Lots of advice tumbling around on how to use GPT-4, ChatGPT and all the others.

Much of it already outdated, or the same tips over and over.

If you feel you've hit a wall with promptcraft, I want to help you smash through it.

Introducing the next level of prompt engineering 👇

Next-Level Prompt Engineering with AI is my new masterclass.

In it, I share the cutting edge of the cutting edge:

• Original prompting techniques
• Tried and true frameworks now expanded on
• Hidden gems from machine learning papers by PHDs

Plus examples and case studies.

This is not for beginners (although I plan to add a quick-start module soon).

NLPEA is for people who are already at the forefront with GPT prompting — but who know there's so much more that can be done.

The course is on-demand text and video lessons, example prompts, plus a prompt library and course cheat sheet.

The topics are complex but they're explained simply.

It's a non-technical approach, designed to be accessible to everyone, despite the advanced techniques.

My first AI course, AI Content Reactor (ACR), is a world-wide best seller with over 1700 participants.

But ACR focuses primarily on, well, creating content.

Next-Level is designed to enable you to tackle any prompting challenge. And it goes way beyond where ACR started.

The core of Next-Level Prompt Engineering is 3 core frameworks and 12 advanced techniques.

It's a lot, but foundational enough for you to retain the information and put it to use.

Example prompts and prompt snippets are everywhere.

You also get some amazing bonuses like:

• Printable cheat sheat with all the main course concepts
• 1 year access to all updates ($850 value for 3-4 major overhauls)
• Library of my best prompts from my personal library that rotates once a quarter ($2600 value)

Plus,

The course has two guarantees.

Because I get it. There's a lot of lackluster material on these topics.

With AI Mastery Assurance + the Future-Proof Promise I'm basically saying I'll give you your money back if you don't see the extreme value.

I doubt I'll have many refunds.

As an add-on, you can get certified via an assessment after the course.

This is helpful for HR and learning teams that need to know employees actually did the work.

Or, if you're seeking a promotion or new job, a certificate from a globally recognized AI expert will help.

Nearly every organization has a massive need for this skill set.

Ask your boss.

See the FAQ on the site for an email template that starts with:

---

Subject: Approval for AI Course Expense

[Manager's Name],

We need to get ahead in the AI game and I've found a way.

This prompt engineering course isn't for you if you want to learn image prompting with tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.

It's for language models only.

And it isn't for you if you want to automate sophisticated workflows with tools like LangChain.

There's no coding.

There's a lot of free knowledge online about prompt engineering, but nothing like this exists yet.

The course will put you in the top 99.99999% of the world with conversational AI. I honestly believe that.

Learn these techniques, and you'll reach a level almost nobody is at.

NLPEA is on a launch sale until 4/9.

For 3 days, the course is $100-300 off.

Personally, I don't like sales. I don't want to reward you for waiting when the knowledge is most valuable right now.

So I plan to never put the course on sale again. The price will only go up.

🔸 Next-Level Prompt Engineering with AI 🔸

Learn advanced promptcraft, taught by the expert that other experts learn from.

$100 off until 4/9

Purchasing power parity discounts available for many countries.

Get it here --> https://gptpromptcourse.com/

Next-Level Prompt Engineering with AI

This story begins at night, with a girly scream.

Trisha and I had climbed the Palace of Fine Arts to take pictures up where the spotlights are.

She looks awesome, but I can’t get the composition right.

So, I back up to the edge.

And then I walk right off:

In my defense, I was using an old pirate trick.

We were standing on a large grate above these huge lights. If I had to look at them, I kept one eye shut to preserve my dark vision.

Having eyes calibrated to bright and dark really messes with your depth perception, apparently.

There was an edge there.

I saw it — set my foot on it with confidence — all my weight expecting there to be something to stand on.

Except, I stepped backward into darkness.

There was nothing there to support me.

That’s when the yell came out.

Not Trisha’s girly scream. Mine.

You hear this yell in movies.

It's that primal scream you let out when you fall from a high place because you know you’re about to die.

Well, the yell is a real thing.

My scream, turns out, is the loudest, highest-pitched, most feminine noise a straight guy can possibly make.

Thousands of people hear it echoing off the condos in the Marina.

Like a deep, embarrassing secret about my masculinity is bouncing through the city.

I want to hide. I’m so embarrassed about the noise I forget that I'm falling.

At least, until I feel the tree.

Branches and leaves scratch at my back.

Shit. This is bad, but maybe I’m going to be saved.

I picture reaching out and grabbing a branch.

It will bend, like in a cartoon, setting me down gently on the ground, then I’ll let it go and it will snap back into place.

I tear at the darkness, only to come back with twigs.

Then I’m past it, looking up at the damage.

My body had ripped out a triangle-shape from the round tree, giving it the appearance of a Pac-Man head.

The canopy of a tree with pencil-thin branches smiles, joyously unaware.

They say your life flashes before your eyes in times like this. Mine didn’t.

But I did have time to know I’d been falling for too long.

I once jumped from a cliff as tall as a house into Russian River.

