David Perell is a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He believes writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. David seeks to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
More than 1,500 people from more than 70 countries have participated in David’s Write of Passage programs. The five-week bootcamp draws on David’s experience writing online, building an audience, and his interviews with dozens of great writers on his How I Write Podcast.
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00:03 People pay attention to great content, even in niche topics. 02:00 Helping people build and grow successful software products. 05:39 By solving problems for people, the creator's newsletter grew through word of mouth. 07:26 Founders of successful Marketplace companies are open and willing to share their knowledge and experiences. 11:07 Building a network of connections is crucial for gaining trust and access to top individuals. 12:54 Creating popular posts and templates requires time and effort 16:50 Creating a high-quality newsletter on Substack 18:22 Maintaining a high quality bar is crucial for success in creating content. 21:44 Learnings from 7 years at Airbnb on building a company. 23:32 Started with a goal of making $100,000 a year from the paid newsletter 26:35 Managing a paid newsletter can be challenging and pressure-filled 28:17 Editing involves cutting unnecessary content, simplifying language, and improving flow. 31:35 Build your personal brand and get your amazing content in front of people. 33:11 Not overthinking and focusing on writing something interesting yielded positive results 36:35 No meetings until 3 pm 38:15 Creating policies and using excuses like having a child to say no 41:31 Focus on what you are excited about and want to spend time on. 43:15 Handling criticism and mistakes in content creation 46:37 Transmit useful information efficiently 48:16 Focus more on sharing valuable content rather than writing beautifully. 51:43 The research process for creating a B2B startup guide 53:28 Start with one company that loves you 56:56 Using Substack as an organizational tool for content 58:40 Copy editors provide an objective perspective that writers often miss 1:01:52 Working from home provides comfort and flexibility. 1:03:29 The coolest thing is that I can do this full-time and make a meaningful income. 1:06:55 Creating a specific and focused newsletter helps others recommend your work. 1:08:36 Niche Fame is the right level of fame 1:11:57 Creating a top newsletter on Substack requires focusing on topics that people care about. 1:13:40 Building a small niche audience can still be profitable 1:17:13 To build a successful newsletter, you need to contribute something new to the conversation. 1:18:47 Building focus and flow for effective work 1:22:07 Prioritizing as a product manager is key to success. Summarized by Merlin AI.
Love Ted Gioia. Great interview! Well done.
Ty
Prince, MJ, James Brown?
I first learned of Ted from his first interview on Rick Beato's YT page and have received his newsletters since. Now, he was just on Beato's page for a second interview and now on David's page! Thinking independently is still a good thing!
The culture is dead because the Spirit which is what enlivens culture, has been denied for too long. We need a global understanding that the spiritual world exists and that we need to keep connected to it. Matter without spirit is a corpse. And now A.I enters the picture to cut out ANY connection to the spirit by cutting out the being that connects these two worlds, the human being.
This is fantastic. I have never felt more like a slacker than I do now. Thank you for the time and thought you put into this.
mark manson is one of my heroes. i read the hard copy of his book and he literally changed my life. how someone can change the course of their life immensely for spare change still baffles me. the thing i aslolove about mark is his outlook. whenever i read mark's work i'm like who is this really really really smart guy. but when i see him in person online, he looks so ordinary. like i thought he was going to be wearing a suit like jordan peterson. i'm sorry but mark looks like poor dude who you wouldn't be surprised if he told you he never went to school. he looks to ordinary but whats in his head is so immense, his outlook is decietful. mark is funny, relatable, thinks about the big picture and easy to understand. i think the combination of these things is what makes him unique. he has this nonchalantness to serious issues and still deals with the issues. its like the kid who doesnt study for school, sleeps all night close to exams but still manages to wow the examiner.
Where is joy, creativity, an exploration of environment, grounding when there's irrational hands that hold our strings at every turn in society. You want culture? Respect the culture. You want people to buy into society. Give them a society worth buying into
“There’s a danger I might get mystical at some point.” LOVED THIS ENTIRE INTERVIEW.
Please have Ryan holiday or Robert Greene on
Both are already scheduled. Stay tuned :-)
They're both coming on this summer
@@DavidPerellChannel thanks, excited for that
@@DavidPerellChannel if you could ask them about structure, that'd be amazing
Fire round...fun!
