a collection of articles on [topic]: [paste article text]. Can you identify the key topics and themes discussed in these articles using topic modeling?”

Claude can then analyze this content and suggest the prominent topics or themes. These topics can help you identify potential short-term or long-term niches. You can try ChatGPT 4o also to explore this prompt.

Step 2: Perform keyword research

Once you have these topics, identify the topic that resonates the most with. Choose a first niche topic where your strength lies. If you have a very difficult list, pick was seems the easiest and the most interesting. It has to be a low-hanging fruit which means you should be able to deliver great content effortlessly.

PROMPT ALERT:

“I’m interested in the topic of [topic from step 1]. Can you provide a list of relevant high-volume, low-competition keywords and their average pay rates or client budgets based on search data analysis?”

The AI will provide a list of keywords along with estimated pay rates, helping you identify lucrative niche areas.

In addition to identifying high-volume, low-competition keywords, analyze the average pay rates and client budgets associated with those keywords. This data can help you identify high-paying niches for your short-term and long-term goals.

Here is what it produced:

I used ChatGPT 4o for this.

Here are some relevant high-volume, low-competition keywords for the topic “GenAI for freelance content writers,” along with insights on their average pay rates or client budgets based on search data analysis.

High-Volume, Low-Competition Keywords

  1. AI Writing Tools for Freelancers
    • Search Volume: High
    • Competition: Low
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $500 – $1,000 per project
  2. GenAI Content Creation for Writers
    • Search Volume: Medium
    • Competition: Low
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $300 – $700 per project
  3. Freelance AI Content Writing Services
    • Search Volume: High
    • Competition: Low
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $700 – $1,200 per project
  4. Using GenAI for Blog Writing
    • Search Volume: Medium
    • Competition: Low
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $400 – $900 per project
  5. AI Tools for Copywriting
    • Search Volume: High
    • Competition: Low
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $500 – $1,100 per project

Insights and Recommendations

  1. Keyword Difficulty and Search Volume:
    • According to SEO analysis tools like SEMrush and Similarweb, focusing on keywords with a keyword difficulty (KD) score below 30 is ideal for new or less authoritative sites. These keywords typically have lower competition and are easier to rank for.
  2. Long-Tail Keywords:
    • Long-tail keywords often have lower competition and clearer search intent, making them valuable for attracting targeted traffic that is more likely to convert.
  3. Search Intent:
    • It’s important to consider search intent when selecting keywords. Keywords with commercial or transactional intent (e.g., “AI writing tools for freelancers”) are more likely to attract potential clients looking to purchase services or tools.

Suggested Strategy

  • Blog Content: Create blog posts targeting these high-volume, low-competition keywords. Optimize your content for SEO by including these keywords naturally in your titles, headings, and throughout your articles.
  • Paid Workshops and Webinars: Mention your paid workshops and webinars in blog posts related to ICP and pricing chapters. Use clear and compelling CTAs to drive sign-ups.
  • Tracking and Adjusting: Use tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush to track the performance of your keywords and adjust your strategy based on what works best.

By targeting these specific keywords, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting clients willing to pay premium rates for your freelance writing services.

For more details on finding and utilizing high-volume, low-competition keywords, you can refer to sources like Ahrefs and SEMrush.

My subsequent PROMPT: What do you mean by per project?

When I refer to “per project,” I mean the payment structure where freelancers are paid a fixed amount for completing a specific piece of work or project, rather than being paid by the hour or per word. Here are some examples to clarify this concept in the context of freelance content writing:

  1. Blog Writing Project: A client might pay a freelance writer $500 to write a comprehensive blog post of 2000 words, including research, writing, and revisions.
  2. Ebook Creation: A freelance writer could be paid $1000 to create a 20-page ebook, covering everything from the initial outline to the final draft.
  3. Website Content: A freelancer might be paid $700 to write the content for a new website, including the homepage, about page, services page, and contact page.

In these examples, the “per project” rate is a lump sum paid to the freelancer upon the completion of the agreed-upon work, regardless of how many hours it takes to complete. This payment method is often preferred for its simplicity and clarity, both for the client and the freelancer.

Average Pay Rates or Client Budgets for Keywords

  1. AI Writing Tools for Freelancers
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $500 – $1,000 per project
    • Details: This range might cover projects like writing detailed guides, creating content for marketing materials, or developing AI-based writing tutorials.
  2. GenAI Content Creation for Writers
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $300 – $700 per project
    • Details: This could involve projects like creating GenAI-enhanced articles, developing AI-driven content strategies, or producing AI-generated content samples.
  3. Freelance AI Content Writing Services
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $700 – $1,200 per project
    • Details: These projects might include comprehensive content packages, ongoing AI-driven content creation, or specialized AI content writing for niche markets.
  4. Using GenAI for Blog Writing
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $400 – $900 per project
    • Details: Projects in this range typically involve writing blog posts optimized with AI tools for SEO, creating AI-assisted blog content, or producing high-quality blog series.
  5. AI Tools for Copywriting
    • Average Pay Rate/Client Budget: $500 – $1,100 per project
    • Details: This could include creating AI-optimized copy for websites, AI-enhanced marketing copy, or developing AI-based copywriting strategies.