I’ve been falling for much longer than that.

It makes me anxious.

I want to hit the ground. I want to know.

Whether or not I’m going to die.

I decide I most likely will die.

And now, the gap between being alive and death is unbearable.

Anything is better than knowing you're a second away from death.

Too much anticipation.

Get on with it.

I wish for it to stop. I pray for the end. I'm terrified.

But time is a slow crawl.

I still remember that fall as if it were minutes long.

According to the free fall time equation, where gravity = 9.8m/s squared,

my entire fall of ~7 meters actually took ~1.28 seconds.

Then, to my relief, I hit the ground.

I land mostly flat on my back, in the dirt, destroying some decorative shrubs in the process.

On instinct, I throw my arms into the ground in a technique we call a “break fall” in Tae Kwon Do.

The break fall spreads the energy from a fall away from your core into your limbs, letting more of your body absorb an impact.

Wind bursts from my lungs as I do a tiny bounce. My glasses go flying.

Then I’m still again.

At first everything is adrenaline and shock. It’s all just numb terror.

Then a flood of pain burns in the middle of my back, on my spine directly behind my sternum.

My upper back is on fire, but below that spot, I feel nothing.

Nothing at all.

"Rob?" I see Trisha's silhouette on the edge, searching. She can’t see me in the darkness.

“I’m alive,” I shout.

“I’m coming down."

I don’t move. I’m so scared.

What if I try to wiggle my toes and they don’t wiggle?

I can’t feel my hips, legs, or my toes at all.

Everything is numb below a point, and above that point, my upper back is on fire.

Is this how it happens?

One minute you’re taking a photo of a pretty girl you used to date, the next minute, you’re a paraplegic?

It takes Trisha a few minutes to get down and find me in the darkness. Eventually she does, bringing my tripod with her.

As she leans over me, I decide her gothic dress for the photoshoot isn’t a good match for her rainbow-dyed hair.

“Are you okay?”

She’s as terrified as I am.

“I don’t know. I can't feel my legs. I was waiting for you to come hold my hand,” I say, trying not to cry, “before I tried to move.”

Trisha grips me with her boney fingers. “Fuck, Rob.”

I crush her tiny hand and she returns the grip.

“I’m sorry for falling on you,” I tell her.

I try to smile and make light of the situation like I always do.

"It looked like I was stepping back onto the edge, only when I put my foot down..."

My foot. The moment of truth.

I try to move my right big toe.

Wiggle wiggle.

I think I feel my shoe.

Yes, it's moving!

I try again.

All the toes are operational. On both sides.

I try a bit more and my legs are working too, even though I can't feel them.

But when I go to sit up, my back doesn't flex.

My spine bends down to that point that hurts really bad, and then just stops stiff.

"My vertebrae are dislocated maybe," I say. "Can you help? I think I can get up."

Trisha pulls me to my feet.

There's an unbroken beer bottle smashed clean into the dirt under where I hit.

At this age, I was working 3 jobs, ~70 hours a week. One full-time, and two part-time.

None provide me health insurance.

I spent almost as much as I make every month.

No savings.

There's no way I could afford even the cheapest ER bill.

We don't call an ambulance.

We don't go to a hospital.

Trisha gets a lighter from her truck and searches for my glasses in the darkness until the flame burns her thumb.

We stop at Rite Aid on the way back to my apartment to get reusable ice packs and a bottle of ibuprofen.

The next morning, I wake up throbbing and sore.

I get my shoes on by pulling my legs toward my chest with my arms. I can't bend down after all.

And I get on my bike and head to the first of two jobs for the day.

I'm an assistant for a professional photographer.

Then, at the drug store, I put on one of those weight belts our receiving department uses when unloading boxes.

I'll wear that under my apron every day at work for the next 3 months, taking 4 ibuprofen pills every 4 hours too.

Other than not being able to bend over, I seem functional enough to keep working.

But my back feels wrong all the time. Like there's a chuck in the middle where I can't feel anything. An empty spot.

I discover stretching is the greatest feeling in the world.

If I hold onto something heavy with my arms, I can bend my hips a little bit to let some blood flow into that area.

About a month later, I'm stretching, and there's a big pop. My back snaps back into place. 

A warm, amazing feeling rushes in.

I lean over to test and to see if it's true. My back slips back out of place.

I stretch again. It fixes itself again.

It's a start.

I can put on my shoes again.

It takes a year before I get health insurance and go to the doctor.

By now my back only pops out of place about once a week.

Ibuprofen and back braces are still part of my life, but not a full-time part.

The Doc is surprised I survived. Tells me 50% of people die from falls not much higher.

I wonder if a Tae Kwon Do move saved my life.

He orders an x-ray, and calls me back to discuss the results a few days later.

And I've never been so happy to be called this word in my life.

My x-ray looks like a normal person's.

He can't find any evidence of the injury at all.

He says, from his perspective as a doctor, I'm "unremarkable."

“Unremarkable,” I repeat back.

This story begins at night, with a girly scream.

Flow is the secret to both insane productivity and deep fulfillment.

