Campfire Shortcuts

The most magnetic content isn’t loud. It’s lived-in. Scarred. Whispered like you’ve been through hell.

A friend of mine’s a consultant in the event space.

Sharp. Still early in his career.

But a little jaded. Been to one too many “meh” conferences.

Last year he flew out to a 3-day consulting summit.

Keynotes, breakout rooms, panels, stale sandwiches — the usual.

The verdict?

“Pretty average.”

Except one part.

Night one. Late. Cold.

A crackling fire, three folding chairs, and two men who looked like they’d been through it.

Seasoned consultants — seen the highs, the bankruptcies, the VC buzzsaws.

Worn-out voices. Weathered eyes. No slides. No frameworks.

Just scar tissue and sentences that hit like steel.

My friend sat there for 25 minutes.

Didn’t say a word.

But he came back with a notebook full of punchy, hard-won truths.

Mini-lessons like:

*“If they ask for a bargain, they’ll ask for your soul next.”

*“It’s never scope creep — it’s clarity failure.”

*“Don’t charge for your time. Charge for what it saves them.”

Each one its own gut-punch.

Each one more useful than the entire damn conference.

I call these "campfire shortcuts”.

Hard-earned experience.

Boiled down.

Delivered fast — in a format that says:

"This took years to learn, but you get it in minutes."

And it’s a formula that works extremely well as a viral content format. 

Try this template for your next piece of content:

It carries weight. Urgency. Scarcity.

It signals value without needing to say “valuable.”

Examples across niches and content formats:

• Business YouTube Vid: “11 Years Of Honest Business Advice In 17 Minutes”

• Fitness Reel: “9 Years Of Lifting Lessons In 60 Seconds”

• Writing Thread: “13 Years Of Freelance Copywriting Advice In 8 Tweets”

• Photography Blog Post: “7 Years Of Wedding Photography Advice In 6 Minutes”

Give it a go.

Pick a topic where you’ve earned your stripes.

Compress the chaos.

Deliver it like a campfire story — short, sharp, and specific.

Watch your audience lean in and listen.

P.S. When it comes to writing newsletters, I’ve got my own “campfire shortcuts” that could save you months if not years of mistakes and guesswork.

Whether you’re starting your email list from scratch or stuck trying to grow, write, or monetize…

I’ll teach you exactly how to write engaging, story-driven emails like these in a live 1:1 Zoom session.

I’ve got a very limited number of spots open and you can only book one until Friday. 

(The calls themselves can happen later — I’m just closing bookings after that.)

Book a “Newsletter Power Hour” with me here

Here’s to those brutally honest, hard-earned truths. 

Cheers, 

Dil