Kai 🌟

@kaidav.is

Friendly human and marketer. Maker of artisanal organic free-range websites. Everything changes — don’t be afraid. ✨ Founder, DoubleYourEcommerce.com - helping Shopify merchants grow their organic revenue with SEO 📍 Oregon

3252 followers586 following188 stories

Longform Stories

Your positioning is probably too broad (here's how to fix it)

What separates successful consultants is knowing exactly who they serve and what problem they solve — here's the formula to tighten your positioning statement.

Sep 3·3 min read·407 words

Things I think about at least once a week

A 'text playlist' of four things on Kai's mind: a Hugh MacLeod cartoon on marketing, the Law of Raspberry Jam, Billy Burg's Success Story, and BE AGGRESSIVE.

May 15·5 min read·820 words

The Law of Raspberry Jam

The Law of Raspberry Jam — 'the wider you spread it, the thinner it gets' — applies to your positioning, commitments, relationships, and marketing alike.

Feb 9·2 min read·327 words

Bluesky is popping. You should be there, friend.

Bluesky has 2016 Twitter vibes — no algorithmic timeline, starter packs to build your social graph fast, and a custom domain as your handle. Here’s how to get started.

Nov 13·3 min read·579 words

What would twice as many leads in 2024 mean for your agency or consultancy?​

Five products bundled to level up your lead generation: outreach, roadmapping, email templates, client reactivation, and initial call scripts — for 32% off.

Nov 24·9 min read·1636 words

Business Banking for Solo Consultants (and freelancers)

Business banking options for solo consultants: Mercury, Charles Schwab, Chase, Bluevine, and local credit unions — with honest notes on each.

Apr 17·2 min read·295 words

The Solo Consultant's Guide to Delegating Your To-Do List

Learn how to automate, delegate, or eliminate tasks so you can focus on what matters most in your consulting business.

Apr 8·10 min read·1820 words

How do you get people to pay attention to your outreach emails?

If you've been working on an outreach campaign to reach decision makers in your target market and you're getting no response, it can feel like...

Apr 8·22 min read·4240 words

Interview your client and propose a value based price

When you're starting to explore value based pricing, one struggle is getting the client to talk to you about their business: What are their goals...

Apr 8·22 min read·4317 words

Value-Based Pricing for Solo Consultants — Questions To Ask

The exact questions to ask prospects when building towards a value-based proposal — covering business objectives, measures of success, and value assessment.

Apr 8·12 min read·2287 words

Your Unique Story

Your unique story is a description of your business: what you do, who you help, and how you help them. Your unique story matters because it lets...

Apr 8·6 min read·1101 words

Refining your podcast pitches

Whenever I'm doing a podcast tour for myself or working with a client on a Podcast Tour Action Plan, I focus on identifying relevant topics for...

Apr 8·3 min read·474 words

How to identify podcasts for your podcast outreach

Once you have a clear idea of the audience you're trying to reach, the unique story of your business, and the pitches you'll be using when you...

Apr 8·3 min read·475 words

Recommended Outreach Tools and Tactics

Below I've included a short, actionable list of my Top Ten Outreach Tools. These are the tools that have helped me achieve great success in my...

Apr 8·6 min read·1075 words

"Being X for Y is the best marketing hack"

Narrow, specific positioning — 'I help fence contractors get more leads' — is the most powerful marketing move you can make, and here's exactly why it works.

Mar 7·2 min read·207 words

Use you-focused language to make your homepage stand out

Find every 'I' and 'we' on your homepage and replace them with 'you' — this one change makes your copy resonate immediately with the visitors who land on it.

Feb 14·2 min read·343 words

How to make your homepage a more effective salesperson

Read your homepage out loud — it’s the fastest way to catch copy that sounds off, has edit errors, or no longer represents how you actually work.

Feb 14·2 min read·387 words

Marissa Bracke Testimonial

Marissa Bracke made six months of business progress in under three months with Kai’s coaching — here’s her full testimonial on repositioning and relaunching.

Feb 13·6 min read·1133 words

Kai’s Picks #3: The Strategy of Preeminence by Jay Abraham

Weekly picks: Jay Abraham’s Strategy of Preeminence — a 30-minute video on becoming the most trusted advisor in your market by serving, not selling.

Feb 10·1 min read·178 words

Why does roadmapping make sense to your clients?

Roadmapping is valuable to clients too — it reduces project risk, lowers the cost of making a bad hire, and gives them an easy out if the fit isn't right.

Feb 9·3 min read·481 words

Why you should sell roadmapping services

Four reasons to sell roadmapping: it differentiates you, filters tire-kickers, aligns you with the client before the big project, and gives you an easy exit if needed.

