Writing

Keep replaying a challenging event in your mind? Or overthinking something that’s already happened? What if you could turn that mental loop into a tool for growth… and even better health? Dr. James Pennebaker’s ‘Writing Protocol’ is a simple, science-backed way to do just that. In fact, hundreds of scientific studies show that it significantly improves immediate and long-term health. Here’s how it works: 1. Write for 15 minutes, once a week
↳ Tip: Focus on the same emotionally challenging event every time. 2. Keep it raw and unfiltered
↳ Tip: Don’t worry about grammar or structure (this is just for you). 3. Stick with it for 4 weeks
↳ Tip: Make it a ritual. Same time, same place. Over 200 peer-reviewed scientific studies show this practice (which is essentially expressive writing) improves mental clarity, emotional resilience, and even physical health. No gimmicks, no cost. Just you, a pen, and some paper. P.S. Do you ever find yourself overthinking about something negative that happened?

We analyzed 4 million recruiting emails sent through Gem. Most get opened. But only 22.6% get replies. Half those replies are "thanks, but no thanks." We dug into what actually works. Here are 8 factors that drive REAL responses: 1. Strategic timing beats everything else - 8am gets 68% open rates. 4pm hits 67.3%. 10am lands at 67% - Most recruiters blast at 9am when inboxes are flooded - Avoiding peak times alone can boost your opens by 7-10% 2. Weekend outreach is criminally underused - Saturday/Sunday emails get ≥66% open rates consistently - Why? Empty inboxes. Zero competition. Candidates actually have time - Yet few recruiters send on weekends. Their loss is your gain 3. Keep messages between 101-150 words - Shorter feels spammy. Longer gets skimmed - You need exactly 10 sentences to nail the essentials - Every word beyond 150 drops performance 4. Generic templates kill response rates - Generic templates: 22% reply rate - Personalized outreach: 47% increased response rate - Even adding name + company to subject lines boosts opens by 5% 5. Subject lines need 3-9 words - Include company name + job title for highest opens - "Senior Engineer Role at [Company]" beats clever wordplay - 11+ words can work if genuinely intriguing, but why risk it? 6. The 4-stage sequence is optimal - One-off emails are dead. Send exactly 4 follow-up messages - You'll see 68% higher "interested" rates with proper sequencing - After stage 4, engagement completely flatlines. Stop there 7. Get the hiring manager involved - Having the hiring manager send ONE follow-up boosts reply rates by 50%+ - Yet most recruiters don't use this tactic - Weekend advantage: Minimal competition for attention 8. Leadership involvement is a cheat code - Role-specific timing (tech vs non-tech) matters - Technical roles: 3 of 4 best send times are weekends - Engineers check email differently than salespeople. Adjust accordingly TAKEAWAY: These aren't opinions. This is what 4 million emails tell us. Most recruiting teams are stuck in 2019 playbooks wondering why their reply rates won't budge. Meanwhile, recruiters who implement these 8 factors see dramatically better results. The data is right there. The patterns are clear. The only question is: will you actually change how you operate? Or will you keep sending the same tired emails at 9am on Tuesday? Your call.

I constantly get recruiter reachouts from big tech companies and top AI startups- even when I’m not actively job hunting or listed as “Open to Work.” That’s because over the years, I’ve consciously put in the effort to build a clear and consistent presence on LinkedIn- one that reflects what I do, what I care about, and the kind of work I want to be known for. And the best part? It’s something anyone can do- with the right strategy and a bit of consistency. If you’re tired of applying to dozens of jobs with no reply, here are 5 powerful LinkedIn upgrades that will make recruiters come to you: 1. Quietly activate “Open to Work” Even if you’re not searching, turning this on boosts your visibility in recruiter filters. → Turn it on under your profile → “Open to” → “Finding a new job” → Choose “Recruiters only” visibility → Specify target titles and locations clearly (e.g., “Machine Learning Engineer – Computer Vision, Remote”) Why it works: Recruiters rely on this filter to find passive yet qualified candidates. 2. Treat your headline like SEO + your elevator pitch Your headline is key real estate- use it to clearly communicate role, expertise, and value. Weak example: “Software Developer at XYZ Company” → Generic and not searchable. Strong example: “ML Engineer | Computer Vision for Autonomous Systems | PyTorch, TensorRT Specialist” → Role: ML Engineer → Niche: computer vision in autonomous systems → Tools: PyTorch, TensorRT This structure reflects best practices from experts who recommend combining role, specialization, technical skills, and context to stand out. 3. Upgrade your visuals to build trust → Use a crisp headshot: natural light, simple background, friendly expression → Add a banner that reinforces your brand: you working, speaking, or a tagline with tools/logos Why it works: Clean visuals increase profile views and instantly project credibility. 4. Rewrite your “About” section as a human story Skip the bullet list, tell a narrative in three parts: → Intro: “I’m an ML engineer specializing in computer vision models for autonomous systems.” → Expertise: “I build end‑to‑end pipelines using PyTorch and TensorRT, optimizing real‑time inference for edge deployment.” → Motivation: “I’m passionate about enabling safer autonomy through efficient vision AI, let’s connect if you’re building in that space.” Why it works: Authentic storytelling creates memorability and emotional resonance . 5. Be the advocate for your work Make your profile act like a portfolio, not just a resume. → Under each role, add 2–4 bullet points with measurable outcomes and tools (e.g., “Reduced inference latency by 35% using INT8 quantization in TensorRT”) → In the Featured section, highlight demos, whitepapers, GitHub repos, or tech talks Give yourself five intentional profile upgrades this week. Then sit back and watch recruiters start reaching you, even in today’s competitive market.

