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Read a version of this book pre-release and loved it! Distills much of the best advice you can get if you hang out for a few years on HN into an easily shareab

Read a version of this book pre-release and loved it! Distills much of the best advice you can get if you hang out for a few years on HN into an easily shareable package. Would recommend as a graduation gift or career starter for the new tech person in your life. But also super valuable for folks who have been in the industry as well. The chapter on "Marketing Yourself" contains some reminders that I found really helpful: - Keep online presence 90% positive - Be consistent (same profile pic everywhere, etc) - Be "The Guy" (or non-guy) for a specific, unique, easily-grasped value prop - Don't chase celebrity or short-term optimizations (posting times, weekly metrics, etc)

swyx 6y ago
thanks a TON forrest! your advocacy and lending your platform to help give a leg up to others in our industry has been super inspiring to me and I hope to do the same in future!! edit: for those who don't know - forrest does a Cloud Resume Challenge where he helps people get started with a career in the cloud - laying out exact steps and offering his personal network to anyone* who completes them: https://forrestbrazeal.com/2020/04/23/the-cloud-resume-challenge/ https://forrestbrazeal.com/2020/04/23/the-cloud-resume-chall... *he has 2 conditions, listed on the blogpost
- PenguinCoder 6y ago
  There's a lot more than two conditions there, and turns me off trying. Even though, I could probably use the networking. I mean, kudos to him certainly; who you know is more important than what you know to getting seen and heard. This is a great leg up for the right people.
antoncp 6y ago
what is meant by “easily-grasped” in this case, and why is being this type of person good? I.e. why would it be good to have a skill that anyone can easily grasp? (I’m sure it’s mentioned in the book, but I couldn’t help but ask anyway :])
- forrestbrazeal 6y ago
  Poor choice of words on my part. Should have said something like "easily-grasped value prop". You want a very short elevator pitch for what you do, that makes it clear what value you provide. I think of Corey Quinn, whose pitch is "I fix your AWS bill." Short, easily-grasped, specific.
  - swyx 6y ago
    this exactly. but Corey can also pitch himself in anywhere from 30seconds to 30 minutes. Marketing Yourself is about adjusting your message to your audience/situation, and it can and should be practiced because you do not leave things like this up to chance. (the public draft: https://www.swyx.io/writing/marketing-yourself/ https://www.swyx.io/writing/marketing-yourself/) this is obliquely referenced in the book, but i believe the most effective pitch is if you can losslessly compress your entire value proposition into two words. https://www.swyx.io/writing/two-words/ https://www.swyx.io/writing/two-words/ Corey invented "Cloud Economist" for this purpose. brilliant. no one can compete in a category you invented.
    - reroute1 6y ago
      Can you not use buzzwords non stop and have a book with real content? And stop talking like a cult leader to these clowns
    - QuinnyPig 6y ago
      Thanks. It's nice when your work is recognized! I've argued that in some ways a more effective positioning statement would have been "I fix the horrifying AWS bill for SaaS companies in the Pacific Northwest" or whatnot; you want your prospective clients to see themselves in what you do. Fortunately, "the AWS bill" is painful enough of a problem without too many other viable alternatives that this was "enough."
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  They mean easily-grasped (value prop) not (easily-grasped value) prop

swyx 6y ago

thanks a TON forrest! your advocacy and lending your platform to help give a leg up to others in our industry has been super inspiring to me and I hope to do the same in future!! edit: for those who don't know - forrest does a Cloud Resume Challenge where he helps people get started with a career in the cloud - laying out exact steps and offering his personal network to anyone* who completes them: https://forrestbrazeal.com/2020/04/23/the-cloud-resume-challenge/ https://forrestbrazeal.com/2020/04/23/the-cloud-resume-chall... *he has 2 conditions, listed on the blogpost

PenguinCoder 6y ago
There's a lot more than two conditions there, and turns me off trying. Even though, I could probably use the networking. I mean, kudos to him certainly; who you know is more important than what you know to getting seen and heard. This is a great leg up for the right people.

antoncp 6y ago

what is meant by “easily-grasped” in this case, and why is being this type of person good? I.e. why would it be good to have a skill that anyone can easily grasp? (I’m sure it’s mentioned in the book, but I couldn’t help but ask anyway :])

forrestbrazeal 6y ago
Poor choice of words on my part. Should have said something like "easily-grasped value prop". You want a very short elevator pitch for what you do, that makes it clear what value you provide. I think of Corey Quinn, whose pitch is "I fix your AWS bill." Short, easily-grasped, specific.
- swyx 6y ago
  this exactly. but Corey can also pitch himself in anywhere from 30seconds to 30 minutes. Marketing Yourself is about adjusting your message to your audience/situation, and it can and should be practiced because you do not leave things like this up to chance. (the public draft: https://www.swyx.io/writing/marketing-yourself/ https://www.swyx.io/writing/marketing-yourself/) this is obliquely referenced in the book, but i believe the most effective pitch is if you can losslessly compress your entire value proposition into two words. https://www.swyx.io/writing/two-words/ https://www.swyx.io/writing/two-words/ Corey invented "Cloud Economist" for this purpose. brilliant. no one can compete in a category you invented.
  - reroute1 6y ago
    Can you not use buzzwords non stop and have a book with real content? And stop talking like a cult leader to these clowns
  - QuinnyPig 6y ago
    Thanks. It's nice when your work is recognized! I've argued that in some ways a more effective positioning statement would have been "I fix the horrifying AWS bill for SaaS companies in the Pacific Northwest" or whatnot; you want your prospective clients to see themselves in what you do. Fortunately, "the AWS bill" is painful enough of a problem without too many other viable alternatives that this was "enough."
chrisseaton 6y ago
They mean easily-grasped (value prop) not (easily-grasped value) prop