💡 How to Use Writing to Advance Your Career (Issue 624)
Sharing your knowledge and expertise to attract the right audience
➡️ First, a quick announcement: This week, Tim Yeo and I opened the doors for our new course, “Too Valuable to Lose.” We’re hosting the 2-day course on May 31 and June 7, 2025, to help you learn to become so valuable that your employer keeps you happy (e.g., receive raises and promotions, stay off the layoff list), and potential new employers can't stand the thought of losing you (i.e., they make you job offers quickly).
Limited early bird tickets are available now for the first 30 attendees (save $200!), so grab one before they are gone!
Why write?
It’s a new month, so it’s time for a new theme. April is all about writing and publishing!
You already know I’m a massive fan of writing and how it can help you and your career. Of course, there are many other ways to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise. However, writing is one of the most powerful methods and has the most significant reach.
I’ve also discovered that writing helps me explore my thinking on a subject. During the process, I read, research, and take copious notes. Shaping my thoughts into a structured outline helps me learn more deeply and crystallizes my point of view.
“While we teach, we learn.”
— Seneca
One of the best ways to learn something new is to teach others about it. You may think you understand a topic, but you’re surprised later when you struggle to explain it to someone else.
When you craft a well-structured story or article intending to inform, educate, or persuade others, you deepen your comprehension. Also, as people discover your writing, more people will perceive you as an expert.
You build a body of work that shows your knowledge, experience, and wisdom. You will also attract a following. Over the past eight years, my writing has helped me connect with thousands of people.
AI and writing
Okay, we gotta talk about AI tools. Reactions to it have ranged from fears that we’re unleashing an “AI demon” on the world to it being “a gift from heaven” that will eliminate all human labor so we can sit on a beach drinking cocktails all day. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Should we be concerned about general AI? Probably. We don’t fully understand the implications of what is possible, and many ethical concerns haven’t been addressed yet. For example, an AI chatbot encouraged a man to end his life.
However, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc., feel more like useful tools that take search and discovery to a whole new level. You can use it to write something for you entirely, but I wouldn’t suggest it. I’ve written about my concerns here.
I do think it can be helpful in some specific tasks to augment your writing process, though. For example:
Kicking things off to overcome writer’s block, but then you take over with the outline it suggests and flesh it out in your own words.
Using it for more complex research than basic Google Search can typically handle or would require several queries (e.g., finding useful quotes for a concept you’re discussing in your article).
Treating ChatGPT like someone who is interviewing you, asking you interesting questions on a topic, and then you write your answers in your own words.
Asking it to find sources and citations.
Building your “writing muscle” is a good idea, even if you want to use something like ChatGPT to help you with some of the process. If you never flex your creativity this way, you’re missing out on developing a powerful and valuable cognitive skill.
Writing is good for your brain, and it’s good for your career.
Take time to write and share something over the next week
Your personal blog or newsletter can be your “forever home” for the content you create when you set it up using a domain you own. Of course, you will want to promote and cross-publish your work on many other sites (e.g., Medium, LinkedIn, Bluesky). But you want a permanent repository of your writing that is safe and secure, and under your control.
So, what should you write about? It depends on your goals and where your writing fits into your overall career strategy.
For example, you may write to:
Position yourself as an expert on a specific topic (e.g., AI, product strategy, design systems, marketing and sales strategies, conversion optimization, leading teams).
Consistently create content that you will bundle into a book later (I did this).
Build your professional brand and reinforce it with your writing topics.
Encourage discussions with your readers to build a sense of community.
Express yourself and get thoughts out of your head and “onto paper.”
Demonstrate your wisdom and point of view to attract a potential employer.
Share your journey — past, present, and future — to help other people.
Experience catharsis as you express feelings that give you stress and anxiety when you leave them bottled up.
Express your point of view on topics that matter deeply to you.
Persuade others to take action.
Tell your stories before they are forgotten (e.g., I wrote a book about my life to share with my children).
You decide what the purpose of your writing will be. Also, it can change over time.
The more you write, the more comfortable you feel and the more you will have to say. You’ll also receive feedback from your readers that may guide you in different directions.
However, your words can’t sit locked up in a draft. You must finish and publish a story or article so people can read it!
That’s why I encourage a professional challenge like this. They are meant to be difficult and uncomfortable. Otherwise, you wouldn’t experience personal and professional growth!
You’ll find your audience
This challenge helps you reap the rewards of writing and publishing. Writing in a personal journal is beneficial; I’m a huge fan of that. But publishing so others can read your words takes it to the next level.
You will become more confident and brave. It's stressful to put your thoughts out into the world (e.g., I deal with trolls every day). Sharing your point of view with strangers can be a little scary because you will encounter fans and critics.
After reading one of my stories, a few people often comment and privately message me. They tell me how the writing resonated with them. Some tell me how it helped them feel hopeful and not so alone. Some of my writing has encouraged people to step up and take action to improve their lives.
I’ve also had people leave negative comments and send me unpleasant messages. They disagreed with me or became upset by my words. Sometimes, I’ll respond and have a conversation. Other times, I ignore or block them. It depends on how toxic they are.
You can’t make everyone happy all the time. That’s okay!
You and your words aren’t meant for everyone. You will connect with the people who are right for you, your purpose, and what you want to give back to the world.
The right people will follow you and appreciate what you say.
The right people will see your expertise and want to work with you.
The right people will love your point of view and want to connect with you.
We'll discuss more details of writing and publishing content online (e.g., articles, blog posts, newsletters, books, etc.) during my next community meeting on April 28th! If you’re a premium subscriber, you can attend for free. If not, you can grab a ticket and join us.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!
📕 Check out my The Invincible Daily Journals!