🔑 What separates a good LinkedIn post from a great one? Great posts aren’t just read....... They’re shared, discussed, and remembered. Here’s the formula to elevate your content: 1️⃣ Hook Them Early ✨ Use the first 2–3 lines to grab attention. Example: “The biggest LinkedIn mistake? It’s not what you think.” 2️⃣ Deliver Value ✨ Focus on educating, inspiring, or solving a problem for your audience. Example: “After running 50 campaigns, here’s what I’ve learned about LinkedIn’s algorithm.” 3️⃣ Create Conversations ✨ End with a CTA that sparks comments. Example: “Agree or disagree with these tips? Let’s discuss below!” 4️⃣ Polish for Readability ✨ Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and white space to make your post easy to skim. Why It Works: ✅ Hooks draw readers in. ✅ Value keeps them engaged. ✅ CTAs build relationships. Final Thought 🌟 Great posts don’t just inform, they connect. They make your audience feel seen, heard, and ready to engage. What’s your formula for creating LinkedIn content that stands out? Let’s discuss it! 🚀 #LinkedInTips #ContentThatConnects #EngagementSuccess

The Olympics have nailed their marketing without us realising 🥊🏅 I thought it was strange that the Olympics were starting on Friday, but I’d seen very little advertised. Anyone else? And then it hit me, whilst watching Sprint (my third newly added sports documentary on Netflix this weekend) & finding myself googling the dates of the athletes’ events at Paris, that I’d been indirectly marketed to in the most genius way. Here’s why, and more importantly, here’s why it worked: 1️⃣ Meeting the Audience Where They Are The Olympics faced a challenge: how to engage a generation that doesn’t watch mainstream TV. So, they went straight to where their audience spends time – streaming platforms. 85% of Gen Z and millennials prefer streaming over traditional TV. By launching multiple compelling sports docuseries on Netflix, they met their audience exactly where they are. 2️⃣ No Ads, Just Stories Research shows that storytelling is the most powerful tool in marketing – it's 22 times more memorable than facts alone. When you tell a story, you engage your audience’s emotions, and that connection is invaluable. It's this emotional engagement that turns viewers into fans and casual watchers into passionate supporters. No CTAs, no tracked links, just pure wonderful emotional storytelling at its finest. 3️⃣ Creating Emotional Investment These docuseries pull you into the personal lives of top athletes. You follow their journeys, their struggles, and their triumphs, right up to the competition before the Paris Olympics. This emotional investment is powerful. Suddenly you’re not only aware of these athletes in various disciplines, you’re invested in their success. 4️⃣ Building Anticipation By ending these stories on a cliffhanger, they’ve done something brilliant – they’ve made you care. You’re not just a spectator anymore; you’re invested in seeing these athletes win. And the next episode? Well that will be streamed live from Paris on mainstream TV. I know I’m not alone in wanting to see how these stories end. 5️⃣ Perfect Timing Timing is everything in marketing, and the Olympics nailed it. By launching these docuseries right before the games, they’ve ensured the stories are fresh in our minds. This makes the athletes' journeys a cultural talking point and keeps the Olympics top of mind. Strategic timing like this makes the content memorable and maximises its impact. Here’s the lesson: To truly engage your audience, focus on storytelling. Create narratives so compelling, people can’t help but follow along. Make them care about the outcome. When your audience is emotionally invested, they’re not just watching – they’re rooting for you. This weekend reminded me why I love marketing. It's not just about selling a product; it's about creating connections, inspiring emotions, and telling stories that resonate. So, next time you’re crafting your strategy, ask yourself: are you telling a story your audience will care about? I’m sold. Who’s watching?