Feb 8·3 min read·511 words

What roadmapping isn’t

Roadmapping is not a free audit, a one-off call, a custom research project, or a large strategy engagement — here’s what it is and isn’t, clearly defined.

Feb 7·2 min read·251 words

What exactly is roadmapping?

Roadmapping is a paid discovery project where you meet with the client, understand their goals and constraints, and deliver a plan — before any implementation starts.

Feb 7·3 min read·456 words

It's my birthday and I got you a gift (The Complete Independent Consulting Manual)

The Independent Consulting Manual is now free — 25 articles from 12 authors and six roundtable videos covering every aspect of running a consulting business.

Jan 27·3 min read·493 words

Get more impact out of your client testimonials by turning them into mini-case studies

Turn a long client testimonial into a mini-case study by adding context about the problem, the results, and a call-to-action — then publish it as its own page.

Jan 17·2 min read·244 words

Success story with Jakub Zajicek

Jakub Zajicek built a 6-figure podcast booking agency after a single Marketing Clarity Call — here's his full testimonial and 2022 update on where the agency is now.

Jan 16·4 min read·755 words

Kai’s Pick’s #2: Against Access by DeafBlind author John Lee Clark

Weekly picks: ‘Against Access’ by DeafBlind author John Lee Clark on Protactile language, plus a recommendation for The Ultimate Sales Machine.

Jan 14·2 min read·295 words

More on this ‘small-batch outreach’ concept

Small-batch outreach works even if you’re emailing just one person at a time — you don’t need a big list to make contact, start a conversation, or build a relationship.

Jan 12·4 min read·739 words

Avoiding a numbers-based outreach approach (and what to do instead)

Mass outreach gets 3% reply rates. Small-batch ‘Dream 25’ outreach to highly qualified prospects gets 15–30% — here’s how to shift your approach.

Jan 11·4 min read·740 words

Improve your email outreach by ditching ‘big asks.’

Outreach marketing is about stimulating conversations, not pitching services — ditch big asks and start with small ones to build rapport before moving to your real goal.

Jan 10·3 min read·535 words

Notion Mastery - A Growth Marketing GAP Analysis + Roadmap

In 2022, Marie Poulin and Benjamin Borowski, Co-Founders of Notion Mastery, approached me about a Growth Marketing GAP Analysis + Roadmap for...

Jan 10·5 min read·952 words

How to do email outreach (without making all the usual mistakes)

Most email outreach fails because it leads with big asks, a high-volume spray approach, and ‘I focus’ messaging — here’s what to do instead.

Jan 9·2 min read·346 words

Kai's Picks Issue #1 - The Ultimate Annual Review Template

Weekly picks, issue #1: a recommended annual review template from annualreview.life — free in Notion, Google Docs, and Word — plus the week's article roundup.

Jan 6·2 min read·279 words

How to turn off the Zoom app dock

Step-by-step instructions to disable the Zoom app dock that shows up uninvited at the bottom of your meetings — click the '...' and uncheck 'show in every meeting.'

Jan 5·1 min read·168 words

“Retiring? Why? What then?!”

FAQ on the 2023 product retirement: why nine products are being retired, which five are staying, and why trimming the product line was a data-driven decision.

Jan 4·3 min read·597 words

Happy 2023 + The Retirement Bundle

Happy New Year 2023 — and a heads-up about the Retirement Sale where nine products are available at 25–50% off before being discontinued.

Jan 2·2 min read·272 words

Retirement Sale

Nine products — including Podcast Outreach, Outreach Mastery, and Referral Systems — are retiring on Jan 4th, 2023 at 25% off or 50% off in the bundle.

Dec 30·2 min read·383 words

How To Track Your Outreach + Follow-Up (Without Your Brain Melting Like Ice In The Sun)

Once you’re following up with more than a few people at once, your brain can’t keep track — here’s a simple spreadsheet system that keeps your outreach organized.

Dec 29·5 min read·990 words

There’s a liminal feeling in the air

In the liminal days between years, pick one small marketing habit — five minutes a day adds up to 20 hours over the year and compounds into real business momentum.

Dec 28·4 min read·607 words

Happy Winter Solstice

A short Winter Solstice message of thanks and appreciation for readers of Kai's daily letter.

Dec 21·1 min read·91 words

How to use testimonials to change your business for the better

Updating your testimonials and social proof can meaningfully change your business — the Ultimate Testimonial Guide covers nine chapters on how to do it right.

Dec 21·2 min read·246 words

What questions should you ask to get a testimonial from a client?

When you’re trying to get a testimonial from a client, you’re going to want to give them a structure to work with to get effective feedback. Sean...

Dec 21·6 min read·1134 words

Why you should ask your clients for testimonials instead of waiting for them to come to you

It feels awkward to ask for testimonials. It can feel like you’re putting a burden on your clients when you ask them to provide one. But asking...