It's not magic, though. Flow is a skill.

13 Flow triggers to EFFORTLESSLY do your best work:

Do you ever have those times where it's like you're propelled forward...

Ideas stream out. Intuition turns up. Nothing else matters.

5 hours feels like in 5 minutes.

Effort is effortless.

That's FLOW.

Flow has been explored by philosophers like: 

• Goethe
• Nietzche
• William James

but Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934-2021) is generally given credit for its discovery.

Flow isn't just about productivity.

It's an altered state of consciousness where people feel their best.

The secrets of the flow state aren't fully understood.

We know it's rooted in brain engagement, dopamine production, and intrinsic motivation.

Because of this, more easily get into flow if you optimize for:
• Stimulation
• Engagement
• Meaning

-
Use these 13 Flow Triggers:

🔸 Concentration

Complete concentration on a limited topic is flow's most basic trigger. 

Not so easily achieved, though.

Practice distraction management:
• Turn off notifications
• Lock doors
• Avoid distracting noises

Prime your brain to focus:
• Set a timer
• Commit

🔸 Novelty

Novelty comes from interacting with the new, unusual, and different.

It's associated with learning, something humans love.

Novelty hacks:
• When reviewing familiar info, add some new facts
• Change your environment: Location, Desk setup, Lighting

🔸 Awe

Predictable, menial, mind-numbing work is the worst.

Awe-inspiring is the best.

When something strikes you and inspires you, seize the opportunity. 

"Make the guacamole while the avocado is ripe." —Shaan Puri

🔸 Complexity

The mind will latch onto a sufficiently complex problem.

• Embrace constraints
(Decrease possible solutions.)

• Ask the question one level bigger
("What would it take to 100x our business?)

• Start at the end and work backwards
(Or start from the middle.)

🔸 Unpredictability

Not knowing what'll happen engrosses us.

Easy in games. Hard with your own projects.

Unpredictability hacks:
• Ask different people for advice
• Try someone else's method
• Use randomized generators

🔸 Risk-taking

Risks demand concentration and dish out heaps of dopamine. 

Both are perfect for achieving flow.

Risk-taking can come in many forms:
• Physical
• Social
• Emotional
• Creative
• Financial

If you're writing or coding, stop playing it safe with your ideas.

🔸 Clarity of goals (and immediate feedback)

Commonly in sports: A player knows exactly what is required to win. 

With each move, each play, each point, success or failure can be immediately perceived.

What can you measure about your current work to know if you're winning?

🔸 Curiosity

The rabbit-hole effect.

Genuine curiosity awards focus for free.

Practice being aware of when you're truly curious and follow that curiosity when it serves you.

Seek ways to tap inspiration to your advantage.

🔸 Passion

Think of what happens when you're incredibly attracted to someone.

There's no effort to pay attention to them.

You can't *not* pay attention.

Thats the flow of passion.

Harder to materialize in your work, but found a company and you'll understand what it's like.

🔸 Purpose

Having a strong Why behind your actions make the flow state easier to reach.

And you probably do.

Before you code, write, exercise, paint, or whatever other flowy activity — 

take a moment to reflect on Why.

Live your life with the meaning in mind.

🔸 Autonomy 

When you have freedom to pursue your interests — in your way — you pay more attention.

So be careful about asking for too much direction or feedback.

And managers, listen up. The opposite is also true. 

Micro-managing kills employee flow.

🔸 Mastery

You're committed to your craft.

You read about it.

You study it.

You practice it.

Mastery requires drive and self-discipline. That dedication leads to focus and flow.

🔸 Challenge

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

When something is challenging — yet within your abilities — it demands a deep state of attention.

Want more flow?

Tweak the difficulty until it's uncomfortable.

Use these 13 triggers to get into flow faster:

🔸 Awe
🔸 Novelty
🔸 Complexity
🔸 Concentration
🔸 Unpredictability
🔸 Clarity of goals
🔸 Risk-taking
🔸 Curiosity
🔸 Passion
🔸 Purpose
🔸 Autonomy
🔸 Challenge
🔸 Mastery

13 Flow Triggers

Blood money.

—Or—

Why I challenged the fittest guy I know to a fitness contest.

-
I just sent issue 2 of my free newsletter. 

Here's what all but 162 of you missed:

The building is way out of the way. Past the U Haul drop-off, the Goodwill, and the dollar store.

A bored security guard checks his phone from a folding chair in the parking lot.

The place looks like a doctor’s office from the 90s, but smells like a hospital.

I wait in line to check in. 

Then I’m told to wait in a different, longer line. 

I need to use one of the touch-screens to create an account. 

There are three computers to use, but one is out of order.

After twenty minutes, it’s my turn at the kiosk. I put in my legal name, take a photo, and set up a fingerprint scan.

Then, a 35-question questionnaire about my lifestyle and habits.

Have you gotten any tattoos recently?

Do you shoot heroin and share needles?

One a scale of 1-10, how slutty are you?

I’m promised this information is confidential and for screening purposes only. I pass without lying.

