The Modern Author
🚀 Want to write like Adam Grant or Brene Brown? The Modern Author gives you weekly templates, prompts & proven frameworks to turn your ideas into books, articles & authority. No fluff—just tactical steps to write with confidence. Subscribe now!
Hey there Modern Authors,Over the past couple of weeks, I've had three different authors ask me essentially the same question. "What's the best lead magnet?" One was creating a PDF. All three were asking the wrong question. For years, the playbook was simple. Write a useful PDF. It worked because information was valuable. Today? I'm not so sure. Because we're no longer living in an information economy. We're living in an interpretation economy. People don't need another document explaining what to do. They need help understanding what their next step should be. And that's why I think one of the most valuable assets a Modern Author can build isn't another PDF. It's an assessment. Not because people love quizzes. Because people are trying to understand themselves. We Don't Have an Information Problem AnymoreThis has become painfully obvious over the last couple of years. People already have:
Information isn't scarce anymore. Ironically, that's why so many people feel more stuck than ever. After working with more than 3,500 authors, I've noticed something interesting. People almost never struggle because they don't have enough information. They struggle because they don't know which information actually applies to them. They don't need another expert telling them everything. That's a completely different job. PDFs Answer Questions. Assessments Ask Better Ones.Think about the difference. A PDF says: An assessment asks: That's a fundamentally different experience. A PDF teaches. A PDF explains. A PDF gives everyone the same answer. And that's why assessments are so engaging. People aren't looking for another checklist. They're looking for themselves. Every Great Doctor Starts With a DiagnosisImagine walking into your doctor's office. Instead of asking you a single question... they hand you a 70-page PDF called: "Everything You Need to Know About Human Health." Ridiculous. Good doctors don't begin with advice. They begin with diagnosis. Where does it hurt? Only after they understand your situation do they recommend treatment. Modern Authors should think exactly the same way. Your reader doesn't want generic advice. They want someone who understands their situation. That's why assessments work. They don't replace your expertise. They focus it. One of the First Things We Built Wasn't Another CourseAs we've continued building Modern Author OS, one of the first tools we decided to create wasn't another workbook. It was an assessment. Why? Because after working with thousands of authors, we realized something. Most people don't fail because they can't write. They fail because they're solving the wrong problem. Some think they need more discipline. Others think they need better writing. Some believe they need more research. Others assume they're stuck because they don't have time. Those are diagnosis problems. Not writing problems. Once you identify the real bottleneck, progress accelerates surprisingly fast. People Don't Want a Quiz. They Want Language.Here's something I've been thinking about. People don't actually love assessments. They love recognition. They want language for something they've been feeling for months. Maybe years. That's why titles like:
feel compelling. They're not just labels. They give people words for something they couldn't quite describe. And once someone can name what's happening... they can finally start changing it. Frameworks Explain. Assessments Personalize.Last week we talked about frameworks. How they help your ideas travel. This week is the natural next step. A framework organizes your thinking. An assessment lets someone experience it. That's a huge difference. A keynote introduces an idea. A book explains the framework. That's when your work stops feeling theoretical. It becomes personal. Assessments Create Better ConversationsHere's the part I think most people miss. The goal of an assessment isn't to collect email addresses. The goal is to begin better conversations. Imagine these two openings. Conversation #1 "Did you download my free PDF?" Conversation #2 "I noticed your assessment suggests your biggest challenge isn't writing. It's positioning. Tell me more about that." Which conversation would you rather have? Exactly. Diagnosis creates context. Context creates trust. Trust creates relationships. And relationships create opportunities. The Assessment JourneyI've stopped thinking about assessments as lead magnets. I think of them as conversation starters. Here's the sequence I see over and over again. Assessment ↓ Diagnosis ↓ Conversation ↓ Book ↓ Application ↓ Transformation Every step earns the next. Nobody is pushed. They're simply moving deeper into understanding. That's a much healthier way to build trust. Designing an Assessment People Actually Want to TakeIf you're thinking about creating one, I'd start here. Not with software. Start with these questions. What recurring problem do I solve? What does someone desperately want to understand about themselves? What patterns separate beginners from experts? What insight do I hope every participant leaves with? Finally... What conversation should naturally happen after they finish? You're building the beginning of a relationship. The New Lead MagnetFor twenty years, we built our businesses around information. Write another PDF. That worked because information was scarce. Today it isn't. Understanding is. The Modern Author isn't competing to become the loudest teacher. They're becoming the clearest diagnostician. Because people don't remember the expert who gave them another download. They remember the expert who finally helped them understand why they were stuck. That's what a great assessment does. It doesn't compete with your book. It gives someone a reason to read it. And in a world drowning in information... that may be one of the most valuable gifts you can give. Next week, I'll show you how to take that assessment and turn it into one of the highest-leverage assets a Modern Author can build. A signature consulting offer. Happy writing, my friends. And here's to helping people understand themselves, not just your ideas. Eric |
The Modern Author
🚀 Want to write like Adam Grant or Brene Brown? The Modern Author gives you weekly templates, prompts & proven frameworks to turn your ideas into books, articles & authority. No fluff—just tactical steps to write with confidence. Subscribe now!