There are a ton of apps available for creating content and automating that production process. Call-In, Clubhouse, Anchor, you name it, but did you know those apps substantially increase the odds that you will fail as a content creator?
It’s not the platforms themselves.
There’s nothing inherently bad about Clubhouse or Anchor or Call-In. The fact is that all of those tools inherently lower the bar when it comes to content creation. That’s the whole point of them. They’re trying to release friction. They’re trying to make it easier for you as a creator to access a potential creation avenue, but that often attracts the less motivated or the less talented among us to be like, “Okay, now that it’s easy enough, I’m actually going to give the effort to try this out.”
If it took a made-easy tool for you to get creating, that should be a cause for concern.
Maybe you’ve been creating for years, and now you’re just going to transfer your show onto one of those platforms. Great. Has no effect on you. However, if you are being attracted to a particular creation avenue or creation execution because this tool makes it so easy, obviously the odds of your failure are going to be higher because it’s not a distribution or some empowerment mechanism that’s attracting you, it’s the lowering of the bar.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t use them or that you shouldn’t start your content journey, obviously!
Everyone here at Heard is trying to encourage and empower people to create more effectively. You’re just going to need a strict plan to abide by when it comes to your creation, whether it be on those platforms or elsewhere.
Here’s the plan I would use
If you’re about to start on Call-In or begin creating for the first time, here’s the plan I would use:
#1 — Identify your audience
Specifically. Think of people’s faces. People you know, people who matter, people who would care about the specific piece of content you’re creating.
#2 — Establish your messaging
This can be simple. Don’t overthink this. People get so uptight when they’re like, “I don’t know my value proposition.” Don’t overthink this. Just think about…
- What are you trying to say?
- Why are you trying to say it?
- When are you going to say it?
- How should that message be delivered?
- Who are you saying to?
Think through that. Maybe write a very basic sentence or two that answers those questions and allows you to communicate what it is you’re trying to say.
#3 — Talk to your actual prospective audience
Get direct feedback. Talk to someone who may actually listen to your show, watch your show, or consume your content. Ask them, “Is this helpful? Is this your problem? If I say this, if I provide this, is that actually going to help you?”
We did that when we were starting Content Is for Closers and it dramatically changed the direction we took the show. After talking with our prospective audience, we realized our original plan wasn’t addressing what their problems actually were. Our plan and their problems were wildly different, so we needed to change our concept.
#4 — Build a process
Once you’ve talked to your audience and confirmed your idea, you need to build a process around that. This is super, super important. This is where failure can come in on a new idea. You may get excited about finding something that hits with culture, your audience, or is important to some extent BUT if you don’t set up the right systems to ensure your success over the long haul, you won’t make it to the future you’ve envisioned.
Creation is a marathon. You need to be able to set up systems and processes that allow you to create today (obviously) but also that you need to be able to continue to do over the next 18 months. You don’t need to have every detail figured out, but you should have some guardrails in place to ensure you’re going to be able to continue creating.
#5 — Publish
Once you’ve done all of that, then it’s time to publish.
The lowering of the bar for these tools is great. Honestly, the title is more click-bait than anything. The DIY apps out there are great and they’re great for the content community, BUT you need to ensure that you’re coming to them with the right preparation in place to take full advantage of them so you don’t fail.
Keep creating and remember that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.
At the end of the day, these are all just tools. It’s not the tools that makes that content successful, it’s the craftsman. It’s you, so make sure you’re setting yourself up for success as you continue to explore the craft of content creation.