Wait in a third line. Finally, the last step, the one that involves a human being.

It’s 4 years ago, and I’m here to donate life-saving plasma.

Not donate it.

To sell it, really.

Selling your plasma is like donating blood. 

But instead of just taking a little, 

they pump your blood out into a large container 

— a container you can see — 

extract the plasma, 

and then pump the rest back into your body at room temperature along with some filler liquid.

Plasma is used with transfusions to help save people who have experienced severe trauma. 

Only 2% of the population have my blood type.

Blood money.

You can make $50 a session just for sitting in a room with a needle in your arm. 

The intake process is long, but once set up, the regular donation should be much faster.

Social good aside, I’m embarrassed to be here. But at the time, money was an issue. 

I'd taken a 20% pay cut to get out of ad tech and work a job that I didn’t hate.

My number appears on the screen, telling me to go to booth 4. I authenticate with my new fingerprint scan.

They need to check my blood protein levels and do a routine blood pressure check. The nurse says they’ll do this every time.

She puts the cuff around my arm and starts the process.

157 over 107.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"Huh?"

Turns out 157/107 is really, really high. 

Stage 2 hypertension.

“You’re probably nervous. Wait 10 minutes and we can try again on the other arm.”

Calm. Meditate. Breath slowly. Listen to classical music.

I don’t feel particularly nervous.

I got back in.

148 over 103. Still stage 2.

A healthy individual would be below 120/80.

“Your blood pressure is too high to donate. You should see a doctor. You can try again in 30 days.”

🔸 Why I challenged the fittest guy I know to a fitness contest

Experts say that to lose weight, you need to discover your big Why.

For me, it’s to not live a short life. To not leave behind all the people I love when I’m far too young.

Despite this, progress on health and fitness has been up and down since then.

Stress management is better. I cut out alcohol. I’m down a few pounds overall.

But I’m not where I need to be. And my blood pressure isn’t under 120/80.

Holding myself accountable hasn’t been enough.

In business, you can do a thought experiment where you think about what it would take to charge 10x the amount you currently charge.

• Who would be your customers?
• What would you do differently?
• Could you charge 10x as much, but grow more than 1/10th of your current base?

That’s what I’m doing here. I’m raising my prices on my health astronomically.

So I sat down, thinking about who is the fittest guy I know right now. It’s @WrongsToWrite, who happens to also be on Twitter and write about similar things to me.

Why not 10x my fitness goal? Why not decide that not am I only going to get fit, but I'll get MORE fit than Dakota.

Sounds delusional.

6 feet tall. 220.3 pounds. (183 cm tall. 100 kg.)

Weak stamina. Asthma.

I wagered 10x the plasma donation fee on myself that in 9 months, I'll be in better shape than him.

And now I've told everyone.

So we can all help hold me accountable. Not just me.

https://twitter.com/nicolasmejiar/status/1540334291569238018

🔸 Go get it

Are you sitting on your hands about something? Are you ready to go?

Find accountability. Share the struggle.

Declare in public what you’re up to. Find someone to do your challenge with you.

Create a plan.

Take the first step.

To get more longer-form thinking in your inbox, 

subscribe to Uncommon, 

my free newsletter where I share original insights on writing, business, and mental mastery.

https://uncommon.beehiiv.com/subscribe

(and follow me @thatroblennon if you haven't yet)

Blood money.

I went viral 3 times in my first 30 days on Twitter. 

Huge hack: Formatting your tweets. 

Here's how I do it 👇

Most people overlook the visual component of writing.

Know what else people overlook? Large chunks of text.

Formatting...
• pulls the eye forward
• makes complex ideas feel simple
• stimulates the mind through variety

Here are 9 examples of awesome tweet formatting to copy:

(The) What you'll learn by reading this:

1. Visual formats for tweets and threads
2. That you can copy and use
3. Or just be inspired by
4. Mix and match to create your own
5. So that your content looks nice
6. And people read it

Let's dive in ↓

Example: @thejustinwelsh 
https://twitter.com/thejustinwelsh/status/1538930464790020096

• Brief heading no period

Short sentences go here one at a time.

Never longer than a line.

If they're starting to get long,

find a comma and add a line break. 

Try to keep the line lengths visually pleasing.

Example: @IAmClintMurphy 
https://twitter.com/IAmClintMurphy/status/1539218197727039488


3. Do this not that

Short statement of advice to follow.

❌ "This is what not to do."

✅ "This is a far better example of what to do."

Explain why you're right. Assert the benefit of following your advice.

Example: @ericasmyname 
https://twitter.com/ericasmyname/status/1516086619866030083

4/ Thing vs. Other Thing

One idea:
-> Identify a situation
-> Make an observation about it that is interesting

Another idea:
-> Similar situation but different
-> Insightful remark that brings clarity to the topic

Bring it all together with a line at the bottom.

Example: @dklineii 
https://twitter.com/dklineii/status/1537058138335154176

Step 5: Use Templated Responses

You're going to write two, thick, meaty, action-packed mini-paragraphs that fill up a line and 2/3rds max.