Dec 21·1 min read·187 words

How to make asking for a testimonial easier by setting expectations

You can make asking for a testimonial much easier by setting the expectation with the client that you’ll be making that ask. Let your clients know...

Dec 21·5 min read·918 words

Why and how do testimonials help your business?

Typically, prospective clients will encounter your testimonials when they’re shopping for services, considering different options, and evaluating...

Dec 21·5 min read·968 words

What forms can a testimonial take?

In the example mentioned earlier in the guide, Kai had a mini-text testimonial from the client (a single sentence). However, the more ideal...

Dec 21·5 min read·839 words

How to put together the best possible (results-focused) testimonial

We’ve mentioned earlier in the guide that putting together the testimonial is a collaborative process between you and your client. Testimonials...

Dec 21·2 min read·327 words

What if a client goes non-responsive after agreeing to participate in a testimonial?

It might be difficult for a client to come up with something or find the time to give feedback. They have the best of intentions in returning a...

Dec 21·2 min read·394 words

How can you leverage testimonials in your work?

Once you have a testimonial, what then? How can you get the most impact and value out of it? Here are a few suggestions for places where you can...

Dec 21·3 min read·535 words

How to get more done than you expect at the end of the year

In the last two weeks of the year, skip the big launches and instead focus on one or two small, high-impact tasks that set up Future You for an easier start.

Dec 17·3 min read·442 words

“\”People don’t care about you, they only care about themselves.””

Visitors don’t come to your site to learn about your company — they only care about themselves. Switch to ‘you-focused’ messaging today and publish the change.

Dec 15·3 min read·503 words

You-Focused Website Language

A before-and-after teardown of a real agency homepage — turning 'I' and 'we' focused copy into 'you' focused messaging that speaks directly to the visitor.

Dec 14·4 min read·744 words

Book Recommendation: Four Thousand Weeks

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman is a rare book about mortality and finitude that will actually change how you prioritize your time and work.

Dec 8·7 min read·1271 words

Book Recommendation: Value-Based Fees

Value-Based Fees by Alan Weiss teaches you to price based on the outcome you deliver, not the hours you spend — and it's put hundreds of thousands in Kai's pocket.

Dec 7·3 min read·593 words

The Brain Audit Book Review & Recommendation

The Brain Audit by Sean D’Souza is Kai’s most-gifted book — it teaches why customers buy (and why they don’t) in a way that’s immediately useful for consultants.

Dec 6·2 min read·344 words

Book Recommendation: Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes covers 12 strategies for sales and marketing systems — including best-buyer targeting and follow-up — that apply directly to independents.

Dec 5·4 min read·666 words

Playing the long-game in business

A recommendation to listen to Alex Hillman on The Business of Freelancing podcast — covering money psychology and how to play the long game in business.

Dec 3·1 min read·150 words

Planning Your 2023 Projects and Projections

Use a simple projects and projections spreadsheet to plan next year's clients, revenue, and launches — so you can spot gaps and protect time before January hits.

Nov 30·3 min read·600 words

How to Ask Kai (almost) Anything about marketing, growth, and business

Ask Kai anything about marketing, indie consulting, lead generation, or growing your business — questions and answers are published at /ask-kai-anything/.

Nov 30·1 min read·188 words

Gearing up for an annual review

A simple annual review process: set aside a few days in December, answer three questions about what went well, what could be better, and what you’ll do differently.

Nov 30·3 min read·583 words

Glossary — Consultant and Freelancer Definitions

Definitions of key terms for solo consultants, experienced freelancers, and professionals selling services.

Nov 28·33 min read·6430 words

2022 Build Your Own Bundle Thanksgiving Sale

Save 20% on all of Kai’s books, products, and courses during the 2022 Thanksgiving Build Your Own Bundle sale, running November 23–28.

Nov 23·2 min read·337 words

Overview of Activity-Based Selling

Learn how Activity-Based Selling helps you take control of your sales process by focusing on leading indicators instead of lagging ones.

Jun 8·4 min read·664 words

Build A Moat; Keep The Tire Kickers Out

Selling a paid roadmapping service as a required first step weeds out tire kickers, protects your time, and filters for clients who are serious about working with you.

Jul 25·3 min read·535 words

“I don’t know if I can sell strategy”

You can sell strategy confidently when you specialize in a specific target market, focus on a painful problem, and align the roadmap with services you already deliver.

Jul 23·6 min read·1069 words

The Dreaded “What are your rates?” Question

When a prospect asks ‘what are your rates?’, flip it: ask what they’re looking to invest — you can’t quote a price until you understand their budget and goals.

May 13·3 min read·510 words

The ‘Not Now’ List

A ‘Not Now’ list keeps good ideas from derailing your current work — park them for Future You to revisit, instead of adding them to a never-done to-do list.

