First, we start with the emotion.
Do we want the reader to laugh? Perhaps we make them say, “Aww, that’s so cute!”
Sometimes, you may want to inspire, leave them with a sense of wonder, or have them just say, “Finally... someone said what I was thinking!”
Of course, not every piece aims to delight—sometimes we want to provoke.
Then comes readability. Varied sentences. The layout of the page.
It changes how your writing is read.
Notice that as you read this, there’s a sense of flow. A rhythm.
When I italicize points, your brain emphasizes it.
Bolding to draw the skimmer’s eye.
🧪 Emojis. They break up the black & white.
When I write, I read it out loud. I feel the flow.
Lead your readers down a path. A slippery slope.
The more they read, the more they want to keep reading
The goal of this sentence is to make you read the next.
We keep our words simple. Fifth grade reading or lower.
Our language is succinct and intentional.
Unless we’re projecting authority & intelligence.
We use distinguished vernacular and industry-specific nomenclature.
Suddenly, you think - “Boy he knows what he’s talking about!”
We want our copy to be long enough to make people take action.
But not long enough to lose their attention.
Remember: your words are a pathway. Make it irresistible to keep walking—right toward the action you want.
Until next time,
Ajay
P.S: This original piece has been inspired by Gary Provost’s piece called “This sentence has five words” and the teachings of Shaan Puri & Sam Parr.
I spent a lot of time really picking out each word and sentence so I hope you like it. I wrote every word myself even though you may have expected an AI generated article with Gary Provost as the training data.
Big thank you to Rowan, Loong, Ayush & GPT-o1 for the feedback!
This is what I had the AI do for me, the [] sections are the AI giving me feedback. (Was really useful!)
🧠 Ajay’s Resource Bank
A few tools and collections I’ve built (or obsessively curated) over the years:
100+ Mental Models
Mental shortcuts and thinking tools I’ve refined over the past decade. These have evolved as I’ve gained experience — pruned, updated, and battle-tested.100+ Questions
If you want better answers, ask better questions. These are the ones I keep returning to — for strategy, reflection, and unlocking stuck conversations.Startup OS
A lightweight operating system I built for running startups. I’m currently adapting it for growth teams as I scale Superpower — thinking about publishing it soon.Remote Games & Activities
Fun team-building exercises and games (many made in Canva) that actually work. Good for offsites, Zoom fatigue, or breaking the ice with distributed teams.
✅ Ajay’s “would recommend” List
These are tools and services I use personally and professionally — and recommend without hesitation:
Athyna – Offshore Hiring Done Right
I personally have worked with assistants overseas and built offshore teams. Most people get this wrong by assuming you have to go the lowest cost for automated work. Try hiring high quality, strategic people for a fraction of the cost instead.Superpower – It starts with a 100+ lab tests
I joined Superpower as Head of Growth, but I originally came on to fix my health. In return, I got a full diagnostic panel, a tailored action plan, and ongoing support that finally gave me clarity after years of flying blind.
