I've been punched in the face twice (that I can remember).

Once in college, while protecting my chain-smoking Jordanian roommate from getting jumped.

And again yesterday, on my afternoon walk while listening to a My First Million (MFM) Podcast.

For 57 minutes and 42 seconds, I hung onto every word.

Once I reached the end of the episode, I thought, “Yes, I can do this! I can become a badass online writer and make millions in the process. I only have to master specific skills, one by one.”

I wish I had encountered this episode on Day 1 of my online writing journey. It’s to the point, entertaining, and packed with tons of actionable copywriting tips.

(I’ve captured and distilled the most powerful takeaways and dropped them below.)

Sam Parr and Shaan Puri, the hosts of MFM, are hilarious and copywriting geniuses. They’ve built 2 mind-blowingly successful newsletters (The Hustle and The Milk Road). Then, they sold them for millions.

They both know how to write compelling copy; every aspiring digital writer can learn a thing or two from them.

Alright, I'm done building my case.

Here is a snippet of the knowledge bombs dropped in the podcast episode.

Forget EVERYTHING you learned in school about writing. Online writing is a different beast.
Writing clarifies your thinking and allows you to influence at scale.
Clear writing is clear thinking. If your writing isn't clear, spend time clarifying your ideas.
Every successful digital writer has a Swipe File of content for inspiration.
Do ‘CopyWork’ before you Copywrite — find a piece of content you love, and copy it verbatim by hand for 15 mins. Then write.
Know who you’re writing to, what reaction and action you want to trigger, and what you want the reader to remember.
Your opener should punch the reader in the face and evoke curiosity.
Word choice matters (a lot). If the reader needs a thesaurus, you chose the wrong word.
Create music with your words by varying sentence length.
Write as you speak.
Have a conversation with the reader.
Take your reader on a journey. Move them line by line down the “slippery slope.”
Your 6th-grade, painfully awkward neighbor, Tommy, should understand your writing.
Don't draft and edit your writing in the same session.
Expect to cut almost half of your original draft when editing.
Kill Your Darlings — remove anything that doesn’t serve the reader (even if you love them).
Let Your Freak Flag Fly — let your personality shine through. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.

And there you have it. 17 knowledge bombs for becoming an influential Digital Writer.

Do yourself a favor. Listen to the podcast (linked below).

You won’t regret it.

Podcast Link

17 Copywriting Tips For Beginners From 2 Copywriting Genuises (Sam Parr and Shaan Puri)

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