In this episode Brock speaks with Paul Szoldra. After Paul's exit from the Marine Corps in 2010, he fell into journalism where he went on to write for publications like Business Insider, We are the Mighty, and later became the editor at Task and Purpose. He's the founder of the popular military satire newsletter, Duffel Blog and late this last year went full time on a solo newsletter, The Ruck, a weekly national security newsletter. In this conversation, Paul talks about why everyone has the ability to create through writing with heuristics on getting started, the origins of Duffel Blog and his early insight into content marketing, and going solo as a writer with some of the tools he uses in his process.
Episode Resources:
Wonder Tools Substack: https://wondertools.substack.com/
Paul on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulSzoldra
Paul on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulszoldra/?hl=en
The Ruck Newsletter: https://www.theruck.news/
Duffel Blog: https://www.duffelblog.com/
Show Notes:
00:00 Episode Introduction
01:35 What Paul is most proud of and position the Marines to his kids
08:55 Taking off the uniform but not exiting service
17:26 Was journalism a means to an end?
25:14 Everyone having the power to write and create
32:31 Origins of Duffel Blog
41:40 Duffel Blog's growth over time and where it is today
45:14 How Paul's writing style has evolved over 10 years writing on defense
52:27 How to know where the knowledge of your reader is with the nut graf
57:49 Content evolving over time
01:02:34 Importance of feedback and finding what to work on
01:13:36 Starting the Ruck and building a sustainable solo business
01:22:18 Tools, software, and resources Paul likes
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript:https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/62-never-leaving-service-and-the-power-to-create-with-paul-szoldra/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/