Jonathan Jordan's Linkedin Analytics

Here's how I turn "I agree" comments into insightful ones in 3 steps: "I agree" is the type of comment most likely to be ignored. (We're all guilty of it.) So here's what I do now every time I'm tempted to say "I agree." Step 1: Add "because" "I agree BECAUSE..." Step 2: Add the why. "I agree because I received zero leadership training when I was promoted, too." Step 3: Delete "I agree because" "I received zero leadership training when I was promoted, too." Pro Level: Reframe sentence with emotion or humor. "When I was promoted to manager, the leadership training consisted of a new name tag and the budgeting SOP." Anyone can agree. Not everyone will explain why. >>>What step would you add?

My taxes were 31.8% higher in 2024. So I'm celebrating. Numbers tell a story. More taxes paid = more money I earned. The other differences from 2023 are: • Becoming smarter with expenses • Improving documentation • My wife earning more (huzzah!) They also show me where I can still improve. (and there's plenty of room for that.) Instead of complaining about taxes, what's the story they tell you? Everything is storytelling. You just have to: • Pay attention • Be curious • Learn What's a story your taxes or expenses have taught you? (P.S. Just because I'm crazy enough to post numbers doesn't mean you have to.)

The stupid trick I use to kill Writer's Block: (And doubled my productivity) I don't have time for Writer's Block. Because around here, words pay the bills. So here's what I do to make it extinct: When I have a writing session, I never stop writing at the end of the section/chapter. I always start the next sentence. Even if it means I leave it hanging halfway. (I do this a LOT.) A terribly oversimplified explanation of the neuroscience: 1. The left brain is the creative center. 2. The right brain loves logic. 3. The right brain sees an incomplete, illogical sentence and F*CKING HATES it. 4. The right brain kicks the left brain: "Wake up! I need to know where this is going!" 5. The left brain grabs a cuppa and gets to work.     Try it out this week. Tell me how it goes. >>>What's a stupid trick you use to be more productive?

"Thinking about" and "planning to" make $0.00 dollars. Saw this all the time in sales: "This would be so helpful for our team... ...but next quarter would be better." "This is great. But it will take me a year to implement this." "Can you reach back out in six months when things settle?" So many of my own business plans have sat in a folder. And then I watched others take action. Of all the nations to belong to, don't be a citizen of Procrastination.

I loathe trends. Especially AI trends. But here's how this one made me a better writer: AI prompting is an art form unto itself. Put in crappy prompts, you'll get crappy results. All great writing shares three qualities: 1. Considers the reader experience 2. Clear 3. Actionable Bonus: Jumping on a trend won't get you noticed. So use that trend to: -Add new insights only you can provide -Start a conversation -Improve a skill P.S. What's a trend you thought was stupid but learned from?

First step in writing a 5-star book? Creating a killer - yet simple - outline. Yeah, I've got a tool for that. https://lnkd.in/gTFjEsXy Happy Friday, y'all. Just keeping the feed alive.

There's a BS lie many aspiring authors have said. And it needs to die... But you're going to have to learn what it is in this week's newsletter. Join 1,600 other storytellers. https://lnkd.in/gypv47c5

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT... 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 Don't believe everything you see/read on the internet. Sign up for campaign news here: https://lnkd.in/gUXn6vbs Happy April Fool's Day.

Here's why "Open to Work" doesn't work, and what to write instead: No one on LinkedIn is looking to hire. (no matter what Linda in HR says.) Let's call a spade a spade. That recruiter checking out your profile? They're selling. So you have one option here: Sell yourself. Through writing: 1. Start with writing thoughtful comments 2. Then write a post based on a thoughtful comment 3. Respond to thoughtful comments on your post How do I know it works? Because I've been hired from a comment before. I've sold copies of my book from comments. Not sure where to start? I've got a resource for that: https://lnkd.in/dNimjfZj >>>Do you think LinkedIn should just get rid of the "Open to Work" thing? Would love to hear I'm wrong.

After 7 years, I'm breaking up with freelancing. Find out why in this week's newsletter. https://lnkd.in/gEkvp-ay

Since I'm still on quasi-hiatus from LinkedIn, here's a great post worth sharing.

Not gonna lie: Feels like I'm being held hostage by LinkedIn. That's not LinkedIn's fault. It's my fault. For almost a year, I've known my content strategy is killing me. Knowing the "right stuff" is not the same as DOING the right stuff. And letting unbiased algos determine your content's direction more than your ICP's needs is kryptonite. But no more. Last month, I started a course to help me find more focus. (Well, that's the hope.) And that means using this window of time to gain that focus. So you won't see me posting for bit. Need to do a content/feed cleanse. I'll still pop in for messages and the occasional comment. (Maybe some Thursday poetry, too.) But if you really want my thoughts for now, you'll make sure to be on the newsletter list and click "read" when it publishes every week. https://lnkd.in/gUXn6vbs

846 miles is a long way to go for a trip to the ER. [And to lose an organ.] In 2022, my wife's family decided to do a little beach vacation together for Easter weekend. 3 days after this photo was taken, my wife was in such excruciating pain, she  could barely move. My brother-in-law (an ER doctor) recommended we take her to the ER right away. Thankfully, my in-laws had driven there, so we were able to immediately drive her to the nearest ER (30 minutes away). After several hours of tests and waiting, she was diagnosed with pancreatitis caused by a gall stone. Surgery followed. (bye bye, gall bladder) Flight canceled. (hello, 5-day hospital stay) It was a truly terrible Easter. But also pretty amazing. Because we were there with family, my in-laws were able to keep our kids (including our 3-month-old) while I stayed in the hospital with my wife. And because my sister-in-law didn't have anyone else booked at her beach house for the next week, we had a free place to stay while my wife recovered from surgery. And since this all happened 2 months before I went full-time writing, my insurance through my old work covered most of the expenses. In the pain, you can find provision. In the misery, you can find miracles. (P.S. Posting and ghosting today as I take my wife to the airport for a work trip, so figured it was a good time for a story.)