Mar 23·3 min read·402 words

Ask this question on your initial sales calls

Starting every sales call with ‘How can I help?’ gives leads space to share the real problem before you pitch — and leads to better-fit projects.

Feb 12·2 min read·278 words

Feast

The feast-or-famine cycle has a third option: using slow periods as intentional time to work on your business — if you plan ahead and budget for it.

Jan 6·3 min read·459 words

Your quarterly reminder to charge more

Raise your rate by 15–20% for all new projects today — or take the deeper path and ask what levers would need to move to justify a 10x price increase.

Dec 29·3 min read·428 words

How To Make Ice Cubes Out Of Icebergs

Instead of tackling an iceberg project in your downtime, chip off small, low-effort ice cubes — the high-impact tasks that make the big objective easier.

Dec 16·2 min read·395 words

“If you were gonna write the proposal for free anyway, why not just try charging any amount of money for it?”

Kurt Elster's advice on getting started with paid roadmapping: if you were going to write the proposal for free anyway, why not charge even $100 for it?

Oct 28·3 min read·506 words

Follow-up is where fortunes are made

Silence doesn’t mean rejection — it means they’re busy. Steli Efti explains why follow-up is where fortunes are made and why you should keep going until you get an answer.

Oct 20·3 min read·434 words

Spooky, scary lead-generation powers

Raise Your Clients From The Dead is a short book of lead generation necromancy — one reader used it the same day to land a four-figure monthly retainer.

Oct 20·2 min read·293 words

3 lessons from getting stiffed by a client

When a client doesn't pay, three lessons apply: charge 100% upfront, don't throw good money after bad pursuing collections, and don't let it live rent-free in your head.

Oct 16·3 min read·517 words

I want to be an influencer, Kai!

The best path from freelancer to influencer starts with picking a narrow niche, building your email list, and playing the long game with content and podcast tours.

Sep 8·5 min read·952 words

Start Here

Hi, I'm Kai Davis. I'm a digital/internet marketer. I write about how solo consultants and founders can market themselves like authorities, fill...

Sep 4·2 min read·319 words

The connective tissue around productized services

Standard operating procedures are the connective tissue that makes productized services faster over time — here's how to document your first one this week.

Jul 22·3 min read·407 words

Activity-Based Lead Generation

Track the right leading indicators for lead generation: time scheduled for marketing, content published, outreach emails sent, and conversations held each month.

Jul 10·3 min read·481 words

Revisiting The Law of Raspberry Jam

The Law of Raspberry Jam applies to target market, ideal client, and marketing channels — spreading any of them too thin makes your marketing disappear.

Jul 8·2 min read·324 words

Premium Pricing For Priority Projects?

When you're booked solid and leads keep arriving, consider a premium-priced priority slot — let clients buy their way to the front of your queue at a higher rate.

Jun 23·2 min read·373 words

Onboarding You

Client onboarding sets the tone for the whole working relationship — here's what to cover, what to automate, and the essentials for indie consultants at any project size.

Jun 16·5 min read·815 words

How on earth do you get people to respond to your outreach (without feeling slimy, sales-y, or overly self-promotional)?

Start outreach with small, specific asks and build up to larger ones over time — this stair-step approach gets replies without feeling pushy or sales-y.

Jun 9·3 min read·518 words

187'ing Proposals

Productized offers make proposal writing fast and painless. Instead of 3–5 hours on a custom proposal, you write a 20-minute quote from a pre-defined service.

May 31·3 min read·473 words

Creating Productized Offers

Start with a simple fixed-price, fixed-scope, fixed-timeline structure, then test it in conversations to gather feedback before building out your full sales page.

May 31·3 min read·546 words

How do you build a simple one-pager site for your business?

Carrd.co is the fastest way to get a clean, professional one-page site up for a new service offering, a market test, or a personal homepage — for free.

May 31·2 min read·249 words

Your quarterly reminder: Charge More!

Your quarterly reminder to charge more — try daily or weekly pricing, move to fixed-price offers, and if you need permission to raise your rates, here it is.

May 31·1 min read·140 words

Follow-up Friendly

About 60% of people never send a follow-up email — which means the single easiest way to get more replies is simply to follow up once or twice.

Apr 7·2 min read·365 words

Levels of Consulting (100 - 400+)

A 100–400 level roadmap for consultants across seven business areas: market research, service offerings, pricing, specialization, sales, marketing, and automation.

Mar 31·3 min read·520 words

Today? You start using a CRM

It’s time to start managing your relationships with your leads and clients instead of reacting. It’s time to start using a Sales CRM as your...

Feb 14·8 min read·1580 words

It’s never too late to follow-up

It’s never too late to follow up — even on a very old conversation. Send it without apology, let the other person say no, and you’ll win more deals.

