The content you’re afraid to post

Hello friends,

I had a call this week with a founder in the aesthetic space, and she had a problem that many business owners face. Her content looked pretty, but it wasn't working.

She was posting consistently, keeping the grid beautiful and cohesive, making sure every image matched, but nothing was moving the needle. Why? Because...

Pretty does not break through, interesting does.

What breaks through is having something to say that only you can say and delivering it with enough conviction that someone stops scrolling to hear the rest of it and decides to watch another one. Your socials will start working when you realize you are in the business of being both interesting and educational. You have to have a point of view that stops the scroll.

Nobody Goes Online to Be Sold To

The content that works is the content that costs you something to say.

She is a professional who sees the same problem walk through her door every week. She knows which product is quietly clogging her clients' pores and which expensive treatment is not worth what people are paying for, and that knowledge is her greatest asset. But, like you, she is afraid to post her POV online because someone, somewhere in the world, might disagree, a person who is probably benefiting from that service.

This thinking is flawed and is what's holding you back.

You are already telling your clients what you think of your industry and competitors in a one-on-one way (when they are in your chair or sitting in front of you), but saying things at this level is:

● Not scalable
● Not as compelling because they are already your customer

It's why you need to share this knowledge out loud in an interesting way, which means saying something compelling, or what I call "social media controversial."

Constantly creating interesting content is what compounds over time and ultimately builds your brand.

If Nobody Can Tell Who You Are Not For, Nobody Can Tell Who You Are For

The fear underneath all of this is always the same: the fear of being controversial. I want to draw the line clearly because being opinionated is not the same as being cruel. You are not attacking anyone by saying that a product does not work and then explaining why in three sentences. When you never take a position, nobody can tell whether your brand is for them, and people do not follow a brand they cannot read. Say the thing out loud and you will lose a few people, but the ones who stay are choosing you on purpose, and that is how a tribe actually gets built.

So what does this mean for you?

Stop fearing doing the hard thing. Putting pretty things on social media is not hard, and it's why it doesn't work. The real thing worth doing is showing up in a way that's real and makes you uncomfortable. If you took the time to read this, please commit this week to posting something that makes you uncomfortable because you are putting your knowledge, POV, or opinion out into the world.

There is no one way to do it. Just try.

I'm writing this from my hotel room as we get ready to leave for two weeks on the road: four speaking engagements, five cities, and three countries.

I travel enough now that packing has become a bit of a system and I thought I'd share it with you:

Check the weather forecast four days before I go. Man, this is a huge one. Do you know how many times I have packed blindly? I have my EA send me the weather forecast in advance so I don't forget and can pack according to the weather.

Map out the events I am doing and voice-note ChatGPT. First, I map out all of my events on paper and then read them out loud to ChatGPT, giving it context for what each event needs. Once I'm done, it spits out a packing list. From there, I copy and paste it into a Google Doc and add whatever else I need for the trip.

Pull out my collapsible hanging rack. I am very visual, so before I pack anything, I hang everything on my rack in my living room and fold everything else on the couch. This allows me to better visualize what I am bringing and helps ensure I don't overpack...too much.

Try things on. Before packing, I do a try-on to make sure I like the outfit, mostly for filming days and speaking engagements. I don't have time to try on two weeks' worth of outfits, but I do make sure the core pieces I'll be shooting in work together.

This week's episode looks at what happens when brands return to what they were built on, and what happens when they drift. The theme kept showing up everywhere we looked: brands that know what they are keep winning, and brands that chased hype without a product underneath are paying for it. Some of the biggest names in retail, beverage, and theater all learned that lesson this week, in very different ways.

On the episode:

● Why the Hailey Bieber x Gap collab worked, and what it revealed about Gap’s brand strategy.
● How Victoria's Secret pulled off one of the biggest brand recoveries in retail, and the one decision behind it.
● Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime is proof that you can have 100% brand awareness and still loose.
● The smartest part of Adidas’ Sophie Cunningham deal has nothing to do with basketball.
● Broadway just had its best season on record. So why are so many shows still losing money?

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