Talk through the work
You do not need to arrive with a content calendar. We ask questions until we have a handful of ideas worth developing.
Thought leadership for people who sell judgment
Turn what you already know into writing that prospects can find.
Hollow Pen works with experienced operators, specialists, consultants, founders, and expert creators to capture the ideas that surface in their work and shape them into polished thought leadership.
What gets lost
Most of your best ideas never make it onto the page.
A consultant may have a framework she has used for ten years but never written down. An automotive specialist may explain the same expensive mistake to customers every week. Hollow Pen turns those ideas into writing that clients, customers, or audiences can encounter before the first conversation.
Most of the ideas are already there. Some surface in conversations and presentations; others are buried in notes or memory.
How Hollow Pen works
The interview does most of the heavy lifting.
We start with a focused conversation about the work you already do. We pay attention to the questions clients keep asking and the points you find yourself making repeatedly. The strongest ideas often come from a decision you disagree with or a lesson you learned the expensive way.
We develop the ideas
We research, structure, and draft the strongest ideas without forcing each one into the same template.
You review every draft
Your feedback shapes the next round, so each draft gets closer to how you actually think and speak.
A real example
One good answer can be worth more than a month of generic posts.
A fractional CFO might say:
“Founders often ask me about raising debt before they can tell me why the business needs the cash. Sometimes the financing problem is actually a forecasting problem.”
That one observation can lead to a post about borrowing, another about what lenders notice, and a longer piece on separating a capital problem from an operating one.
Who it’s for
Hollow Pen makes the most sense when clients hire you for your judgment.
We work with experienced operators, consultants, fractional executives, founders, technical specialists, and expert creators— people whose experience or point of view is part of why clients, customers, or audiences trust them.
The 30-day pilot
A short first engagement before anyone talks about a long retainer.
You spend about 60–90 minutes with us up front, then give concise feedback on drafts. The goal is to see whether the process saves you time and produces work you are comfortable publishing.
The pilot includes
- one in-depth interview;
- a short list of recurring topics and angles worth developing;
- eight short-form pieces for the platforms where your audience already pays attention;
- one longer piece, such as an article, newsletter, or case story;
- and an end-of-month review of what worked and whether continuing makes sense.
About Hollow Pen
Built to capture the ideas that already come out in your work.
Derrick Woods founded Hollow Pen to help experienced professionals spend less time staring at blank documents and more time doing the work their clients actually hire them to do.
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