Then accompany them with a visual that brings it all together. Bonus points if all visuals are consistent. 

Example: @ChristineCarril 
https://twitter.com/ChristineCarril/status/1525885183706161152

"How to" double bullet list:

Start with a quick explanation of how to start. 

• Do this
• Three bullets
• Always three

Then how you level up.

• Write more bullets
• Only three
• Keep 'em short

Assert the benefit of following your advice here slightly longer.

Example: @TMitrosilis 
https://twitter.com/TMitrosilis/status/1539244795889168386

Mini-thread within a thread 

Explain the general idea of what you're talking about up here. Then get ready to give some... 

Here's 3 tips to do the above line: 

✅ Quick tips here
✅ 5 words or less per tip
✅ Again, always three

Wrap it up with something succinct.

Example: @RecoveredDynamo 
https://twitter.com/RecoveredDynamo/status/1539037144852877312

🔸 Use subtle formatting to get attention

By looking different, your posts might stand out. Just don't overdo it.

• Large symbol for the heading 
• Regular symbols for bullets
• Keeps things interesting
• Makes it skimmable

Example: @thatroblennon (Hey, I know that guy!)
https://twitter.com/thatroblennon/status/1531334180511969280

Take an action.

Because XYZ...

- is ideal for many examples

- fits in all sorts of sentences

- deserves to have a spotlight held to it

- likes when these lines are relatively similar in length

- looks good with 5 examples (not just 3)

Example: @ABetterJones 
https://twitter.com/ABetterJones/status/1537087467588820992

To nail your own tweet formatting, make use of these factors:

• sub-headers to anchor the eye
• plenty of open space
• attention to line length relative to nearby lines
• use of bullets in 3s and 5s
• shorter sentences overall

Do this, and watch your engagement take off.

How to format your tweets (9 examples)

To be magnetic you don't have to be

• charming
• witty
• attractive

8 habits ANYONE can use to instantly build charisma:

🔸 Be yourself and own it

This isn't just about confidence. Charismatic people are next-level comfortable in their skin.
 
People love originality. They crave to be themselves too. They love seeing you set an example. So just go for it.

🔸 Show interest

Being Interest-ed isn't the same as being interest-ing. 

To be charismatic you must be present for others. Listen closely. React. Ask questions. 

(The inverse is also true. Nobody likes it when you're trying-too-hard.)

🔸 Be generous with your time

Be selfless and give to others. They'll love you for it.

It sounds counterintuitive, but focusing on others has an effect of drawing them to you.

🔸 Tell more stories

Stories create human connection, especially when told from the heart.

You might be in them, but not all your stories should be about you. 

And when they are self-centered, they shouldn't be just to boast.

🔸 Be mindful your body

You communicate as much with your body as with your words. Smile more. Don't slouch or turn away.

Gesture. Let your wide hand movements fill the room.

Use eye contact readily. Be undeterred by the intimacy it brings. 

🔸 Give away all the credit

Others' accomplishments don't hold you back. So champion them. 

Celebrate wins and acknowledge the people who made them possible.

Charismatic people make a habit of lifting up those around them.

🔸 Take the blame

Even as you pass along the credit, you take responsibility when the time comes.

You're strong. Use your strength to shelter peers from negativity, but also work with them to fix problems and improve.

🔸 Spread optimism

Positivity is the difference between hard work and a slog.

Find joy anywhere it can be found. Focus on the good. Share your fun with others.

Don't deceived yourself that ultra-likable people have a charisma gene that they were born with.

Social science shows us that likability is the result of habits, behaviors, and skills as much as anything else.

Focus on being mindful of yourself, and being a good person.

8 habits anyone can use to instantly build charisma:

🔸 Show interest
🔸 Be generous with your time
🔸 Tell more stories
🔸 Be yourself and own it
🔸 Be mindful of your body
🔸 Give away all the credit
🔸 Take the blame
🔸 Spread optimism

8 habits anyone can use to instantly build charisma

9 and 1/2 lies your English teacher told you about writing:

⬎⬎⬎⬎⬎⬎

“Always begin with a clear thesis statement. 

Or at least an opaque one.”

•

“You must use proper grammar or people simply won't take you seriously. 

Okay, now that you've fixed it, I still don't take you seriously because you're a kid.”

•

“If you can't spell, you'll never be able to be a writer...

for writing comes from words, and words come from spelling.”

• 

“Always use transitions between paragraphs. 

Otherwise, people simply won't be able to follow what the McDougal you're talking about.”

• 

“One must always write in complete sentences containing at the very least a subject and a verb. 

Why, you ask? Because.”

•

“It is important to use punctuation. 

Begin by overusing semi-colons and eventually move to adding em-dashes to everything instead of commas."

• 

“Good writing is like not getting kicked out of zoo for hanging out with the animals. 

It's all about following the rules.”

• 

“Thou shalt never use slang in your writing. 

For slang is more difficult to understand than antiquated phrasing people use far less commonly. 

Old words are better than new words.”

• 

“Informal language damages your credibility. 

