Why would anyone pay attention to your content? 🙇

A reader asked me:

“How can my free content compete with the big authors in my field? Why would anyone want to watch my videos, or read my articles?”

If you’re creating content, then this is a good question for you to reflect on as well.

Bring to mind just one famous thought leader in your industry.

Why might anybody pay attention to your content, when there’s not even enough time to consume all the excellent free content from proven experts in your field, like the one you are thinking of?

The fact that you’re reading this article right now is an interesting example…

Why do you pay attention to my content? Why are you reading this article, when you have many other choices? There are other business content creators who are smarter, more experienced, more entertaining than George Kao :)

So… why should I (George Kao) continue to create content, when there is already more than enough online to read or watch… for lifetimes?

Honestly, I’d love to know your answer.

Before you continue, I welcome you to comment (under this LinkedIn article, or if easier, below this Facebook video.) Your answer is valuable to me, as well as to others who are wondering about this question (for their own audience).

Below, you’ll find the comments from when I first posted this article in Nov 2017, then made this video about it in 2019. In that video I had named a couple of influencers (including Marie Forleo) that my could consume content from, instead of me:

“Ok here’s my response before I hear yours. Even if the content is relatively the same, everyone brings their own frequency to how they express it. It comes through in the person’s countenance, the tone of their voice, the ordering of the words, the environment etc. I may hear a similar message from someone else, but it might not inspire me in the same way. Also there’s the issue of relevance and timeliness. Marie Forleo may have talked about the exact same thing 6 months ago, but if your new video on the topic pops up in my notifications at the time when I’m looking for the guidance, I’m going to watch your video… and not necessarily think to go searching for the answer from other sources.” — Sandy Freschi

​“The simplest answer to your question: other than Marie Forleo, I have no idea who those folks are. And I have no idea who those folks are because they’re not that relevant to what I’m trying to achieve. Folks like you, Marketing for Hippies, Heart of Business, Pink Elephant, Awarepreneurs ARE relevant. And I agree, I love being able to provide personalized care for my audience. Whenever someone gets so ‘big’ or ‘busy’ they need to start delegating the interaction that drew me in the first place, it changes things for me. I get that step might be necessary to scale a business, but it becomes a different experience for the audience.” — Pamela Alexander

“I’m drawn to people I can relate to who are just up ahead of me on the road. I find inspiration in content and writers that are still out here on the playing field…” — Annie Radha Holcombe

“Why do we choose to have one friend and not another? It’s the same. So many people online say the same thing but they say it in a different way, some have more energy, some less, and each person resonates with others differently. Recently I listened to a video about each of us being unique. I have heard this message many times, but her way of saying it, accompanied by her own story, got to me because we are alike.” — Miriam Llamas Garcia

“Before I see your answers, here are my thoughts: I watch your content and also celebs. The difference lies in personhood. Although you all know things I don’t, I don’t much enjoy learning from over-confident providers who imply that I should emulate them to be successful. I prefer your content because it is more of a sharing rather than a top-down teaching. When I want entertainment, I can go elsewhere.” — Dechen Yeshe Wangmo

“I rarely follow the “gurus” closely as I do love the actual down to earth material you & others provide while engaging with your audience. I can tell you care about your work & take notice that you engage with people on your posts. Not everybody does that (even when they aren’t “gurus”). Your content is given in such a way that I can understand and be able to implement it in my own life/business. It has substance. It’s not the fluff/feel good that coats the surface to accommodate the general population to gain popularity. I like that you take a stance & have depth.” — Sharon Lawlor

I hope that these comments have inspired you!

Here are 3 thoughts I’d like to highlight…

People will follow your content, and not just well-known thought leaders, because....

1. You are more accessible than the gurus in your field.

While your audience is still small, you are willing to be directly accessible to people who are exploring your content.

You can demonstrate this by engaging with as many of the comments on your posts as you can. Because getting a reply from a content creator (like you) makes a difference to people. They feel heard. It is a delight to interact with someone who has inspired or educated them.

Also, those who are checking out your content will be pleasantly surprised to see that you are responding to others’ comments. Since you seem accessible, they will be more likely to comment more, or reach out to you.

(The bigger your audience gets, the less you’ll be able to do this.)

As you continue caring by commenting, some of your readers will come to see you as a friend, not an inaccessible thought leader. They will keep following your content because they care about you — because you first cared about them — and not following you just for your content’s sake.

This is different from gurus, which some readers may eventually discover “they don’t really care about me as a person… I’m just a number to them.”

Also, the social media algorithms will prioritize your content (for your audience) when you and they have recently interacted, i.e. when you’ve replied to their comments or had direct messages with them.

2. You share your truth.

You are willing to passionately share your truth, which is sometimes controversial… ideas that the bigger gurus aren’t willing to say because they want to maintain their mass popularity.

Or at least, you may have a different viewpoint, or a different way of saying things, because you have had unique life experiences.

3. You are relatable.

Whatever stage of development you’re currently at, you can relate to the previous stage better than experts who are further along.

In any field, in any market, there are always way more beginners than there are advanced people.

So before you go further, know that you are able to relate better to more people now than when you’re further along (and eventually, develop the curse of the expert!)

Be authentically yourself, rather than trying to copy some guru. Allow your natural strengths and style to shine through your content.

Use this precious time in your journey to document your learnings by creating content consistently. You’ll be helping those a stage or two before you.

Your ideal audience will resonate with you. They will trust how real you are, compared to thought leaders who may feel a need to front a persona, or be more polished, to keep their big audience.

As you grow, how to authentically keep your audience?

If you have grown your audience with authentic, consistent content, then over time, you will have experienced more and more of your authentic voice, message, and power.

By tapping into your authentic power, you become more naturally charismatic. And that becomes one of the reasons people decide to follow you.

So even while you lose the ability to keep up with replying to comments, you will develop your authentic attractiveness (depth of content and skill of communication), if you keep creating consistently.

Start from where you are. If you’re building an audience from the beginning, then care for individuals because the gurus can’t. That is your unique advantage.

At every stage, keep sharing your authentic voice consistently.