Articles

Read how to sharpen your own stuff with these articles on the Jobs-to-be-done theory, copywriting, putting together service packages, conducting purchase interviews, and more.

New articles every Friday. Be notified when new ones are out.

  1. When Your Product Looks Too Good To Be True Showcasing: forloop.ai, appbuildy.com
  2. No, You Don't Need Social Proof Showcasing: + more
  3. Copywriting Feedback for Akord: Getting the Main Headline Right Showcasing: akord.com
  4. Product Sharpening: Feedback for ProdHunt Showcasing: prodhunt.com
  5. Two Products Ideas for Sharpen.page Showcasing: + more
  1. No-code Site Builders for Making Struggle-First Landing Pages Showcasing: sharpen.page
  2. Fail Predictions: My Own Product Showcasing: sharpen.page
  3. Fail Predictions: Sunshine Contacts Showcasing: + more
  4. Your Product Might Fail, Push Through with These Perspectives Showcasing: + more
  5. Level 3 Sharpening: Generate New Product Ideas Showcasing: + more
  6. To Add Appeal, First Reduce Anxieties Showcasing: + more
  7. Make a Worse Product (to Save It) Showcasing: + more
  8. Ego Makes Good Products Fail (Remove Ego to See Reality) Showcasing: + more
  9. Your Product Is Going to Fail Showcasing: + more
  10. Teaching Your Clients: a Conflict of Interest? Showcasing: + more
  11. Audience Building Mindsets Showcasing: + more
  12. Via Negativa: Inverse Freelancing Advice Showcasing: + more
  13. Via Negativa: Inverse Product Advice Showcasing: + more
  14. Randomness and the Benefits of Freelancing Showcasing: + more
  15. Measurements for Freelancers - Part 2: Starting With the End Showcasing: + more
  16. Measurements for Freelancers - Part 1: Finding What Matters Showcasing: + more
  17. Discouraging Your Clients (for more Antifragility) Showcasing: + more
  18. The Itch to Create - Part 4: Judging Ideas for Demand Fit Showcasing: + more
  19. Isn't Jobs-to-be-Done Just a Subjective Interpretation? Showcasing: + more
  20. Remove Friction? No. Help Make Progress Showcasing: memberstack.io
  21. Evaluating a Product Opportunity Showcasing: + more
  22. Visitors Will Excuse Your Un-styled Landing Page Showcasing: productlistings.app
  23. Communicating Your Product When It's Hard to Explain Showcasing: yourdailyniche.com
  24. The Gap Between the Product and User Needs Showcasing: + more
  25. When You Have to Find Buyers for Your Product Showcasing: + more
  26. The Hero's Journey Metaphor: Multi-Outcome Products Showcasing: + more
  27. Product Sharpening: Feedback for logology.co
  28. When Funnels only Explain a Minority of Purchase Scenarios Showcasing: + more
  29. A Bunch of Example Landing Pages With (Mostly) Just Text Showcasing: megcumby.com + 7 more
  30. Mind-reading: Conducting Deep Research Using Multiple Passes Showcasing: + more
  31. "Too Much Text": What to Do About that Feedback Showcasing: simplifychange.co.uk
  32. Where Can I Learn More About Jobs-To-Be-Done? Showcasing: + more
  33. Sharp Example: Palabra Sign-Up Forms Showcasing: palabra.io
  34. The Best Order of Elements For Your Landing Page Showcasing: + more
  35. Productized Services: Feedback for purplesoundstudios.com
  36. Where to Listen More Deeply When There's a Deluge of Information Showcasing: + more
  37. When I Suspect My Product Is Purchased for New Use Cases Showcasing: + more
  38. Freelancing in a Recession: Roundup of Tips Showcasing: + more
  39. When Your Software Proposes a Different Process Showcasing: monetohq.com
  40. Selling When Times Are Rough Showcasing: + more
  41. Page Feedback for minutesai.com
  42. Freelancing for Two Markets At Once (Changing Your Website Too?) Showcasing: + more
  43. When Freelancers Don't Need a Website Showcasing: brandbot.ca
  44. Should I Use a Ballsy Tone, or Stick with Corporate Wording? Showcasing: ratemymyeeting.co
  45. Productized Services: From a Variety of Skills to a Value-Ladder Showcasing: consulting.joreteg.com
  46. Level 3 Sharpening for Xebel.co Showcasing: + more
  47. Level 3 Sharpening: So You Can Rely Less on Sales Showcasing: + more
  48. The Itch to Create - Part 3: Incorporating Outside Advice Showcasing: + more
  49. The Itch to Create - Part 2: Making Your Idea Inevitable Showcasing: + more
  50. The Itch to Create - Part 1: Getting Clarity on Why Showcasing: + more
  51. What Does It Mean to Compete Against 'Nothing'? Showcasing: scheduleflowers.com
  52. Four Ways to Tell Your Visitors 'There's a Better Way' Showcasing: basecamp.com + 5 more
