Be the Gateway by Dan Blank

Objective

• My goal in reading and processing this book is to create a strategy for the outer aspect of my work.

Outcomes

• Audience research
• Social media strategy
• Content strategy
• Mission statement
• Bio

Process

1. Have the right mindset.
   • Read “Mindset.”
2. Craft a mission statement.
   • Write a mission statement.
   • Hone your mission statement.
3. Craft a bio.
   • Write a bio.
4. Find your audience.
   • Read “Finding your audience.”
5. Research your audience.
   • Read really know your audience.
   • Read perform direct primary audience research
   • Research comps.
   • Interview your potential audience.
6. Learn what a gateway is.
   • Read “Gateway.”
7. Build a website.
   • Read and apply how to build a website.
8. Be aware of your marketing principles.
   • Read “Marketing.”
9. Create and implement a content strategy.
   • Read “Content Strategy.”
   • Start compiling a list of essays to write.
   • Establish a habit of weekly writing and publishing useful content for blog and newsletter.
10. Create and implement a social media strategy.
    • Perform a one to two-week-long social media research project (read use social media for research).
    • Start compiling a list of social media posts to write (read craft social media posts make your audience feel).
    • Establish a daily habit of using social media to build relationships with your audience (read use social media to build relationships).
11. Explore in-person events.
    • Attend events (see meet people in person and ask questions).
    • Hold your own events (see hold a literary salon).
12. Build a support system.
    • Have the right mindset about colleagues. Read “Right mindset.”
    • befriend mid-level doers
    • find and nurture collaborators
    • find mentors
    • be part of a mastermind group
    • find models outside your field
13. Continually improve your gateway.
    • Read “Honing your gateway.”
14. Learn to keep going.
    • Apply actions in prepare for bad days.

Add the following to your Monthly Review.

1. Check and assess the current status of your gateway.
   1. Read mission statement and improve if necessary.
   2. Read bio and improve if necessary.

Add the following to your Weekly Review.

Set tasks for the week that moves each of the following categories:

• newsletter and blog content
• social media content
• direct one-on-one audience engagement
• experiments

Mindset

• focus on audience experience and personal fulfillment
• public milestones are deceptive
• dedicate yourself to being present with others
• be generous to your audience
• value your audience no matter their number
• spend time on the things you want to be known for
• focus on one-on-one engagement
• how to engage with your audience one-on-one
• aspire for sustainability

Mission Statement

• how to craft a mission statement for your writing
• hone your mission statement by using it in conversations

Bio

• how to write an effective bio

Finding your audience

• how to find your audience

Audience research

• really know your audience
• perform direct primary audience research
• research comps
• interview your potential audience

Gateway

• your gateway is how your audience experience a worldview
• how to build a gateway
• use your gateway to help your audience build their identity
• a gateway is always present
• use your gateway to shape how your audience accept your works
• actively direct people to your gateway

Website

• how to build a website

Marketing

• marketing funnel
• nurture advocates
• position your gateway where your audience already is
• use both online and offline channels

Content strategy

Narratives

• help your audience build an identity using narratives
• a gateway is where the author and reader narratives converge
• your values and practices inform your narratives
• extend a book using new content

Tone

• use words your audience use
• share your work like you are sharing to a friend

Audience experience

• signs that you have focused on audience experience
• create experience not content
• share emotions that drive you

Share your process

• share your process and journey as it happens
• things to share from your process and journey

Social media

• use social media for research
• use social media to build relationships
• craft social media posts make your audience feel

In-person events

• meet people in person and ask questions
• hold a literary salon
• make the social aspects of your work fun

Colleagues

Right mindset

• how colleagues help you
• see other creators as collaborators not competitors
• look at organizations as made up of people
• use the least crowded channel

Find and nurture

• befriend mid-level doers
• find and nurture collaborators
• find mentors
• be part of a mastermind group
• find models outside your field

Honing your gateway

• make honing your gateway a habit
• hone your gateway by doing creative work each week
• experiment to iterate your creative work
• walk people to your gateway repeatedly

Keeping going

• prepare for bad days

Related

• be the gateway todos

References

Blank, Dan. Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. WeGrowMedia, 2017.