#22: I’ve read 100 Seth Godin Blog Posts: 7 things I’ve learned about writing for brevity
Seth Godin’s mailers are a valuable addition to your inbox.
I’ll admit, I subscribe to quite a few [amazing!] mailers, but I don’t have a lot of time to read them. I dump them into designated folders until the right moment or mood to smash through a whole bunch at once.
Seth mailers come once a day, so they add up quickly, but the man has a gift for brevity and communicating one essential idea. This makes rolling through his mailers — his daily blog post delivered by email — refreshing and delightful.
Firstly, it’s nice to see where his mind has wandered over the course of the last while. He taps on a wide array of topics, always finding his distinctive Godin-esque angle.
Secondly, his succinct style keeps you hungry to read just one more. There’s no heavy lifting and no over-deep linking in his posts. He keeps it uncomplicated.
I tend to be a bit wordy in my writing, so his work is a reminder for me of how effective a short, punchy piece can be. With that in mind, let’s dive in.
Here’s what I’ve gathered from reading his work over the past year:
His headings are tight, but create enough intrigue to click through to see what he’s on about. A few recent examples:
Just in time, Build a new one, Three more questionsHe give you the gems upfront. The topic isn’t hidden, you can see at a glance what the piece is about and if you’re invested to read on
He uses direct speech to quickly communicate ideas in narrated exchange which can move the piece forwards in brief strides
He presents an idea — often in the headline — and then flips it, so you’re challenged with the unexpected to invert your assumed perspective
He doesn’t over-explain big ideas or his personal opinions, he more often than not presents a philosophy to ponder and leaves it with you
He also asks good questions and doesn’t pretend to have the answer; he reminds you to keep questioning things for yourself
His mails (and the archive of posts on his blog) are a gold mine for content ideas. Think hundreds of topical thought-starters waiting to be pulled out for a deep-dive.
Check out a few of the posts I enjoyed from his output last year:
“What’s on tonight?”
We forgot to choose
“I’m not that smart”
The Paradox of Big
Get your own daily dose of Seth here: https://seths.blog
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