I follow a woman named Marie Poulin, because she is an expert in Notion— a glorious all-in-one workspace tool that I adore.
On Saturday she sent her newsletter where she talked about what stops people from “shipping,” that is, putting their work out into the world. I can’t find a link to it online so I will quote her.
« What could I really create that someone else couldn’t think of? What’s the point of doing yet one more? »
Some of the replies got me thinking about how we can stand out as creators when it can feel like there’s a sea of other templates/courses/offers.
Content can be copied; content is not your differentiator.
You are literally the most unique element of your course/content/creations.
No other person on the planet has your weird mix of experience and perspective that shapes why and how you create what you create.
Whether it’s an online course, email newsletters, or Notion template, the creators who will stand out are those that know how to translate their weirdness/awesomeness into something dynamic and interesting.
To be clear, things that can’t be copied include:
- Your delivery style
- Your vibes
- Your spiky point of view
- How you make people feel
- Your values and beliefs
- Insights learned via failure
- Perspective gained by experience
- Emotional scars
- Client experiences
- Differences in cognitive processing
- Messages you’ve internalized
- etc etc
When you OWN your unique you-ness, you become impossible to copy.
There are no original messages, just original messengers.
Do not doubt for a second that there are others out there who are craving your style + approach.
Her words really spoke to me. I definitely struggle with self-doubt and thoughts like “what have I got to say that’s special and different?” But I love the idea that content is not my differentiator! I’ve certainly heard related advice before– be authentic, be yourself, your tribe will find you. For some reason Marie’s way of saying it connected for me in a new way.
This realization happened at the same time as some ideas about my podcast, I Always Wanted To, where I interview people who are doing things that others long to do. I’ve been listening to podcast experts to learn how to build my audience. One challenge I have is that my podcast isn’t about one topic. Each episode has a different subject. Really the only thing that ties them together is me and my curiosity. Is that what I should be marketing?
I would love to hear your thoughts about it. It’s hard to tell from the inside what other people find most attractive. If you’ve listened to the podcast what overarching themes to you see that I might use to attract listeners? If you know me from other channels how would you describe Liz-flavored weirdness?
Liz,
I want to comment on this most recent blog in two specific areas. First, I have always seen and heard your podcasts as a sharing of life’s infinite possibilities. That is its common denominator. You’ve had people on who’ve walked the tightrope of their anxieties to actually accomplish big goals. Once that goal is met, then the person’s view of what’s possible also expands.
The second area I wanted to address relates to Marie’s work and teachings. Stuck was always how I viewed my desire to write. For how many years did I pay out a small fortune to Writers’ Market only to let it gather dust on the shelf? Answer, easily $200 worth, which was a lot of money then. Finally, I decided to shift the focus from “What will the publisher think?” to “Get it in the mail!” That was my only concern, to finish the story, edit, retype it, and send it off in the mail. What happened after that had little to do with me. Happily, the two stories I submitted months apart were accepted, one with an extensive rewrite and the other as it was. Getting the story finished and gone proved the Open Sesame for me.