What's the secret to securing funding from foundations? This question, in various forms, has been asked of me a lot since I my post about the fundraising component of Mongabay's strategic plan (https://bit.ly/3NVeRd2) a few days ago. To be clear, I don't claim to be an expert in this field. However, I can certainly share insights from my decade-long experience of elevating Mongabay's foundation support from zero to about $5M last year. The right messaging When I initially began seeking funding from foundations, I received no response about 90% of the time. When I did receive a response, it was almost invariably, "no thanks". Despite my belief that my initial outreach was targeted (e.g. foundations that supported areas aligning with Mongabay’s work like journalism and conservation), I soon recognized a need to revise my targeting and messaging. Program officers at philanthropic foundations are usually in the business of giving away money effectively. That last word is important: You might be surprised how many times I’ve been told that it’s hard to give away money effectively. In that initial outreach, I put too much emphasis on what Mongabay is doing rather than how its work could help program officers better accomplish their foundation’s objectives. So I tailored my message to explain the value proposition of Mongabay’s independent journalism. This was a nuanced argument because to many, journalism can feel like a peripheral intervention when compared with establishing a protected area, for example. Know your strengths My job was to explain how objective journalism – distinct from PR and communications – could act as a catalyst in several ways, including informing key decision makers, increasing awareness, and functioning as a due diligence tool. Understand your audience Adapting my message and ensuring it reached the right person required research to understand a foundation’s strategy and objectives, as well as the individuals responsible for granting funds to organizations. Program officers are typically inundated with requests – keeping your message short and clear may help it break through. Build relationships In the fundraising world, it's often said that "People give to people, not causes." This might be less true with institutional foundations, but relationship-building is still critical. Seek intros My success rates with cold outreach have been low – the most common response to my foundation inquiries remains a lack of response. Don't hesitate to ask current donors for appropriate introductions to other funders. Measure impact One reason, I believe, for Mongabay's high renewal rate from foundations is our commitment to gathering evidence of the impact of our work. Providing an example of impact can be a great way to follow up with a donor. _ While everything I’ve shared here is very basic, I confess I've overlooked these points myself at times. Foundations aren't easy, but they can provide a strong base of support.

Inaccessibility is all around us - but sometimes we’re doing it without even realising. I’ve made every one of these mistakes in the past. It wasn’t until someone took the time to point them out that I learned how inaccessible I was being - despite having good intentions. Here are 5 ways you might be being inaccessible, without even knowing: 1. Long LinkedIn headlines or overuse of emojis. Screen reader users hear your full headline every single time you post or comment. Every. Single. Time. Even when it’s truncated visually. That can mean hearing your full job title, emojis, and taglines multiple times before even reaching your post content. Try to keep your headline under 100 characters or two lines max - it makes a huge difference. 2. Long email signatures, HTTP links, and unlabelled images. Screen readers will read out every line - including things like “H-T-T-P-colon-slash-slash…” for full URLs. Images without alt text are completely invisible to screen reader users. Keep it short and simple, and use alt text wherever you can. Put only essential info in your email signature and put two dashes at the top to signal your signature is starting. And remember, it’s not your marketing tool. When was the last time you actually bought something from an email signature?! 3. Not running documents through the accessibility checker. You run a spell check, so why not an acceeeibility check? It’s a quick step, but it can flag things like heading structures, contrast issues, and missing image descriptions. It takes seconds and makes a big impact. 4. Using colour alone to convey meaning. For example, “I’ve marked the important cells in green” doesn’t help if someone can’t perceive colour easily. Neither does “I’ve shaded the cells for our RAG status”. Always add a label, icon, or another indicator. 5. Using all lowercase hashtags. #thisisnotaccessible - screen readers can’t parse where one word ends and another begins. Use camel case instead - #ThisIsAccessible - so screen readers pronounce the words correctly. Small changes, big impact. If you’ve made some of these mistakes before - welcome to the club. We learn, we improve, we do better. #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #DisabilityEmployment #Adjustments #DiversityAndInclusion #Content #A11y

Most leaders undermine themselves without realizing it. It happens in every email they send. I've coached 100s of CEOs who wonder why their emails get ignored. The pattern is clear: They write like they're asking for permission instead of leading. Here’s how weak leaders communicate: ❌ "Let me know if this works for you..." ❌ "I think there might be an issue..." ❌ "Hope this email finds you well..." ❌ "I was just wondering if maybe..." ❌ "Whenever you get a chance..." ❌ "Just following up again..." ❌ "Does that make sense?" ❌ "Sorry to bother you..." ❌ "I'll try to get it done..." ❌ "I'm no expert, but..." ❌ "Sorry for the delay!" ❌ "I hate to ask, but..." These phrases scream uncertainty. They make recipients think your message isn't worth their time. Great leaders write differently: ✅ "I need your help with this." ✅ "I'll have this to you by 3pm." ✅ "Can you confirm by Friday?" ✅ "Thank you for your patience." ✅ "I need your expertise on this." ✅ "Have you had time to review?" ✅ "What questions do you have?" ✅ "This needs attention by [date]." ✅ "I've identified a problem with..." ✅ "Hi Sarah, I'm reaching out about..." ✅ "Based on the data, I recommend..." ✅ "Please confirm you can meet this deadline." Notice the difference? Clear expectations.  Direct language.  Zero apologies. This isn't about being harsh. It's about being clear. When you water down your language, people assume: Your request isn't important. You're not confident in your ask. They can deprioritize your email. But when you write with conviction: People respond faster Decisions happen quicker Your ideas carry more weight The most successful leaders I know don't write longer emails. They write clearer ones. They don't use more words. They use better ones. Your communication style is your leadership brand. And every weak phrase dilutes it. So starting today, lead with clarity. Write like the leader you are. Watch how quickly things change. ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more communication insights. — 📌 Want the high-res version of the Email Like a CEO framework? Subscribe to my free newsletter and I’ll send you the full PDF — plus one concise, highly actionable leadership insight every week to help you communicate with clarity, authority, and impact. Join 235,000+ leaders committed to operating in the top 2%. https://lnkd.in/eJxApzCj

