MUSINGS FOR ICK-FREE MESSAGING: IF CREATING CONTENT FEELS 😝

I was invited to speak to an international Zoom room full of my friend Tanya's clients last week, and it was SO MUCH FUN.

One client generously shared her top takeaways from the replay with me via DM. 📝

Thought I'd share here with you (restyled, with bonus commentary) in case you have any resistance around creating content starting conversations to help the right folks easily see if they want to do business with you.

BONUS: If video / audio is your preference - I've also added short (1-3 minute) clips from the live Q&A call to this unlisted YouTube playlist. 🍿

Click the chicken-dance-style GIF below to access the videos:

Now for the written recap / mini-guide...

💬 1. Think of social media as a leveraged conversation starter. If you're clear you want to use social media as part of your marketing plan yet you feel allergic / resistant, try to focus on facts. Speaking up over there is an efficient* way to reach more people to start sparky 1:1 conversations (in comments, DMs, email, the carpool line**, etc.). The posting part is the warmup. The convo is where the magic happens.

💘 2. Write to ONE. Keep ONE person in mind as you write emails, record podcasts, and videos. The one who you would LOVE to continue the convo and eventually do business with. (Sure, everyone on the internet can "hear" you too, but you're not talking to them.) Unless your person can SEE the fellow members of the audience (think Zoom room, live theater, auditorium), speaking to MANY feels impersonal and distanced. Vintage blog post on this here.

👯‍♂️ 3. The best attention getter = THEIR words (not yours). This one is hard for me because I have SO MANY thoughts and ideas to share and I want to share them allatonce as a telepathic instant download. Not yet possible. Or relevant to you. So for now, I'll use language I think mirrors what's happening in your mind. Helps you see "HEY! She's talking to ME!" Like I'm calling your name. Mirror mirror, matchy matchy. More on this here.

⏪ 4. Rewind back to the beginning and meet them where they are. When you're tempted to speak in "after" language (think "inside baseball" - jargon, coach speak, specialized terms), STOP. They're not on step 5. They don't know the things your seasoned clients now know. They're in the BEFORE phase. Be patient. We don’t get to have the geeky conversations with them if we don’t have the initial connection. (Again, easier said than done - I'm working on this too right now!)

🔍 5. Feeling resistant? Dig deeper. Ask yourself these Qs on paper or private voice note and answer them honestly: What are the benefits to me (my kids, my health, my finances) in sharing my message and attracting more dream clients? Then flip it to find what may be hidden fears holding you back: What are the DRAWBACKS to me in sharing my message and attracting more dream clients? Give yourself a gameplan for managing each of those fears so you can be free to move about the communicative cabin.

🧲 6. Certainty is sexy. For now, focus on the person you know you can help with 100% certainty. That’s magnetic. Clue, "I know without a shadow of a doubt I can help ____ with ____." Boom. Own it.

🎨 7. Start with your path of least creative resistance. Give yourself content creating credit where it's due. Where are you already a prolific content creator? (Ex. for several years I haven't posted much to social media, but I've created hours of "private podcast" material in Voxer convos with friends and clients. I've got a whole candy shop of workshops and trainings in my Google Drive, ready to be shared in perfect time.) So what's your natural first step? Notes app? iMessages? FB posts? Voice memos? Start there and syndicate. More here.

♻️ 8. Enjoyable = sustainable. (Nerd alert: The person who inspired this point in the call is named Sue, and you can bet my brain instantly translated this to focus on what's SUE-stainable.) Creating content is one part of your life. Every minute is as precious at the next, so why grin and bear it? How can you weave it in a way that is both sustainable and interesting to you? How can you romanticize this part of your life? Set the stage, set the mood, consciously celebrate and acknowledge yourself each time you press publish, send, etc.?

💎 9. Value is YOURS to create. I talk about this a lot. But what if the ONE person who benefits from what you wrote / published is YOU? Is it still worthwhile? I vote YES. By the law of averages, half of your content will be "below average" however you define it. It's inescapable. But that "below average" content is helping you clarify your thinking. Showing the world you were present that day. Leaving an extra breadcrumb for when that potential client (or future grandkid?!) is combing the internet for your hot takes and inside jokes. If it happens, the benefit of nobody else engaging with or validating your content is that it invites YOU to validate yourself. 🎁 What a gift that is. (And ultimately, so attractive! You won't be solo for long.)

🤖 10. Humanity is NEVER going out of style. As much as I love processing and coaching myself with ChatGPT (more on that in future emails), AI can’t mimic true human connection. AI hasn't lived through that story, that experience, that challenge, that relationship. The gritty, organic matter, the quirks and resonance that comes from real people - can't be truly duplicated by AI. There's no heart behind it. We need each other.

Okay.

That was a lot.

And I haven't uploaded video to YouTube in years, so I hope it was worth it. 😆

If you read to this point, I'd love to know:

✏️ Which of the above feels most useful to you?

Scroll back up for the number (or emoji) and click reply to any of my emails to let me know.

I read every one. Because conversation starter.

Sending love and stovetop potpourri***,

*I won't say "free" because your time, attention, energy are valuable and those ads are convincing. In fact, let's play a game: I'll give you 100 doodle dollars (our fam's imaginary currency) if you tell me the last thing you bought from an ad on FB or IG. 😛

**this is a real example from last week! a fellow mom (and teacher) friend commented about the stovetop potpourri pic thru the window, which inspired me to bring her a jar the next day ;)

***the stovetop potpourri was the star of my previous email, "need a boost?" so check it out if you're intrigued