Do you like to win? I do.
I'm the youngest of three, which means I've lost a lot in life. It sucks.
That's why no matter what I do, I strive to win.
This led me to conceptualize three simple ways that you can "win" (in most cases):
- Be the first (timing)
- Be the fastest (efficiency)
- Be the best (effectiveness)
Instead of getting too granular, let's focus on content. I see those three avenues to be the main paths to win with content.
By being the first to create content on TikTok, you can build your audience while gaining leverage over others who join later.
By being the fastest to create content on Facebook, you can easily win by gaining more attention and converting those leads to $$$.
I see those two avenues as more hereditary (nature): You can't do anything now about being the first on Clubhouse. It's also difficult to hire an entire media team to match the speed of larger organizations.
That leads to the avenue I believe we have the most control over (nurture): creating the highest quality content for your specific audience.
While you could argue that having an entire media team would help make great content, it's not a prerequisite. Many solo creators produce some of the best content online.
How do they do it?
- They know their audience better than their audience know themselves
- They invest in the content channel that leverages their skill-set best (written word, audio, video)
- They have a feedback loop with their audience that enables fast-track improvements and incremental iterations
Putting out five pieces of content a day is not possible for many businesses. But making one great piece of content every other week is doable.
Creating the best content you can does not mean your content needs to be perfect.
Attempting to create perfect content is not what I'm suggesting. On the contrary, the opposite is what I'm trying to say.
Create shitty content -> make it better -> create less shitty content -> make it better -> finally make something good.
The lesson: Realize the surest way to differentiate your content from everyone else by creating better content.
Choosing to be faster or luckier (finding the new platform first) is unreliable and can hurt your content initiatives more than help.
Some of you who've been here for a while may be confused. "I thought you always said frequency matters more than quality."
Consistent frequency paired with good content that continues to improve is the sweet spot.
What do you think? Should the focus be on being faster or first or the best?
🧠 // JO