EDITOR’S NOTE:

Devin Reed is a brilliant content marketer and Head of Content Strategy at Gong, where I was fortunate enough to work with him on a few projects. 

He’s also a great writer, which is why he founded The Reeder, an excellent resource for folks who wanna create compelling, memorable content. 

Now he’s here for a VGC micro-interview :)

In just 283 words, Devin shares: 

• When creators are most likely to do their best work…

• The book that helped him navigate corporate politics… 

• The foundational principle behind his morning routine… 

And much more… 

Enjoy!

Thank you, Devin.

Let’s get started. 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

It's all about time management. 

And it starts with the morning routine. That starts with my 1 year old daughter, Rumi. Once she's up and fed, I drink a protein shake and green juice (separate drinks!) while I stretch to loosen up. If I have time, I'll go for a 15 - 20 min walk to get my body warmed up and give my brain time to wander. 

Once back home, I make an iced coffee then start work at 8:30am. 

Then its content creation, meetings, and coaching my team from my home office until 5:15pm.

Then it's family time, dinner, bath time for Rumi. Then I spend 1-2 hours working on The Reeder.

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

You don't always need to be "on" or "in the zone" to create great content. 

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

Being laid off from a 12 person startup taught me that finding the right team (company) is just as important as the work I contribute. 

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Reading A LOT. 

Volume and variety. 

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini, fa sho. 

Can I share two? 

Because The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene also helped me navigate corporate politics. 

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

If you're anything like me, your best work comes when you're having fun. So shake off the pressure — internal, external, perceived, etc — and enjoy the process of creating content. 

Otherwise it can quickly become a chore.