Kieran Drew left his dentist job to follow his love for writing. In only 3 years, he got a huge Twitter following of 198K.

His internet business made a revenue of $500K in 2023 by helping people become better writers.

It took Kieran a year to reach 1000 followers on Twitter.

But in Aug’21, everything changed. One viral thread doubled his followers overnight.

Here's a chart showing Kieran's amazing growth story.

Table of Contents:

1. Life Before Content Creation

2. How Kieran Started Creating

3. How Kieran Started on Twitter

4. First Big Money

5. Advice from Kieran for Beginners

6. Kieran’s SIDE (Strengths, Interests, Demand, Execution)

7. How Beginners Can Apply the Lessons

1. Life Before Content Creation

Kieran went to a military school when he was 12. The routine and discipline he learned there helped him create content persistently for many years.

A Tragedy Struck

At 16, Kieran had Scoliosis, a weird bend in his spine. Then, a tumor in his spine messed up his nerves near his brain.

Kieran went for a scan, and guess what? His neck was broken in four spots, and there was a tumor growing. Life felt so unfair.

In a super-long 17-hour surgery, Kieran learned he couldn't control a lot. Luckily, the surgery worked!

Getting back to normal life showed him how small, daily improvements hold the key to recovery. Kieran decided to do something awesome with his life, tackling challenges with a good laugh.

Kieran Was Never the Same

Kieran became a Stoic without even knowing the word. Now, he thinks it's the best thing that ever happened to him.

This reminds me of James Clear, who also faced a big accident in high school playing baseball and experienced the magic of small improvements.

Kieran worked hard to be a dentist, and guess what? He made it, making big money at just 27!

He had two jobs, working 50 hours a week for six days. But, ugh, he hated it.

Listening to podcasts, he dreamed of a creator's life. Dentistry wasn't his thing, but he had no other plan. He thought he had to work until 45 before living his dream.

Then, COVID hit, giving him lots of free time. A friend sent him a Naval podcast about getting rich without luck.

Naval's advice was simple - Build an audience.

That Video Changed Kieran

He realized he was so busy that he never considered the direction he was heading.

So, he started hunting for a different job. First, he thought being a YouTuber would be cool.

Then, he wanted to be a stand-up comedian. He wrote jokes and shared them with friends.

After a month of writing jokes, Kieran realized he didn't like the lifestyle of a comedian. However, he was in love with the process of writing jokes. He realized he wanted to pursue writing.

Funny thing, before becoming a writer, Kieran stayed away from social media for four years, thinking it was toxic. But, he changed his mind when he saw it was about making friends.

2. How Kieran Started Creating

Kieran had no idea what 'copy' meant at first. When he figured it out, he wanted to be a freelance copywriter.

He made a guide for people dreaming of dental school. Kind of like what Pat Flynn did for future architects in 2008.

Sadly, selling to broke students didn't work. So, Kieran got a website domain and set it up by himself.

He later regretted doing everything on his own because it slowed him down.

He dreamt of quitting his job for writing but wanted to test the waters with his blog first. Then, he explored Medium, Reddit, Instagram, and Newsletter.

And then, he discovered Twitter.

3. How Kieran Started on Twitter

He started quietly, afraid of what people might think.

"First year was horrible" - Kieran

His first tweet was about philosophy.

Here’s how the first 3 tweets looked.

Did you notice? Just 3 tweets in 12 days and not-so-visually-appealing.

Beginners, breathe!

He deleted his Instagram account right after a friend discovered it.

But He Kept Writing

It took him 3 months to realize there were multiple ways to build on Twitter.

He wrote for at least 3 hours a day while navigating his hectic job schedule using free time between tasks, even during lunch breaks.

He wanted more time but was scared to quit his jobs. He consulted his girlfriend, parents, and friends for hours.

He finally quit, though in a phased manner, leaving the first job in Jan’21 and the second in Dec’21.