Your LinkedIn posts are not getting views. Know why? No one's clicking on the 'see more' button. Only one thing can fix that.. Hooks. Here's how to fix them: 1. Numbers: Specific numbers grab attention.  Instead of saying: "I gained a lot of impressions recently," Try: "I gained 500,000+ post impressions in just one week after applying Jeff Bezos’ writing rules. Or: "Over 141 'no’s' later, here’s what I learned about persistence.” 2. Show you know what you're talking about  Instead of :"I’ve worked with many clients," Try: "Working with over 200 founders taught me this: simplicity wins in video scripts.” Or: "Over 500k followers and 150+ successful clients later, here’s my framework for standing out. 3. Curiosity Triggers: Create a knowledge gap that makes readers want to learn more.  Instead of: "Does your phone listen to you?" Try: "Have you ever found yourself bombarded with ads for something you just mentioned in a conversation? I tested this for 10 days, and here’s what I found." 4. Give clear value: Show readers exactly what they’ll gain.  Instead of: "Here’s why LinkedIn matters," Try: "If you’re only using LinkedIn to find jobs, you’re missing out on $10,000 (minimum) annually. Let me explain how." 5. Unpopular/Contrarian Opinion: Challenge conventional wisdom.  Instead of: "Quality over quantity is important," Try: "We’re conditioned to believe that ‘quality > quantity’ is the right strategy, but when you’re just starting out, that’s the wrong approach." 6. Structural Hooks: Frameworks create instant engagement. Instead of: "I have some tips for you," Try: "6 mistakes that cost me $100,000—and how you can avoid them."  Or: "The 7 rules of writing that gave me 500k+ impressions in one week." 7. Keep it short: Keep hooks concise mostly under 3 lines because only that part is visible to the reader at first. 8. See other people's hooks that worked or went viral and take inspo from it. But keep in mind that your entire post must deliver value. The hook gets them to stop scrolling, but the content keeps them reading. #linkedin

I used to struggle with attention to detail. But it's something that can be trained - even if law firms aren't great at teaching it. Here are some of the things that I found the most helpful: 1️⃣ Develop and use checklists for common tasks I often amend precedent contracts so I know what to look out for. Until I gained that 'muscle memory', I had a checklist of the things I needed to review / amend each time I did that task. See if your team already has a checklist, or prepare one yourself (and ask a senior lawyer for input). 2️⃣ Create habits to catch mistakes I cut down nearly all of my email mistakes after I forced myself to: - list out all the documents that would be attached (then attaching it immediately); - open and scroll through anything that I attached to make sure it's the right document/version; - double check all recipients; - check it's the right email chain; and - reread before sending. 3️⃣ Block out time (with a review buffer) For bigger tasks (e.g. research memos), I block out the time I need to do tasks properly in my calendar and add about 30% for proofreading / editing time. I also pick up more mistakes when I separate the writing and editing process. 4️⃣ Track your common mistakes Everyone has blind spots. I kept a running list of the types of mistakes that I was making and it helped me develop the checklists / habits to fix them. 5️⃣ Use tech to your advantage - Select all -> F9, then search for "Error!" and "Clause 0"/"Clause 1" to spot broken cross references in Microsoft Word. - 2-minute delay for emails to give yourself a chance to fix them. - Other Microsoft functions: see formatting marks, read aloud, compare etc. - See if your firm has specialist programs that can identify issues, and learn how to use them. 6️⃣ Take breaks and ask for more time if needed "As an update, I've amended the Contract tonight but will need an extra hour in the morning to proofread it with fresh eyes before I finalise it. Here's the current draft if you need it now." Any other tips that work for you? How would you teach 'attention to detail' to a junior lawyer? ----- Btw, if you're a junior lawyer looking for practical career advice - check out the free how-to guides on my website. You can also stay updated by sending a connection / follow. #lawstudents #lawyers #lawfirms #lawschool