Edition 15: Content Creation Is Half the Battle and Being Careful to Not Make Assumptions
You can create content all day long, but if another element is missing, it won't matter. Also, never make assumptions and who will and won't do something. You might be surprised.
I’m creating content all the time but nothing’s happening.
I’m mimicking what I see all the people with big followings doing.
What in the world is going wrong?
If you’re only creating content and not doing something else, you’re only fighting half the battle.
And, no, the other half is NOT content marketing.
Content Creation is Pointless If You Aren’t Intentional About Relationship Building
When you’re as intentional about building relationships as you are about content creation, a special type of synergy starts to take place. People no longer see you like a face on a LinkedIn profile; they see you as a human.
One that they now trust a little more after a conversation outside of social media and someone whom they could see working with or collaborating with somewhere down the road.
Relationship building takes some work and time.
So I’m very tactical about it; in the same way, I’m tactical about content.
If someone follows me on LinkedIn and their profile piques my interest as a potential client or someone I’d like to know more about, I follow them back. Then, at the end of the week, I send connection requests to anyone I’m not connected with.
When that connection request is accepted, I send a quick 20-30 second voice message using the native feature in the LinkedIn app, saying hi and asking if the person I’m reaching out to would like to chat sometime.
Eight times out of ten people tell me it’s the first time they’ve ever gotten a voice message in LinkedIn DMs, and the majority of the time, they book a call.
These obviously don’t all turn into new projects for me, but they strengthen relationships.
Content creators can not reach your goals unless you build relationships. So get outside of your comfort zone and take that extra step.
Want to chat sometime? Grab 30 minutes on my calendar below.
Be Careful Making Assumptions About What People Will Or Won’t Do. You Might Be Surprised.
When we’re afraid of doing something, that fear is often misinformed. Far too often, we hesitate to do something that could help take our business to the next level out of fear of rejection or, more likely, the baked-in inferiority complex we tend to have as solopreneurs.
Recently I reached out to a couple of folks to be guests on my Solopreneur Spotlight Series that I didn’t think would say yes. In my opinion, both of these guys have a massive presence on LinkedIn and seem to occupy rarified air.
Guess what? They both said yes. Better yet, they’re actively promoting their appearances. The first just happened, and it was my most engaged episode so far and a wonderful conversation.
Never be afraid to invite someone you respect and value to chat. Or to be a guest on your podcast. Or your live stream. Please don’t assume you aren’t worth their time.
That’s for them to decide.
It’s on you to get over your fear of rejection and see what happens!
A Semi-Top-Secret-Weapon: Swipe Files
When you’re creating content and trying to stay consistent, writer’s block is real. It’s absolutely going to happen at some point. And that’s ok. There’s an easy remedy of which not enough people are taking advantage.
Swipe files.
I use a document in Notion to save every comment I make on LinkedIn posts during my engagement work - both mine and my clients. Then, when I’m stuck and can’t think of anything to write, I visit the swipe file.
I don’t organize it in any certain way. It’s a mish-mash of the various topics I create content around, including sales, solopreneurship, entrepreneurship, brand building, etc.
Because it isn’t organized in any particular way, I can scroll through the file, and something will catch my attention, I can create a post around. I’ve heard of people using tools like Swpely, Airtable, or even Hubspot for these as well.
You can make them as simple or complex as you’d like.
What’s important is they’re there when you need a spark.
The Tuesday Tactics Newsletter is Live!
Edition 1 of the Tuesday Tactics newsletter hit inboxes on the 3rd! It’s fun to work on something new and provide purely tactical tips and tricks to folks who have that preference.
If you’re finding Content Notes a little too fluffy these days, or want something GIFless, consider grabbing a subscription to Tuesday Tactics below.
PS: You can check out Edition 1 to get a feel without having to subscribe when you visit the page on Substack - one of Substack’s cooler features.
Til next week:
Place a renewed - or new - focus on building relationships with people you value the most to supplement the inherent power of your content.
Don’t make assumptions about who will and won’t want to collaborate with you on your projects. If you respect someone and want them to be involved, ASK.
Build a simple swipe file, and kiss writer’s block goodbye.
Also, I’d LOVE to hear your feedback about Content Notes!
Like the GIFs? Think they’re annoying as hell?
Taking any value out of the content?
Too afraid to unsubscribe even though you hate it?
Hit me up at kris@krishughes.com and let me know.
I want to make this what y’all want it to be, so we all have a good time with it!
Happy Weekend!