VOICE ENTREPRENEUR WITH BEN SMITH #30
<5 min listen by audio:
How to find your voice in podcasting and voice (aka find your inner Kanye)
Today marks my 30th consecutive day broadcasting on Alexa and as a podcast. I hit the month mark, and I’ve learned an incredible amount in a very short period of time.
Yesterday was also a fun day as I got to speak to one of the leading magazine brands in the world about how to navigate in this new world of digital content.
It seems like I get asked the same question over and over again: “Is now a scary time to be in the content business? What should you do to find an audience?”.
Well, guess what:
It has never been a BETTER time to be in the content business. It’s never been a BETTER time to get your message out. It’s never been a BETTER time to be you.
Why is that? Let me tell you:
The movement to podcasts, messaging apps, and to Facebook interest groups is all about the same giant trend.
The middle in everything is gone.
The internet means you can either be cheapest or best, so pick one. However, Amazon and Walmart already own “cheapest”.
So that leaves “best”. You can still be the “best” at something in 2018.
That means to stop trying to please everybody. You can’t be the best by being in the middle, or by being average. So to me, you’re seeing this play out in politics, shopping, sports, and even your health and wellness. The moment you start making content or selling something that is not for everybody, is the moment you start to MATTER.
The middle is BORING. The middle can’t push a message through these social network pipes in 2018. Just not enough juice. This is why people like Kanye, LaVar Ball, and Donald Trump (sadly) matter. The moment you start to be real and authentic and start to share an opinion that does not appeal to the middle, is the moment a tribe can agree and stand with you. It’s the moment you become relevant and real. You become an entity.
The reason podcasts and groups are blowing up is because they support authentic opinion, and by definition, are not trying to appeal to everybody. In a subscription format like podcasts, opinions MATTER. Podcasts rely less on ad dollars, and therefore authenticity is winning out. Remember audiences grow when listeners can stand by what you say. The challenge is not to be acceptable to a broad coalition of people. The challenge is to speak authentically to tribes.
Kanye’s latest tweets are an example. Kanye is summoning his “Philosopher Kanye” because he is searching for an authentic voice and message that can travel through social pipes (just in time for two new albums in June):
The mistake media brands and cautious people make is to remain mute by solely reporting breaking news. The trouble there is that breaking news went direct, and went C2C (consumer to consumer). Instagram and Twitter break news directly now. So don’t try to be first. You will lose in that game. So what does that leave? Exactly what I’m saying. That leaves having a real opinion, a real voice. The bland middle ground will leave you in the same place as Hillary, Paul Ryan, ToysRUs, newspapers, movies, and a million other “middle” pleasing organizations (For the record, I despise Trump and voted for Hillary).
Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly issues in this new world. In the rush to have authentic opinion, we end up with “hot take” culture. Don’t do that. Just like Kanye, take the time to do the work in being yourself. Take time to stop being appealing in either direction.
If you’re thinking about how to succeed in 2018 with voice, podcasts, or social, it’s by learning how to stop appealing to everybody. That’s the magic moment. That’s the game.
If you have questions, hit me up. I’m around, and here for you! As always, thanks for reading– Ben
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