However, superfluous words give you super-credibility.”

• 

9 and 1/2 lies your English teacher told you about writing

I earned 7,000 followers in 29 days because I show up consistently.

Same voice. Same values. Same topics.

How to figure out your own personal brand (even if you don’t know yourself):

Thinking about who you are is a loaded and emotional process.

So today, we're going to focus on one little slice of you.

Who you are on Twitter. And specifically, how others experience you on the bird app.

And while I don't love this term, we'll use it: 

Your Personal Brand

Thinking of your twitter account as a brand is the key to follower growth: 

KNOW -> LIKE -> TRUST

• We get to KNOW someone through consistent, ownable representation

• We start to LIKE someone when they talk in a tone that we relate to, about things we care about

• We learn to TRUST a someone when they are consistent — upholding their values, addressing topics of interest, and sounding like themselves no matter when we encounter them

People are more likely to know, like, and trust you with a consistent brand.

A consistent twitter brand is composed of:

🔹 Values (Never changes)
🔹 Voice (Voice doesn't change)
🔹 Style (Can change over time)
🔹 Topic (Likely changes over time)

🔸 VALUES

Values underpin who you are. 

They may not be obvious in every word your type, but they're the centerpiece of what you're trying to communicate here.

Ask yourself, what do you stand for? 

Examples:

• A bias toward action
• Habits for compounding growth
• Deep dives into topics
• Smart financial decisions for long-term wealth
• Using psychology to understand the world
• Combining physical, mental, and spiritual health

You may have ideas, but then consider how these values can be universally appealing.

For example, if your value is being a Christian:

Decide whether to speak more broadly about spirituality. Your message may resonate with anyone who feels a connection to something greater.

Sketch out some rough values. Here are mine.

My Values (@thatroblennon):

• Cultivate an abundance mindset and share your best knowledge
• Be a champion for originality and authenticity
• Invest in underdogs and the underrepresented
• Add humor to boring business topics

🔸 VOICE

Now let's take your values and figure out the voice to express them in.

Your voice shines through naturally. You may feel like skipping here, but defining your brand voice will add clarity and make you comfortable being yourself.

Ask yourself, how do I communicate?

• Where on the 'casual'<---->'professional' spectrum am I?
• What grade level do I write at?
• Do I write utilitarian lists or tell personal stories?
• Do I write lofty ideas, or in-the-weeds how-tos? (Or both?)

• My Voice (@thatroblennon): 

Storytelling and jokes combined with intellectual curiosity.

When I give tips, I provide specific tactics that can be applied immediately.

Aim for a 5th grade level but end up in 9th grade sometimes.

I use satire and play with conventions.

🔸 STYLE

What’s your posting style?

You want people to be able to recognize your tweets, and to have expectations about them. 

Take time to think about how you prefer to format your letters, bullets, and tweets overall. Play with it a bit, then try to stick with it.

Questions to ask yourself about your tweet style: 

• Do I capitalize? 
• Spell properly? 
• Do I use jargon? 
• Colloquialisms? 
• Intellectual words like "colloquialisms"?
• Swear words?
• Do I write in sound bites or long sentences?
• Do I include images or drawings?

•My Style (@thatroblennon): 

Tight, punchy, with the occasional longer phrase.

Conversational. Unafraid to break conventions (or publish with typos).

Few emojis, but I do use them for formatting (🔸)

.

Sometimes I add extra line breaks so a sentence will stand out.

.


🔸 TOPIC

I have so many interests. (Everything!) What do I share?

Most people start with a topic, but I left it for last on purpose (or on porpoise you'd say if you're a long-time fan).

For 🐦, you want ~3 categories of knowledge that you'll be sharing as part of your brand.

Why have 3 twitter topics?

You're a dynamic and onion-like human, full of passions and interests. 

We need to let plenty of that out, but not so much that people don't know what to expect from you.

Pick three topics:
• 1 General
• 1 Middle
• 1 You're a subject expert

This allows your brand to have wide appeal, while also being able to go deep into the areas you care about most.

And don't kill yourself trying to be unique. This is just a small piece of your brand. 

My topics are hardly original, but because of my values and voice, I still offer twitter followers what no one else does.

My topics (@thatroblennon): 

• Mental mastery / Personal development
• Online businesses (startups and side hustles primarily)
• Writing and publishing

Topics can shift for many reasons:

• You want to explore a different passion
• Your interests change
• You need to address new topics to find a larger audience

Don't worry if you change topics. Most people who became fans because of your voice and values will stick around.

🔸 SUMMARY

People follow people they know, like, and trust = a consistent brand.

People remember you when consistently show up as you (and can spot fakers).

Create your twitter brand around your VALUES, VOICE, STYLE, and TOPIC.

How to figure out your personal brand (even if you don't know)

True stories,

• Surrounded by a gang of knife-wielding pre-teens
• Trapped 2-days in the Sahara in need of a hospital
• Cornered by a militant hashish dealer who said I didn't pay

Traveling builds character (if it doesn't kill you first):

🔸

Ancient society made leather in large vats of bird poop. 