In 2006, Adidas bought Reebok for $3.8 Billion. Then Reebok's cofounder blurbed my project. Joe and his brother started Reebok in 1958. Their grandfather designed track spikes for Olympic gold medalists. Rather than inherit the family business, they chose to strike out on their own. For decades, they struggled on the fringe. Literally pitching their shoes to mom & pop stores. A feature in "Runner's World" gave them cred, but wasn't the breakthrough they had hoped for. In the '80's, they took a risk on a new trend called "aerobics." And then Jane Fonda wore a pair of Reebok shoes on national TV. Sales shot through the roof. And that's why this is one of my favorite blurbs of all time. Because overnight success is never overnight. It takes decades of hard work, disappointment, and persistence. >>>What's your favorite "overnight" success story?

Interrupting this LinkedIn hiatus for some fun news... [Been sitting on this one for a while] In November 2021, I started working with Colin C. Campbell on an audacious project: A comprehensive entrepreneurship book that would walk readers through the winning concepts to start, scale, and exit a business. I knew back then we were creating something special. But I never saw this coming... One of the toughest parts of ghostwriting is that we don't get a ton of recognition for our work. (Kinda what we signed up for, ya know.) The Andy Awards were created by Gotham Ghostwriters to change that. And today, they announced that "Start.Scale.Exit.Repeat." is one of the three finalists for the Business & Thought Leadership category. And I'm not gonna lie... ...it's nice to see my name for once.

Weird Wednesday: What a 9-to-5 could never let us do... Believe me, there's stuff I miss about 9-to-5: 1. Being truly "off the clock." (My last W2 job was great at this.) 2. Health insurance 3. PTO 4. Work friends 5. Frequent free food & soda 6. Work pranking But just last week, my wife was asked if she could go preview Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort's new park. That's not much time to plan a trip. But with no super-urgent deadlines this week, it felt nice to say "Yeah, go ahead." It's good for her business. And it's good for me to have some extra time with the kids (and realize what freakin' superheroes moms are). So here I am with my micromanager, writing this post while my oldest is at his graphic design class. Maybe this isn't really weird. But it would be for many people's experience. How're you keepin' it weird today?

The time-for-money cycle is killing you. Writing is your salvation. No, seriously. If you're not writing, you're not innovating. If you're not writing, you're stagnating. Writing for 30 minutes gave me 4 new passive income ideas. And I'm doing them all. Ask yourself 4 questions: ➡️ What do I do better than anyone else? ➡️ What are my client's/customers' biggest pain points? ➡️ How can my skill/experience ease that pain? ➡️ What's the best delivery system that can scale? Stop trading ⏱️ for 💵. Start writing. I'm creating some guides to help you monetize writing. My newsletter list will be getting first dibs when they're ready. Sign up here. https://lnkd.in/gUXn6vbs

Dear people of LinkedIn: Stop trying to become a Top Dog. Start becoming an Underdog. That's the overarching theme of Quang X. Pham's new book "Underdog Nation." Quang has lived more life than most: ➡️ Child refugee ➡️ Combat veteran ➡️ Top salesman ➡️ Startup CEO (x3) Oh, and all-around great human being. Some of the lessons I learned while editing this book: 1. Top Dogs expect success. Underdogs earn success. 2. Start by defining your own success story. 3. Love what you do until you can do what you love. 4. Be ready when your number is called. If you've felt like an underdog most of your life... GOOD. You're a citizen of "Underdog Nation," too. P.S. Happy Pub Day, Quang. Can't wait to see what this book does. >>>When's a time being an underdog was your greatest advantage?

How I leveraged an award into a $35,000 writing contract: In 2018, I won a feature screenwriting competition. Within the year, this opened doors to: →Meet with Hollywood producers →Land top agency representation →Land my first paid screenwriting gig Though the movie never got made (thanks, COVID), that contract also allowed me to: →Stop driving Uber as much →Ergo, spend more time with my family →And start building a real writing business Last week, I was named as a nominee for the Andy Awards. (AKA, the Oscars of Ghostwriting.) I've probably spent around $2000 entering writing competitions. I've lost more than I've won. But the ROI has been totally worth it. >>>Tell me about an award you won. I'll give out an award for Best Comment.

My friend landed a 6-figure book deal with less than 1,000 followers. This beautiful book belongs to my friend Sarah Damoff. -We've known each other for nearly 20 years. -Volunteered together in children's ministry. -She helped inspire me to go into social work. (And maybe I delivered her a bottle of champagne on her 21st birthday while wearing a full tuxedo.) And this past Tuesday, her debut novel "The Bright Years" came out. Despite: -Not having an MFA -Not having a large email list -Not having a large social following She landed one of the biggest agents in publishing. But to find out how . . . . . . you'll have to check out this week's newsletter. https://lnkd.in/gUXn6vbs >>>What are YOU reading this weekend?