Feb 10·2 min read·325 words

How to get POWERFUL client testimonials (without the awkwardness)

Everything you need to know to get the best possible testimonials from your clients — questions to ask, when to ask, and how to use them.

Feb 4·3 min read·446 words

Client Intake Cheat Sheet

Learn how to create a client intake process that saves you time and prevents headaches. Get the free cheat sheet, email scripts, and recommended tools.

Jan 2·1 min read·189 words

Evergreen Content Promotion Checklist

A step-by-step checklist for promoting every article you publish — from pre-game prep to outreach to community sharing.

Dec 15·7 min read·1341 words

Podcast Tour Resources

[no_toc] Want to Get On Podcasts with your own podcast tour? It's within your reach, dear reader. Check out these free articles and resources that...

Nov 6·2 min read·297 words

Become a Follow-Up Fanatic

Following up on an email isn’t rude — it’s a polite, proactive signal that you take the other person’s problem seriously and you’re there to help.

Sep 21·2 min read·298 words

Damn. Fine?

To get replies to your emails, stop asking ‘What are your thoughts?’ and give the other person a specific, clear next action to take instead.

Sep 13·1 min read·147 words

Time Debt 🕰️ 💸

Time Debt happens when you sell more hours than you have — and the only way out is to say no, cancel meetings, cut projects by 50%, and delete overdue tasks.

Sep 7·4 min read·644 words

BattleBoard

The BattleBoard is a Pomodoro-scored Kanban system for solo consultants to turn a chaotic task list into an ordered, completable daily work plan.

Aug 7·10 min read·1886 words

Productized Services: Strategy or Implementation?

Implementation-focused productized services are the easiest to launch and sell — start by finding something you've done multiple times and enjoy doing more of.

Jun 15·1 min read·173 words

“It's so incredible to finally be understood.”

A recommendation to take the free 16 Personalities test — Kai retook it and landed on ENFP 'The Campaigner,' and found it surprisingly accurate.

May 7·2 min read·307 words

Today? You start building your email list

Email is the only audience you own — here’s a four-step plan to start your newsletter today with Buttondown, invite your first ten subscribers, and send your first issue.

Mar 30·4 min read·737 words

Monetarysearch

Before committing to a target market, do a 'Monetarysearch' — confirm they spend money on consultants, because competition is a sign you're near a river of cash.

Mar 13·3 min read·443 words

Oiling Your Pipeline

Regular inspection and maintenance of your lead pipeline keeps it from going dry. Survey your lead sources, triage the top performers, and take intentional action.

Jan 1·3 min read·408 words

How can I use podcasts to get more traffic?

Guesting on podcasts lets you present to audiences of dream buyers, build authority, create marketing assets, and reach hundreds or thousands of people each week.

Jan 1·4 min read·670 words

How to get on podcasts

A 50,000-foot view of podcast touring: build a targeted prospect list, write a pitch with three topic ideas, send it, and follow up persistently every week.

Jan 1·3 min read·523 words

Get More Website Traffic: Record a Podcast Interview

Recording a podcast interview gives you free, high-quality exposure to an engaged audience of dream buyers for 30-60 minutes, far outperforming paid sponsorships.

Jan 1·3 min read·549 words

The Secret to Getting Your Outreach Emails Opened

An informative or curiosity-creating subject line outperforms generic ones, but writing a good subject line can be harder than writing the outreach email itself.

Jan 1·4 min read·677 words

Podcast Guest Audio Preparation Checklist

A pre-interview checklist for podcast guests covering computer setup, audio gear, Skype configuration, and environment preparation to ensure a clean recording.

Jan 1·3 min read·474 words

Write Your Book

This is a condensed version of few conversations I've had with coaching students, friends, and clients on how to turn their knowledge into a book,...

Dec 5·6 min read·1115 words

You're not in the mind 🧠 reading business

You're not in the mind-reading business — stop worrying about seeming desperate and start sending follow-up emails to past clients who are happy to hear from you.

Nov 28·3 min read·439 words

Becoming a "Consulting Niche Celebrity"

Become a consulting niche celebrity by building 'two pounds of marketing proof' — content, testimonials, podcast appearances, and articles that make you impossible to ignore.

Nov 15·6 min read·1105 words

100k Freelancing: Simplified Client Acquisition and Positioning

Kai Davis and Chris Hawkins discuss getting freelancing clients, positioning your business, generating referrals, and more.

Oct 27·49 min read·9663 words

"Small Business" Positioning

Marketing to 'small businesses' means competing for the attention of 27.9 million companies. Narrow your target market to a specific industry and become a big fish.

Oct 3·4 min read·613 words

Specialization

This video is part of a series of Marketing Briefs for Freelancers and Consultants. View all videos here Feeling confused or frustrated in...

