Michael Dean: The 27 Patterns To Fix Bad Writing | How I Write
Architect Michael Dean breaks down the hidden patterns behind the great essays of our time. In this video, we go over his 27-point framework that makes up every world class piece of writing and how he uses the same system to analyze the Guggenheim and Apple Store. We also talk about what skills will still matter as AI continues to improve and why learning to write might be more important than ever. Enjoy!
A few links:
Join the Essay Architecture beta: https://essayarchitecture.com/
Follow Michael Dean on Substack: https://michaeldean.site/
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
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1:51:30
Lulu Cheng Meservey: Meet Silicon Valley’s Top PR Master | How I Write
The old communications playbook is dead: Political and company narratives used to be controlled by publicists and journalists. But now, founders can Go Direct. The question is… how? How do you spread a message in this new world? Lulu Cheng Meservey has worked with companies like Substack, Anduril, and Activision Blizzard, and this is her tell-all about how to build your own platform, build your own audience, and shape your own narrative.
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:32 Go direct
00:05:01 Beware of "perfect" writing
00:10:06 Ship-to-Yap ratio
00:15:20 Shaping a comms strategy
00:17:51 How to craft your message
00:22:57 Should you write with AI?
00:27:01 You don't need new ideas
00:32:13 Say what no one else will
00:35:20 The writing AI can't do
00:41:23 The power of the right messenger
00:47:31 Borrowing tactics from elections
00:55:12 Apple vs. crypto cults
01:02:38 How to launch your product
01:07:06 Stop making narcissistic announcements
01:09:55 What slogans work?
01:14:29 How to write an apology
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
X: https://x.com/david_perell
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1:20:13
The Ultimate Guide to Writing with AI | How I Write
Get my free PDF on using LLM's for writer's + my in-depth prompts: https://perell.com/ai
AI has triggered an existential crisis for me. In this episode, I share my thoughts on standing out as a writer with AI and how I use it everyday. This is one of the most in-depth looks at what it means to be a writer in 2025.
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
X: https://x.com/david_perell
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1:29:31
Johnny Harris: Master Storytelling on YouTube | How I Write
In this episode, I sit down with YouTube storytelling master Johnny Harris to discover how he creates his videos. Johnny Harris has proven he can make pretty much anything go viral, from breakfast and lottery tickets to bread-making and extra virgin olive oil. We look at his entire creative process, breaking down exactly what makes his storytelling so addicting to watch. We cover the complete workflow: writing, drafting, editing, visual composition, and sound design. By the end of this video, you'll walk away with practical tools to become a better visual storyteller yourself. Enjoy!
Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:35 The Video Process
00:09:18 How to Research for a Documentary
00:10:10 The Marketing for a Video
00:13:15 Scripted vs Unscripted Content
00:15:18 The only app I use to read articles [Readwise Reader]
00:16:44 Full Breakdown of Johnny Harris' 4M View Mormon Video
00:45:34 Balancing Personal Passion vs Views
00:50:27 Every Story is a Promise
00:51:47 Highlighting Paradoxes in Human Stories
00:58:56 The "There's More Going On" Approach
01:03:20 Vox vs Independent YouTube
01:04:26 Pillars of YouTube Writing
01:05:27 Dealing with the Details in Complex Stories
01:07:19 The Art of Surprising Viewers
01:11:33 Learning from The Economist
01:18:11 Human Stories
01:21:05 Craftsmanship in the AI Age
01:24:02 How Would Johnny Harris Teach a University Class
Johnny Harris
https://www.youtube.com/@johnnyharris
https://www.patreon.com/johnnyharris
https://www.instagram.com/johnny.harris/
I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:26:39
Tyler Cowen: The Most Practical Conversation on AI Writing | How I Write
Tyler Cowen, an economist and writer, talks with me about how AI is changing writing and research. He explains a practical approach to using AI tools while maintaining your own voice. He explains the ways he incorporates LLMs into his daily work. We talk about how people will be writing fewer books in the future and how he believes truly human writing will stand out among AI-generated content. Enjoy!
Redeem your free week of Lex at https://lex.page/perell
0:00 Intro
1:00 How Tyler Cowen uses AI everyday
6:06 Hallucinations are rapidly declining now
9:28 Writing authentically with AI
11:34 AI for critiquing your work
17:29 Future of decentralized AI networks
20:34 How and why DeepSeek
22:21 How AI changes writing
24:04 Why there will be less books in an AI era
26:34 Video content will rise
28:17 Start Writing with AI [LEX AD]
29:18 AI Writing a personal biography
30:46 How you can tactically learning about AI
37:12 How AI can help you visualize information
38:31 Creating the perfect AI prompt
42:10 AI's impact in the classroom
46:56 Studying The Bible with AI
49:11 Secrets
50:10 Why social networks are more important now
51:48 Mastering AI prompting
53:58 Mentoring young people
54:49 Would you invest 4 years in a PhD
59:59 Perplexity replaces Google
01:01:09 The different AI tools, explained
01:05:43 The potential of large context windows
01:08:11 AI usage inside companies
I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
Follow me
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Before book sales and PR buzz, your favorite writers began with two things: the blank page and an idea.
Each week on How I Write, we go behind-the-scenes with today’s top writers to uncover the meta-mechanics of writing and the lifestyle behind it. You’ll be the first to hear writers deconstruct their creative process: from banging their head on the keyboard to marking the last period of their final draft. Victory.
Come discover how great writing is made. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be next.
New episodes of the How I Write show go live every week on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.com/DavidPerellChannel.