Monetizing the last 1%, productivity regret & an exercise for anyone who wants to sell more effectively

Hi friends,

Last Friday, I spent 8 hours on a train traveling from Germany to Amsterdam…

Without internet! (Damn it, Deutsche Bahn!)

I needed an internet connection for pretty much everything I had planned to work on…

But I wasn’t going to give up and “waste” this precious uninterrupted time.

Here’s what I ended up doing: I organized my Second Brain in Evernote.

I sorted through my inbox folder with 50+ articles that I had saved over the last couple of months.

And I found A LOT of gems!

One essay, in particular, stood out. So much that I immediately made a note to remind me to share it in this newsletter with you.

Here it is:

Give Away 99% For Free. Monetize The Last 1%: A framework for giving, creating, and capturing value

It’s by Nicolas Cole, and I’d consider it a must-read for anyone creating anything online.

Now, I’m torn between telling you to read this article immediately or check out the rest of this newsletter edition. I trust you’ll make the right decision 🙏.

Here’s what I want to share with you this week.


✍️ Copywriting

Diving deep into benefits: an exercise for anyone who wants to sell more effectively 

“What’s in it for me?” That’s what your audience cares about and the most important question your copy needs to answer. You do that by highlighting the benefits of your product. But it’s not enough to stay at the surface level here. Here’s an exercise to help you dive deeper.


🤓 Online Courses

Every course needs an onboarding survey! Here’s why and what to cover

Asking your students a few questions at the start of your course gives you valuable insights and even helps them too. Here’s what to ask and how to set up the survey.

The recap email: Keeping students on track in your CBC 

Live sessions are the lifeblood of a cohort-based course. But how do you carry that momentum forward and make sure students follow through and do the work? The email you send right after each live session plays a big part in that. Here are 6 elements for your recap email.


📈 Productivity

Someday you’ll regret how productive you were

“A well-lived life is not one which is optimized to the nth degree of efficiency.”

This atomic essay by Cathryn Lavery resonated deeply with me. As I’m traveling and finally catching up with friends, my days are less optimized for productivity but feel so much richer.

On the way to 🤌Italia 🤌,

Julia

Your Copywriter & Online Course Specialist

PS: I had a blast in Amsterdam catching up with old friends and meeting new ones IRL for the first time.

Social media expert and fellow online course creator Laura Wong introduced me to the best bubble tea in the city.

Laura Wong & Julia Saxena

And I got to nerd out with professional Roamer Ramses Oudt about course creation and communities on a beautiful day at the Amstel river.

Ramses Oudt & Julia Saxena

PPS: Know anybody who would benefit from this newsletter? Send them to this page so they can sign up. That’s where you can also find the archive of all previous newsletter editions!

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Julia Saxena

I help course creators pack their cohorts with their ideal students and deliver a transformational learning experience. Follow me on Twitter for daily essays about all things copywriting, online courses, and productivity.

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