Sep 28·30 min read·5907 words

How much time in a month do you spend thinking about your business?

The best decisions for your business often come from a 30-minute walk with a notebook — here's the thinking habit that's shaped Kai's business for five years.

Aug 16·3 min read·407 words

Free Email Outreach Course

A free 5-lesson email course on how to email anyone and get a reply. Learn personalization, follow-up, and outreach strategy.

Jun 5·2 min read·285 words

Learn how to get POWERFUL client testimonials

Everything you need to know to get the best possible testimonials from your clients — no awkwardness, no charge.

Mar 26·2 min read·286 words

Niching

Reader Question: How do I determine a niche to try out when I don’t have one specific stand-out type of client or particularly expensive problem?...

Feb 28·8 min read·1403 words

Simplified Client Acquisition With Positioning

A 47-minute podcast conversation on getting more clients as a developer, designer, or marketer — covering positioning, referrals, and ideal client messaging.

Dec 10·1 min read·73 words

Charge More

Four practical strategies to charge more: raise your rates, increase your minimum billing unit, offer tiered proposal options, and use in-project upsells.

Dec 7·16 min read·3066 words

Do Less

Before chasing more clients and revenue, ask why — because firing bad clients and doubling down on what works is often more valuable than growing for its own sake.

Dec 6·3 min read·420 words

Charge More: "Minimum Billing Units"

Raise your minimum billing unit from hourly to half-day, then daily, then weekly — and you’ll attract larger projects and put the value decision in the client’s hands.

Nov 30·6 min read·1092 words

Packaged Services

A 'packaged service' is a done-for-you offering with a predefined scope, deliverables, timeline, and price — no proposal required, like an oil change for consulting.

Nov 30·3 min read·531 words

Setting Up Business Next To A River of Money

Set your business up next to a river of money — a market where people are already spending freely — and a lesson from 27,000 first-time Burning Man attendees.

Aug 24·4 min read·701 words

How do you get your name known as a freelancer?

To get your name known as a freelancer, pick one thing you want to be known for, then consistently show up in multiple channels talking about that thing.

Jul 13·5 min read·874 words

Write Great Emails

Five elements of a great email: you-focused language, a clear call to action, an informative subject line, informal writing style, and 300 words or fewer.

Jun 27·3 min read·587 words

Writing An Email Pitching a Guest Post

A proven guest post pitch template with three topic ideas, plus the five most common mistakes that get pitches rejected before anyone reads the article.

Jun 19·4 min read·675 words

"I love how the book has one singular goal: Get you on podcasts!"

A customer booked three podcasts in 90 minutes using Podcast Outreach — here's why podcast guesting has a long shelf life and how to get started.

Jun 16·3 min read·432 words

Standard Operating Procedures: The Foundation of a Freelancing or Consulting Business

Store all your SOPs in a single Google Doc with a table of contents — here's Kai's template and the filing system that's powered his consulting business for years.

Jun 16·3 min read·579 words

What avocado toast has to do with follow up

Good follow-up emails, like a perfect avocado, need to be just right — not too short, not too long, not too early, not too late.

Jun 16·1 min read·177 words

"Did you get that thing I sent you?"

Follow-up emails that only ask 'did you get that thing I sent you?' don't work — here's a teardown of a real bad follow-up and how to write one that gets replies.

Jun 16·4 min read·761 words

Directives

A personal list of 25 directives for running a consulting business — quick decision-making rules like 'do less,' 'do it now,' and 'play to win, not to not lose.'

Jun 16·4 min read·672 words

Small Asks First

Start emails with tiny asks — one or two questions — and work up to bigger asks as the relationship builds. Here's a five-level framework from tiny to huge.

Jun 14·2 min read·343 words

"How do I build a list of influencers in my industry?"

To build an outreach list of industry influencers, pull from conference speakers, book authors, podcast hosts, and Amazon products — then reach out to build relationships.

Jun 7·2 min read·362 words

Business Time

Block four recurring hours each week as sacred 'work on the business' time — treat it like a client commitment you can't reschedule.

May 29·2 min read·231 words

Drumming Up Business In A Famine

When a major client suddenly ends, the fastest path to new projects is following up with past clients, current clients, and lost leads — not starting from scratch.

May 10·4 min read·644 words

“The 3 Rs” of getting clients: Repeat Projects

The third of the '3 Rs': selling repeat projects to past clients skips the trust-building process and reduces how many new clients you need to find each month.

Apr 10·6 min read·1164 words

How to find anyone's email address

Six tools and tactics for finding anyone's email address — from their website and newsletter to Google search operators, Twitter, Hunter.io, and warm referrals.

