TMBA14 – 5 Ways to Produce Expert Level Content (Even If You Aren’t an Expert)

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Hey there weekend warriors!  This week’s happy hour drink sponsor is Orangina, a beverage with a special place in the heart of @AnythingIan.

Today we are going to talk about high level content strategy. First, it’s worth taking a look at Karol’s notes from reading Turning Pro. Many of you know I’m a huge War of Art fan, and I just got started with Turning Pro today based on Karol’s suggestion.

“The amateur allows his worth and identity to be defined by others. The amateur craves third-party validation.”

Ouch that’s harsh! In this episode we’ll explore strategies content marketers can employ to avoid the amateur trap.

Listen to this episode and learn:

  • Why the advice to “cut out distractions” it’s often good-hearted but misguided advice that will land you in amateur-land.
  • One of the most important tactics to employ (especially for really smart people).
  • Thoughts on creating a compelling body of work (and why that’s the new branding).
  • A hot new format for podcasters (that could be an opportunity in and of itself).
  • And how to develop a trustworthy track record even if you haven’t had any big wins yet.

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  • Leave me a message. It’s easy to do, and if you mess up, you can easily edit your message until you are ready to send it my way.

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Cheers,

Dan
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  • http://www.pletosu.com Adrian Pletosu

    Dan, the mp3 link doesnt work. 404 ftw

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    haha, fixed it thanks Adrian!

  • http://twitter.com/CCAnsbjerg Cristina C. Ansbjerg

    I still get a 404 error. No file.

  • http://twitter.com/SmBizSavings Audit Zen

    mp3 download link worked fine for me

  • http://www.bryemye.com Brian Miles

    Man, that amateur vs. professionals bit was a serious kick in the ass. I have to get moving.

  • http://twitter.com/adventurousnerd alicia pierre

    Hey Dan,

    Great podcast. Love that you mention the importance of input. I am a voracious reader (that’s what my website is about) & I totally believe that we need to create but creation without inspiration from consumption is rare.
    Question: I record an inspiring audio every morning where I read from an inspiring book. Im wondering if I should turn it into a podcast but how long does a podcast need to be? My recordings are less than 10 minutes.

    Thanks again for a great podcast.
    Alicia
    http://adventurousnerd.com/

  • http://lucidability.com/ Jamie Alexander

    Sometimes I don’t even care if people have expert content: I just want them to give fresh content that people aren’t using.

    It’s kind of annoying when every single marketing blog posts a Pinterest article on the same week, for example. Or if everyone interviews the same successful bloggers and asks the exact same questions as everyone else. How do they expect people to listen after they have heard one.

    I still thing everyone should strive to innovate in their chosen niche, at least some of the time, but please try and make everything you do different. I think this might be the sace for people who just read other blogs and think they are doing well by telling something in their own way.

  • http://awebsitedesigner.com.au Dan Norris

    Loved it, plus you’re taking your own advice with the format edge – don’t know too many other Friday night business podcasts. I definitely have to get better at seeking out feedback, was terrible a this in my old business can’t afford to be in the new one, that was a good reminder.

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    Thanks Dan! Really, I didn’t pick up on that quality in you. I’m pumped about your new direction!

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    Agreed here Jamie that there is a huge value in just being different and fresh…

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    Hey Alicia, absolutely put that shaz on iTunes! Could be a game changer…. some of the most popular podcasts in the world are 5 minute quick hitters, I actually think that’s an example of format edge. go for it!

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    i kicked my own ass there! i could barely continue…. :) thanks for listening…

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    :( fixed na?

  • http://twitter.com/CCAnsbjerg Cristina C. Ansbjerg

    Yep, fixed.

  • Andrew

    Great podcast. I really enjoyed the part about input/output. I consider myself a really intellectually curious person, so I’m always trying to learn new things. Recently, I was starting to think that I’d need to cut that out if I want to become more of a ‘producer.’ It was refreshing to hear you talk about the benefits of input, and how there’s a complimentary relationship between input and output.

    I also really enjoyed the part about amateurs, and am hoping you could expand on that a bit. How does one truly become an expert and a professional? Recently, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a data analysis consulting business (or at least trying to find some freelance work). I have some skills and experience in the area, but am definitely not an expert. So how to I become an expert and avoid falling in the ‘amateur-hour’ trap? Should I just “Fail. Forward. Fast” and “Fake it ’til I make it”? Or is there another way?

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    Cheers Andrew thanks for the great comment. The song is called “Face First” by “Syndicate.” If you Google it you can get a copy on bandcamp. Actually, ya know what, here’s a link to my dropbox:

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7483734/06%20Face%20First.mp3

    That’s a song I helped to write, with my old band now defunct. If you want to listen to the current incarnation of the band, I suggest you do, they just dropped a new record. Here’s their facebook page:

    http://www.facebook.com/eastofsweden

    It’s interesting the two points you pulled out, there’s a connection that I failed to point out in the show: it’s that having a chock-o-block Google reader probably isn’t a good thing if all you are using it to is the cow-towishly (?) follow the rest of the market place and to constantly compare yourself with others. In that sense, it could make sense to “read up” or read laterally– blogs, writers, and thinkers who are better than you and in completely different niches so you can use the inspiration to take your content in unique, fresh, and unexpected directions.

    I’ll double down on this amateur / pro thing in the coming weeks… thanks for the encouragement! I’m going to finish this book this weekend and then pull together some content around it.

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    cheers thanks! I think it’s fixed now.

  • http://twitter.com/adventurousnerd alicia pierre

    Thanks Dan!

  • http://www.adsenseflippers.com Joseph Magnotti

    Just getting caught up on episodes buddy, thanks for the mention and see you soon!

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    :D

  • http://twitter.com/BrazenCW Stacey Herbert

    This is quite literally the best thing I have ever read, or heard by you! Thank you.xx

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    no shit!!? sweet….

  • http://twitter.com/BrazenCW Stacey Herbert

    Peter and I were glued, rewinding were we missed things. The tone of your voice, delivery, the actual content, passion…blah blah blah…you nailed it! I especially loved the lack of any other audio distraction. Until the interview started, all I heard was this strong, direct message, that sounded like it was talking to only to me. Listening in again now!

  • http://www.tropicalmba.com Dan

    wow thank you for that!!! really appreciate you listening to the show and giving me some encouragement. gotta get back on the mic. :)

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