Katrina Kirsch

Head of Ops & Publishing @categorypirates | Helping self-publishing entrepreneurs develop their books | Edited 573+ articles & 3 books for $2-750M tech startups

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

Over the last 2 years, I've realized the power of category design as a business (and really, life) strategy.

As @lochhead and @EddieWouldGrow say, it's something you "get"—not something you "learn."

So, here are 12 "gets" you need to start developing your own category lens:

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@MaybeSubhan @categorypirates Appreciate that — glad you enjoyed it

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

Over the last 2.5 years, I've learned legendary work is rarely created in isolation.

Ideas thrive when teammates take time to play and experiment with "wild" and "crazy" thought threads.

As part of a three-pirate writing band @categorypirates, here’s what we believe are the top 5 traits to look for in creative collaborators:

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@Nicolascole77 Such a great event! Thanks for having me

[Nicolas Cole 🚢👻 @Nicolascole77]

One of the first hires at my ghostwriting agency:

Katrina Kirsch (@thekatkirsch).

At our Velocity Mastermind, we did a Q&A on everything ghostwriting:

• The secret to handling difficult clients
• How to build relationships with high-profile clients & CEOs
• The proven way to extract the best content from your clients (even if they think they have nothing to say)

And more!

Watch the full recording here: https://t.co/553roLLbOA

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@categorypirates Want to dive deeper? Check out the @categorypirates Permission To Play mini-book, where @lochhead @EddieWouldGrow and I share frameworks to help you unleash your best ideas through play.

https://t.co/cEAilwflx5

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@categorypirates When you give talented people permission to play and the right bandmates to jam with, magic happens.

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

You know you're in a @categorypirates jam session when the meeting keywords look like this...

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@lochhead @ajmedick Our next cohort is starting Fall 2024! But likely opening up a few mini-courses before then...

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@m_zaibx @lochhead @EddieWouldGrow HubSpot is the Category Queen of marketing and CMS. Thanks for reading!

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

Over the last 2 years, I've realized the power of category design as a business (and really, life) strategy.

As @lochhead and @EddieWouldGrow say, it's something you "get"—not something you "learn."

So, here are 12 "gets" you need to start developing your own category lens:

[@categorypirates The authority on Category Design☠ @categorypirates]

We reviewed every mini-book we published in 2023 to pull out the top insights and quotes—and made it into a mini-book that's easy to scan through.

Here's what's inside:

20+ mini-books organized into three categories:

1. Category Strategy
2. Marketing
3. Personal Category Design

Top Paid Mini-Book: "How To Reframe The Problem & Win"

This mini-book highlighted a major problem in business: Too many companies are focused on solutions.

The key is reframing an existing problem and offering a different solution.

You'll learn:
• How to look at today’s solutions and ask, “What problems do they create?”
• The difference between an existing Obvious problem, and a New Non-Obvious solution
• A 5-step framework to reframe an existing problem into a solution Superconsumers will love

Top Free Mini-Book: "The Marketing Funnel Funeral"

Marketing is fundamentally broken. This mini-book introduces a new marketing paradigm, replacing traditional funnels with dynamic flywheels.

You'll learn:
• The importance of engaging customers in meaningful conversations and creating a community
• How to stop doing things to customers, and start doing things for them
• How to drive growth by attracting, equipping, and delighting Superconsumers with the Category Marketing Flywheel framework

Pirate-y Plans for 2024:

• Writing a new "big" book, called Paid to Create which will teach you how to leverage your Intellectual Capital (+ a mini-course to make it extra practical & actionable)

• Launching another Category Design Academy cohort (or two!) to train Category Designers who want to learn the art of category design and consulting

• Making the mini-books more actionable, so you can apply category design to your life and business

2023 was a great year for Category Pirates—and it's all because of our readers, Category Design Academy members, and everyone who shares our work with others.

Cheers to more category designing in 2024! 🏴‍☠️

@lochhead @EddieWouldGrow @thekatkirsch

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

@EddieWouldGrow Woaah, so cool. My kind of category!

[Katrina Kirsch @thekatkirsch]

Song lyrics get stuck in my head all the time, and there's a reason why.

Lyrics use the same foundational writing principles that get you hooked on a good book or caught reading an in-depth article for 20 minutes.

To get your words to stick in someone's mind, work a few of these 10 writing principles into your next piece:

(Read until the last example to learn my all-time favorite song.)

Emotional Resonance: "But I didn't want to admit / That where we're cheek to cheek / I feel it in my teeth / And it's too good to resist." - Maggie Rogers, Want Want

Hook: "My lover's got humor / She's the giggle at a funeral." - Hozier, Take Me To Church

Juxtaposition: "Man / I feel like a woman." - Shania Twain, Man! I Feel Like a Woman

Voice & Persona: "Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes / I thought it was there for good so I never tried." - Leonard Cohen, Famous Blue Raincoat

Rhyme: "Born sinner / the opposite of a winner / Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner." - Notorious B.I.G, Juicy

Rhythm: "Consequence is no coincidence / Hypocrites always wanna play innocent." - Lauryn Hill, Lost Ones

Repetition: "I fell into a burning ring of fire / I went down, down, down / and the flames went higher / And it burns, burns, burns." - Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire

Imagery & Vivid Description: "Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again." - Simon & Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence

Metaphor & Simile: "He said the way my blue eyes shined / Put those Georgia stars to shame that night / I said, "That's a lie." - Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw

Storytelling: "I'm dyin' for some action / I'm sick of sittin' 'round here tryin' to write this book / I need a love reaction / Come on now, baby, gimme just one look." - Bruce Springsteen, Dancing in the Dark

Focus on these when writing, and your words will start to flow.