By understanding these rates and applying them to the relevant high-volume, low-competition keywords, you can better position yourself in the market and set competitive pricing for your freelance content writing services.

Step 3: Analyze trends with ChatGPT 4o

This step is to identify long-term niches, to analyze industry trends, emerging technologies, or social movements that align with your interests or expertise. GenAI tools can scan through relevant publications, reports, and online discussions to identify promising long-term trends that you could potentially specialize in.

PROMPT ALERT:

To identify long-term niches, use a prompt like:

“Can you analyze industry trends, emerging technologies, or social movements related to [topic from step 1] by scanning relevant publications, reports, and online discussions? Provide insights on promising long-term trends or focus areas.”

Here is what it produced

Industry Trends and Emerging Technologies in GenAI for Freelance Writers

Promising Long-Term Trends:

  1. Augmented Content Creation:
    • Trend: GenAI is revolutionizing content creation by automating routine tasks, enabling freelancers to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their work. Tools like ChatGPT and Jasper are being increasingly adopted for generating high-quality content efficiently.
    • Insight: By integrating GenAI tools into their workflow, freelance writers can enhance productivity and produce content at scale while maintaining quality.
  2. Personalization and Customization:
    • Trend: GenAI is facilitating the creation of personalized content that resonates with target audiences. This includes tailoring blog posts, marketing copy, and social media content to individual preferences and behaviors.
    • Insight: Freelancers who leverage GenAI for personalized content can differentiate themselves in the market, offering clients highly targeted and effective communication strategies.
  3. Ethical AI and Transparency:
    • Trend: As the use of GenAI expands, there is a growing emphasis on ethical AI practices, including transparency, bias mitigation, and inclusivity. Companies are forming AI ethics committees to oversee the responsible use of AI.
    • Insight: Freelance writers who stay informed about ethical AI practices and incorporate them into their services can build trust with clients and position themselves as responsible and forward-thinking professionals.
  4. Upskilling and Adaptability:
    • Trend: The rapid advancement of GenAI technologies necessitates continuous learning and upskilling. Freelancers are expected to understand and utilize these tools effectively.
    • Insight: Investing in learning about GenAI and its applications can provide freelance writers with a competitive edge, enabling them to offer cutting-edge services and stay relevant in the evolving market.

Emerging Technologies:

  1. AI Writing Assistants:
    • Examples: Jasper, ChatGPT, and Writesonic are popular AI writing tools that assist in generating ideas, drafting content, and editing.
    • Impact: These tools help freelancers save time, improve content quality, and enhance creativity by providing suggestions and automating repetitive tasks.
  2. Content Optimization Tools:
    • Examples: Tools like Grammarly and Hemingway are integrating GenAI to provide advanced grammar checks, style suggestions, and readability enhancements.
    • Impact: These technologies ensure that the content produced is polished, error-free, and aligned with the intended tone and audience preferences.
  3. AI-Driven Market Analysis:
    • Examples: Platforms like SEMrush and Ahrefs use AI to analyze market trends, identify high-volume, low-competition keywords, and provide insights into content performance.
    • Impact: Freelancers can use these insights to create content that is both relevant and optimized for search engines, increasing their visibility and attracting more clients.
  4. Generative Design Tools:
    • Examples: Canva and Adobe Spark are incorporating AI to assist in creating visually appealing graphics and multimedia content.
    • Impact: These tools enable freelance writers to enhance their written content with professional-quality visuals, making their offerings more comprehensive and attractive to clients.

By staying abreast of these trends and technologies, freelance writers can harness the power of GenAI to enhance their services, improve efficiency, and meet the evolving demands of the market. Investing in GenAI tools and upskilling will be crucial for long-term success and competitiveness in the freelance writing industry.

Sources:

  • McKinsey, “The competitive advantage of generative AI” (2024)
  • World Economic Forum, “GenAI will be worth trillions. Here’s a roadmap for harnessing it” (2024)
  • Boston Consulting Group, “From Potential to Profit with GenAI” (2024)

Step 4: Evaluate niche profitability

Use Gen AI to evaluate the profitability and earning potential of your identified niches. Analyze factors such as average project values, client budgets, and growth projections to choose the most lucrative niches for your double-niche strategy.

Use a PROMPT like:

“For the following niches: [list niches from previous steps], can you analyze factors such as average project values, client budgets, and growth projections to help me choose the most lucrative options for my short-term and long-term goals as a freelance content writer?” Using price parity principles, please generate this for freelancer content writers living in India. Also show how it is for clients in USA.

The AI will provide an analysis of the profitability and earning potential of each niche, helping you make an informed decision.

