Read time: 5 minutes
MCC #77 – 13 Oct 2023
Welcome to My Creative Calling!
Are you getting too good at the wrong things?
What?
That’s a strange concept. Getting too good… But at the wrong things?!
Yep.
That’s what I asked myself after reading Nat Eliason’s recent newsletter.
I worry that some of the best writers of our generation are stuck making tweets and newsletters.
Nat Eliason
This idea slapped me across the face. It’s something I have been pondering for a long time.
And I’ve been having deep discussions on this topic with fellow creators. You know who you are 😉
So much of our best energy is consumed on the hamster wheel of social media. Yep, we are caught pandering to some form of “audience-building”.
The allure of vanity metrics.
But what about the cost?
And is MORE really helping us?
We have nothing left in the tank for producing our life’s work. Whatever that may be.
I dunno if I even want to write a book yet.
But this has been in my mind.
The internet shallows are a massive distraction from our life’s work.
Now, you may not be a “writer”, but the principle still stands.
You’ve become outstanding at something in your work that doesn’t really move the needle forward.
A reminder of a helpful mental model, the 80/20 rule:
For example:
I spend much time creating content for my newsletter and social media. A large chunk of my week is consumed by writing posts, editing, recording videos and designing carousel images.
But is this the best use of my time?
I could spend 2 hours creating a carousel post only seen by 15% of my audience.
And then it is gone. Forever.
And you don’t need me to tell you how painful it feels when you spend hours constructing the perfect post, only to hear the response of *crickets*.
It sucks, doesn’t it!
I’ve been having this up-and-down relationship with content.
But you know what I have discovered really moves the needle forward in my business?
Conversations
Yep, that strange old task of talking to real people.
Funny how that is lever-moving.
I feel like many people today are burying their heads in the sand, hiding from talking to people, or getting carried away with ChatGPT and ignoring that fact:
Building connections and networking makes just as much, if not more, impact than content.
So, it could be argued that rather than posting five days a week, you could better spend energy posting twice a week and then devoting more time to connecting with people.
Interesting food for thought.
And then with the newsletter?
Nat Eliason posed these questions:
How many newsletters have you printed out and put on your bookshelf?
How many articles from five or ten years ago do you still go back and read? Or recommend?
And what about tweets? Are there any threads that rise to the level of books?
Makes a solid point.
Most newsletters are rapidly skimmed while juggling tasks — like being on a snoozefest Zoom call at work.
Are they really making that much of an impact?
Sure, they land for a bunch of your true fans who devour everything.
But everyone else?
They couldn’t care less if your newsletter hits their inbox.
In fact, they would probably be grateful if you showed up less. You’ve heard of digital overwhelm, right?
Legacy
Nat used Naval Ravikant as an example:
Naval’s epic marathon of insight would have been largely wasted if Eric Jorgenson hadn’t codified it in the Navalmanack.
It’s true.
Naval has 2.2m Twitter (X) followers. He’s adored for his pithy wisdom.
But you know what will stand the test of time?
The book Navalmanack.
That will be his legacy.
I was on a creator workshop recently with someone who is more your traditional “artist” than “entrepreneur”.
And you know what surprised me?
They kept banging on about how someone gave them this book by someone called Naval and how it had changed their perspective on life and business.
Interesting!
This is the power of books.
They are de-platformed.
They can transcend niches.
They can be passed around.
If someone says to me, “You HAVE to follow this person on Twitter”, I’m most probably like “meh”.
But if they say, “This book changed my life!”
I whip out my iPhone and order it on Amazon before they finish their sentence.
So it poses the question:
Is the “real value” in creating lasting products that serve as our legacy?
The dilemma thickens – the other side of the coin
Okay, before you shut down your social media and move to a cabin in the woods to write a book, you need to consider something else…
There is power in an audience.
If you do it right.
(Not like the infamous Instagrammer with 2 million followers who couldn’t sell 36 t-shirts.)
Want an example of “right”?
In the last couple of weeks, I noticed something interesting — something that will p*ss a lot of traditional authors off. It is not hard to do in this evolving digital environment where everyone is now claiming the title “writer” and disrupting the old ways to success.
Even people like me (ex-accountant) are now calling themselves “writers”.
And the traditional English language experts seem to hate that these young upstarts claim to be writers, but you know what really gets under their skin?
When these new writers start rolling in the cash.
So, who’s my example here?
Dan Koe
He has demonstrated first-hand the value of having an audience.
Most authors are starving artists. They struggle to make ends meet while pursuing their craft.
But Dan did things differently.
He built a loyal audience while practising his writing through his newsletter and social media. And that combined audience is over 2 million people now.
Dan decided to write a book, The Art of Focus.
Rather than begging some publisher to give him money to write a book, he instead leveraged the power of his audience.
He pre-validated his ideas. He knows they resonate.
He knows the book will be a hit. In contrast, the traditional author could spend two years writing a book with no idea how the book will land in public.
What else is Dan doing differently?
He is pre-selling the book to his audience and doing it in style!
How?
He has bundled up a package of a limited edition hardcover book, The Art Of Focus keepsake edition.
He’s bundled it up with some cool things:
- Digital & audio version
- Physical coin
- Planner book
- Digital transformation centre
- Private community & launch calls
Not your average book launch, is it?
Certainly challenges your views around what a “book” really is.
What else has he created?
Scarcity.
There are only 2,000 copies of this remarkable book.
And the price tag?
A whopping $350!
So if he manages to sell those 2,000 copies to his audience of over 2 million, that will pocket him a cool $700,000.
That is pre-sale before the actual book launches to the public.
And… I imagine a hell of a lot of people in his audience are drooling over their screens, waiting for the cheaper version of the book to arrive. Many more sales to come!
Fascinating approach.
Wrap up
So you see, my friend, there is value in having an audience!
But you need to get good at your craft and produce something tangible that people actually want.
So you need both skills – writing AND audience-building.
I’m gonna keep devoting resources to learning both.
Reflection
Consider your goals.
What are the “right things” you need to get good at?
How can you start to reprioritise them? And cut the unimportant. Apply an 80/20 analysis.
Remember — a mix may be required for success, like the writing vs audience-building example.
A quote to ponder
For other aspiring authors out there wondering how to best spend their time, I do think it’s worth asking if you’re getting too good at the wrong thing.
The longer-form of writing you focus on, the slower you’ll see results. But the more durable those results will be.
Nat Eliason
What happened this week
Poetry & Purpose
Another Way
Stop hiding.
Stop hiding.
Stop hiding.
… Continue reading on Substack.
Final thoughts
Today’s writing background music playlist was Made In Manchester on Spotify.
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It would be great to have you on board!
Cheers!
Matt K. Head
When you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:
Coaching
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