I am sure you are familiar with the phrase “consistency is key”. I realize it’s no secret, but you’d be surprised how many creators do not adhere to it.
They get burnt out fast, feeling like its pointless to publishing for nobody.
Note-making is a skill. Like with any new skill, you must be patient and allow yourself to suck at first. But to improve, you must also be consistent from the start.
The more you write, index and file notes, the faster this skill will become second nature.
Note-making for the sake of enhancing your learning is a valuable skill, but what good is knowledge expansion without expression?
This just creates a curiosity feedback loop, preventing you from making a meaningful impact and earning income as a result.
To close feedback loops, you must generate outputs.
But what if you are starting from zero? If nobody is reading your newsletter, what’s the point of publishing consistently?
Here’s the thing. If you want to go from zero to monetized, you will only get there by publishing consistently.
When I launched Outside The Box (the newsletter you are reading right now), I also had zero subscribers.
I had zero subscribers when I launched my Substack newsletter that now has over 2400 subscribers and generates nearly $10,000 in yearly revenue.
The only way I was able to get to my first 1000 subscribers was by starting out as if I already had 1000 subscribers.
Present your content as if you thousands of people are going to consume it. This principle applies no matter what kind of content you are publishing, whether its YouTube videos, a newsletter or a blog.
Would you subscribe to a YouTube channel that only had 1 upload from 4 months ago? Probably not. I know I wouldn’t.
But if you saw they were uploading actively, you would be much more likely to subscribe.
Think about what would compel you to subscribe to someone’s newsletter or YouTube channel.
Write like you are that curious learner who first encounters your content.
Ask yourself, would this grab my attention? Would I click the subscribe button if I saw this content for the first time?
I get it. Starting from zero can be exhausting.
But audience growth compounds over time. Any creator will tell you the first 1000 is the hardest.
Note-making is no different.
When you first start a zettelkasten, you have no existing notes to link to. But as you consistently write more notes, your connections compound over time.
To stay consistent, you have to find a flow that works for you so you don’t get burnt out.
You can do this by applying creative constraints. For example, limit your newsletter to be read in 2 minutes or less (like this one). Then you only need a few notes to compose a weekly newsletter.
If you are consistent with your note-making, your published content is already written. Just compose it and hit send.
The difference between zero and monetized is consistency. Having no audience is only temporary if you remain consistent.
Stay consistently curious, publish your knowledge and trust the process, my friend.
P.S. Here is a video from our weekly live Q&A session yesterday where I discuss the importance of consistency.
We are half way through the first Zettel Monetizer cohort. It is not too late to enroll, but the sooner the better. Hope to see you there!