"$500 for two social media posts?"

My friend nearly choked on his beer.

It’s Summer 2022. I've just told him about my latest client payment as we enjoy the sun.

“… Damn.” He replied, impressed.

We both go silent, thinking about what we’d usually do for $500 as a dentist.

Needles, pain, blood, stress, sore necks.

The idea someone just paid me to… write words?

Ridiculous.

And yet..

I ‘fired’ my client after those 2 posts.

Why?

Because every word I wrote for them was a word I didn't write for me.

Sure, ghostwriting was tempting.

But I realised building someone else’s brand would come at the cost of my own.

And I didn’t become a writer to answer to clients all day.

I wanted full creative freedom. I wanted to explore my curiosity and serve my audience with my ideas.

So I doubled down on creating my own content.

And boy I’m glad I did.

Reader, here’s the reality about writing online:

Some people should just be ghostwriters. If you want to get paid fast, it’s great.

But if you have ideas burning inside you…

And you care deeply about making an impact at scale…

You are wasted hiding in someone else’s shadow.

You must bet big on your brand.

Yes it’s a scarier, longer play.

But think of this way:

If Justin Welsh or Dan Koe spent 80% of their time working for someone else, where do you think they’d be now?

Same is true for me.

I’m only enjoying the privilege of a popular personal brand because I refused to split my focus.

I wake up excited to build every day, knowing I’m in full control of my time.

And here’s the thing:

You can get paid to pursue your passion.

The secret is to become well-known for a problem you’ve solved yourself. Then build unique solutions at every price point.

Social media content → free bite-sized information

Email → free story-driven content

Digital product(s) → low price, low touch

Cohorts/group coaching → mid price, mid touch

High ticket 1-1 → high price, high touch

Sure it takes a bit of time and elbow grease.

But set up this flywheel and every post grows your audience and revenue.

The more you write, the more you earn. Writing becomes your business engine.

And that’s the beauty of a personal brand:

Getting paid for being you.

If you’d like help, you’d love my upcoming course Productize Your Knowledge.​

When I realised I didn’t want to be a ghostwriter, I began studying products.

I’m grateful to say I’ve grossed over $1,250,000 as a result.

PYK is the blueprint I wish I had 3 years ago.

You’ll find your audience’s most painful problems and get paid to build solutions WITH them.

Then you’ll create a productized version so you have a valuable asset to sell that doesn't cost you time.

…So you can focus on your most important asset:

Your brand.

This product is not for everyone.

But if you want to become well-known in your niche, it is for you.

The launch is on 4th July.

It’s only available for 5 days so I can offer support as you implement the steps during the summer.

​Join 1,500+ people on the waitlist here.​

Remember:

There’s more than one way to get paid as a writer. Some bring more freedom than others.

Kieran.

P.S.

This plan doesn’t require you to wait to have 100,000 followers either.

In fact, it’s better not to.

Because creating content without proof only makes you a commodity.

You need something to talk about, something to show why you’re worth investing in.

That’s why the second module of Productize Your Knowledge shows you how to find clients and deliver your knowledge live, even with a small following.

This way, you don’t just attract an audience.

You accelerate your authority.

Keep an eye out for the launch.

​Hop on the waitlist here.​