A month after quitting the first job, he struggled to find clients. So, he dropped the idea of freelancing and decided to focus on Twitter.

Kieran got another job in Sep’21. He never joined because his passion for online creation took over.

After 9 Months on Twitter

With around 500 followers, Kieran discovered Dan Koe and took his course. Kieran’s plan was to blog for 5 years and slowly leave dentistry.

After interacting with Dan, Kieran realized he was trying to do a lot at a time. So, he dropped Blog, Medium, Reddit, Instagram and decided to go all in on Twitter alone.

Kieran started engaging more with course creators.

Here’s a snapshot of his interactions with Dan:

Why Did Kieran Choose Twitter?

1. Kieran believed in the saying ‘Success leaves clues’. The presence of smart people like Naval signaled it must be good.

2. Twitter rewarded critical thinking.

3. It’s an open network, allowing connection with many people.

4. Kieran felt Twitter was years ahead of other platforms due to its content.

The Beginner’s Luck

One year into Twitter, Kieran only had 1000 followers.

Feeling he couldn’t compete with the best in writing, he decided to leverage his story. What he did next doubled his following overnight.

He crafted a thread about his broken neck. It went viral. The story resonated with his audience as it offered a unique tale of hope and resilience — a universal character that touches people.

Here’s the thread:

He received 300 direct messages after this thread.

No, this doesn’t mean you need to break your neck to go viral.

You just need to share your story and be authentic.

Newsletter Pivots

Meanwhile, Kieran’s newsletter after a year only had about 100 subscribers.

His first weekly newsletter was about psychology and philosophy.

He pivoted to ‘Fire Tweet Friday’ - psychology-based breakdowns of great tweets. He did so to improve his Twitter game and also gain fans - such a win-win.

The newsletter evolved from ABC to Digital Freedom, now under his name. Ending his emails with a personal picture boosted authenticity.

In a year, the open rate surged from 26% to 56%, and he currently boasts ~26,000 subscribers.

30 threads in 90 days Challenge

In Sep’21, Kieran committed to writing 30 threads in 90 days, and shared with his 3000 Twitter followers. Not all were great (60%), some were okay (20%), but 10 went viral.

The results were impressive - 7018 new followers, 613 email subscribers, and even 5 job opportunities.

He chose topics he wanted to teach himself - copywriting, audience-building, and marketing. He started the challenge with only 4 thread ideas in mind. Market signals then guided him.

By the 20th thread, people started asking about coaching offers.

And he booked his first client - $500 for 10 hours of coaching.

He now charges about $1000 for a 1-hour call. See, how learning a craft pays over time.

Kieran used free giveaways (e-books and video courses) to boost his follower growth. He built multiple free courses with 35k+ downloads in exchange for email addresses.

This is how one of his giveaways looked. It was an e-book about finding one’s purpose.

4. First Big Money

It took Kieran 18 months to earn his first dollar online.

Initially, he believed he had nothing to sell, doubting anyone would pay for his offer. Then, a turning point came when he discovered David Perell, who ran a premium online writing cohort.

When Kieran was struggling with creativity, he read Perell’s article ‘Imitate, then Innovate’. The core idea was to start with other people's ideas instead of facing a blank screen.

Embracing Perell’s advice, Kieran began saving every great piece of content he found into a database. When friends noticed, they asked for access, and provided positive feedback.

Kieran explored if others faced similar problems. He scoured social media, analyzing responses to questions from creators like Dickie Bush. Leveraging others' larger followings for public research was a smart social media hack.

Kieran identified a common problem his audience faced:

“I don’t know what to write about.”

Realizing he had the solution, Kieran recognized it as a beginner’s goldmine, a problem he grappled with for over a year.

The Beginner’s Break

After investing over 100 hours, his product was ready - Viral Inspiration Lab, a swipe file containing successful internet content. Built on Notion, he crafted a sales page detailing his idea's origin and its utility.