Our tour guides gave us clusters of mint to hold as gas masks.

They left their smiles in the leatherworks when they showed us out the back.

Told us to 10x their fee. Thugs blocked the alley back to town.

So we ran.

5 times a day the prayer call goes. "Allāhu ʾakbar," blasted over loud speakers. 

Shop keepers pull down their metal shudders and lock up as they go to mosque for obligatory prayer.

In not long, they return like nothing happened.

"Are you looking for La Grande Place?" The kid spoke English and was maybe 11.

We still hadn't found our way back from the leatherworks. 

This is ~2 years before maps apps.

"Yes, we are."

He led to us to an empty street of shuttered shops.

"Prayer," he reminded us.

For a city packed with people, this street was strangely empty.

Suddenly, more kids surged out from hiding,

A gang of pre-teens with knives from the shadows.

We were 3/4ths surrounded.

I'd never shouted, "Run!" and actually meant it before. (Much less twice in a day.)

🔸

Our taxi dodged a tipped-over manure cart in the intersection. 

We darted up a one-way ramp to make up the lost time.

The donkey was still hooked up to the cart. Dangling in the air.

I felt safer than the donkey. 

The lawless roads seemed to breed competence.

We stopped for cold drinks at a place that turned out to be our driver's cousin's carpet shop.

Poor in America.

But in Morocco, I was rich.

We couldn't carry carpets, but they tried to sell them to us anyhow.

Just me and my best friend in life, Pippa. Our backpacks were stashed.

Pippa had traveled to every continent except Africa and the poles.

Me? I'd been to the Grand Canyon.

"Let's start in Spain — see where it takes us," she'd said.

"It" took us to the ferry to Tangiers.

🔸

Muhammad ran the cafe on the roof of our hotel in Marrakesh. 

He was our age, and we became fast friends.

Well, he and Pippa became friends. 

I got up early and wrote stories in my notebooks at a table in his cafe.

Muhammad invited us to taxi to his village and meet his family. 

He had a trip planned and wanted to show us what real Moroccan life was like.

If the police stopped us, we'd say we weren't together.

Scams are so common, it's a major crime to associate with foreigners.

Muhammad's family only spoke Arabic. We spoke English, French, and Spanish. Their 11 chickens clucked.

His mother made couscous for dinner. We sat at a long table with the extended family. All smiles, and gestures.

Celebrated guests.

There were 10 chickens when we left.

🔸

You've never felt so free as when 
you've only got a backpack with 3 changes of clothes.

You've never felt so lonely as when 
you haven't been near anything familiar in months.

After weeks on the road, I wanted to quit and go home. 

I couldn't disappoint Pippa, so I stayed

In a sec, more stories — but my whole account is to share knowledge and entertainment like this.

• Unique posting style
• Authentic tips on writing, marketing, & mindset
• I've almost died 8 times (more stories to tell)

Follow @thatroblennon for more. :)
 
Continuing on...

🔸

Years ago, Pippa and I had dated. Just for a few months.

We adored each other but weren't a fit. So we became pub buddies instead.

For some 20s coeds traveling the world, sharing rooms and everything else, 

it was good that we knew what we were, and what we weren't.

I was hot for a Swiss girl at a hostel. She turned out to be 17.

Pippa met a guy who danced professionally. He turned out 12 years older that 22, but nice.

.

I wasn't sure if I was allowed to talk to Moroccan women, but one talked to me.

Then she introduced me to her pimp.

🔸

In the walking markets, you're expected to negotiate.

If you don't, you look foolish. Foolish makes you a target.

Strike a hard enough bargain though, and they offer you mint tea and ask you to sit and share stories.

If someone's good against you in business, befriend them

Those shopkeepers taught me Arabic greetings, numbers..yes and no.

After that, when hustlers saw my tanned skin and heard me speak, they'd leave me alone.

Actually, usually they'd change.

They'd want to become my buddy and understand why a white boy was learning Arabic at all.

🔸

The taxi driver's cousin sold carpets. HE had a cousin who guided camel trips through the Sahara.

Not interested.

"No, will get you a great deal."

Genuinely no thanks.

"Let me call him and see what he can do."

After an hour, he'd cut the price by 75%. No became why not.

The bustle of overcrowded Moroccan cities had left me overwhelmed.

But camel-riding for hours...through nothing...it centered my soul.

I learned to tie a turban to protect my face from the sun and sand.

Our camels stood taller than horses, their multiple knees like dinosaurs.

In the desert, we survived on well water, but the iodine tablets weren't enough to protect me.

I got horribly sick from something against which I had no defense.

2 days ride from anything.

The guide said my body was resisting. It didn't want to leave the calm of the desert.

I lost all my food, and for two days had only sips of water.

It took all my strength just to stay conscious enough not to fall off the camel.

Delirious. Through seas of dunes, sand, and rocks.

The greatest exercise in mindfulness I've ever attempted.

Somehow I made it.

Pippa was terrified. Did this tiny town have a hospital? No.

When I woke up, she was gone.