Here is an example of how this prompt responds:

For the niches: [Gen AI, fintech, martech], here is an analysis of factors like average project values, client budgets, and growth projections to help you choose the most lucrative options for your short-term and long-term goals as a freelance content writer:

Gen AI:

  • Average Project Value: $5,000 – $15,000 (writing whitepapers, ebooks, case studies)
  • Client Budgets: Tend to be higher for enterprise clients ($10,000+) compared to startups/SMBs ($3,000 – $8,000)
  • Growth Projections: Extremely high growth expected (20%+ CAGR) as AI adoption increases across industries

Fintech:

  • Average Project Value: $3,000 – $10,000 (blog writing, marketing content, product descriptions)
  • Client Budgets: $5,000 – $20,000 typical range for fintech startups/companies
  • Growth Projections: High growth (15%+ CAGR) driven by digital payments, blockchain, open banking

Martech:

  • Average Project Value: $2,000 – $8,000 (case studies, whitepapers, ebooks)
  • Client Budgets: $3,000 – $15,000 for martech companies/agencies
  • Growth Projections: Steady growth (10-12% CAGR) as marketing automation continues evolving

Based on this analysis, Gen AI appears to be the most lucrative long-term niche with extremely high growth potential and clients with larger budgets for high-value content projects like whitepapers and ebooks.

For the short-term, Fintech could be a good option with decent average project values and client budgets across startups/companies in this fast-growing space.

Martech, while still a viable niche, may have relatively lower average project values and growth compared to Gen AI and Fintech.

So a potential double-niche strategy could be: Short-Term (1-3 years): Fintech Long-Term (3+ years): Gen AI

This allows you to earn well in the short-run in Fintech while positioning yourself as an authority in the rapidly emerging Gen AI space for long-term dominance and higher earning potential.

Here is an analysis for Indian freelance content writers with pricing in Indian Rupees for the niches: [Gen AI, fintech, martech]:

Gen AI:

  • Average Project Value: ₹3,50,000 – ₹10,50,000 (writing whitepapers, ebooks, case studies)
  • Client Budgets: Tend to be higher for enterprise clients (₹7,00,000+) compared to startups/SMBs (₹2,10,000 – ₹5,60,000)
  • Growth Projections: Extremely high growth expected (20%+ CAGR) as AI adoption increases across industries

Fintech:

  • Average Project Value: ₹2,10,000 – ₹7,00,000 (blog writing, marketing content, product descriptions)
  • Client Budgets: ₹3,50,000 – ₹14,00,000 typical range for fintech startups/companies
  • Growth Projections: High growth (15%+ CAGR) driven by digital payments, blockchain, open banking

Martech:

  • Average Project Value: ₹1,40,000 – ₹5,60,000 (case studies, whitepapers, ebooks)
  • Client Budgets: ₹2,10,000 – ₹10,50,000 for martech companies/agencies
  • Growth Projections: Steady growth (10-12% CAGR) as marketing automation continues evolving

Based on this analysis for Indian freelance writers, Gen AI appears to be the most lucrative long-term niche with extremely high growth potential and clients with larger budgets for high-value content projects like whitepapers and ebooks.

For the short-term, Fintech could be a good option with decent average project values and client budgets across startups/companies in this fast-growing space.

Martech, while still a viable niche, may have relatively lower average project values and growth compared to Gen AI and Fintech.

A potential double-niche strategy could be: Short-Term (1-3 years): Fintech Long-Term (3+ years): Gen AI

This allows you to earn well in the short-run in Fintech while positioning yourself as an authority in the rapidly emerging Gen AI space for long-term dominance and higher earning potential as an Indian freelance content writer.

Step 5: Refine and finalize your double niche

Based on the insights from the previous steps, refine your niche selection. Your short-term niche should be narrow enough to allow you to quickly establish expertise and attract clients, while your long-term niche should have growth potential and align with your long-term interests or goals.

By leveraging GenAI tools to strategically choose your double niche, you can position yourself for immediate financial success while also securing your long-term earning potential as a freelance content writer.

If you are curious to know my story, how I arrived at my ‘Double Niche’ in a age when there was no GenAI, find the story here.

Categories
Content Scaling Content Workshop

Create 300+ social media posts in 2 weeks: DO IT Framework

How I created 300+ personalized posts in less than 2 weeks using the DO IT Framework?

I failed multiple times to keep the “writing habit” consistent. Working on other priorities or my sick child took precedence of my good intentions to write everyday or rather show up on Linkedin at a designated time.

We are humans. We succumb to emotions and environment. This has been true with me too. It was not my lack of discipline or good intentions. I failed because I didn’t set myself up for success. The systems that I used did not suit me and were outdated. It did not support a family person with a life outside work.

These systems did not suit my lifestyle, my job, my personal constraints.

To validate my curious mind, I ran a survey. It revealed that four aspects of unknowns are creating the trouble.

I evaluated 84 responses. The four most common reasons that my respondents identified with were:

  1. I don’t know who will read it
  2. I don’t know what to write
  3. I don’t have time to write
  4. I don’t know where to publish

I went on to resolve these grey areas with a content experiment. It is called Think Code OS.

