Nicolas Cole
Author and writing entrepreneur sharing creative discipline, self‑improvement, and high‑performance writing systems.
AI Boosts My Digital Writing: 5 Practical Uses
5 ways I'm using AI as a Digital Writer: 1. Outlining: Books, articles, etc. 2. Word Choice: Rewriting in new styles. 3. Research: Educate myself on new topics. 4. Brainstorming: Story ideas, viral ideas, etc. 5. Writing Efficiencies: Templates I can reuse again & again
Build $8M Business on LinkedIn Organic Growth
If I was starting over on LinkedIn, here's exactly what I would do: For context, we run an $8M/yr+ education biz. And have done over $25,000,000 in lifetime revenue almost exclusively from organic. (We are now starting to ramp up paid ads.) If I...
Build a Content Library, Adapt to Platform Shifts
All social platforms go through phases. In 2021, anyone writing X threads went obscenely viral. X also powered 99% of our multi-million dollar business. In 2026, X now drives <20% of our leads and engagement/reach is a fraction of what...
One Ghostwriter, Six Roles: You Are the Entire Business
Your 1-person ghostwriting business is actually 6 different departments all put together: • Lead Generator • Salesperson/"Free Consultant" • Content Marketer • Account Manager • Writer • HR/Ops You are the founder of a business that has 1 all-star employee: You.
Avoid These 5 Fatal Substack Mistakes
5 mistakes that kill your Substack before it starts: • Picking a clever name nobody understands • Skipping the welcome email • Never turning on Recommendations • No free trial for paid tier • Treating your newsletter like a journal Avoid these at all costs.
Proven 5‑Step Email Funnel Generates $200K Substack Sales
How to launch a $200K product to your Substack newsletter: 1. Tease it for 1-2 weeks 2. Open cart & send a breakdown email 3. 3-5 education emails 4. 3-4 urgency emails with case studies 5. Final chance emails Rinse and repeat.
Hard Times Become Sweet Memories When You Reframe
The hardest moments on the journey will later bring you the most nostalgia. Try to reframe when you're going through it. "This sucks" will later be remembered as "That sucked... but it was worth it."
Use Listicles, Contrarian Takes, and Data Breakdowns for Substack Growth
Substack Note formats that drive subscribers (not just likes): • Listicles with a specific takeaway • Contrarian takes that stop the scroll • Behind-the-scenes breakdowns with real numbers Avoid motivational quotes and vague musings.
20‑Email Sequence Generates $20M in Sales
Over the last 5 years, my little business has generated $20,000,000. The secret? Email. For all our digital product launches, we use a specific 20-email sequence. And now I want to share it with you. So you can sell your own digital products with email And...
Publish Publicly, Collaborate, and Monetize—Don’t Hide
Writers who make the most money, Practice In Public, play the long game, productize themselves, and write WITH their readers Writers who don't hide in a cabin in the woods, stare out the window, wait for inspiration, chase "perfection," and never...
Even AI Giants Still Need Human Writers, Pay Premium
Anthropic (Claude AI) is hiring two writing roles with a starting salary of $255,000: • Copy & Content Lead • Copy Lead And everyone's been asking the same question: "Why does the top AI company in the world need to pay multiple 6-figure salaries...
Start with Low-Ticket Products Before Chasing High-Ticket Offerings
6 digital products to take you to $1,000,000 as a writer: 1. Low-low ticket standalone ($49–$99) 2. Low-ticket digital product ($99–$350) 3. Cohort-based experience ($350–$999) 4. Community ($99/month, ongoing) 5. High-ticket group coaching ($3k–$10k) 6. Mastermind ($10k–$100k) Most writers skip to 5 or 6 and wonder why...
Uncomfortable Truths, Not Harder Work, Earned My First $1M
Over the last 10 years, I've generated $1M+ across 7 different writing business models. The crazy part? None of it came from being smarter or working harder than everyone else. It came from learning 5 uncomfortable truths nobody tells you about making your...
Indecision Wastes Time; Act Now Before It Disappears
The excuse most people use to postpone action is uncertainty. "I'm afraid of getting it wrong & wasting time." But the irony is, by not taking action, you're already wasting time. Which means you have less time. Which makes you...
Winning Comes From Out‑repeating Everyone Else
Winners just do one thing more times than anyone else has ever done, which makes you the best person at it.