STRATEGY

1. How to Use Facebook Ads to Sell More Books

I’ve been experimenting with Facebook ads to grow my Leadership 80/20 newsletter and the results have been incredible.

In just a few weeks, I’ve added over 2,000 new subscribers at an average cost of just $0.60 for each subscriber.

To help make it happen, I teamed up with Francesco Ambrosiano, a Facebook ads expert who really knows his stuff.

The campaign went so well that I invited Francesco onto my podcast to dive deeper into his strategies.

We had a great conversation about how authors can use Facebook ads to sell more books.

Click here to listen to the episode (you can also check out his company and his newsletter).

TIME-SAVERS

2. Updating > Creating

Instead of creating a new product, trying updating an older one.

Grab an old book or course you’ve already published and think about how you can refresh it to make it more relevant for today’s audience.

Case in point:

A couple of years ago, I published a book called ChatGPT for Nonfiction Authors.

I recently gave it a quick refresh to make sure it’s fully aligned with the latest OpenAI release (GPT-4.5).

The result?

It hit the Amazon #1 Bestseller list again last week (you can grab it here for only $0.99).

COMMUNITIES I LIKE

3. Small Bets Launches Resident Experts (And I’m One of Them!)

Daniel Vassallo, who runs Small Bets, recently made an announcement about launching a new Resident Experts program:

I’ve been part of this community for years, and I’m honored that Daniel asked me to be one of those 12 practitioners.

If you’re already part of Small Bets, you can ask me any question you want about publishing books on Amazon, courses on Udemy, or newsletters on Beehiiv by mentioning me in any one of the Campfire rooms (or by DM’ing me within Campfire) and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

Francesco Ambrosiano (who I just interviewed - see above) is also a resident expert and you can ask him any question about Facebook ads or Google ads.

If you’re not part of Small Bets, it’s a community of people who are building small projects to get small wins. You also get access to a library of 50 recorded classes, as well as feedback on your projects in a Campfire chat group.

To join, it’s a one-time low payment with lifetime access. No recurring or subscription fees (a fantastic deal).

Click here to check out the Small Bets community.

TWEETS I LIKE

4. On Overcoming Pessimism

Naval recently shared a clip from his podcast with Chris Williamson

The whole 10-min video is worth watching, but here’s the best part where Naval talks about pessimism and why you should try to overcome that:

The takeaway?

Your brain still thinks you’re in the jungle. So take that risk. Failing isn’t that bad.

ONE-MINUTE HACKS

5. A Quick Side Gig Hack You Can Apply Today

Forget fancy tools.

Just use the one you already know.

New tools waste your time and give you excuses to procrastinate.

For example:

I still use Microsoft Word to write all my books (I’ve written over 20, including a few bestsellers on Amazon). Any simple word processor would work just fine.

I still use an old version of PowerPoint to record all my courses (I’ve published over 15, including some that are top-rated on Udemy). Any basic presentation app would do.

You can always upgrade later.

Just start with what you’ve got today.