Apr 10·9 min read·1737 words

"The 3 Rs" of getting clients: Relationships

The second of the '3 Rs': your business is the sum of your relationships, and consistent follow-up with past clients and colleagues keeps those relationships warm and profitable.

Apr 8·6 min read·1113 words

"The 3 Rs" of Getting Clients: Referrals

The first of the '3 Rs' of getting clients: how to ask five contacts for referrals with a simple, direct email that creates referrable moments for your business.

Apr 6·3 min read·527 words

Content Promotion Checklist

A 17-step checklist and full manual on everything to do to promote your article once you hit publish.

Apr 4·1 min read·73 words

The Inverse Email Law

Every email you send is the least important email the recipient gets today — so make it you-focused, short, actionable, and end with a clear call to action.

Mar 30·2 min read·300 words

Escape From The Valley of Feast and Famine

The fastest way to escape the feast-or-famine cycle isn't new marketing — it's sending a short check-in email to your past clients asking how you can help.

Mar 30·4 min read·753 words

Podcast Tours For Freelancers: The One Thing To Focus On

Specialization makes podcast tours dramatically easier for freelancers. Stand out from generalists, create referrable moments, and start by just sending one email.

Mar 20·4 min read·763 words

Get More Clients With Referrals

Proactively reaching out to past clients and colleagues to ask for referrals — and telling them clearly who you work with — creates referrable moments for your business.

Mar 14·5 min read·955 words

I didn't have confidence in my strategy...

A coaching client testimonial from Lee C., who gained clarity and confidence in his consulting strategy after a single coaching call — even with a single-digit client list.

Mar 10·4 min read·670 words

Why 'build a relationship' first in outreach?

People say no to requests from strangers because it feels like a risk — so focus on giving value and building a relationship before you make any ask at all.

Mar 8·3 min read·497 words

Why Make Yourself Obsolete In Your Own Business?

The goal of your business is to render yourself obsolete — automate, delegate, or eliminate anything you don't uniquely need to do, starting with lead qualification.

Mar 7·3 min read·582 words

How do you reach out to prospective buyers?

Three outreach tracks for reaching prospective buyers: referral-based, direct prospective buyer, and market research outreach — and how to adapt each one.

Mar 2·3 min read·435 words

What's the right way to approach writing a book?

A six-step process for writing a book: start with the expensive problem, generate 10 topics, turn them into chapters, then answer 80–100 specific questions.

Mar 1·6 min read·1115 words

The $30,000 Consulting Mistake

A consulting firm lost a $30,000 project by pitching their tech stack instead of asking about business goals. Asking questions first is what wins clients.

Feb 27·3 min read·473 words

Get More Clients With Better Positioning

The Positioning Question — who do you serve and what expensive problem do you solve — is the foundation of every other aspect of your marketing as a consultant.

Feb 23·5 min read·939 words

Levels of Consulting

A framework for the four levels of consulting — from 100-level freelancer to 400-level independent business owner — and what changes at each stage.

Feb 22·6 min read·1036 words

What Larry David taught me about the secret of meetings

The dark secret of meetings: canceling with a little notice is wonderful, not rude — four words ('I need to reschedule') are all you ever need to say.

Feb 16·2 min read·287 words

Fuck Feast or Famine

The feast-or-famine cycle doesn't have to end in panic — if you budget for it, slow periods become freedom to work on your own business instead of a client's.

Feb 14·3 min read·410 words

What’s your first email you send as a Cold Outreach email?

A good first cold outreach email is designed to get to ‘no’ fast — here’s the short template Kai uses and the research process behind every campaign.

Feb 13·3 min read·540 words

When should you start reaching out to podcast hosts?

If you can speak confidently for 20–30 minutes on 3–5 topics, you're ready to pitch podcasts — even with just one client, here's how to start building the relationship.

Feb 10·4 min read·632 words

The Reading List

Seven book recommendations from Kai — Snow Crash, The Brain Audit, Value Based Fees, The One Thing, and more — with honest notes on what each one changed.

Feb 10·6 min read·1042 words

Introduction to Productized Consulting

A podcast episode with Nick Disabato covering what productized consulting is, who it's for, and how to create fixed-price, fixed-scope service offerings.

Feb 10·1 min read·199 words

Scoping Productized Services

Scope productized services by writing limits into the description, setting a minimum price, and using a pre-qualification process before any project starts.

Jan 2·3 min read·455 words

Refer Someone to Kai Davis

Know a solo consultant or founder who needs marketing help? Here's how to refer them to me.

Dec 4·3 min read·503 words

The time I landed a $5,000 project by commenting on Reddit

A startup CTO found Kai through a Reddit comment and hired him for a $5,000 SEO project — and the real lesson is about showing up where your target market already is.

Dec 4·5 min read·906 words

Building Your Consulting Pipeline

A curated reading list and seven essential questions to answer if you want to build your consulting pipeline, get more clients, and charge higher rates.

