100 Ways to Work Out Loud

by | Mar 14, 2022 | Featured, Learn Out Loud

How to work out loud?

Well, what kind of project are you the most invested in: the one that suddenly pops up out of nowhere or the one you’ve been watching unfold for months?

This is the basic principle of working out loud. By showing the process of your work, you establish your authenticity. You build your reputation as someone who sticks things out. And you become accountable to your network to get the things done that you say you’re going to get done.

Want to read a book on how to work out loud? Check out Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work. You can get it here on Amazon.

Here are 100 ideas for ways you can work out loud, starting today!

100 Ways to Work Out Loud

  1. Brainstorm 10 posts you can write on the topic using a tool like Milanote or Bublup. Then, write them.
  2. Make an infographic.
  3. Do a “Beginner’s Guide” YouTube series.
  4. Interview the top people in that space.
  5. Make an online course on Skillshare.
  6. Teach two friends who are interested in the topic.
  7. Volunteer to present at a local meetup.com event. Go to them first, then get to know the organizers.
  8. Turn it into a slide deck and upload to slideshare.net.
  9. Make three Snapchat and Instagram stories about it each day.
  10. Create a tool (online or physical) to help others interested in the same thing.
  11. Do behind-the-scenes blog posts showing your approach and works-in-progress.
  12. Draw a comic about it.
  13. Write a song about it.
  14. Go on Google, find someone else interested in that topic, and send them an email asking a question. Start a conversation.
  15. Find an article that person wrote, share it on Twitter or Facebook, and tag them. Shoutouts are fun!
  16. Write a post about the ten best people to follow in that space.
  17. Answer questions about it on Quora.
  18. Find a subreddit about it on Reddit. If there isn’t one, create it!
  19. Read the top five books about the topic.
  20. Review those books on Amazon.
  21. Write long-form reviews of the books on your blog.
  22. Write one-sentence or one-word reviews for Twitter.
  23. Start a Tinyletter or Substack email about it.
  24. Start a publication about it on Medium. Invite others to post there. Request permission to pull standalone articles into the publication.
  25. Build a website all about the topic. Link to books, videos, tutorials, podcasts, etc.
  26. Give a talk on the topic at your public library.
  27. Contact a local school and see if there are any classes covering the topic you are interested in. If so, offer to present to the class. If not, offer a workshop on the topic.
  28. Write and record a short comedy skit parodying the topic.
  29. Brainstorm ten ideas each day about new things you can create in that space, a la James Altucher.
  30. Become a coach on the topic on coach.me.
  31. Write a quick-start guide.
  32. Make Trello boards to help people in that space organize their work.
  33. Set up a mastermind group online and meet weekly.
  34. Start a reading and discussion group on the topic.
  35. Put together a gift guide for people who are interested in that space.
  36. Create an FAQ guide.
  37. Write a short story where the protagonist is very into the topic you are interested in.
  38. Write a blog each week about what you learned in that space.
  39. Create a Slack, Discord, or Telegram group where people interested in the topic can collaborate.
  40. Go to the main conference on that topic. If there isn’t one, start an online community, then organize a regional one-day conference.
  41. Photograph and video the best moments of the conference so the attendees have something tangible they can come back to.
  42. Publish your notes from the conference and send them to the people you met there.
  43. Spend one month creating something in that space for an hour each day. Post it publicly.
  44. Get a paying client, even if it is a barter.
  45. Check and see if there are Scout badges for your topic. If so, offer a badge workshop to a local Scoutmaster for his/her scouts.
  46. Keep an online journal of your learning, thoughts, trials, and successes.
  47. Draw explanatory diagrams and sketches to help you in your work. Share those on Instagram.
  48. Make a bunch of free, downloadable project plans for people interested in getting into your topic.
  49. Gather inspiration collections and share them on Tumblr, Instagram, and Are.na.
  50. Curate other people’s content into useful blog posts. Don’t steal, link with attribution.
  51. Cheer other people on. Find someone new in your space every day and compliment their work.
  52. Write about your toolkit. Link the tools so others can get them.
  53. Film a timelapse video of your process from start to finish.
