How to cut your work in half, double your publishing quality and create a masterpiece each and every time.

I have a fabulous Table Saw. It weighs 350 lbs, and it’s designed to work in the sweet spot between a cabinet saw you would find in a woodshop and a contractors saw you would see on a building site. I took it home, set up and it was still worth only about 50% of it is today.

It went from valuable to priceless when I build all the little accessories. I added auxiliary fences, a tapering jig, and built an out table. It’s kind of like software. My Substack platform was powerful right out of the box, but it won’t become priceless until I build some templates.

The Power of Templates

Templates allow you to publish posts with consistent layouts, similar elements, and smooth flowing typography. It’s why chapters, heading and page numbering work correctly in your books and posts.

Templates make your work easier, faster and consistent, and of course, put a smile on your face. Keep in mind, we use templates for design, not content. That t-shirt at the big box store, the one with the tag that reads, “One Size Fits Most” doesn’t fit anyone. I want my design to be consistent, but I want my content to be unique.

I operate under the, “Third time’s the charm rule.” Once I realize I’ve created 3 similar emails, documents, or spreadsheets from scratch, I stop and invest in crafting a template. At least I follow that ritual most if the time, but I have a confession to make.

I waited to create my post template until my 7th post on Substack, and then only because I discovered I screwed up. I checked the stats on, Business Dies at the SPEED of Mistrust and while I was ecstatic about the number of readers, I was dismayed by the total lack of subscribers. With a sinking feeling I reread the post and was horrified to learned, I forgot to include the Subscribe Button!

I dropped everything and drafted a post template titled, “Template - Main” containing all the essential elements, (including a subscribe button!). I’m convinced I’ll make another mistake in the future, but it won’t be the same one!

How to work from a Template Mindset:

• When you get that sense of “Deja Vu” like you’ve typed a document more than once before, it’s time to create a template.
• Make a list of what to leave in and sketch a draft layout, then build your template masterpiece.
• Start you new post by opening your template from Drafts, then clicking the “Duplicate to Drafts” button to make an exact copy.

Templates work best when they focus on structure and include essential elements.
If you have ever received an email with the intro, “Dear valued customer.“? Ask yourself, “Do I feel valued?” Never use a template to deliver generic content.

- Jerry Gitchel, RHB, MSH

P.S. This post was created from the new template. It includes a custom call to action(CTA).