As you probably know—I’ve been challenging myself to write a Welcome Sequences for 100 ecommerce brands.
I’m on Flow #5 right now.
Here’s something I discovered while forcing myself to crank out more words ON TOP of any clients’ project:
It’s a good thing to start with a “formula.”
The fastest way to shoot yourself in the feet is…
To look at brilliant marketers—like David Ogilvy, Gary Bencivenga, or John Carlton—and think you need to be as creative as they are.
The truth is –
We only see the “Mount Rushmore” of their success.
You don’t see how they chip away the stone. You don’t know how they arrive at the end game. You don’t experience the 10,000 reps of boring writing to achieve one brilliant masterpiece.
(even John Carlton recommends starting with a fixed “structure” in his Simple Writing System)
Here’s how I find my best work:
1 – I start with a really (really) bad first draft
2 – Toss it aside and sleep on it
3 – Scratch the whole thing… rewrite… and edit
4 – I switch device (PC >> Mobile) to look at it from a fresh perspective
5 – I set a deadline to hit publish so I don’t end up editing forever
The interesting thing is…
The final deliverable almost NEVER resembles anything from the dirty first draft. They read like two completely different projects.
This means – I don’t have to force myself to be creative in the first draft.
I can start by laying out the ideas using a simple formula or template. This helps me see what’s missing:
- What stories should I add?
- What research do I lack?
- What persuasion element do I need?
Once I have everything laid out, it becomes easy to rewrite. Because this kind of “constraint” inspires creativity and fuels the rewrite.
Ending with a quote:
“Constraints are not a barrier to creative thinking; under constraints your brain works harder and smarter. Once we start thinking of constraints not as a hindrance to creative thinking but a framework for it, we are actually giving ourselves the freedom to find truly innovative solutions.”
– Rachel Audige
Cheering for you,
Wuyen