  54. Write a “How I Work” blog post with your top tips for getting your work done. Here’s one example.
  55. Write a poem about the topic. Post it online.
  56. Create study flashcards for other people trying to learn about the topic.
  57. Email 50 people in the space the same question and write a blog post or downloadable PDF with their responses. Get their permission.
  58. Write a history of the topic.
  59. Take the written history and make a video out of it.
  60. Take the written and video history and use it as the basis for a museum exhibit. It can start in your living room, at your local library, or at a local historical society.
  61. Make a topical board game.
  62. Put together a guide specifically for kids interested in the topic. Include starter projects.
  63. Create a video series for kids interested in the topic.
  64. Start a YouTube channel that anyone can come to if they want to learn about your topic!
  65. See someone that has created an exceptional project? Congratulate them on social media with links to their work!
  66. Collect your blog posts into an ebook.
  67. Find the hashtags that community uses on Twitter and engage! Answer questions, ask questions, share your work.
  68. Find a way to give back to your community with your interest. Carpenter? Build a fence for a park. Painter? Do a mural at a school. Musician? Put on a concert with the local middle school band. Seamstress? Make book totes for your local library. Cook? Make meals at a homeless shelter.
  69. Collect, organize, and post your favorite quotes on the topic and publish it.
  70. Write about your lessons learned. Three ways you messed up and how they changed how you work.
  71. Find one person who could learn from you. Offer to coach them.
  72. Document the process of coaching.
  73. Host a webinar for your family, friends, and extended network.
  74. Build your own mailing list and send out weekly emails.
  75. Do some free work for a company you love.
  76. Create a Loom video documenting that work.
  77. Do a 30-day challenge surrounding something you’re learning (30 days of blogging, 30-day Instagram challenge, 30 videos, etc.)
  78. Read a long-form blog post and create content (blog/video) recapping what you learned and challenge some ideas that were presented.
  79. Set a goal for yourself and document the process of reaching that goal.
  80. Remember the favorite stories from your childhood? Take some time to think about the underlying principles that made those stories stick in your mind. Then blog about those stories.
  81. Do something out of your comfort zone for 30 days. Tweet every day about it, then combine those tweets into a blog at the end of the month.
  82. Complete a 30-day Instagram challenge.
  83. Make one-minute video clips of questions and big ideas that pop into your head.
  84. Turn a book you love into a video. (Remember to credit the author.)
  85. Summarize a podcast related to your topic in a blog series.
  86. Rewrite the content from an author you love in the style and voice of another author.
  87. Create a podcast around your topic.
  88. Invite experts to come onto your podcast and ask them questions that your followers have asked you.
  89. Write a letter responding to an author who changed your thinking and publish it on your blog.
  90. Find the biggest things you disagree with from experts in your field. Write an article explaining your stance on the issue.
  91. Choose one channel to post something to every day for an extended period of time. Focus on connecting to as many influencers in the channel during that time, expanding your network and followers.
  92. Put together a monthly subscription box for people who are interested in that topic. Start with an email newsletter highlighting cool stuff if you don’t want to buy and ship a bunch of things. Let it grow. Here’s an example created by someone who loves pipe smoking.
  93. Create Pinterest boards for different facets of the topic.
  94. Invite others in your space to collaborate on the boards.
  95. Complete video reviews of the top work from other experts in your field. Explain the strengths and/or weaknesses of their creations, and offer tips for how other people can duplicate what they did.
  96. Send emails to the experts you admire with links to some of the top content you’ve created in your space. Make sure the email creates value for them!
  97. Tag experts on social media with links to their creations and websites. This establishes you as someone who appreciates the work other people do.
  98. Promote influencers in the field for free on Instagram. Then send them your posts and offer to continue for a small sum of money.
  99. Write thank-you notes to your most avid fans.
  100. Make your own list of ideas with ways you can work out loud and publish it.