The UnknownReal ChallengeHow to solve it?
I don’t know who will read itNo AudienceCreate Personas and align the right Messaging.
I don’t know what to writeNo IdeasSemantic mapping for ideation and then use Content Stacking and Content Chunking
I don’t have time to writeNo TimeAccelerate writing with Content Sprints
I don’t know where to publishNo ChannelThere is no single place. There is always a place for attention and a place for conversion. Deep dive into Content Funnels
Courtesy: Story Scientist

I created a system called Think Code OS that helped me create 300+ social media posts and articles for my Linkedin cadence in about 2 weeks.

Disclaimer: While all this can be done manually, I have used a combination of FREE AI writing tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude AI.

The system is based on a framework called DO IT.

DO-IT: A Creative thinking framework to scale your content in 2 weeks.

DO IT was originally recommended by Robert W Olsen in his book ‘The Art of Creative Thinking’. It is a creative thinking model. As simple as it might sound, it is very powerful and I have applied it here to scale content.

D – defining the problem

O – opening your mind and applying creative techniques

I – identifying the best solution

T – transforming the situation

If you also want to learn how to generate over 90 to 300 content ideas in alignment with your marketing goals, sign up for Think Code OS.

Step #1 What is the Core Problem that you are trying to solve?

This step takes 2 – 3 days.

For Founders and Solopreneurs who are building their own personal brand, defining the core problem is about “defining the movement that you want to lead”. Like Justin Welsch says,” For him, his movement is about helping get out of the 9 to 5 job cycle.” For Dan Joe it is all about the ‘The Art of Focusing’. For James Clear, it is about helping people achieve their goals by changing their habits and sticking to good ones.

For me, it to be able to use technology to unravel creativity.

What is yours?

For instance, Think Code OS helps anybody who wants to write, ramp up their content game. With the help of GenAI writing tools, this system taps into the thinking abilities and empowers them to write.

Who are we solving it for?What is the core problem that we are solving?
Co-founder & FounderShowing up everyday in front of potential customers
VPs & Senior leadersPersonal branding for employability and better hiring opportunities with thought leadership
Agency owners – marketingGetting more clients by creating more content and scaling it. Give them a LIVE proposal with a 90-day content calendar.
Product MarketersScaling content to increase top of the funnel leads and champion the product.
Product ManagersBetter Thought Leadership while working on the content for GTM.
Content MarketersScaling content and writing better stories that lead to the intended response of their audience.
Freelance Content writers or SolopreneursPersonal branding, building relationships, and generating leads.

Think Code OS helps aspiring thought leaders define their core problem, even before they plunge into content creation.

Step #2 How to open your mind and apply creative techniques?

This step takes 2 – 3 days.

Asking questions and finding answers satiates ‘curiosity’. But, how do you actually open your mind.

Step A: Semantic thinking is the answer.

If you thought this has something got to with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), then hold it. SEO has adopted the process of ‘Semantic keyword building’ from psychology. Semantic is a study of how meaning is stored in the mind.

This process helps in building a wide net of coherent ideas in a single visual map. For instance, take a look at the map that is created for writing this article.

Semantic Thinking Map

We use GenAI tools to create something similar for us and build upon it to create a lot of meaningful content in a short time. In the course Think Code OS for SEO specialists, I will be revealing and sharing, how to use GenAI writing tools to create semantic structures and add more authority to your website content.

Step B: Using Marketing Frameworks that matter to sales.

After this I used a set of marketing frameworks to help me categorize these entities and topics into the buckets based on my business goals.

It gave me a direction about which topics to choose. I was able to align my time, effort and money on generating content that helps me increase my course subscriptions.

This helped me generate a 90-day content calendar that helped me tie back my personal stories, my experiences to my work and create 300+ social media posts around them.

By marketing stage of the funnel

But these story ideas were classified based on the marketing stage of the funnel.

  • Top of the funnel (TOFU)
  • Middle of the funnel (BOFU)
  • Bottom of the funnel (BOFU)

I further used these marketing frameworks to understand which human emotions should be targeted, which level of customer awareness would it kindle and which of those posts would meet the right customer mindset.

They were story ideas only.

I had not yet started actually writing them.

Step #3: Identifying which Writing solution and style works for these stories.

Allocate 7 – 8 days for this step.

This is the longest and meticulous part. But thanks to the Story Scientist Framework which clearly identifies which writing structure works for which type of content goal, all I had to do is share examples and ChatGPT did the grunt work. It clearly classified how I need to write each of those story ideas.

After classifying, I used 7 – 8 different writing structure frameworks to spin stories. Writing, feedback, editing, and pruning took almost 7 days to complete it.

Module 3 of Think Code OS focuses on how to use different writing techniques and models to craft messages.

Step #4: Transforming the situation

This step took about 3 to 4 days.