Ted's Substack is fantastic.
A very, very good conversation - and kudos to both participants that it is a conversation and not just an interview. It goes to a lot of places and is guaranteed to make any intelligent person think and maybe even get inspired. Thank you!
Fantastic interview. Am a big fan of Ted; he’s the intellectual we sorely need in today’s culture.
perfect paragraph is when there is no word left you can remove from your paragraph
I really liked Jason's chill baseline of if it's too hard, start over, this shouldn't be miserable. lol... also that if you're having a hard time writing it, just say it, and then write that. I know what he means about when I go back to edit, I just make it longer and more complicated when I'm trying to make it clearer or easier to understand... I should have just stuck with V1, and sometimes deleting just isn't the answer. Starting over, is. Write to people, for people 👌🏼 I really love your podcast, David. You're a great host, ask great and well timed questions, you don't cut your guests off, your guests have all been awesome, super insightful, and the entire interview (of every one I've seen/heard) is pleasant to listen to the whole way through. Thanks for making these. By the way, this was a fun visual 19:41 lol
Reminds me of what Jason Zweig said, There are three ways to earn money as a writer. 1. lie to people who want to be lied to and you'll get rich. 2. tell the truth to those who want the truth and you'll make a living. 3. tell the truth to those who want to be lied to and you'll go broke. There is huge difference between knowing what's right and making a living, delivering what you know to be right. This may be the most common in investing, in law, or even in medicine when "do nothing" is the best answer a lot of the time. But "do something" is the career incentive for you to do. Sometimes your willingness as an expert to take an action is not moral.
Wonderful conversation, thanks David and Ted. I discovered The Honest Broker on Substack in 2022 and told my wife "This is my best friend who doesn't know me."
At around 1:15:00, I don’t know how many of you have observed the deep irony in what he says. He says for those struggle with writing, he would ask them to speak and they would do a better job and he agrees that most people can speak naturally and yet he claims that writing is more important?
"Let 1000 flowers blossom!"
When you write on Substack: 1) you have a different relationship with readers 2) write the way you have a conversation 3) adapt writing to that particular setting
Terrible noise gate
What do you mean by that? Want to fix for future episodes!
@@DavidPerellChannelthe first and last few milliseconds of each statement are cut off. Sounds very unnatural to me, like a strong noise gate. Dead silence between audio signals is perfect for lead vocals over music, but sounds a bit odd in a normal talking situation. Maybe i'm too sensitive. BTW the discussion is of course brillant.
@@rolandwyss I hear what you mean but maybe wouldn't have said 'terrible'! The recording/room is a little too dead.
This is brilliant and every word is gold. But Ted, more than 1 in 1,000 of your readers know the "dogmatic slumber" quote surely!? It makes me sad you take these kind of references out.
enormously inspiring. writing is one of the best learning tools (and honestly best vehicle for change). SO here for its thorough dissection
I'm not even 4 minutes in and oh my god, I'm so thankful to hear y'all talking about a more maximal style of writing. I love writing, and I can't stand cutting out so much because of how ADD friendly it feels like I need to make it...
Oh the irony, let me keep scrolling
Are you dropping the episode with sam altman soon?
Beautiful chat-full of rich insights into becoming an authentic writer who has depth and substance to offer. Key takeaways: 1. How the name of "honest broker" came about: a example of how seemingly weird incidents and experiences in life turn into nuggets. 2. Input (what and how much you read) matters to your output. 3. Brutally honest journaling is the way to regain touch with the true self. This also happens to be a rare podcast where the host doesn't directly tell you to like or subscribe--and you end up doing just that.
Wow, I hadn’t heard of Ted but only 10% in and I’m hooked. Thank you David.
Ha! Self-referential :-)
Love this - Never heard of the dopamine culture but it's so true!
I didn't know Ted before this episode... What an interesting guy! One of my favourite episodes. As always, thanks David. Your hosting is always the best. Keep it up 💪
Checkout his substack, you won't regret it
Spot on.
Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica is a true maximalist writer. He has a 9,000 page novel about organised crime in 1960s New York which is the richest and most fascinating set of character studies ever written. It's Moby Dick on steroids. His books have never been published. I will say though David Foster Wallace, while he does have long convoluted sentences, doesn't actually have any substance to his work. It's mostly cliches, gimmicks and juvenile humour. I think comparing Infinite Jest to Moby Dick is just absurd, except if the only thing you care about is big words and long sentences.
