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Great essays: a missing piece of the web
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Hey Reader, Great essays are a missing part of the web. Thought leaders used to publish thoughtful written pieces more often, but I see fewer and fewer of them, and it makes me sad. Some of it has gone to YouTube in the form of video essays. Others are hidden away in private newsletter issues that aren’t shared publicly. But I want to make the case for why I think you—yes, you specifically—should write and publish more essays. Why you should write essaysAs you build your career, you end up with a handful of defining ideas. These are perspectives or ways of thinking that are uniquely your own. What’s an outlook you have, or a way you do things, that seems to resonate with people? What are the questions people keep asking that you answer the same way 3 times in a row? What ideas do people associate with you? What have you come to be known for? Your answers to these questions can be great candidates for essays. A great essay stands out, and it’s something people can refer back to. People do this with The Ladders of Wealth Creation all the time. Two of my favorite essays are Words by Justin Jackson and Your Life in Weeks by Tim Urban. Great essays are something you refer people to often because they solve a specific problem, are easy to recommend, are comprehensive, and include an actionable framework. Let’s break that down: What makes a great essayA great essay… ✅ Solves a specific problem Much like a book, a great essay zooms in on a specific problem to solve. It doesn’t pontificate. It’s a focused treatise aimed at tackling a particular problem with the goal of providing a new way of thinking. ✅ Has an easy-to-imagine conversation in which it gets recommended “I feel like no matter what I do in my business, I’m never lucky enough.” “Have you read Naval’s take where he talks about the 4 types of luck?” – “I have [a big goal]. I’m thinking about making a post to tell everyone about it.” “Have you read Derek Siver’s post on why you should keep your goals to yourself?” ✅ Is comprehensive The two examples I shared above, by Naval and Derek, are more of what I consider to be posts, not comprehensive essays. An essay goes in-depth on a topic and explores the idea from many different angles and perspectives. It explores examples, contains portable stories, and usually measures in the thousands of words rather than hundreds. ✅ Contains more than words Beyond words, a great essay has rich media. Videos, images, or illustrations. Visuals that bring the essay to life and make it memorable. A great essay provides a guide to a different way of thinking in the form of frameworks. You come away from a great essay armed with a new lens through which to look at life and tools to simplify complex problems. Where to publish your essayYour website is the best place to publish your essay. You can always use social media and other platforms to promote it, but ultimately your essay should live somewhere that you control—that isn’t driven by algorithms. If you have a Kit newsletter, it’s easy to publish your newsletter issues as public posts. Here’s my Creator Profile if you want to see an example. This gives you a way to link to your essays if you don’t have a website. How to get people to read your essayOnce your essay is published, you may be wondering how you can get people to read it if it lives on your website. This is where the packaging and positioning really matters. The essay is your big idea, but it's composed of lots of small ideas. You can think of those small ideas as different hooks that can get someone’s attention. One hook may not resonate with someone whereas another one will. By taking bits and pieces on different topics from your essay and transforming them into different kinds of media (quote graphics, video clips, etc.), you can create many opportunities for someone to discover your idea. Think about your ideal reader and what mattress to them. Choose small ideas that will capture their attention and get them to read your full essay. — One comprehensive essay can be broken down into dozens of social posts, newsletter issues, and talking points—making it a content creation multiplier. The essays you publish become the cornerstone pieces people will reference, share, and return to long after your social media posts have disappeared from feeds. Essays are the ultimate compound investment of your ideas—they clarify your thinking today while building your reputation and influence for years to come. What’s some of your most-requested advice that deserves to be an essay? PODCAST5-Step Strategy That Lets You Work From AnywhereToday I’m joined by Matthew Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) to break down how to turn travel into a profitable business in 2025. Matt has spent over 15 years traveling full-time, building one of the world’s most recognized travel brands. We discuss how travel creators can monetize effectively—through email, events, and brand deals—while staying authentic. Matt shares his five-step system for building a travel business that pays you to explore the world. Watch or listen to episode » JOBChief Operating Officer at KitKit is at an inflection point in our growth story and we’re looking for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to scale our financial and business operations. Our COO will:
If you know someone who would be great, please share this opportunity with them. Apply by April 11th: BOOKTiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed WorldWhen I first met Anne-Laure Le Cunff, I knew she’d go on to do big things. Years ago, I had her on the podcast—and it’s been amazing to watch her Ness Labs newsletter grow to 100,000 subscribers and now lead to this thoughtful, powerful book. Tiny Experiments will teach you:
If you’ve ever felt stuck between chasing big goals and wanting more freedom, check out her book: Have a great week! —Nathan |
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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