With all the stories ready to publish, I had to make one last tweak. I had already classified them by goals, now I needed to add the CTAs to align them to the final conversion.

Not all stories were meant for selling. Some were to prime readers to get ready to purchase, some were to draw attention, some were to educate and others were to sell.

Every content piece out there, especially in the B2B arena leads to achieving one of the following: For me it was all about matching every story to one of the following goal.

  1. Newsletter subscriptions
  2. Book a meeting
  3. Free Trial sign ups
  4. Product Purchase

Sign up here to practice and learn how to apply Think Code OS.

So, I created funnels to achieve each one of my goals. My messages were created for the following micro goals:

  • Linkedin Follower
  • Newsletter Subscriber
  • Lead Magnet Subscribers
  • Book a Meeting Sign ups
  • Paid Course Sign ups

But not everyone would want all of it. Depending on the level of awareness of the problem and solution and the mindset, people would go down to engage with my messages and reach the end of the funnel achieving one or most of the goals mentioned.

This required me to map my personas and the funnels.

PRO TIP: If you have small content teams, prioritize which target audience you want to go ahead with.

Module 4 of Think Code OS walks you through this and helps you achieve your goal with the help of funnels.

HERE IS HOW I CAN HELP YOU.

  • If you are a senior professional looking to improve your personal brand and employability, I can help you create these ideas personalized to you.
  • I can coach your content teams to create social media ideas for your brand.
  • If you are an agency owner, I can help you improve your teams’ bandwidth by creating more using the same resources.
  • If you are a course creator, I can help you create consistent social media content to keep your personal brand relevant.

Schedule a time to chat

Categories
AI-Prompts-for-Writing

Get Rid of Writer’s Block: 9 AI Prompts Come to Your Rescue

The dishes piled high, laundry beckoned my attention, and my side view saw my kids bouncing off the walls… but that cursor stayed where it was. It blinked mockingly on the blank document. As a working mom who writes for a living got struck by writer’s block again!

I was zoned out, again.

Even if I slid into the loop of ‘flow’ state, my daughter’s potty alarm snipped my chain of thought. I became prey to unpredictable interruptions. The fragmented schedules also added up to my exhaustion and mental fatigue.

Before a voice in my head told me, “Something isn’t right., a part of me that gets drawn to perfectionism killed any opportunity of creativity. Isolation and lack of inspiration drowned me self doubt and guilt.

That was the end of story. No hammer could break the writer’s block.

If you thought that was a great introduction to Writer’s Block, HOLD ON.

The PROMPT that I used was.

Write a relatable introduction for a blog post about a working mom writer struggling with writer’s block. Use vivid imagery and personal anecdotes to capture the feeling of being stuck. Briefly mention the challenges faced, like fragmented schedules and exhaustion, but don’t delve too deep into solutions yet. End with a hook that piques the reader’s interest in how to overcome this block with the use of prompts created for AI writing tools.

Persona | Task | Context | Format

Let me share 3 drafts that were generated by Gemini Google.

Over time, I started using Google’s Gemini and many other hyper-focused #AIwriting tools to break a writer’s curse. I used prompts to create trained contexts and hence generate those drafts above. Join the upcoming working sessions which demonstrates it in detail.

Writer’s Block occurs due to any of these 3 reasons:

  1. Lack of inspiration or ideas
  2. Lack of familiarity or structural perspective
  3. Mental Fatigue

You can combine prompts with existing inputs to overcome those challenges by using #AIwriting tools for:

  1. Brainstorming
  2. Outline creation and
  3. Improvisation

3 Powerful Idea-Generating Prompts for Brainstorming

Don't be alarmed by the length of the PROMPTS mentioned below. Every Prompt requires unique "INPUT VARIABLES". Add specific inputs that are unique to your context.

1. Audience Insight + Unexpected Twist:

  • Prompt: Imagine your ideal customer [Insert Demographic (e.g., busy mom, tech enthusiast)] is facing a surprising challenge related to [Brand’s Industry]. How can your brand provide a unique solution that not only addresses [mention the challenge] but also [Insert Unexpected Benefit (e.g., sparks joy, saves time)]?

Why it’s powerful:

  • Tailored Content: Focusing on a specific audience demographic personalizes the content.
  • Problem-Solution: Identifies a problem your brand can solve, making it relevant.
  • Unexpected Benefit: Adds an interesting twist, grabbing attention and showcasing value beyond the obvious.

Input Variables:

  • Demographic: Age, occupation, interests, etc. of the target audience.
  • Brand’s Industry: What kind of product or service does the brand offer?
  • Unexpected Benefit: Think outside the box! Consider emotional benefits, time-saving advantages, or unique experiences.
  • Prompt: A recent trend in [Industry] is [Insert Trend]. How can your brand leverage this trend by showcasing its USP, [Insert USP], to create valuable content that resonates with your audience and positions you as an industry leader?