OMG can’t believe you got Ted Gioia on the show! I’ve loved his books for years and what he’s doing on Substack now. One of my favorite writers alive, and definitely my favorite writing style. I dream to write like him someday and honor to the craft full-time.
Yes!
Ted is a genius - watching now!
First
Ted Gioia thinks our culture is stagnant. Algorithms have us addicted to distraction, Hollywood's out of creative ideas, and people don't read hard books like they used to. 16 lessons about writing and breaking free from dopamine culture: 1. Ted's golden rule for writing: "Always be honest." 2. Three questions to ask yourself when critiquing something: Is it fair? Is it accurate? Will this be persuasive to all fair-minded observers? 3. Struggling as a non-fiction writer? Become an expert in something first. 4. Read slowly. 5. Success won't always come quickly. Ted's career is just now taking off - 50 years after he started writing for publication. 6. People will judge you on your outputs, but you should focus on your inputs. For Ted, that means reading mind-expanding books and listening to music. He does both for 2 hours per day. Then, he writes. 7. What kind of books should you read? Ted says: "Read for mind-expansion, not entertainment, and seek out challenging books." 8. Wondering which book to read? Think of books like drugs and pick up the one that'll give you the greatest out-of-body experience. 9. Do you struggle with writer's block? Do this: (1) buy a blank journal that only you will see, (2) write about something that happened at the end of every day - but there's one rule... you have to be 100% honest, (3) do this every day for a month, and (4) sit back and read what you've written at the end of the month. You'll be surprised by how much good stuff you have. 10. Your high school English teacher was right about this one... write in the margins of your books. 11. After you finish a book, summarize it in your own words. Helps with retention. Think summaries are too time-consuming? If just spent 10 hours reading the book, devoting another hour to synthesizing it is a relatively good time investment. 10-to-1 ratio. 12. Why is our culture stagnant? Consumer brands are increasingly old standbys. Look at video games. Minecraft (launched in 2011), Call of Duty (2003), Grand Theft Auto (1997), Madden NFL (1988), and Super Mario Bros (1985). 13. How about another example? The comic book market driven by the same brand franchises that were dominant in the 60s and 70s. All of the top 20 bestsellers are from Marvel or DC Comics, which were founded in the 1930s. 14. Want a third? Hollywood sequels. They're everywhere now. Top Gun, Spider-Man, John Wick, Mission: Impossible. 15. Music is like cloud storage for societies. That's why the historians in traditional communities were usually singers. Music preserves culture and folklore. 16. Consume old stuff when you're young and new stuff when you're old. This is the opposite of what most people do. Ted is the most well-read person I've met in years. You name it. He's read the book or listened to the album. This guy knows the Western canon.
This is sort of a tangent, but Minecraft isn't a normal video game. It's a sandbox game, meaning you go in and basically create your experience. The rest of those games you have to follow a set pattern to travel from start to finish. There *is* an end game scenario in Minecraft but you could literally play it for years and never bother with that. It is not at all necessary. I typically play it on Peaceful Survival. No monsters and I don't have to worry abut accidentally breaking the wrong block and winding up in the Void.
Hey man! This is a great podacst, with very useful insights into writing. I think there is a mistake in the title; “ How to write WHAT amazes…” not “How to write THAT amazes...”
37:20 I don't think a lot of companies have anything to SAY; they have a lot to SELL. THAT could be an entire essay by itself💚
This man told us stories to build a story on how to create a great story. Master🙏🏾
Nice clip
Jason Fried’s bit about Basecamp’s long form writing filter 🔥 Heartbeats are a must-have in any large organization. Ideas should be judged on their merits alone - not politics.
Came here after watching his interview on My First Million. David is by far one of the best interviewers I’ve ever seen. Every guest looks like an absolute rockstar.
Awesome
gold
How on earth does this have 5k views?
Hearing an assistant's perspective was great - I was stressed about the financial investment of hiring an assistant, but now that I am aware of the possibility to give someone else the job I always would've liked. I'm now thinking of it as a collaboration and circulation.
Amazing episode. It's always so enlightening to hear from Jason and his beliefs