Over the past 10 months, Ship 30 for 30 has helped 2,500+ people get started writing online.
The vast majority of these Shippers had never written anything on the Internet before they hopped aboard. In fact, many of them didn’t even a Twitter account! But they went through our 5-day onboarding, quickly got their Social Blog up and running, and 30 days later looked like they’d been writing online for years.
They had completely transformed.
If you’ve been on the fence about joining Ship 30 for 30, we wanted to share a few success stories with you that exemplify the power of becoming a Digital Writer with a Daily Writing Habit.
These are Shippers who were exactly where you are today.
- They didn’t know what they wanted to write about (yet).
- They didn’t know what their niche was (yet).
- They didn’t consider themselves to be “good writers” (yet).
- They weren’t sure who their target readers were (yet).
But they took action, made the commitment to write every day for 30 days, and once they started experiencing the results of their new habit, they never went back.
(Many of them still haven’t broken their daily writing streak this many months later!)
So, here are some of the most common reasons we hear people hesitate jumping aboard—and how these 6 Shippers overcame these hesitations, took the plunge, and ultimately transformed from beginner writers into Digital Writers with audiences, defined niches, and flywheels of content generating endless opportunities.
1. “Ship 30 for 30 is too expensive.”
Samantha Demers’ story is something each and every one of us can relate to.
Fear.
She, like most people, had told herself for YEARS she would get started writing online. “I kept thinking, ‘One day, I’ll be brave enough. One day I’ll figure out my niche, and THEN I’ll start creating. But not today. The truth is, that day never came.’” And when she first came across Ship 30 for 30, she felt foolish for even CONSIDERING thinking about hopping aboard and paying for an online writing program.
So, what changed?
“To be honest, I got tired of waiting,” she said.
Here’s a snapshot of how Sam’s life transformed after enrolling in Ship 30 for 30 back in March, 2021:
- My Twitter following has grown to nearly 5,000 followers from a super old, dead account of 101 inactive followers
- I’ve hosted 100+ Twitter Spaces - using the consistency and bravery I learned from Ship 30 for 30
- I started writing my first book “The Creator’s Guide to Overcoming Impostor Syndrome”
- I’ve been invited on podcasts, video live streams, been featured in newsletters and asked to speak as an authority since niching down
- Unexpected income has come from cold DMs of people asking me to consult or coach them
- Finally figured out my niche through a lot of experimenting and testing
- Started leading a small group to encourage new creators on Twitter
- And I’ve made (literally) the best friends in the world through the high caliber of people that Ship 30 for 30 attracts
So, how much would you pay to unlock these sorts of outcomes in your life?
You can read Sam’s featured post on her Ship 30 for 30 experience here.
2. “I already write fairly often. I don’t think Ship 30 for 30 will teach me anything new.”
You would be surprised how many veteran writers hop aboard, only to realize 30 days later how much they’ve grown and changed.
Joe Rutland is one of those writers.
Joe had been writing online for a while, but quickly learned that what he thought he knew about writing was only the tip of the iceberg. “Coming into a program like Ship 30 for 30 challenged my thoughts and beliefs around what worked in the digital space,” he said. And began internalizing our whole range of frameworks for Digital Writing: the importance of consistency, making your writing skimmable, Practicing In Public, and dozens more.
“This course is something that I wish I had bumped into a few years ago,” he said.
You can read Joe’s featured post on his Ship 30 for 30 experience here.
3. “I don’t care about being a viral writer. I’m trying to find a job!”
Brian To may go down in history as being one of Ship 30 for 30’s biggest skeptics turned energetic evangelists.
He said, “When I first joined Ship30 I never thought I’d get paid to write.” Brian considered himself to be an aspiring writer—a title he wore proudly. “I could tell you 10 reasons to start writing online and the benefits, but I couldn’t publish a single article. I could explain all the intricacies of WordPress vs Medium and why you should have a website, but I couldn’t write a single blog post.” Brian new writing was important, but just couldn’t get himself to do it.
