SUMMARY
You Also Need To Be Authentic In Order To Stand Out
You aren’t just competing with me. You aren’t just competing with Gary Vee. You aren’t just competing with Google, Apple and the latest tech startup down the road. You’re competing with every single person on the planet who has a smartphone and Internet access. Because you’re creating content — and so are they.
You might have a stronger goal (you want to make money from your business) but it doesn’t matter.
Most of the planet is generating content all the time.
And you have to find a way to stand out.
And the only real way to stand out is through passion and authenticity. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put in.
Does that throw you for a curve?
It honestly doesn’t matter how much effort you put into creating content. That’s not what’s going to make you stand out. What matters is how much passion and personality you put into it. That makes the difference.
For example…I don’t write a lot of big, long, 2,000 word blog posts. I know that’s what everyone is telling you to do, I know they’re all saying long-form is statistically better etc. But I just don’t care. Because I get more reactions and responses from a piece that I’ve put a little bit of my heart and soul into, regardless of the length, than I do from a piece that hits all the right data points.
In fact, here’s what I know about generating content:
- The length doesn’t matter as much as you think.
- The more raw and passionate you are, the more people respond.
- If you try and hide your voice to tap into some trend that you think will get you likes, you’ll fail.
- You need to achieve authenticity.
These are my monthly average readership stats on Medium. Yes, 250,000. And this is a down month for me. My average is 300,000.
Why am I being this transparent? Because I want to show you the kind of reach you can get with a little passion.
When I look at my favourite bloggers, they’re rarely obsessed with doing what bloggers are supposed to do.
Some of Seth Godin’s posts are so short they’re basically a couple paragraphs.
Check this one out:
But his work is read and loved by so many people, because he has that passionate connection to his subject matter and his audience. That’s what makes the difference here. That, and his unique voice and perspective that just taps into and demonstrates his authenticity.
Authenticity and passion really are the key to content.
For example…
Finally, nobody cares if you don’t show that you do.
Why would anyone consume your content if they can tell you don’t give a shit about it?
Trick question. They won’t. If people can tell that all you want are clicks, they’re not going to give them to you. If they can tell you’re only creating content to make money, they’re not going to pay you. If they can tell your heart isn’t in it, it’s already over.
For example, I’ve been told I would make a lot more money if I cut down on my swearing and my colourful turns of phrase. But I can’t put money ahead of my own style and my own way of doing things. Because if I make that call, everyone is going to know that I’m in it for the wrong reasons.
- If you want to create content, you need to find a way to stand out.
- Passion and authenticity are the keys.
- Everyone can tell if you’re faking it.
- Don’t put the money first while creating content.
[This post by Jon Westenberg first appeared on Medium and has been reproduced with permission.]