Why it’s powerful:

  • Trend Awareness: Demonstrates knowledge of current industry happenings.
  • USP Integration: Highlights the brand’s unique differentiator.
  • Content Value: Creates content that educates, entertains, or inspires the audience.

Input Variables:

  • Industry: The brand’s area of operation (e.g., fitness, technology).
  • Trend: A current event or development in the industry.
  • USP: What sets the brand apart from competitors? (e.g., sustainability, innovative features).

3. Customer Pain Points + Brand Story:

  • Prompt: What are some of the biggest frustrations your target audience experiences related to [Brand’s Industry]? How can you craft a compelling story that showcases how your brand overcame similar challenges or helped others overcome them, demonstrating its value and expertise?

Why it’s powerful:

  • Empathy & Relevance: Shows understanding of customer concerns.
  • Brand Storytelling: Connects with the audience on an emotional level.
  • Value Proof: Demonstrates the brand’s effectiveness through a relatable story.

Input Variables:

  • Brand’s Industry: The type of product or service the brand offers.
  • Customer Pain Points: Common problems or frustrations faced by the target audience.
  • Brand Story: A past challenge the brand overcame or a customer success story highlighting its impact.

Remember, the more details you provide when filling in these prompts, the richer and more targeted your content ideas will be for any brand you encounter.

Nischala Agnihotri

3 Outline Creation Prompts for Diverse Content Formats:

Here are three prompts to help you create outlines for various content formats, catering to different brand content needs:

1. Ultimate Guide (Blog Post/Ebook):

  • Prompt: Develop an outline for a comprehensive guide titled “[Title Suggestion]: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering [Skill] for [Target Audience]”.
    • Include at least 5 sections with subheadings for each, covering the following elements:
      • Introduction: Define the skill and its importance.
      • The Breakdown: Break down the skill into manageable steps or components.
      • Common Challenges & Solutions: Discuss typical roadblocks faced and offer actionable solutions.
      • Advanced Techniques (Optional): For a more comprehensive guide, add a section with advanced techniques to elevate reader mastery.
      • Conclusion: Recap key takeaways and provide resources for further exploration.

Why it’s powerful:

  • Versatility: Adaptable to various skills and target audiences.
  • Depth & Structure: Provides a logical flow for in-depth content.
  • Actionable: Offers practical solutions and resources, making it valuable.

Input Variables:

  • Skill: The specific skill or topic the content will address.
  • Target Audience: Who is the guide intended for (beginners, entrepreneurs, etc.)?

2. Product Comparison Guide (Blog Post/Video Script):

  • Prompt: Craft an outline for a product comparison video/blog post titled: “[Brand Name] vs. [Competitor Name]: A Comprehensive Breakdown for [Target Audience]”. Provide a table to organize the information and showcase the difference.
    • Introduction: Briefly introduce both products, their intended audience, and the comparison structure.
    • Key Features: Compare and contrast essential features offered by each product, highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
    • Pricing & Value: Analyze pricing models, subscription options, and overall value proposition of each product.
    • Target Use Cases: Discuss who might benefit more from each product based on specific needs and usage scenarios.
    • Pros and Cons Summary: Present a concise overview of each product’s key advantages and disadvantages.
    • Conclusion: Offer a balanced recommendation based on target audience needs and priorities.

Why it’s powerful:

  • Empowers Decision-Making: Helps viewers/readers understand which product best suits their needs by providing a balanced comparison.
  • Transparent Analysis: Offers unbiased evaluations of both products with clear breakdowns of features and pricing.
  • Audience Focus: Tailored towards the specific needs and preferences of the target audience.

Input Variables:

  • Brand Name: The brand whose product you’re comparing.
  • Competitor Name: The competitor’s product you’re comparing against.
  • Target Audience: Who are you targeting with this comparison (e.g., gamers, graphic designers)?

3A. Case Study Outline (Blog Post/Website Content):

  • Prompt: Develop an outline for a customer success story titled: “[Client Name]’s Success with [Brand Name]: How We Helped Them Achieve [Positive Outcome]”.
    • Introduction: Briefly introduce the client, their industry, and the challenges they faced before using your brand’s product/service.
    • The Challenge: Describe the specific challenges the client encountered and how they impacted their business.
    • Implementing [Brand Name]: Explain how your brand’s product/service offered a solution and the steps taken to integrate it.
    • Measurable Results: Showcase quantifiable data and success metrics demonstrating the positive impact achieved by the client.
    • Client Testimonial: Include a quote or short video clip from the client expressing their satisfaction and the value obtained.
    • Conclusion: Briefly summarize the key takeaways and the transformative role your brand played in the client’s success.

Why it’s powerful:

  • Social Proof: Demonstrates the effectiveness of your brand through a real-world client success story.
  • Data-Driven Approach: Uses quantifiable results to build trust and credibility.
  • Customer Voice: Leverages a client testimonial to create a more relatable and impactful story.

Input Variables:

  • Client Name: The brand’s satisfied customer whose success story will be showcased.
  • Positive Outcome: The specific, measurable achievement the client attained with your brand’s help (e.g., increased sales, improved customer satisfaction).

