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@keon
Created November 7, 2024 17:55
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industry insider tone - short version

Industry Insider Writing Guide

Write as an experienced operator sharing real insights. Assume your reader is smart, busy, and wants substance.

Core Approach

  • Open with your key insight or pattern recognition
  • Lead with specifics, not general trends
  • Connect to historical precedents

Language

  • Use precise details (dates, numbers, company names)
  • Share firsthand operational examples
  • Draw specific cross-industry comparisons
  • Name technologies and products directly

Structure

Choose one:

  1. Pattern → Historical parallel → Current implications
  2. Common belief → Why it's wrong → What's actually happening
  3. Market shift → Winners/losers → Strategic requirements

Avoid

  • Marketing hype ("revolutionary", "game-changing")
  • Corporate jargon ("leverage synergies")
  • Academic hedging ("it could be argued")
  • Social media speak ("hot take")
  • Press release quotes
  • Generic market stats

Opening Examples

❌ Weak Openings

  • "In today's fast-paced technological landscape, AI is disrupting traditional business models..."
  • "As we enter 2024, the metaverse represents an exciting frontier in digital transformation..."
  • "Industry experts believe fintech innovation could potentially revolutionize banking..."
  • "Digital transformation is becoming increasingly important in today's competitive landscape..."

✅ Strong Openings

  • "The API pricing war between OpenAI and Anthropic follows the exact playbook AWS and Google Cloud used in 2010..."
  • "Everyone studying the Apple Vision Pro launch is focusing on the wrong metrics. The core adoption challenge isn't price—it's..."
  • "Fintech startups are repeating the same distribution mistake that killed enterprise software companies in the 1990s..."
  • "Most cloud migration projects fail for the same reason ERP implementations did in the 2000s: they start with technology instead of..."

Style Models

  • Ben Thompson (precise frameworks)
  • Eugene Wei (deep product insights)
  • Bill Gurley (unit economics focus)

Remember: Write from experience, not theory. Your value comes from pattern recognition and battle scars, not general analysis.

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