Lenny writes one of the top five business newsletters on Substack — which has amassed over 500,000 subscribers. He hosts a podcast that makes him more money than he made in corporate America. And he’s built a raving X audience of over 188,000.
In this episode, you’ll see inside Lenny Rachitsky's process. He opens up about creating high-signal content; following what energizes him; balancing storytelling with practicality; protecting his writing schedule; and above all, rising above the noise.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00:00 Intro
0:01:00 Better content
0:01:30 Rising above the noise
0:02:30 Jobs to be done framework
0:05:00 Serving your audience
0:06:30 How did Lenny start writing
0:08:30 Who does Lenny interview
0:10:00 Notes to posts
0:15:45 High signal to noise ratio
0:17:15 Lenny's first viral post
0:19:30 High quality bar
0:21:45 Airbnb
0:24:30 Podcasting
0:25:15 When is Lenny happiest
0:28:15 Writing good introductions
0:30:00 Distribution
0:33:30 Failing posts
0:36:15 Lenny's Schedule
0:37:30 Avoiding distractions
0:38:20 How to say "No"
0:40:40 Writing at work
0:42:30 Dealing with criticism
0:44:40 Writer's who Lenny admires
0:45:45 Editing process
0:49:45 Vacation
0:51:00 Twitter / X vs Linkedin
0:52:00 Lenny's research process
0:53:40 Coda
0:57:20 Google Docs
0:59:45 Writing prompts
1:01:00 Writing environments
1:04:15 Product Management
1:08:00 Fame
1:13:30 Lenny's Substack Growth
1:15:20 What is Lenny reading
1:18:30 How Lenny's experience shapes his writing
SPEAKER LINKS:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan
Website: https://www.lennyrachitsky.com
Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com
WRITE OF PASSAGE:
Want to learn more about the next class Write of Passage?
Click here: https://take.writeofpassage.school/writing-sprints
PODCAST LINKS:
Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-write/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
ABOUT THE HOST:
I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
How I Write is a podcast by Write of Passage // Production by Adam Soccolich