Welcome to the 170th Edition...

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​Smart Creators Do This

I just returned from the 4th Annual Content Entrepreneur Expo and I am still in post-event glow. Everything came together this year. The presenters were sharp, the quality of the attendees was high, the networking was incredible, and yes, we even managed to keep the schedule on time.
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(And on a personal note, I had the chance to do my first book signing for Burn the Playbook. A very special moment.)

Here are the ideas that stood out and will stay with me.

The New Creator Metrics

​Chenell Basilio, who is brilliant at reverse-engineering creator businesses, made a simple but powerful point. We obsess over followers and subscribers, but the real metric that matters is replies. If people are not responding to your content with direct comments, replies, or conversations, you do not have an audience problem. You have a content problem.

In an age when AI can flood every feed with average content, what breaks through is connection. Replies, shares, and saves are proof that what you create is valuable enough for someone to stop and engage.

Craft Your Premise

​Jay Clouse of Creator Science reminded us that finding a niche is not enough. What you need is a premise. A premise is the reason someone’s eyes light up when they hear what you do. It is the thing that makes your message immediately compelling.

Jay shared a structure from Jay Acunzo:

“This is a [thing] for [people]. Unlike other [things] for [people], only we [differentiation].”

Once you know your premise, the job is to call your shot and become the number one choice for it. That is exactly what James Clear did with habits, Brené Brown with vulnerability, and Simon Sinek with the concept of why.

This really hit home for me. I spent nearly two decades working to be the number one choice in content marketing and it worked. But now I am working to find my next premise. Maybe you are wrestling with the same question.

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The Community as Creators

​Rita McNeil Danish, CEO of Signal Ohio, showed us a bold approach to local news. Instead of relying only on journalists, Signal trains members of the community to cover council meetings, town halls, and events. They pay trained citizens to gather information and feed it back into their news process.

It reminded me of how we used community blogging at Content Marketing Institute, which worked better than we ever imagined. For creators, this is a reminder that if you want to scale your publishing model, your community can be your most valuable partner.

Pushing the Envelope

​Mark Schaefer focused on the importance of creating awe. That emotion when people stop and cannot believe what they just saw. Examples like Liquid Death, which turned water into a cultural movement, or Nutter Butter, which built massive buzz through over-the-top videos, show how pushing the envelope and breaking the rules can identify and grow an audience.

If your content is generating conversations without you being in the room, then you are succeeding. If no one is talking, you have work to do.

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Break Patterns

​Jay Acunzo shared his framework for world-class speaking, which applies to all content. The best speakers and creators focus on the first and last moments. These are the places where audiences remember the most, thanks to primacy and recency effects.

If you want to improve your content tomorrow, start by crafting a powerful opening and a memorable close. Do those two things well and you are already better than most.

Stop Playing Small

​Amanda Northcutt from Level Up Creators challenged us to stop asking “why me” and start asking “why not me.” Too many creators set small goals and then wonder why they feel stuck.

She quoted Marianne Williamson: “Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. As you fully step into your power, you unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”

That one hit me hard. It is time to stop shrinking.

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Slow Down

​Robert Rose, my co-host for over a decade on This Old Marketing, reminded us that our obsession with speed is dangerous. Creativity cannot be rushed. Rick Rubin once said, “When the work has five mistakes, it is not yet completed. When it has eight mistakes, it might be.” Faster is not better. Friction is where the magic happens.

Listen More

​Ann Handley gave us the story behind her upcoming book ASAP: As Slow As Possible. The idea started from a talk she gave in 2016. Over the years, her audience kept bringing it back up until Wiley offered her a book deal.

The lesson is clear. Audiences will tell you what matters to them if you are willing to listen. Keep your channels open and stay patient.

Search Is Over (As We Knew It)

​Wil Reynolds closed the event with a reality check. Traditional SEO is losing power, not because of AI, but because of trust.

His numbers prove it. From January through June he received 200,000 visitors from Google, which brought in 471 signups. From LinkedIn and other social channels he received only 22,000 visitors, but those brought in 564 signups. Smaller traffic but higher quality.

It is a reminder that people who know you and trust you will always outperform people who just stumble onto you.

There were many more insights, but those are the ones that continue to resonate for me. More than anything, I keep coming back to the idea of premise. What do I want to stand for? How can I help the most people? How can I build a model that matters?

Here is the truth. The tools will keep changing. The platforms will rise and fall. But the creators who win are the ones who define their premise, create content that sparks real replies, listen deeply, and refuse to play small.

As my wife Pam always says (and became our family motto): Go Big or Go Home.

So here is my challenge to you.

Step up. Claim your premise. Slow down enough to make your work meaningful, then be bold enough to share it widely. The world does not need more noise. The world needs you.

If you would like me to talk about something specific for next issue or ask me a question, just reply to this email.

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Keep learning and growing,

Joe

17040 Amber Dr, Cleveland , OH 44111-2908
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