Another option is:

3B. Customer Journey Case Study Outline:

  • Prompt: Develop an outline for a case study titled “[Title Suggestion]: How [Brand Name] Helped [Client Name] Achieve [Client Success Story]”. Structure the outline using these sections with subheadings:
    • Introduction: Briefly introduce the brand and its offerings.
    • The Client’s Challenge: Describe the specific problem or challenge the client faced.
    • The Brand’s Solution: Explain how the brand’s product or service addressed the client’s challenge.
    • Results & Impact: Quantify the positive outcomes achieved by the client through specific metrics.
    • Client Testimonial (Optional): Include a quote from the client expressing satisfaction.
    • Conclusion: Summarize the key takeaways and the brand’s value proposition.

Why it’s powerful:

  • Storytelling Approach: Makes the content engaging and relatable.
  • Social Proof: Demonstrates the brand’s impact through a real-life example.
  • Metrics-Driven: Quantifies success for a persuasive approach.

Input Variables:

  • Brand Name: The company offering the product or service.
  • Client Name: The company or individual who benefitted from the brand’s offering.
  • Client Success Story: The specific positive outcome the client achieved.

Remember, these prompts are frameworks. Adapt them to your specific needs and the brand’s goals for the best content creation results.

3 Content Improvisation Prompts for On-the-Spot Creativity:

These prompts are designed to spark quick content ideas for any brand, even with limited information. Here’s why they work and what details you’ll need to fill them in:

1. Brand in the Spotlight + Unexpected Scenario:

  • Prompt: Your client, [Brand Name], is known for [Brand USP]. Imagine they’re thrust into a completely unexpected scenario like [Insert Unexpected Scenario (e.g., hosting a cooking competition, stranded on a desert island)]. How would they use their expertise and products to adapt and thrive?

Why it’s powerful:

  • Brand USP Focus: Keeps the brand’s unique selling proposition at the forefront.
  • Out-of-the-Box Thinking: Promotes creative problem-solving and unexpected connections.
  • Content Versatility: This prompt can be adapted to various content formats (e.g., blog post, social media ad).

Input Variables:

  • Brand Name: The company you’re creating content for.
  • Brand USP: What sets this brand apart from competitors? (e.g., innovative features, eco-friendly practices).
  • Unexpected Scenario: Choose a scenario outside the brand’s typical domain to spark imaginative solutions.

2. Social Media Trend + Brand Twist:

  • Prompt: A hot social media trend right now is [Insert Trend (e.g., #ThrowbackThursday, food challenges)]. How can [Brand Name] creatively participate in this trend while showcasing their products/services in a fun and engaging way?

Why it’s powerful:

  • Trendjacking: Leverages existing trends for increased visibility.
  • Brand Integration: Seamlessly connects the trend to the brand’s offerings.
  • Audience Engagement: Offers an interactive way to connect with potential customers.

Input Variables:

  • Brand Name: The company you’re creating content for.
  • Social Media Trend: A popular hashtag or challenge currently circulating on social media.

3. Customer Review Remix:

  • Prompt: Take a recent positive customer review for [Brand Name] that mentions a specific benefit (e.g., “This product saved me so much time!”). Rewrite the review as a catchy social media post or short video testimonial, highlighting the benefit in a unique and engaging way.

Why it’s powerful:

  • Social Proof: Utilizes authentic customer experiences to build trust.
  • Content Repurposing: Extracts value from existing content (reviews) and creates fresh content.
  • Multiple Format Potential: This prompt can be adapted to various short-form content types.

Input Variables:

  • Brand Name: The company you’re creating content for.
  • Customer Review: Find a recent positive review for the brand that highlights a specific benefit.

By using these prompts with a dash of creativity, you can quickly generate compelling content ideas for brands, even with limited information. Remember, the key is to think outside the box and connect the brand’s strengths with unexpected scenarios or existing trends.

These improvisation prompts help you practice quick thinking and crafting concise messages that resonate with your target audience in different scenarios.

Nischala Agnihotri

All these prompts can be further customized for your brand using a step-by-step methodology and application of stacked prompts with chain of thought prompts.

Join the next LIVE Working Session in action and gain hands-on experience.

🎯 I’ve created this article using Think Code OS. It can create 300+ authentic content ideas for your brand in 3 hours. It generates human-like content using ChatGPT, Gemini, other AI writing tools and the Story Scientist framework. Book some time to clarify your questions.

FAQs

What is Writer’s Block?

It is a mental state preceded by a condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing. This is not hallucination. It has neurological and psychological explanations.

Why does Writer’s Block occur?

Writer’s block can be frustrating, but understanding the brain’s role in writing can shed light on why it occurs. Language processing primarily happens in the left frontal lobe, specifically an area called Broca’s area, which is responsible for turning thoughts into words. Studies using brain imaging techniques have shown increased activity in this region when people engage in creative writing. This suggests that writer’s block might be a sign of your brain struggling to make connections and generate creative ideas, hindering the flow of words to the page.

