Hi, Mark here.
Welcome to the very first Sideline Minute. Every issue gives you one move that makes your content easier to keep going. You can put it to work in about a minute.
This week: why newsletters stall around week 6, and how to build one that keeps shipping.
If this issue was forwarded to you, welcome. You can subscribe here.
Sideline Minute: Build It for Your Worst Week
Issue #1 is the easy one.
You have 90 minutes and an idea you’re excited about. So without realizing it, you make that the standard for every issue after it. Then a client escalation hits, and week 6 goes out empty.
You built your content operating system for your best week, and now it’s being tested against your worst.
The problem starts at issue #1.
When the newsletter stalls, most founders blame their own consistency. They decide they’re just not “writers” and let it go. The cause started the day issue #1 set the bar at 90 good minutes.
A normal client week can’t meet that bar.
4 justifications for a stalling newsletter
Every dead newsletter comes with a justification, and each one covers for a system design problem:
“I didn’t have anything to say this week.” There was no inventory, so every issue started from scratch.
“This one needed a new format.” The format kept changing, so every issue carried a setup cost.
“We’ll pick it back up next quarter.” It was treated like a project, so it came with an end date.
“A client thing came up.” Nobody owned it, so it was the first thing cut.
All 4 trace back to the bar issue #1 set.
Build it for your worst week.
It’s Thursday at 4:30, and the newsletter goes out tomorrow.
You have 45 minutes, squeezed between a client call and a proposal deadline.
You have zero inspiration, because the client got all of it.
Your calendar is full, and conference season is eating whatever’s left.
If it can ship that week, it’ll ship any week.
How to beat Thursday at 4:30
Thursday at 4:30 only works if most of the work is already done.
Pick a length you can hit under pressure, and leave it alone. 800 words every week beats 2,000 words and then silence.
Write 4 issues before you launch, then stay 4 ahead. That way a missed week is a non-event.
Keep a running list of ideas. Your best ones are already sitting in sales calls, decks, and client emails, so grab them when they come up.
Block the same day and time every week. Treat it like a client deadline, because it is one.
Do all 4, and Thursday at 4:30 is just Thursday.
What a buffer gets you
A crazy week turns into a normal one.
Your relationships stay warm between calls.
Your referral sources always have something to forward.
Your next sales call starts warmer.
Once it ships on a bad week, every good week puts you further ahead.
The Move
Count how many finished issues you have ready to send right now.
0: Every week starts from scratch, and week 6 is already on your calendar.
1 to 3: You’ve started. Keep writing until you hit 4.
4 or more: You’re built for your worst week.
As promised, one move in under a minute.
Put this to work before your next first call, See you next week.
Mark
Finally for this week
PS: When the newsletter stalls and you can’t figure out why, you might need a little supply chain therapy. See what I mean.
P.S.: Apply for an Assessment
You’ve seen your Authority Audit results, so you know where your credibility stalls. (If you haven’t, [take the Authority Audit here].)
The next step is to apply for an assessment.
Here’s how it works:
You apply first. Not every firm qualifies.
The assessment is paid. It’s $2,500, it stands on its own, and it isn’t credited toward a project.
Every project starts here. We don’t build without one, because the assessment is where we find where your system breaks.
Every project is built around your business. Project length and what we build get decided in the assessment. There are no cookie cutters.
If you qualify, we’ll design a project to install a Content Operating System in your business.
We only run 2 builds at a time, so we keep the roster small.
Send us comments on today’s newsletter or for other inquiries:
Email: [email protected]
Share Sideline with Your Colleagues!
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They’ll thank you around week 7.
See you next week.