📈 Why LinkedIn is booming for freelancers

Together with Fast Foundations

The 90-day mastermind for aspiring 7-figure freelancers

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

It’s time to fix that with Fast Foundations.

Most high-quality masterminds require a commitment of six to 12 months and cost upwards of $20,000. But Fast Foundations is designed to put you on the fast-track to your first 7-figure year at a fraction of the cost. And it’s run by two founders who’ve actually done it.

Inside, you’ll learn how to build a strong business, craft powerful messaging that attracts dream clients, and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs.

Plus you’ll get the chance to learn from expert coaches and guest speakers including one of our favorite entrepreneurs, Chris Harder.

Enter your name and email here to access special early bird pricing before time runs out

Making the Rounds

Sorry, But LinkedIn Is Cool Now

• TL;DR: Activity on LinkedIn is booming as professionals embrace the platform amid turbulence across other social media platforms.
  
  

• Why it matters: Building a personal brand is a powerful way to set yourself apart as a freelancer. And there’s no better place to do that than on LinkedIn. Users skew higher income, higher education, and tend to use the app on desktop vs mobile. Not to mention the platform offers fantastic organic reach when compared with Facebook, TikTok, or Twitter / X. If you’re not active on LinkedIn right now, you’re missing out.

AI-Created Art Isn’t Copyrightable, Judge Says in Ruling That Could Give Hollywood Studios Pause

• TL;DR: A federal judge upheld a finding from the U.S. Copyright Office that AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted.
  
  

• Why it matters: “Human authorship” is the main criteria for copyright protections. But with AI-generated text, images, audio, and video tools becoming more sophisticated and allowing for deeper levels of human-AI collaboration, this is a thorny legal area that we’ll be following closely.

Meta’s Threads is finally available on desktop

• TL;DR: Threads is now accessible on desktop.
  
  

• Why it matters: Threads has been hemorrhaging users ever since launching to 100 million users in its first week. Desktop functionality is key for power users (like freelancers and business owners) and may kickstart a rebound in growth.

Working With Clients

What Prospects Think When Your Samples Aren’t Task or Topic Specific

The best predictor of future performance is past performance.

So when showing samples of your work to prospects…

Aim to share pieces that are as relevant as possible to the project.

There are two ways to think about this:

1) Task specific

Always start with samples that prove your competence with the specific task they’re hiring for.

That means if they need emails, show them email samples.

If they want a short-form video editor, show them a Short, Reel, or TikTok video you’ve edited.

And if they’re looking for a landing page designer, then show them a landing page you’ve designed.

2) Topic specific

The second type of specificity is the topic.

For example, if they’re a health company, then show them samples from other clients in the health space.

This demonstrates you understand their audience.

Depending on what kind of services you provide, this may not be quite as important as task specificity.

But it still matters.

To maximize the impact of your samples, combine both types of specificity when curating samples for prospects.

Because ultimately, the goal is to paint a clear picture for the prospect of how the project is going to turn out.

If you want to get the gig, don’t make them use their imagination.

Working For Yourself

Controversial Productivity Advice From Asana’s Co-Founder

Hustle culture is all about the sprint.

But racing to the finish line doesn’t always work out.

In fact, sometimes it’s downright counterproductive.

In this interview with Tim Ferriss, Asana co-founder Dustin Moskovitz shares his controversial philosophies on productivity, leadership, and energy management…

Including why he believes “coaching for endurance” is the secret to success in business.

If you struggle with work/life balance or are worried about burnout…

Then you’ll really enjoy this podcast, as it’s filled with tactical advice on how to get more stuff done without working 24/7.

Click here to give it a listen:

Dustin Moskovitz, Co-Founder of Asana and Facebook — Energy Management, Coaching for Endurance, No Meeting Wednesdays, Understanding the Real Risks of AI, Embracing Frictionless Work with AI, The Value of Holding Stories Loosely, and More (#686)

Tool of the Week

Shift: The antidote to a broken browser experience

Shift is a desktop app that streamlines work by displaying each email account vertically (along with any other apps you’d like to include) along the left-hand side of your screen.

It sounds trivial, but this accordion-style set up is a game-changer for productivity.

Plus it lets you organize browser tabs by email account, making it much easier to flip back and forth without losing your place.

It’s quickly become one of our core tools for running a freelance business.

Click here to learn more about Shift

Bonus Points

💪 Confidence: 6 secrets to cultivate quiet confidence (Twitter / X)

🧑‍💻 Careers: How to interview successfully when making a career pivot (Instagram)

✍️ Copywriting: How to build your ad, email & content swipe file (LinkedIn)

🧠 Decisions: How to stop overthinking and be decisive (YouTube)

📈 Productivity: The secret to a 4-hour work day (TikTok)