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​In marketing, we typically learn about the importance of getting people’s attention.

To try to stand out, to be more charming, to be more persuasive.

​But that’s not what I’m trying to do...

If anything, I’m trying to blend in. I know that my ideal audience will spot me, even in a sea of social media posts.

Being flashy tends to get unwanted attention. Irrelevant comments. More spam. It may seem like more followers, yet strangely, still poor sales in one’s business.

Your audience …

​It’s ridiculous when someone says they’re “#1” in their field.

​“Oh really, by whose standards?” I wonder.

The more we puff our chest, the more imposter syndrome strikes.

The need to prove our worth is part of the fixed mindset (ala Carol Dweck) — when our ego is attached to a fixed identity that we should always be excellent, and one of the best. It sometimes makes us feel like a fraud, because nobody is perfect. We feel pain (or avoidance) whenever we don’t live up to that shining…

​...and keep the newsletters simple.

A common marketing tactic — you’ve probably experienced this — is when you’re forced to give your email address, in order to receive a freebie, such as an e-book, webinar, video series, telesummit, or email course.

Marketers call this a “lead magnet”… and it’s a term that disassociates marketing from relationship-building.
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The problem is that it doesn’t even work that well... 

I built a 10,000-person email list by using a lead magnet of a “free”…

​“I had been taking it really hard when I didn’t get engagement on my posts, thinking it was a reflection of my value.” — fellow content creator.

Here are 3 things to keep in mind, for what makes content more easy to engage with: Audience, Medium, and Topic.  I'll address each one in this post.

It’s Not You. It’s Them.

It makes a big difference whether the right people are seeing your content. If you’re talking to the wrong audience, it doesn’t matter how skillful a communicator you ar…

​I write often about the importance of building our ideal audience. To create a community of people who are our true fans, who love our work and presence.

However, that doesn’t mean we should aspire to be their guru…

Here’s what I see as the difference between having a true-fan audience, and being a guru:

In some ancient traditions, a guru is a revered spiritual guide. Some gurus command near-total devotion of their students. I respect the freedom to practice religion however one wis…