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I Wasted Thousands on the Wrong Content Strategy
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Hi Reader, Early last year, I hired a video coach. He’d a big viral account over on Insta. Thousands of followers and millions of views. I signed up for a three-month contract that cost $6k. Not cheap, but he helped me with a short-form content strategy for a few months. He taught me about great hooks, how to script the first 3 seconds of a video and retention curves. I followed his advice, and some of my videos went viral. The coach knew his stuff, and he delivered on his big promise but… The whole thing was a BIG mistake on my part. Sure, I improved my video production and camera skills… But do you know what spending thousands on short-form and going viral with this type of content did for my business? Nada. Zilch. You see, organic short-form content attracts people with short attention spans. They’re far less likely to consume long-form content, let alone buy something that requires work, like consulting and coaching, etc. Not only that but I started to hate the reels and shorts I was creating. My face rammed into a 9:16 aspect ratio, desperately clamoring for views with a great first line or some insane visual hook. Not good. Even today, opening up Instagram stresses me out. I’ve got short-form-PTSD. When you know how a sausage is made–in this case, shorts–the thought of eating one is nauseating. I still like creating video, but I only record long-form content for my YouTube channel. Occasionally, my editor will chop up a few as shorts, but I don’t spend much time thinking about them. I find long-form is easier and more relaxing to create. Long-form content is like planting a tree. It takes effort upfront, but it grows steadily. I can create one asset and repurpose it several times in an hour or two a week. This type of content has a longer shelf life. And it does more for business. I don’t mind if my channel grows slower because going viral isn’t my goal. I’d rather hang out on LinkedIn or chat with clients and creators via email and Zoom. A few days ago, I held a workshop with a few creators. I covered my exact process for repurposing content. Here’s what Steve said about the workshop: This workshop will help me get up to speed with the current writing trends. As a bonus, Bryan shared his personal writing workflow and content strategy, which inspired me to leverage technology to my advantage. I don’t know about you, but that feedback is more rewarding than Mike_07444 leaving 🔥 on a reel. I’m working with 10 creators who want to add $10k to their businesses. If that’s you, reply “CLIENT” to this email. Write on,
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Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
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