Nov 28·2 min read·349 words

What's the best use of the link in the "show notes" for a podcast episode?

The best use of your podcast show notes link: a custom landing page with a lead magnet beats a homepage every time — plus how to use contextual and closing CTAs.

Oct 21·4 min read·606 words

The Importance of Writing You Focused Emails

A real cold email torn apart and rebuilt — showing how switching from ‘I’ focused to ‘you’ focused language makes the difference between delete and reply.

Aug 21·4 min read·743 words

The Magic Google Search

Use 'The Magic Google Search' to find every podcast and guest post a competitor or colleague has appeared on — then use that list as your outreach target.

Aug 8·2 min read·355 words

Why guest on podcasts?

Podcast guesting puts you in front of your target market, builds authority by association, and generates warm leads — here's the full case for making it a habit.

May 25·7 min read·1358 words

The Secret To Infinite Guest Articles

Repitch your best existing articles to new sites as ‘new unique versions’ — editors love proven topics with social proof, and writing them is far easier than starting fresh.

May 19·4 min read·616 words

MicroConf: Attendee's Guide

Attending MicroConf? This guide will teach you everything you need to know as a first-time attendee.

Mar 21·31 min read·6189 words

Is Productized Consulting really a good fit for your business?

A deep-dive definition of productized consulting — fixed-scope, flat-rate services with public sales pages — and an honest look at where it shines and where it doesn't.

Feb 12·32 min read·6269 words

How do I create a list of podcast owners I should reach out to about appearing?

Five strategies for building a podcast outreach list: iTunes search, iTunes Preview, Google, marketplace tools like ListenNotes, and expert shadowing.

Feb 4·3 min read·554 words

Speaking

First, I would love to speak on your podcast or take part in your summit, webinar, or event. If you're interested in working together, just send...

Jan 27·3 min read·451 words

ZenCastr: Super Easy Multi-Track Podcast Recording

Zencastr makes recording separate audio tracks for podcast interviews dead simple. Send your guest a link, hit record, and get high-quality multi-track audio.

Jan 20·1 min read·136 words

Outreach Tracking Spreadsheet

A free Google Sheets template to track your outreach conversations, follow-ups, and results.

Nov 5·1 min read·194 words

How do you write an email to get on a podcast?

A complete podcast pitch template and framework: demonstrate your value to the audience, show your research, and give hosts a 'choice of yeses' on topics.

Oct 30·9 min read·1684 words

Evergreen Launches for Consulting

Build an evergreen launch funnel for your productized service by working backwards from the offer — designing your drip sequence, lead magnet, and articles in alignment.

May 18·7 min read·1310 words

How to Hire a Part-Time Employee

A 95% automated system for hiring your first part-time contractor: writing the job ad, setting up the application, running interviews, and using paid test projects.

May 9·18 min read·3591 words

How do you follow up with a prospect?

The initial prospect email template Kai uses for every new lead: schedule a call, ask about their business, and qualify them — all without talking about yourself.

May 6·3 min read·539 words

How do you transition your existing customers to productized services?

You don't have to go all-in overnight — here's the exact email script Kai used to transition existing clients to fixed-price productized service offerings.

May 4·2 min read·272 words

How do you deal with a prospect no-show?

When a prospect misses a call, send a short, blameless follow-up with a link to reschedule — most no-shows are innocent and easy to recover from.

Apr 27·4 min read·619 words

Press Info

Bio, headshot, and media details for Kai Davis — a cut-and-paste resource for conference organizers and media professionals.

Mar 7·1 min read·133 words

Ask Kai: What should I do to promote a great article, product, or course?

To promote a great article, product, or course: define your goal, identify relevant authorities, build a relationship, make a small specific ask, and nurture long-term.

Jan 22·12 min read·2323 words

How do I get more traffic?

To get more traffic, identify target communities, understand what they link to, create a matching asset, then build relationships through outreach to earn high-quality links.

Jan 2·9 min read·1660 words

Thinking About Annual Goals

Kai's 2017 annual goals — a 4-day work week, 10,000 email subscribers, product revenue milestones, and a Burning Man camp — with honest notes on why each one matters.

Nov 26·5 min read·919 words

Authority Interviews

Interviewing experts in your niche builds authority, creates linkable content, attracts referral traffic, and opens doors to valuable industry relationships.

Oct 28·5 min read·921 words

Roadmapping Sessions

A roadmapping session replaces unpaid discovery and proposal writing with a short paid kickoff — here's the full script, rationale, and how to pitch it to clients.

Jul 8·12 min read·2373 words

Five Year Plans

I plan my life in 5 year segments. Long enough to hold most projects. Short enough to be real.

Mar 26·2 min read·278 words