This is a great post from Tom Critchlow on he calls ‘Writing, Riffs and Relationships’.
Writing, Riffs & Relationships - Conversation is the unit of content
SUMMARY
Writing on the internet is a superpower, but it can feel difficult - it can feel heavy. In this post I want to talk specifically about a format for writing that is deliberately designed to be easy to write, while being effective at creating connections (not pageviews).
And - specifically for anyone doing “content marketing” to drive sales - like indie consultants, business owners and founders - the riff is a great way to create connections and conversations around your work. In short it’s a tasteful and more fun way of doing outreach and sales.
Enter the riff.
The Anatomy of a Riff
Here are the basic ingredients for a riff:
- An inquisitive title, something that is not “the ultimate guide” but more “some notes on…”
- A few references - connecting the dots between some links, quotes from other sources
- An anecdote from your own work that provides rich texture and context for what you do
- Some open questions that invite people to
- A deliberate small list of 3-5 people you can send the post to
Infact, I would say the ‘Glitter’ section here in The Village is like a Riff. An opportunity to write down and share some thoughts. It’s rough around the edges. It’s designed to encourage us to think and converse more, not to have a perfectly thought out idea.
Riffs, or Gleets (Glitter = Twitter, Gleets = Tweets 
) are huge learning opportunities too. We all have the opportunity to share and learn from one another and we can do it in a way that doesn’t have a lot of pressure.
And now I’m off to ponder how to get more people to Riff and shower The Village with Glitter.
And of course, to think of 2-5 people to DM this to to help it gain a bit more life.