On March 30, 2022, with ~18,000 followers and ~2,000 email subscribers, Kieran proudly launched his first product. The announcement on X marked a significant milestone in his journey.

Once released, people suggested enhancements to the sales page. For instance, someone proposed adding a $250 coaching offer alongside the $50 course. In marketing, it’s called the decoy effect.

To his surprise, the product became an instant hit, generating $2434 in just 22 hours. The success lay in selling a transformation to people.

While Kieran spent 18 months to earn his first dollar, he reached $10k in his 24th month.

In October 2022, he launched a group coaching program priced at $3000 per person for a 3-month duration, accumulating $18,000.

The pinnacle arrived in May 2023 with the launch of his flagship product - High Impact Writing, reaping $142K in a mere 4 days.

Since Kieran evolved as a creator, he approached the launch as a game, meticulously crafting 23 emails, 40+ tweets, 4 threads, 2 videos, and even hosting 1 Twitter Spaces session.

This product propelled his earnings to $500K in 2023, achieved by imparting a fundamental skill - writing online.

Have a look at how his revenues jumped:

In 2023, Kieran unlocked more time by cutting down on coaching and ghostwriting commitments.

For beginners, it's a crucial lesson. Starting with ghostwriting and coaching can be a quicker path to earning money.

Now, let's peek into his various sources of income.

He currently has 2 offers - $297 (writing) and $1297 (coaching).

5. Advice from Kieran for Beginners

Believe in Yourself

The toughest part for creators is self-belief. Take massive actions to create evidence. Kieran quotes Alex Hormozi:

"Build an undeniable amount of proof that you are who you want to be."

Change Your Time Frame

Alter your perspective on time - Work hard and expect results in 2 years, not 2 months. Remind yourself of this frequently.

Embrace Building in Public

Success on X is 20% what you create and 80% how you iterate. So, build in public and watch for signals. You may also read Dickie’s story who grew fast by building in public.

Combat FOMO

Online FOMO is a significant obstacle. Comparing yourself to a viral creator without knowing their journey can be misleading.

Set your constraints in advance. Create 90-day sprints focusing on one goal to manage shiny object syndrome.

6. Kieran’s SIDE

Any creator can succeed when they get their SIDE right. It’s a simple framework beginners can use to start creating online.

SIDE = Strengths + Interests + Demand + Execution

Let’s look at Kieran’s SIDE.

Strengths

1. Stoic Mindset

2. Ability to work long hours

3. Focus

4. Patience

5. Communication

Interests

1. Life of freedom

2. Writing

Demand

1. Writing online

2. Audience building

Execution Milestones

1. Quit his job in a phased manner to focus on writing (2021)

2. Started sharing his personal stories (Aug’21)

3. Dropped all other social media to focus only on Twitter (2021)

4. Spent 100 hours to build The Viral Inspiration Lab (Mar’21)

Pause here for a moment.

Think of what can be your SIDE. Write on paper or digital notes.

Use it as a starting point to pick what you want to create.

7. How Beginners Can Apply the Lessons

Be Clear on Your Why

For Kieran, it was Freedom. He had to go through the misery of his job to realize he didn’t want the status jobs provided. Find yours. It’s unique to you.

Narrow Your Focus

Allocate 2 hours daily for 3 months to master a specific writing skill. Choose platforms wisely, focusing on one at a time. Build your email list.

Solve Your Own Problems

Write about your challenges. Create content that benefits both you and your audience.

Kieran enhanced his skills by addressing topics like psychology, marketing, and audience building.

Share Your Journey

Storytelling beats generic content, especially in the age of AI and automated tweets. Share your experiences more often. Kieran quoted Kevin Kelly:

"If you can't be the best, be the only."

Be a Guide, Not a Guru

Shift from 'how to' to 'how I.' Make your concluding lines strong and memorable. Guide those a few steps behind you.

Expertise is not a prerequisite.