In his words:
“But now? I have a public CV filled with crazy accomplishments and opportunities I never thought would happen to me:
After Ship30 I:
- Created 3 websites
- Made 1000+ friends
- Received 5 job offers
- Wrote 150+ Atomic essays
- Shipped a Newsletter and Podcast
- Launched a digital product & Earned my first digital $$$
- And much much more.
You can read Brian’s featured post on his Ship 30 for 30 experience here.
4. “I have been trying to find my niche for years and still haven’t been able to find it.”
“I don’t know why I signed up for Ship 30 for 30. I wasn’t a writer,” said Jesse.
This is true for a significant number of people who join the program. They don’t consider themselves to be a writer because when they hear the word “writer” they think of themselves back in English class in high school or college. But Digital Writing, and the principles we share in Ship 30 for 30, is nothing like your English class—we can promise you that.
Instead, these Shippers join in search of a niche, usually for some other reason. They want to find their niche to accelerate their career, land another job, or engage in more fulfilling work. Some want to make videos, or even share photography, but first they need help figuring out where they “fit” in the world.
For Jesse, “Turns out, I am a writer after all.”
“Pretty quickly, my writing became focused on ADHD. I found a deep satisfaction in writing about a topic so important to me, and it seemed to resonate with many others as well.
I made it my mission to help those with ADHD better understand how their brain works, and especially to reach the estimated 70-85% of adults with ADHD that don’t know they have it.
Because of the spark I found in writing for Ship30, I’m seeing that mission play out every day as I hear from people that have been helped or inspired by the content I create.”
Since taking Ship 30 for 30, Jesse has built a sizable audience on Twitter by niching down and writing primarily about ADHD—and has seen tremendous success in doing so.
You can read Jesse’s featured post on his Ship 30 for 30 experience here.
5. “I’m 70 years old. I think it’s too late for me to be a writer, especially a Digital Writer.”
We love Craig Lamar’s story because it is an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to do what you love.
For his entire life, Craig had wanted to get his stories out into the world—and for years he thought about writing a book (as many people do). But every time he felt inspired to start, the thought of writing an entire book with all of his life’s stories felt overwhelming. He didn’t know where to start.
But discovering Ship 30 for 30, and the Atomic Essay format made all those overwhelming feelings go away.
“18 months ago I was lurking and hiding. I was uninspired.
A few months later, I’ve published over 80 Atomic Essays. Jan 2022, a new ship is launching and I am going to be on it. If you are ready to move from lurking around the edges to being all that you can be, then join Ship 30 for 30. It will change your life.”
You can read Craig’s featured post on his Ship 30 for 30 experience here.
6. “I want to write so I can launch paid products. Will Ship 30 for 30 help me do that?”
The answer is: YES!
Everyone wants to know how to make money on the Internet. The honest answer to that question is, “First you need to learn how to create FREE things people want to consume on the Internet.”
And two Shippers who have done that masterfully are Ev Chapman and Michael Mcgill.
Both of them started in Ship 30 for 30 very uncertain as to what their niche was, who they were writing “for,” and how they would ever be able to turn their passion for writing and sharing ideas into any sort of paid product.
Michael said, “Ship 30 helped me to find my niche and online mission: Help as many IT Professionals succeed in their tech careers as I possibly can. Thanks to Ship 30 for 30 I have created a product that allows me to give back to the tech community and fulfill this mission. It's an e-book called The IT Leadership Blueprint.”
And according to Ev, “Since then, I've launched 4 other digital products, a course, a journal, a newsletter & a podcast. Plus I've continued to ship most days while holding down a full-time job. People started calling me prolific before I even believed it myself. I’ve been invited into countless Twitter Spaces, and onto podcasts. I was even featured on Gumroad’s new re-branded website with a handful of other creators! People I looked up to started sliding into my DM’s and asking me for advice on all sorts of things from consistency, to the tools I use, to writing and more. I’ve build a library of content & a library of products.
Ship 30 made all that possible.”
You can read Ev’s featured post on her Ship 30 for 30 experience here, and you can read Michael’s featured post on his Ship 30 for 30 experience here.
We hope you see yourself in one of these 6 success stories.
And we would love to have you onboard for the January 2022 cohort of Ship 30 for 30.
Click here to set sail, and unlock similar results in your own life as a writer.