  53. Yeah but Apple and Intercom Design Their Pages Using Features and Benefits Showcasing: apple.com, intercom.com
  54. Is Your Product a 'Yes', a 'No', or a 'Not Yet'? Showcasing: colorways.club
  55. But How Will This Affect My Bounce Rate? Showcasing: + more
  56. Sharpening Your Packaged Service Offerings Showcasing: + more
  57. How Does the Pain-Dream-Fix Page Structure Fit with Jobs-To-Be-Done? Showcasing: + more
  58. Sharp Example: applicationemail.com
  59. What's the Minimum to Make My Landing Page Communicate I Understand the Struggle? Showcasing: + more
  60. Packaging a Sharp Service, But without a Public Price Showcasing: + more
  61. How Do You Productize a Consulting Call? Showcasing: + more
  62. How to Add Modesty to Your Intros as a Freelancer Showcasing: + more
  63. Rewriting Common Mental Models About Introducing Yourself as a Freelancer Showcasing: + more
  64. Do I Need To Focus On Just One Struggle? Showcasing: + more
  65. How Can I Pitch a Bolder, More Edgy Consulting Engagement? Showcasing: + more
  66. Do I Need to Address a Hard Struggle? Showcasing: + more
  67. Was I Just Lucky or Is My Idea Solid? Showcasing: + more
  68. How Do I Know I've Built Too Much Product? Showcasing: + more
  69. What Are Sellable Ways to Package up (my) Skills as Services? Showcasing: + more
  70. How to Get Better Consulting Clients without Being Too Sales-y Showcasing: + more
  71. How to Increase Ebook Sales without ‘Buy Now’ Pop-ups? Showcasing: + more
  72. How to Increase Newsletter Signups without Being Pushy? Showcasing: + more
  73. How Do I Increase Conversion Rates Without Being a Slimy Jerk? Showcasing: + more
  74. How Can I Prove That My Version B Will Be Better? Showcasing: + more
  75. How Much Traffic Do I Need To Start Doing A/B Testing? Showcasing: + more
  76. An Example Of An Unconventional Landing Page Showcasing: clean-ruby.com
  77. I Don't Know If My Page Is Any Good Showcasing: + more
  78. How Can I Improve The Design Of This Landing Page Without Too Much Effort? Showcasing: + more
  79. Re-writing Headings That Just Highlight The Benefits Showcasing: powercents.ca
  80. How To Quickly Tweak Text On Your Landing Page Directly In The Browser Showcasing: + more
  81. Would I Be Wasting My Time Going After An Idea With Competitors? Showcasing: + more
  82. How Long Landing Pages Make Calls-To-Action Work Showcasing: + more
  83. For My Landing Page Call to Action: Appointment or Email? Showcasing: + more
  84. Writing Outreach (Cold) Emails That Will Be Welcomed Showcasing: + more
  85. Writing Outreach (Cold) Emails, The Basic Lessons To Get Started Showcasing: + more
  86. Five Ways to Rejig a Product Page When It Doesn't Lead To Enough Sales Showcasing: + more
  87. Sadly Found A Competitor For My Product. How Do I Make Mine Better? Showcasing: + more
  88. How Do I Know My Product Is Ready To Launch? I Want It To Be Perfect! Showcasing: + more
  89. How to Select Buyers for Purchase Story Interviews Showcasing: + more
  90. Too Few of My Freemium Users Are Converting To Paying Customers Showcasing: + more
  91. How to Record Buyer Interviews Showcasing: + more
  92. What Questions Should I Ask During a Buyer Interview? Showcasing: + more
  93. Purchase Interview: Two Ebooks Purchased Together Showcasing: + more
  94. Try "When" Showcasing: + more
  95. When a Feature Is Not a Feature Showcasing: + more
  96. Digging the Purchase Story for Gold Showcasing: + more
  97. The Interview and the Timeline Diagram Showcasing: + more
  98. Industry Standard Pricing (No Such Thing) Showcasing: + more
  99. The Product, The Newsletter and The Professional Services Showcasing: + more
  100. Changing Orbit: Selling Your Idea Showcasing: + more
  101. Purchase Interview: $450 Pair of Winter Boots Showcasing: + more
  102. The Number One Competitor of Your Product Showcasing: + more
  103. Purchase Decisions: The Four Forces at Play Showcasing: + more
  104. Introduction to the Jobs-To-Be-Done Theory, Through Three Example Purchases Showcasing: + more
  105. What Cryptocurrencies Are Hired To Do Showcasing: + more

Be Notified for More Articles Like These...

To learn to sharpen your own stuff.

Every Friday, be the first to know by getting a sharp email about the week's article.

The topic of the next few weeks: crafting landing pages, code, no-code, copywriting, examples of pages that work.

Plus, receive a link to a video of a presentation I gave explaining the Jobs-To-Be-Done theory