Writer’s block can also be influenced by psychological factors. External elements like environment, mood, and stress levels can significantly impact your ability to write. Finding strategies to manage these factors and spark creativity can be key to overcoming writer’s block. Whether it’s listening to music, reading for inspiration, or simply chatting with a friend, anything that gets your creative juices flowing can help you break through the block and get back to writing.

USE AI WRITING TOOLS, GET RID OF WRITER’S BLOCK

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How can Think Code OS bail you from Writer’s Block?

Circumstances do not always support your intentions. If you have to create content at scale for your brand, then you can leave it to the mercy of the brain to “I can write now.” You need a partner, a coach who can think on your behalf when your brain stops. That’s when a tested and researched system like Think Code OS can help you with great ideas.

I can help you learn and implement Think Code OS for yourself across a 12-hour LIVE Working Session with you across a virtual meeting setup.

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Content Workshop

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Categories
Entrepreneurship

From Fiddle Leaf Figs to Fortune 500: 3 Unexpected Business Lessons My Urban Jungle Taught Me

Learning and unlearning can happen anywhere. My apartment garden has become my classroom. It helped me realise that a gardener and a business tycoon need very similar lessons to thrive.

I failed over 8 times in growing a money plant as a simple climber in water. From there, I have created a terrace garden with over 10 veggies and a lot of house plants to refresh my space.

My Apartment Oasis: How 50 Plants Became My Unlikely Business Mentors?

My daughter’s favourite hideout place is this 5 feet tall plantfall (like a waterfall). Why do I have this?

Somehow this act of nurturing really soothes me. It has helped me stay calmer. I guess that’s what is called ‘garden therapy’. Now, gardening is a serious hobby for me. And, I do a bit of pruning, tilling or propagating for atleast 30 – 40 mins every other day.

My home is a mini jungle with plant mementos of different species. They are on the walls, in my balconies, outside in the corridor, utility area, inside my house, and everywhere.

A friend of mine calls them my “Plant pets”.

From Seedlings to CEOs: How my addiction to gardening taught me 3 business lessons?

Top 3 lessons that I learnt from my Plant Pets

Lesson #1: Resilience is possible when you remain rooted.

Plants are a very resilient species, and so are humans.

But, why is it that we humans cannot be resilient all the time. Only because we are not rooted enough. Comeback Stories of Steve Jobs and Sam Altman to Apple and Open.AI talk about this. They were called back to their original position after being fired from their own company. This tells us their soil stayed nurtured and they remained rooted. Their soil has been their tribe and internal compass.

I have learnt that plants thrive better in a nursery rather than a newly adopted home. Why is it? Because there are similar plants surrounding every sapling. They feel belonged and can communicate. I’m not saying this because I feel it.

They have a tribe to feel belonged. Dr. Perez Barrales found in his research clear evidence that the seedling and nurse tree beside it were more likely to thrive when grown together, compared to either plant growing alone.

This tribe helps even an entrepreneur jump back into action.

Lesson #2: Cloning is inevitable when you grow.

Propagation is a “must” after every 6 months for a house plant. With every growth spurt, plants grow faster and bigger than before. If they are not pruned or grafted well enough to be propagated, they die either because of a disease or they whittle. Diseases could get contagious killing other plants too.

If a leader does not expend enough effort to clone herself and make more people like her, then the organization will remain diseased. Or it will meet its diminishing growth. A leader needs to create more people like herself. Start cloning.

Lesson #3: Be prepared for your creation to be somebody else’s reward.

Whatever the crop yields, the plants don’t sit and eat. The plant’s creation is always given away rather taken by humans, us. It could be the fruits, leaves, roots, stem, or flowers. We enjoy its creation and we are rewarded by its yield. I have had a huge success with greens, tomatoes, carrots and radish in my terrace garden.

Even in business, if I create something, it also needs to be propagated in no time, when done well. If we are creating a product that is extremely consumable, it will be taken away. The customers will nurture the business to have more of it.

Whatever is being created, it will be someone else’s reward. In business, if your creation (product or solution) is not being someone else’s reward, then it won’t spread.

Bonus lesson: The seed that we sow or the sapling that we graft determines the plant that comes out of it.

Why talk about it now?

I have been giving away plants that I propagated to many of my neighbours and friends. Over the years, it feels like I have become a friendly official gardening consultant for many in my neighborhood.

I recently discovered that today, the 14th of April is the National Gardening Day. If you work from home, plant pets can be very easy to care for and save some good head space for you with their aura.

They help you focus and refocus while you are working from home.

For all work from home folks out there, happy to help you start ‘gardening as a hobby’.

DM me. It’s just a friendly gesture.

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I’ve written this article using Think Code OS. It can create 99+ authentic content ideas for your brand in 3 hours. It generates human-like content using ChatGPT, Gemini, and the Story Scientist framework.