The shower drain clogged with sand as I washed that last grains of peacefulness from my skin.

Pippa was back when I came out.

I'd been asleep for 30+ hours. She'd had a day without me.

 🔸

"Hashish?" a guy asked me on the beach in Essaouira. He had friendly eyes.

I figured it'd be a quick transaction.

He asked me to follow him.

Smart, I thought. Don't keep your stuff on you. 

We walked a quarter-mile. Then he asked me to wait inside a cafe.

The "cafe" was dusty and had no customers, decorations, signage, or food.

I was wearing $150 hiking shoes, had 200 durams in my moneybelt (~$50), and a cheap film camera.

A tall man watched me from the doorway. Never blinked or said a word.

I felt nervous about my shoes.

"Okay, follow me." My guy came back and took me into a catacomb of alleys, mostly underground and devoid of light.

We ended at a dead end.

"Wait here," he said. After he rounded the corner, I heard him running fast.

I was sure I was screwed, but my friends were counting on me.

I couldn't leave now. It'd be an insult.

Even as I felt myself freezing up from terror, I didn't want to.

So I started shadowboxing to keep my nerve.

A old woman spied me from a nearby window.

If she was a spotter, I was glad they saw I was a fighter who knew how to throw one

My guy never had the drugs. 

He *knew* a guy who had them.

The real dealer looked like the main villain from a movie about child soldiers. 

He wore a black beret, and smoked his cigarette like he was pissed at it for not pumping nicotine hard enough.

"Salamo Alaykom," I said.

At first he was mad that all I wanted was a bit of hash. 

I had disturbed his afternoon. How dare I not want any heroine?

"Smell the hashish!" he finally yelled at me in frustration, shoving a small lump of drugs into my hand.

People fake hash with animal droppings sometimes.

"300 durams," he said. 

"I agreed to 200. It's all I have."

"Let me see."

I pulled out my 200 and handed it to him. He quickly pocketed it and then repeated himself. "Let me see the 200."

"I just gave it to you."

"Pay me 200." He didn't care he was lying. "Give me 200."

"I did," I repeated. 

I couldn't pay him more even if I wanted to.

And I doubt he'd take my word on the value of my shoes.

I was out of moves. I wanted to cower, but there, they respect toughness.

"Give me 200."

"You have it," I said. "Shukran."

I turned and started walking past his guys. 

I figured if they moved on me, I'd hear their feet in the dirt and I could take off sprinting.

I'd have a head start of a couple of paces at least.

But it was quiet behind me.

I never looked back the whole way. 

And somehow I reached my hostel, and eventually America without dying.

I returned from that trip exhausted, but confident.

Confident that I could accomplish anything.

Confident that I'd never be that lonely again. 

Confident nothing would ever be scarier. 

...I could do anything.

🔸

There were good times in Morocco too. Plenty of them. 

But the truth is, they weren't as important to me.

Because it was navigating all that uncertainty that taught me how capable I was.

.

And that's why you should travel. To test yourself. To learn who you can become.

.

I know this was a long one. 

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/thatroblennon/PGOSbma

True Stories: Traveling builds character, if it doesn't kill you first

Most people fail at basic writing advice:

"Show, Don't tell."

You're either doing showy telling, or you think this doesn't apply to you, and you're wrong:

Showing-not-telling isn't just for fiction writers.

Showing will improve your emails, your headlines, your articles, even chats to your colleagues in Slack and texts with your partner.

Show more often, and...

People's eyes will light up when you write.

Most people think 'Show, Don't Tell' simply means:

Engage the reader's senses. Describe what is seen, heard, felt, smelled, or tasted... instead of telling about the experience.

Example:

I was disappointed. --> I frowned.

But focusing on the senses often leads to more distanced writing. 

Sentences beginning with horrible phrases like:

• I saw...
• She heard...
• He smelt

(We feel further away, not closer.)

And most of the time, none of these make sense in the work world or real life anyway.

But take the above about showing:

"People's eyes will light up.."

I could have written,
• People will be impressed
• Your writing seem high-quality
• You'll tap into people's emotions

But the visual of an eyes-light-up moment creates a visual... and an emotional connection.

Good showing in business writing is often a subtle tweak.

Finish tasks quickly --> Check off your to-do list in record time

One states a benefit in 'telling' terms. The other allows the reader to picture themselves achieving success.

Show what success looks like.

You think you understand, but you don't.

Most people don't go far enough when showing.

I've been editing a friend's sci-fi adventure novel. She's a pro author, and a common mistake even she makes is not painting a vivid enough picture.

My mind ends up blank...

"A crowd of people gathered around the accident."

That seems to be showing right? It can be seen.

But does it create a mind-picture or simply vaguely describe? 

Instead, try: 

"Bystanders from the crosswalk encircled the scene. None approached close enough to help, however."

Showing requires that you trust that your readers will understand without being told everything. 

This is good.

It engages makes the reader feel like an insider and excites their mind.

You can't always show very often, 

but the next time you're staring at a blank screen,

try to paint a picture with your words, instead of telling us what to think.