I Got Laughed At When I Started Writing Online, Until I Started Paying My Mortgage (And Travel).

I’ve got zero talent, qualifications, or expertise in writing.

The daily writing habit that’s changed my life

My business makes $20–30k+ per month.

And my long-form writing powers 100% of my business.

From:

• Articles.

• Offer docs.

• Comments and DMs.

• Direct-response emails.

Writing long-form is the highest leverage activity I can do.

Every morning, I spend upwards of 2–3 hours writing. Time moves quickly. I get lost in the flow. I come out feeling like a better person.

Here’s how you can leverage writing for your biz.

(even if you’re getting laughed at).

Writing in the age of AI.

Look at all the big creators online:

• Dan Koe.

• Lara Acosta.

• Justin Welsh.

• Alex Hormozi

What do they have in common?

They are all writers.

While many of them have diversified onto other platforms, the foundation of everything they do is writing. Short-form or long-form, they all exploited the power of writing.

It’s no coincidence they all grew a large follower base.

All of them mention the power of writing beyond words on a screen.

Writing allows them to:

• Think.

• Process emotions.

• Understand their situation.

There is more benefit to writing than just writing.

Ever since I started writing, I’ve become a more effective speaker and communicator. I can articulate, influence, and persuade people. My business has grown, and my dating life has 10x.

Writing will never die, even in the age of AI.

Saying writing will die is like saying thinking will die.

If thinking dies, we all die.

Keep writing.

I’ve been going to the gym since I was 16.

When I started, I always dreamed of doing a muscle-up.

That’s where you do a regular pull-up, but you pull all the way to your belly button and then do a chest dip at the top. Sounds complicated, I know. It’s an even harder movement to execute.

One of my coaching mentors taught me the concept of:

“time under tension”.

It’s where you want to build up time for your muscles to contract under movement. He told me to do a regular pull-up, but do it very slowly.

• Explode during the pull.

• Pause at the top.

• And slowly lower myself, counting to 5 seconds.

These were painful. My body would shake. And my face would grimace.

But after 3 months, I got my first muscle-up.

I was stoked. I couldn’t believe it. I spent those 12 weeks slowly building the time under tension. I’d progressed to holding the pull-up contraction for over 45 seconds.

Now, you might be asking:

Michael, what the f*ck does this have to do with long-form writing?

That’s a great question.

When you write, you are training your audience’s brain muscle.

But instead of time under TENSION, you are using time under ATTENTION.

Long-form writing generates the best time under attention.

Why?

Well, when someone reads your long-form writing, they can’t do anything else.

Unlike listening to a podcast or YouTube video, when someone is reading, they can’t do anything else. You can’t read and drive. You can’t read and clean your house.

You have 100% of their attention for those 4–6 minutes.

The quality of attention is high.

While people spend a lot of time doomscrolling on TikTok or Instagram, their attention suffers from amnesia. I know after I scroll for too long, I feel stupider. And I forget 90% of what I’ve just watched.

But a good piece of long-form writing lives rent-free in my head.

The ideas from the article enter my brain and don’t leave. I’ve had articles that have literally changed the trajectory of my life.

• Why do you think every cult leader writes a book?

• Why do you think every dictator burns or bans certain books?

Because they all recognise the power of long-form writing.

Time under attention = power.

Write once, sell forever.

I make thousands from articles…

The best part? I wrote these articles years ago.

The money isn’t just from ad or platform revenue.

But from digital products, programs, and cohorts.

My long-form articles are my personal army of salespeople.

They:

• Work for me 24/7.

• Function as an offer doc.

• Position me as an expert and authority.

• Solves prospects' problems and challenges.

All while I sleep and keep writing.

The best part?

My sales team never asks for a day off. They never ask for a raise. I work them so hard. But they never get tired, hungry, or depressed. They exist solely to make me more money.

TikTok and Reels have a 24-hour shelf life.

I’ve got creator friends who have to publish 5–6x per day on these platforms to just stay relevant. They are hamsters on a content treadmill. And they must prioritize entertainment.

While my writing prioritizes education.

Long-form writing is a sales script disguised as a story. I can take a prospect through all stages of awareness in one article. From cold traffic to purchasing a product within 24hours is pretty incredible.

MYTH: Short-form writing is easier to execute.

I had a friend say this to me.

I disagreed.

When I spend 1–2 hours writing a long-form piece of content, I can repurpose the content into:

• Emails.

• Newsletters.

• Digital products.

• Course modules.

• YouTube Video Scripts.

So, is short-form writing really easier for a solopreneur?

Long-form writing builds your belief and philosophy system. You create a base of loyal fans who understand you. They value what you value. They trust your expertise and authority.

What takes 74 Tweets could be achieved with one long-form article.

Your long-form article becomes a complete sales funnel.

You can move a prospect from problem-unaware to solution-aware in less than a 6-minute article.

That’s a superpower.

“I’d like to upgrade to business class.”

The check-in counter staff looked shocked.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yes.”

I don’t blame her. I was shocked to. I was dressed like a poor backpacker. But I had a reason for my upgrade.

The flight from Tokyo to Beijing is 4.5 hours.

With a business class ticket, I could be more productive.

I would get:

• Departure lounge access that will give me a quiet and secure place to write.

• Priority boarding means I could turn up to the gate and board immediately (i.e more writing time).

• The seating on the plane means fewer interruptions and the ability to focus on writing even more.

With writing, I can justify the ROI of Business Class.

When you’ve geared yourself for long-form writing, spending more money to get more time to write is an investment that always pays off.

That’s how I architect my life.

If I were video or audio-based, I’d be unable to create content. Sure, I could be a travel influencer. But you’d be surprised how broke most of them are.

With writing, I need my laptop or phone.

On a 4.5-hour plane ride, I can write an article and several emails. I can also use the experience of business class to write about.

Writing means I get to do cool sh*t and then write about it.

Long-form writing is the future.

Here’s how you can leverage it.

• Pick 1–3 topics you can’t stop talking about.

• Book a 15–30 minute session every day to write about it.

• Write until you’ve got 800–1,200 words on a page.

• Publish it. Pick Substack, Medium, or LinkedIn.

Welcome, you’re now leveraging your long-form writing.

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👉 Learn how to WEAPONIZE your writing to make more money, build a magnetic personal brand, and grow an online audience that loves your every word. I’ve created a FREE email course to help you turn your words into dollars