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Matt Barker, Ghostwriter

Matt Barker is a copywriter, ghostwriter, and founder of Matt Barker Copy.

Please, enjoy his 422-word “micro” interview:

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Thanks, Matt.

Let’s get started:

1) "What's your work routine?”

I wake up at 7am every weekday morning.

I get to my laptop at 7:30am.

Then I spend 2 hours doing focused work.

I keep this time for the most critical business work - client work (ideating, writing, editing, scheduling) and writing my weekly email newsletter which I'm heavily invested in making a success this year.

After that I spend 30-45 minutes engaging on LinkedIn/Twitter.

Then I'll do another round of 2 hours focused work (if I need to).

Afternoons are usually kept free for sales calls or paid strategy calls. And dipping back into LinkedIn/Twitter for more engagement.

2) "What do you know about your work now that you wish you'd know when you first started?”

I'd say the biggest knowledge gap for me now vs me when I first started working for myself, was my overall business knowledge.

I'm learning a ton about offers, sales, strategy, funnels, client delivery, operations, tech etc.

From people who have done incredible things in business, too.

So it's not so much the copywriting/ghostwriting that I wish I knew more about, it's actually the fundamentals of running and growing a business in an efficient way.

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

My biggest professional failure was actually not one particular thing, but a mindset problem which extended for a long time.

And that was not believing in myself or being confident enough to back myself. Then deliver.

I'm confident enough to know I've got the skills to do what a lot of the people I worked for can do. But I was always very subservient and done my job.

I still came up with ideas a lot and I was creative and I tested people. But I should've backed myself more.

I'm doing it now. Feels good.

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

Writing every single day online. Just brutal - but brilliant.

It's a cheat code for becoming a better writer. You live and die by the quality of your post every time.

And that spurred me on like nothing I've experienced before. It's been surprising actually how focused I've been on becoming a better writer.

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

Ah man, I haven't read many books.

But the one I've been reading (listening) too that is teaching me a stupid amount is (yep, it's basic af) $100m Offers by Alex Hormozi.

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

Writing on LinkedIn or Twitter sounds pointless.

But then you do it.

And it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Throw your ego in the trash. Write plain and clear (no nonsense). And write online about what you do.

You'll be astonished at what happens if you just stick to it.